Exploring Three Powerful Truths About Professional Coaching.

Hey there! Coach Dave Buck here.
I bet no one has asked you this question directly, BUT most people that you talk with about your coaching service WILL ask themselves this question about you…
And…
You answer this question with every conversation you have and everything you say or write about your coaching business.

BIG Truth #1
Unless YOU KNOW that you have earned the right to Coach…very few people will ever hire you.
Your energy is ALWAYS flowing. When you are talking to someone they feel the energy you are exuding. Are you exuding the energy of, “I have earned the right to coach you!”?

BIGGER Truth #2
You do NOT earn the right to Coach through Coach Training.
You EARN the Right to Coach by playing BIG in life.
Then you become masterful as a Coach through training and practice.
This is why before you do ANYTHING else – including coach training – you MUST declare and articulate HOW you have earned the right to Coach and WHO you have earned the right to Coach.

BIGGEST TRUTH #3
You have already earned the right to Coach a large number of people. However, you may not know it yet because you have grossly underestimated the incredible value of your life experiences and the expertise you have accumulated! (Not to worry: We all do this)
AND/OR you have never taken the time to declare this clearly and powerfully.

CLARITY = CLIENTS
Yes, I know that is a really big font! This point is more important than just about anything else I can say. Your ability to sign paying clients and thrive in the world as a professional coach absolutely begins with your 100% clarity about…

1) Your Expertise
2) WHO YOU ARE, and
3) HOW you coach & WHO you coach (this may sound strange, but “How You Coach” has little to do with Coach Training, so you can define this even if you have little or no formal coach training. Coach training will determine how WELL you coach)
The diagram below will explain more about each of these three key areas.

Coaching is a blend of sharing your expertise in a way that is personalized to the player AND challenging your player to figure things out for themselves.

The value of a Coach has three major elements:

1) Expertise
Your knowledge, talent and experience are probably the first thing a new player wants from you as their Coach. Now you can share it with them and it will greatly expand your credibility and build trust.
Knowledge – information you have studied and integrated
Talent – natural ability that you have refined through practice and application
Experience – Living life while keenly observing and learning
Another key point here is that when you are new to Coaching, this is your main drawing card. The edict against expertise gave new coaches almost NO chance to get started. No wonder most of them fail!

2) Who you are as a person
Who you are as a person is a pretty BIG deal (an understatement, I know) and challenging to quantify in just a few words. I like these three C’s: character, community and connection.
Character – your values and who you have become.
Community – your relationships with others as a reflection of you
Connection – your connection to a higher purpose or greater calling.
The Who You Are is the key to your overall attraction.

3) Coaching ability
You coaching ability is your ability to guide another to play better and get better results.
Practices – Your ways of identifying essential skills and playing toward mastery.
Principles – Your understanding of the essentials of improving human performance.
Approaches – Your overarching theory about how to play well.

There are three powerful by-products that are essential to your value as a Professional Coach.

A) Resources
Everything you bring to the table to support your player.

B) Results
Your track record with others actually adds value.

C) Methods
The way you do what you do consistently so that the basics are covered and creativity becomes possible.

Keep Playing!

Coach Dave Buck
CEO & Head Coach
CoachVille
(c) Copyright 2008 CoachVille LLC
Distribute freely with attribution to www.coachville.com

NOTE: The Coaching Commons invites your comments regarding this post.

Exploring the NEW “Official” ICF Definition of Coaching and what it means.

Hey there! Coach Dave Buck here.

A truly amazing and exciting thing has happened. I am hosting a series of summer rants and dialogues about the ICF (International Coach Federation) definition of coaching and how outdated and industry defeating it is – In particular the concept that the client has all of their own answers and that coaches should not use their expertise while coaching.

As I was writing an article I had an inkling – rather than paste in the language from my copy of the ICF Code of Ethics I should go to the new ICF website and get an updated version.

Lo and behold!!!! Their definition of coaching has changed! A new definition was written into the updated code of ethics that was approved by the ICF Board in December 2008.

The old definition…
The International Coach Federation adheres to a form of coaching that honors the client as the expert in his/her life and work, believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to:
• Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
• Encourage client self-discovery
• Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
• Hold the client responsible and accountable

The new definition…
Part One: Definition of Coaching
Section 1: Definitions
• Coaching: Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
• A professional coaching relationship: A professional coaching relationship exists when coaching includes a business agreement or contract that defines the responsibilities of each party.
• An ICF Professional Coach: An ICF Professional Coach also agrees to practice the ICF Professional Core Competencies and pledges accountability to the ICF Code of Ethics.
Not that the ICF has the final word on the definition of coaching! But…

WOW! What a difference.
This bodes well for the ICF that the Board – with many members trained by dogma-based schools – was able to approve a new “official” definition with the dogma removed. Remember: the ICF Ethics document is the one you have to sign in order to accept your certification. So this is the document that really matters.

The expertise embargo has been lifted!

The American Heritage Dictionary defines ‚ÄòExpert’ as having, involving, or demonstrating great skill, dexterity, or knowledge as the result of experience or training.

Now we can deliver TRUE COACHING, using our expertise the way we have always known was best, without worrying about violating the code.

Now… The old definition – loaded with industry defeating dogma – is still on the marketing pages of the website on a page called “What is Coaching”. If you want to turn your stomach, give it a read.

The good news: the marketing document is NOT an “official document” and you don’t have to sign it in order to obtain or maintain your certification.
Now that expertise is no longer dismissed in the official definition, the ICF will be able to attract and include thousands of talented and experienced coaches who would not go for certification because their expertise-oriented approach – TRUE COACHING – was not accepted.

This is a very good thing if you are a TRUE COACH. As an Ambassador for Professional Coaching in the Personal Growth world, I am thrilled to be able to welcome YOU!

A TRUE COACH will teach you how to play a game better and win on your own terms

It is unfortunate that the ICF continues to misinform the public about coaching on the marketing page. However, we will take this “official” change as a huge step forward and it is my STRONG HOPE that as more TRUE COACHES join the ICF we will see a change in the marketing documents as well.

Toward that end… WE Continue.
Stick with me, the ride is going to be VERY exciting.

The Positive Impact of This New “Official” Definition!
This change has major positive implications for coaching excellence, certification and especially the business of coaching.

Coaching Excellence

From the perspective of coaching excellence this is so big because the old definition was so stifling.

Coaching is a blend of sharing your expertise in a way that is personalized to the player AND challenging your player to figure things out for themselves.

I have often said that masterful coaching is only possible when the Coach knows the game the player is playing.

Below I have amended this to include expertise in an approach that applies to all games. When you know the game and you know your player you can read the situation and know exactly what to do.

When your player is overwhelmed or truly doesn’t know what to do or how to do it, it’s best to share your expertise. But when your player is avoiding a tough decision and looking to you for advice, you have to challenge them to figure it out for themselves.

Masterful coaching always rides in the dynamic balance between support and challenge.

Masterful Coaching is:
• Knowing WHAT to do and HOW to do it (expertise).
• Knowing how and when to challenge your player to think for themselves.
• Having expertise in the game (essential to preparing your player for the best results).

The ultimate truth is that the player has to play the game.

Coaching Certification
This change in the definition of coaching is so good for our profession. I’ve found it extremely troubling that what I would call imitation Rogerian Therapy (where the practitioner only asks questions and mirrors) has not only passed for Coaching BUT was the only way to PASS the certification process if you were unlucky and had a dogma-based certifier. UGH!!!

If you read this brief Wikipedia overview of Rogerian (Person-Centered) Therapy and compare it to the ICF Marketing definition of coaching you will see that they are hauntingly similar. I’m sure that this form of therapy has great value, but it is NOT coaching and should not be confused with coaching.

Passing knowledge, experience and wisdom from one person to the next is the engine of human evolution AND a core element of TRUE COACHING! If you KNOW that your expertise has tremendous value when shared skilfully and responsibly, then you are in the right place in the Coaching Industry!
Asking questions is definitely essential to coaching. BUT, ONLY ASKING QUESTIONS is NOT good coaching. Yet this was the only way to pass our industry leading certification.

Since many of the certifiers were trained in schools dogmatically positioned against sharing expertise, I wonder how long it will take before expertise is respected in the certification process. Of course a 30 minute “tip session” should not pass but neither should a 30 minute Rogerian Therapy session.
I believe that the Core Competencies are an excellent measure for the certification process. My hope is that well-timed and delivered Direct Communication (Core Competency #7) will be REQUIRED to pass rather than a cause for a point deduction as it has been by the dogma-based certifiers.

Raising the Bar
I also like that this change significantly raises the bar for what it means to be a professional coach. It puts more responsibility on the coach to continually develop, expand and refine their expertise AND they must be able to use it wisely in a way that develops others rather than over-powering them. This creates a higher standard for our profession (a very good thing).

Coaching Business
Perhaps the biggest impact of all – The old definition was self-defeating. A major element of the value of a coach is expertise; or as I call it: knowledge of the game or approach.
Most people hire a coach in order to expand their own expertise (play the game better) by learning from the coach. But if the client is already an expert and the coach is not supposed to share expertise then…

There was nowhere to go.

With the expertise embargo lifted…professional coaching is primed for
massive public appreciation and respect. Very good for business!

Two out of three ain’t bad
The value of a coach has three major elements:

1. Expertise.

2. Who you are as a person.

3. Coaching ability.

Until now, to stand as an ICF accredited Coach you could only use two out of three! (Expertise was forbidden!)

It makes me think of the old Meatloaf song: “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad”. There is a line that goes: ‚ÄòI want you. I need you. But there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna love you, but don’t be sad ’cause two out of three ain’t bad.’ It’s been like that for coaches who didn’t have or didn’t feel they could use their valuable expertise!

Client to a Coach who won’t share their expertise: “I want you. I need you. But there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna hire you, but don’t be sad…”
You get the picture. It was bad. But now the opportunity is very, very good.

NEXT…

IT IS SOOOOO OBVIOUS that people are NOT experts in their own lives. How is it that anyone can continue to promote this nonsensical notion? Or worse, make it the cornerstone of the public awareness efforts of our Industry Association?

Are you a TRUE COACH – a coach who teaches the game by weaving together expertise, a great life and coaching ability?

Keep Playing!

Coach Dave Buck
CEO & Head Coach
CoachVille
(c) Copyright 2008 CoachVille LLC . Distribute freely with attribution | www.coachville.com

NOTE: The Coaching Commons always invites you to comment on posts in the response box below.