Begin your journey toward excellence in coaching with competency by enhancing your skills. The International Coachinging Federation, ICF, publishes a list of the Core Competencies for coaches.
Assess your current coaching skills by listing them and then scoring your competency on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 equal to little or no skill and 10 equal to excellence. Check the list you create against the ICF list and add any of the competencies not yet on your list. Some of your skills may match the ICF list and some may be a component of the ICF Core Competencies.
Once you have your list of coaching skills and your scores, reflect on the skills you want to enhance. Choose three skills to focus on over the next month. Start with your highest score – a strength, your lowest score – a weakness, and one that interests you most.  This ensures your strengths continue to be strengths, you stay motivated by building on a strength and in an area of interest, and your weaknesses become competencies.
Develop a plan of action for enhancing your coaching skills. Options include reading, listening to educational CDs, attending webinars or seminars, and working with a mentor or a coach.
Choose three different coaching skills to focus on each month. At the end of the month, update your scores. Track your improvement over time and celebrate your successes!
