What are the coach competencies and coaching? Find here the coaching competencies coming from the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Introduction to coaching: ICF Core Competencies
What are the competencies required for a coach either agile, individual, team or enterprise?
As an introduction to coaching, let’s have a quick view on the core competencies of a coach as collected by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and organized as a process.
Set the frame
- During this step, the coach reminds about what is coaching and what is not, and agrees with the coachee on a coaching frame. This frame will be useful when the coach will push the coachee in his/her limits still being kind and respectful.
Co-create the relationship
Trust has to be earned, and should come only after the passage of time.
Trust comes with persistent behaviors:
- Firstly, show genuine interest in the coachee well being and progress.
- Secondly, be fully involved in coaching each minute spent with the coachee.
- Thirdly, demonstrate continuously integrity and honesty.
- Fourthly, be respectful about the coachee and his/her sharing, be supportive and reliable.
- At last, ask permission to the coachee to explore new and sensitive areas.
Communicate effectively
- Listen actively: listen to understand, not to answer. Indeed, the coach suspends his/her judgement in order to fully explore and understand what the coachee says.
- Then, ask powerful questions to discover, build awareness, identify options and put the coachee into action.
- Finally, use direct communication with clear and positive language aligned with the coachee referential.
Facilitate learning and results
- Firstly, create awareness going with the coachee beyond what is said to broader perspective and possibilities.
- Then, design actions supporting the coachee with alternatives exploring, identifying small actions and experiments, and at last, celebrate coachee’s successes.
Plan and set goals
- The coach develops and maintains with the coachee an effective coaching plan for him/her to progress on goals.
Manage Progress and Accountability
- Support the coachee to put in action requesting and following actions then acknowledging the results and the capacity demonstrated.
- Then, enforce focus on what is important to the coachee referring to the coaching plan and adjusting it with the coachee if necessary.
What’s next? Learn more about Coaching and discover Change Management
Read my other posts on coaching for instance on trust, feedback and active listening, on the GROW Model and the Powerful questions and on Change Management.
Do you want to learn more about Coaching Competencies? Here a valuable reference
- ICF Core Competencies. This post also illustrates the coaching core tools.