Blog series by Joann Evans
Joann Evans holds a B.S. in microbiology and chemistry. She is also a certified Paralegal. She has 20 years’ experience in quality assurance, control and engineering in fields such as pharmaceutical, medical device, IVD, biotech and blood banking. This blog series is her journey through being coached and then earning her coaching certification.
I feel that one of the most important things we learned in this coach training session is what can be expected regarding the client’s privacy and confidentiality, especially with respect to having a potential sponsor. When there is a sponsor involved there could be potential expectations for access to information resulting from the coaching relationship. It is vital to set the stage with these ethics by providing to the sponsor the Code of Ethics and a properly written coaching agreement.
The Code of Conduct details out many more expectations and you can read about them via the ICF website.
While I don’t particularly like to say this, I do hope that some regulation is placed on the coaching profession. I would like to know that my coach has taken an approved ICFcertification program and they adhere to the code of ethics. More than anything, it would be comforting to know that there are consequences for unethical behavior.
The reason for feeling this way is that the coach is in a place of trust and the relationship will rely on that trust. The client, through release of personal information, will be put in a potentially vulnerable position especially when coaching in executive positions. While the coach is not providing advice, they may be privy to confidential information.
It’s something to ponder!
