Decoding Coaching: Beyond Certifications

Coaching is a term often misunderstood, especially in a country like India, where coaching centers for exams like IIT-JEE, NEET, and UPSC have proliferated. Coaching in India is often associated with tutoring, where subject matter experts help students excel in specific subjects or fields. It's often seen as equivalent to private tuition.

In other cases, a professional coach is perceived as equivalent to a sports coach or a fitness coach. They are seen as experts in their field, and through coaching, the coaches are expected to figure out what is lacking in their coachees and train them to get better. For instance, a cricket coach is expected to analyze the coachee’s cricketing skills, find the areas for improvement, and support the coachee in their improvement through a training program

There is nothing wrong with these interpretations, as the term coaching has been used invariably in all these places. However, there's a form of coaching that goes beyond these definitions—a form that is powerful and almost magical. To introduce you to this transformative aspect of coaching, let's start by exploring what some global leaders have to say about it:

Quotes on Coaching from Eminent Leaders:

• "The best business advice I ever got… was to get a coach." - Eric Schmidt, Chairman, Google
• "95% of leaders reported a measurable improvement in their effectiveness with Coaching." - Dr. Marshall Goldsmith
• "You can either waste a lot of time, money, and effort working it out for yourself, or you can invest in a business coach." - Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group

So, what is this coaching that these world leaders are praising? Companies and individual leaders invest over $2.8 billion in coaching every year, a figure that continues to rise.

Defining Coaching

ICF (International Coaching Federation) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership.?When you work with a coach, you set out on a path to greater personal and professional fulfillment.?

Here is a simpler explanation for Coaching:

Coaching is not about telling someone what to do; it’s not about giving advice or providing solutions. It is a creative partnership between the coach and client, where the coach through effective questioning helps the client find their own solutions to their problems and challenges, without giving any advice. In other words,?Coaching is all about raising awareness, and when used effectively and appropriately, it raises your awareness—like a laser on your thinking that cuts through a maze of confusion and brings forth unknown ideas and options.

What Makes a Great Coach and How to Find One?

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the International Association of Coaching (IAC) have established various levels of coaching certification—Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Master Certified Coach (MCC), IAC certified coach, and IAC Master coach. With this array of certifications, how can one identify a great coach? Does having an MCC tag automatically qualify one as a great coach?

A Glimpse into Coaching History

To answer these questions, it's essential to consider coaching from a historical perspective. Coaching as a recognized profession gained prominence in the West during the 1990s. Thomas J. Leonard, a pioneer in the coaching industry, founded the International Coaching Federation (ICF) in 1995. Later in 2003, another prominent coaching body, the International Association of Coaching (IAC) was created, and interestingly, it was Leonard who laid the foundation for IAC as well. Why did he start working on IAC when ICF was still in place surprised me. It was during this time, the EMC (European Mentoring Council) which was started in 1992, rebranded itself as EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Council) in 2002. If we observe the statistics,? the worldwide number of coach-specific training schools/programs increased from eight in 1995 to 164 in 2004, as also did the number of annual coach conferences; from 0 in 1994 to 16 in 2003. I feel this was the phase where coaching grew as a profession and as a result, was highly commercialised, leading to the creation of a fast-growing multi-billion dollar coaching industry.

Specialization Vs Excellence

However, if we journey back in history, say 500 or 2000 years, we find wise counsel in the West and Gurus in India. Back then, there were no certifications. We didn’t segregate them as coaches, mentors, advisors, counselors, teachers, or facilitators. A Guru was all of them. They could be a coach, mentor, or teacher as the situation demanded, and that’s what made them Great. The idea of specialization, as seen today with institutions such as IITs focusing solely on engineering, IIMs exclusively on Management, and NIDs solely on Design, is a recent phenomenon that is destroying the holistic approach of University. I believe the same trend is occurring in the learning and development space as well, with people isolating themselves as either a Coach or a Facilitator or Trainer. In a recent conversations with a recognised coach, she told me that she hates training, and she loves to facilitate. Not just with her, I have seen such a trend among many professionals in the L&D, and this is concerning. As a learning designer, we have to wear multiple hats, sometimes a coach, at times a facilitator, and also a trainer/teacher, and we shouldn't be fixated on a particular approach. In my opinion, we shouldn't aspire for specialisation as a facilitator or a coach, but rather practise for excellence as a teacher.?

Demystifying Coaching Qualifications

Technically, both a high school student and a CXO of an organisation are equally eligible to become an ICF-certified coach, because coaching doesn't require specific educational qualifications. This arises from the premise that distinguishes coaching from other related professions like mentoring, advisory, consulting, and training:? a coach doesn't need to be a subject matter expert. For example, a history graduate, trained as a professional coach, can effectively coach a rocket scientist. This underscores the importance of questioning the 'purist' view of coaching, which contends that coaches only need to know how to ask great questions.

David Clutterbuck, a founder of EMCC, challenges the 'purist' view as one of the most pernicious myths in coaching. His recent research on the 'coaching maturity' model emphasizes the need for coaches to possess a contextual understanding of the client's world. Coaching doesn't operate in a vacuum; an executive coach without an awareness of the corporate and business world may place the client at risk and limit their own capacity to add value. To be a solid executive coach, you don't necessarily need a business background, but to be a great one, you do. This underscores the importance of looking at coaches from a holistic perspective rather than a purist one.

What Makes a Great Coach?

Returning to the question—what makes a great coach? Marshall Goldsmith (MG), the world’s most sought-after coach says,” I am considered as a world-class coach, ranked among Top 10 coaches, because my clients are CEOs of world-class organizations. There might be equally good or better coaches than me, but they might not have the clients that I have.” Though he is humble enough to give credit to these clients, what attracted the clients in the first place, is the work he has been doing in the executive leadership space for decades, and it helped him understand his clients' challenges better and frame the right questions during the coaching process, making him the most sought after coach.

Choosing the Right Coach: Trust and Connection

Practically, anyone who has practiced coaching while adhering to ethical and competency standards can be a good coach. However, when choosing a coach, it's crucial to build rapport and trust. It is only with this trust, a?coach creates a safe and non-judgmental environment to have deeper conversations with clients. This is very critical, because, in a coaching process, some of the questions will take the client deep within and in such cases, this safe and non-judgemental space will help the client to answer with complete honesty and courage.

Also, people often seek coaches who have walked in their shoes, though it's not mandatory; it significantly enhances coaching effectiveness. For instance, if you're an early-stage entrepreneur, a coach with entrepreneurial experience will bring in greater value. Though it might contradict the purist view of coaching, it is a game changer in my humble opinion.?

Measuring Coaching Quality: Beyond Qualifications

In addition to general coaching titles, you'll come across life coaches, business coaches, executive coaches, sales coaches, health coaches, spiritual coaches, and more. It's important to understand that certifying bodies like ICF certify individuals only as professional coaches, and all these specialized titles are only self-nominated or self-proclaimed. These titles serve as a way for coaches to showcase their areas of expertise. But with so many individuals claiming to be coaches, there's a risk of encountering unqualified individuals. It's effective to verify a coach's credentials, and this is where certifications like ICF and IAC can be helpful. However, beyond these certifications, various levels of certifications often become mere fashion trends and are creating an arms race within the coaching fraternity.

David Clutterbuck's observations highlight that many factors, including qualifications, accreditation, client satisfaction, and fees, don't necessarily correlate with coaching quality. Qualifications and accreditation tend to represent minimum standards. Clients may be content with a coach who listens and sympathizes but less satisfied with one who challenges their worldview. These factors aren't the sole indicators of coaching quality.

In summary, what makes a great coach is a blend of experience, contextual understanding, the ability to ask the right questions, and a personal connection. While certifications and titles can be helpful, they should be considered alongside these qualities when seeking the right coach for your unique needs.