Should you work with an ICF-Certified life coach?

I’m, Sue Maitland PCC and I made a conscious choice over 5 years ago to leave my successful career spanning two decades in IT and train to become a professional life coach. I knew I wanted to help people through life and career transitions and I wanted to invest in a top training school that would ultimately lead to me becoming accredited through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Read on to find out why I changed my opinion about the importance of credentials and for valuable tips for finding the right life coach for you.

My journey to becoming a professional coach

I researched many coaching programs and found the curriculum for The Art & Science of Coaching program at Erickson International College would best align with the skills I would need to support my vision for my coaching practice. I knew I wanted to do more than just help executives be more successful in their careers. I believe that life and career decisions are inextricably linked and sometimes we can lose track of that. My goal is to help others make conscious choices while looking at their life and careers holistically with a goal of creating a more rewarding and fulfilled life.

Now I must share something with you - I’ve never been someone who put a lot of credence in people’s capabilities based on a qualification. As a recruiter and resource manager for almost a decade I interviewed many people who had credentials and yet couldn’t work effectively with other people, an essential skill in any workplace and I didn’t hire them. I’ve also seen others with qualifications and yet no aptitude for putting that knowledge to practical use.?

Why finding the right qualified professional coach is so important

As a professional coach in a rapidly growing profession, I confess I’ve now become a passionate advocate for the need for practicing coaches to have the training and a track record of practical application of their training under a rigorous program. Coaching is a self-regulated profession. Anyone can hang up a sign and call themselves a coach and start working with clients and that’s a problem. Here’s why.

Coaching is a very intimate experience. As a coach, my job is to create a safe and confidential space for you to explore your innermost thoughts, feelings and beliefs. The ICF defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential”. Unlike counsellors, coaches are not focused on examining your past and helping you understand how you got to this point in your life – our focus is on where you are now and where you want to go in the future.

One of the key things a professional coach must learn to do is to stay completely neutral as we work with our clients. Maintaining “coach position” means that we support our clients to find their own answers without bringing any of our own biases or opinions into the process. Can you image how hard that would be for anyone who hasn’t had rigorous training to maintain a neutral position? I must confess, it wasn’t easy for me at first, however the power of coaching is in the ability of the coach to help our clients make their own discoveries and if we bring our own biases into the work we do, we’re in danger of being more of a consultant than a coach. It’s so rewarding for me to help a client have their own “Ah Ha” moment. Our job is to create a safe space and ask really good, open-ended questions that help our clients reflect and dig-deep to get their own answers.

I’ve worked with people who’ve experienced coaches who have little or no training and they always remark on the dramatic difference they notice when they work with me. They appreciate my structured approach to coaching, the formal contract I ask them to sign referencing the ICF code of professional ethics and the clear definition of their role as the Client and my role as the Coach before we begin our work together.?

Requirements to be an ICF-accredited professional coach

In order to become an ICF-accredited professional coach and maintain my designation, I must complete an approved training program, invest in mentor coaching, keep current with the latest trends in coaching, complete ongoing ICF-approved training, take exams, adhere to a strict code of professional ethics, pay membership dues and keep a detailed log of my coaching hours.

ICF coaches must be proficient in 11 core competencies in 4 key areas including setting the foundation for the coaching work, co-creating the relationship, communicating effectively and facilitating learning and results. To become an ICF-accredited coach you must demonstrate competency in all core competencies through written and oral examinations.

I’m proud to have attained my PCC designation through ICF and my clients appreciate my passion for my profession and my commitment to achieving the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.

Tips for Engaging a Professional Coach

If you are considering engaging a coach, you may want to ask them the name of the training program they have completed, how many hours of training and practical application were required to receive their designation, what they must do to maintain their designation and whether their training program is recognized by the ICF. In this rapidly growing profession, it’s important that you exercise due diligence when inviting a coach into your life.

Of course, qualifications alone are not the only consideration. You’ll want to have a sense of rapport and feel very comfortable talking with your potential coach. While not essential, you may find it reassuring to know that they share some common personal or professional experience with you. You’ll probably also want to know how long they have been a coach, how much of their time is spent focused working one-on-one with coaching clients and whether they have worked with clients in similar situations to yours.?

Conclusion

I hope this has given you some valuable reference points when considering engaging a coach.

It’s an honour and a privilege for me to work one-on-one with my clients and I love my work as a coach – it’s the most satisfying and rewarding work I’ve ever done.

I enjoy working with clients around the world and if you’re facing a life or career transition and think you may be interested in exploring the possibility of inviting me to be your coach, please contact me for an exploratory discussion.

You may also be interested in lifetime access to my online workshop “What’s Important To Me NOW?” which will help you get crystal clear on your priorities for this phase of your life. I invite you to visit my website at SueMaitland.com, contact me at 778-265-6880 or invite me to connect on LinkedIn. I look forward to hearing from you.

I firmly believe that it’s never too early or too late to make the rest of your life the BEST of your life and that’s exactly what I help my clients to do.

Sue Maitland PCC

Life & Career Transitions Coach

Victoria, BC. Canada