Category: Blog

I am sure the first time you heard the word coaching, you immediately had an image of a popular football manager coming to mind.

It is interesting to note, that Coaching has its roots in the social sciences (anthropology, psychology, sociology), and growing through its use in many disciplines such as education, business, vocational guidance, training and even Human Resources among others, to the great emerging profession it is today. Dr. Vikki Brock (Master Certified Coach) has extensively researched and written an exciting book – The SOURCEBOOK OF COACHING HISTORY –  which tells us about the background of Coaching in detail. (Please visit http://coachinghistory.com/ for more.)

Well, history lovers, more in another post. This instance let us break down the word ‘Profession’.

What is a Profession?

There are various definitions of a profession.

• The Oxford dictionary defines of the noun ‘Profession’ as ‘an occupation that needs special education or training, such as medicine or law’
• The Merriam Webster Dictionary says that a profession is ‘an occupation (as medicine, law, or teaching) that is not mechanical or agricultural and that requires special education’
• The Google Dictionary defines it as ‘a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.’
• To Wikipedia, a profession is ‘a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested objective counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain.’

A Professional

This is a person who is formally certified by a professional body by virtue of having completed a required course of studies and/or practice. This person’s competence can usually be measured against an established set of standards. Some examples of professions are, Medical profession, Legal profession, Teaching profession, Architects, Engineers, Aviators, Accountants, Financial Analysts, Human Resource Professionals and many more.

Characteristics of Coaching that make it a Profession:

1. A Governing body

The most renowned body that governs the coaching profession, is the International Coach Federation (ICF). Based in the United States of America, ICF is tasked with the advancement of the coaching profession, and keenly regulates standards throughout the world, through a well-defined framework that is adopted by the many chapters or local associations around the world.

Another organisation, UK Based Association for Coaching, is also a professional governing body which is dedicated to promoting the coaching profession through best practice and raising the standards of coaching worldwide.

2. Specialised Training

To become a coach, one must go through specific coach training, offered by an accredited organisation. The training curriculum should be accredited by The International Coach Federation (ICF), or any other similar professional body. According to ICF, this training should be between 30 – 125 hours , and encompasses the delivery of core coaching requirements that include: –

• Internalizing the ICF Core Competencies of Coaching
• Coaching Code of Ethics
• Sessions where the learners practice the coaching using the recommended process and receive feedback from senior coaches, on which competencies they have demonstrated well and what needs to improve.
• An examination – most are practical. Some colleges may offer a combination of written and practical.

 A formal qualification

On successful passing of the examination, the learner will be presented with a qualifying Certificate from the training facility (e.g. Certified Professional Coach, Certified Career Coach etc.). One can then use the initials of this qualification after their names.

In addition, The ICF, or AC also then provide professional credentials that can be pursued after attaining specific requirements. Credentialing of coaches serves to further enhance professional credibility, and give you comfort that the coach has invested in learning and developing their craft, for your benefit.

4. Occupation

Coaching, just like any other work, is an activity that the coach carries out day to day. There are systems and processes that a coach puts in place to keep the occupation running. The coach is fully occupied in delivering this service to his/her clients. They create strategies, plans and products, schedules and marketing drives.

5. Direct and defined compensation

Certified and credentialed coaches earn an income from their practice. Once you engage a coach and wish to proceed with an engagement, you will be presented with a contract and am invoice, to make the relevant payment for the services you will receive. Most credentialed coaches do this on a full-time basis and this is how they earn their living.

6. Continuous Education

Like all other professions, coaches are required to continually improve their craft, and keep feeding their mind with knowledge that will help them impact their clients to grow and achieve their purpose.

The coaching bodies do offer opportunities for coach development through workshops, webinars, research opportunities, as well as through mentor coaching. Yes, a coach also needs a coach to keep growing! 😊

 

Let us learn more about coaching, this time I thought the use of words starting with P may help the lesson….

1. Professional

Coaching is a profession. It is governed by a code of ethics, and standards of carrying out the sessions. A coach must be trained, certified and pursue continuous learning in the field of expertise. Through the International Coach Federation (ICF) framework, experience in coaching is recognised by opportunities to earn a credential. (ICF) Coaches do earn a living from the practice!

2. Powerful questioning

A coach uses questions to draw out the best in you. You will be amazed what simple questions do to you when a professional coach uses them on you! The coach, is trained to make a simple question (for example What? With whom?, Where?, How often? etc) powerfully strike your mind to release the inner answers and solutions that take you to the next level..

3. Progressive

Taking you to the next level! Coaching does that once you immerse yourself in it… and once you reach the desired level, you will realise that you need some more coaching to keep moving up.

4. Partnership

You and your coach really work together to ensure you achieve your goals and expectation from the engagement. You are the expert of what you want, the coach is the expert on how to get you there.

5. Periodical

Coaching is not a hit and run thing.. Oh no! You agree a period within which you tackle an issue until your expected outcome is achieved. You commit to regular meetings through whichever medium, and evaluate the engagement at the end of the agreed period. The engagement can take a week, a month, months , a year. A reasonable period is 4 – 6 weeks , assuming you have a coaching session each week.

6. Whole Person

A coach will accept you as a whole person and respect what is going on in other aspects of your life, should they come up to distract the focus of the coaching engagement.

7. Process

Coaching is a process. It has well defined steps from the start to the finish of each session as well as the complete engagement.

8. Posterity

Coaching recognises that documentation is key for each client. Agreements for coaching engagements are made, written and signed off and kept for a duration of time after the engagement.

9. Private

Confidentiality is critical in the coaching relationship. You can be sure that the coach will never share any aspects of your interaction, unless there is a legal requirement to do so.

I would like to hear your thoughts and questions about the above pointers!

 

What is coaching?

Coaching is a process that uses a series of conversations that are structured to help you walk through matters you are handling, to arrive at actionable outcomes that you can celebrate once executed.

This journey is a partnership between a coach and a coachee. The coachee is taken through a thought provoking and creative process by the coach, including various questioning methods, to inspire the coachee to dig deep within himself/herself and eventually unlock numerous solutions to seemingly unclear situations. The process helps the coachee maximize their personal and professional potential. The coaching process involves a series of conversations, from the initial engagement until the final point, where the coachee achieves his/her picture of success.

A coaching conversation can take anywhere from one session lasting an hour, to many sessions lasting three, six, nine or even twelve months. The conversations keep the focal point as the coachee, because, of course, s/he has the answers within them. The coach continually walks with the coachee on the journey to finding solutions and relevant actions that will lead them to where they want to be.

Coaching directs an individual to focus on the future, while drawing on various experiences from the past and present. The conversation aims to spur the coachee towards achieving momentous changes, action by action.

Why Coaching?

Coaching has many benefits. Through coaching, you can attain:

• An opportunity to identify the things that really motivate you
• A chance to design actions that you can fully own
• The satisfaction of completing actions and the fulfillment that comes with that
• Increased self confidence and self – worth
• Honing of skills, gaining new knowledge and insights
• Improvement in relationships with the people around you
• Chances to challenge yourself and grow
• A view of new opportunities in career or life, and how to harness these

Coaching works!

Take the dive into this by getting fully involved in the process, give the coach all the information, be open, honest with yourself and trust the coach to guide you to the place you want to be.

*This writeup is inspired by my dedication to a 3 month immersion into Coaching, courtesy of  CDI- Africa Limited,  and experiences I have had with coaching within the last 16 years of my working life.