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I’m sorry I wasn’t able to join for the entirety of the latest Uncommon Conversation, ‚Äö√Ñ√∫Live from ICF Montreal‚Äö√Ñ√π hosted by Marion Franklin, but I was enlightened and entertained by what I did hear. (I confess to muting and multitasking, so I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies. Please let us know IMMEDIATELY if corrections need to be made.)
It’s always fascinating to get a first-person report filled with telling details, insight, passion, and insider information you’re not going to hear anywhere else, which is what Marion delivered. Katherine Gotshall English kept things lively, asking the questions that were probably on many minds. Others added richness and texture to the discussion.
In case anyone thinks I put everyone up to all those kind mentions of the Harnisch Foundation and the various coaching-related grants we’ve given and projects we underwrite, I promise you I do not. If I didn’t know better I’d swear there was a product placement agreement. But there’s not.
The true nugget that caught my attention was the comment from the sixty-something gentleman who’s been coaching for the better part of a decade, having studied at a number of the usual ICF feeder academies to hone his skills. He’s been wondering whether, at his stage of career and life, it would be worth the investment of time and effort to jump through all the many hoops required for an ICF Certification.
Marion reported that a slim majority of clients responding to professionally conducted research commissioned by the ICF thought it was significant that a coach have training, certification, or some other preparation that I can’t recall specifically.
I remember doing the math in my head while I was listening, and thinking: the ICF’s own research shows four-point-something clients out of ten don’t care at all if a coach doesn’t have any of those?
The gentleman heard that too. Nearly half don’t care at all, and the other half might not care that much. They just don’t want a charlatan or someone who ‚Äö√Ñ√∫woke up that morning and decided they’re a coach.‚Äö√Ñ√π
And he’s not that. He’s a professional with a proven track record and a long list of satisfied clients who never gave a flip that he didn’t do the hoop jumping.
Marion rightly said that she had helped many people through the laborious process of ICF Certification and that it is always, always, worth it in many ways.
The caller accepted that, but I think he had already decided that he was not convinced that whatever benefits professional, personal, spiritual, intangible, or otherwise might accrue to him would be worth his focusing on that instead of doing something that brings him more or different rewards in exchange for time and effort.
He’s good enough, smart enough, experienced enough, and doggone it, people like him.
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This rant honed in on my feeling about this. So I hope you don’t mind that I give you a small rant of my own.
What strikes me is that we, coaches, are still having the certification conversation. Coaching is on the verge of being morphed into the next really great thing – a transformation so to speak – and yet we are still hunkering down wondering if we need to be certified.
In the early years of finding our way in this profession, the impact of certification vs. non-certification was an unknown. So, many of us acted on the side of perceived safety. The training was great and remains that way and I recommend good solid coach training to everyone – whether its to learn or to refresh skills. However, is not necessarily the same with certification.
It’s a known now -very few organizations aside from coach training organizations and the US government and associated organizations require certification. If you want to coach for a coach training organization, the EPA, NASA, or some similar agency, then certify. If not, just be ethical, get educated, and do the best job you can for your client – meet their needs.
Why certify? It is true that certification does not “make” the coach”. Certification simply serves to make the statement to the world that the coach meets a certain standard, or level of excellence, as recognized by its own industry.
There are many wonderful non-certified coaches already enjoying the wonderful reputation they deserve because of their excellent coaching methodologies. However, there are many others who tout themselves as coaches and who, in fact, leave a poor taste in the corporate mouth because of a lack of skill or training, or simply by misuing the word “coach” when they are really consulting.
I believe as we enjoy this present transformation, it is even more important to ensure the definition of a standard of excellence. I believe that certification as marketing tool may have become secondary at this point (arguable), but I feel strongly that it serves as a marker for the industry so that we can continue to enjoy and to co-create transformation through best research, education, and practice.