What is Coaching from ICF - International Coaching Federation?

"ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential”. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.

We all have goals we want to reach, challenges we are striving to overcome and times when we feel stuck. Partnering with a coach can change your life, setting you on a path to greater personal and professional?fulfilment;

IMHO - Coaching is a process that supports individuals to make more conscious decisions about their professional and personal lives.

I come across powerful Quotes to define Coaching adheres

“Unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.?It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them”

Coaching is not telling people what to do.. its helping them to discover what to do!

Coaching is about evoking awareness pushing the client to find answers – not merely giving advice.

Different Types of Coaching

Coaching is a process that can be offered in different situations and different environments based on the needs of the individual.

The term coaching typically refers to methods of helping others to improve, develop, learn new skills, find personal success, achieve aims and to manage life change and personal challenges. Coaching commonly addresses attitudes, behaviours, skills and knowledge, as well as career goals and aspirations, and can also focus on physical and spiritual development too.

Past 2 decades of my observation, coaching can be classified as follows:

Life Coaching, Business Coaching, Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Performance Coaching, Career Coaching, Relationship Coaching, Behavioural Coaching, Intimacy Coaching, Personal Coaching, Group Coaching, Team Coaching, Happiness Coaching, Social Coaching, Health & Wealth Coaching, Motivational Coaching, Spiritual Coaching, Family Coaching, Parent Coaching, Couples Coaching, Divorce Coaching, Marketing Coaching, Entrepreneur Coaching, Successes Coaching, Strategy Coaching, Organizational Coaching, Sports Coaching, etc..

Why Coaching? and How it helps?

Coaching helps business leaders build emotional intelligence, with greater self-awareness, empathy and self-control. Professional coaches provide observations and feedback about individual performance and assist leaders with developing strategies for personal improvement.

• Coaching Impacts Stronger leadership capabilities
• Improved knowledge of oneself and how to respond and work with others
• Enhanced knowledge of tools and resources available to increase job performance
• Reduced stress and improved productivity
• Establish and take action towards achieving goals
• Become more self-reliant
• Gain more job and life satisfaction
• Contribute more effectively to the team and the organisation
• Take greater responsibility and accountability for actions and commitments
• Work more easily and productively with others (boss, direct reports, peers)
• Communicate more effectively? and many more benefits..

Core Competencies of an ICF Coach

In 1998 ICF developed 11 core competencies to support greater understanding about the skills and approaches used within coaching profession and these were grouped in to four dimensions(Foundation, Co-Creating the relationship, Communicating effectively and Cultivating learning and growth) for ICF CKA- coaching knowledge assessment.

In 2019 ICF Core Competencies were updated and released as 8 competencies instead of 11;

Competency 1: Demonstrates Ethical Practice?- Familiarity with the ICF Code of Ethics and its application is required for all levels of coaching. Successful PCC candidates will demonstrate coaching that is aligned with the ICF Code of Ethics and will remain consistent in the role of coach.?

Competency 2: Embodies a Coaching Mindset?- Embodying a coaching mindset - a mindset that is open, curious, flexible and client - centred is a process that requires ongoing learning and development, establishing a reflective practice, and preparing for sessions.?

Competency 3: Establishes and Maintains Agreements?

Competency 4: Cultivates Trust and Safety?-

Competency 5: Maintains Presence?-

Competency 6: Listens Actively?-

Competency 7: Evokes Awareness?-

Competency 8: Facilitates Client Growth?

Coaching Models and Tools:

A Coaching Model is?a method designed to guide an individual through a process from where they are currently to where they want to be. The purpose of a coaching model is to create a framework for guiding another person through the following steps to establishing a desired goal.

1. GROW – by Sir John Witmore in 1980’s; The GROW Coaching Model is one of the simplest and most well known coaching models. It’s a solution focused model and the letters stand for: Goals, Reality, Options and Will (or Wrap-Up). This easy model is a great starting point for new coaches.
2. TGROW – Myles Downey, T stands for?Topic, in other words it is the broad area that your coachee wants to address. It would make sense, at the start of the conversation, to understand and clarify the topic and it's scale, understanding the bigger picture in terms of why this is important to the coachee and perhaps their longer term vision.
3. OSKAR -?Mark (Gilbert and Whittle worth) 2002, The OSKAR solution focused coaching model has five steps: Outcome, Scaling, Know-how, Affirm and Review. It’s a fairly simple coaching model that is helpful in the world of work.
4. STEPPA - Angus McLead, The?5-step coaching model?is a process that helps you determine the path your employees must take to establish, plan, and achieve their goals.
5. CLEAR - The CLEAR coaching model was developed by Peter Hawkins in the early 80’s, and is an acronym for?Contracting. Listening, Exploring, Action and Review.
6. OUTCOMES - Allan Mackintosh, Establish and take action towards achieving goals. Become more self-reliant. Gain more job and life satisfaction. Contribute more effectively to the team and the organisation. Take greater responsibility and accountability for actions and commitments.

Do's and Don't of a Coach

Coaching is an especially powerful methodology when it comes to stimulating individual behaviour change because it is focused on helping clients grow into becoming the experts of their own well-being;

Do's adheres:

? Asking questions with a beginner’s mind - not assuming that they already know the answers.?

? Not making decisions and judgment calls quickly, but allowing clients the chance to go deeper and get to important stuff.?

? Not thinking about what to say next, but instead listening for the thread hanging off of a client’s last words.?

? Not generating quiet resistance with even a hint of know-it-all energy.?

? Reading, respecting, and working with clients’ emotions as the guideposts to truth.?

? Not rushing clients through their “muck,” but instead compassionately helping them to sit there until the desire to change gains energy.?

? Not being on “automatic pilot” to ensure that a checklist gets completed, but instead being fully present to the client’s reality.?

Don'ts Adheres :

? Analyse problems,?

? Give advice,?

? Prescribe solutions,?

? Recommend goals,?

? Develop strategies,?

? Teach new skills, or?

? Provide education.?

Summary - Thanks in advance for reading the article and giving your honest feedback. Kindly reach me for any coaching support and am happy to partner with you and help you out to achieve your personal, leadership and business goals.