Move now to considering the fourth area of core competencies from the ICF.
“Facilitating Learning and Results” includes Creating Awareness, Designing Actions, Planning and goal Setting, Managing Progress and Accountability, defined in summary as going beyond what is said, invokes inquiry, identifies underlying concerns, helps clients discover for themselves, communicates broader perspectives, helps client to see difference factors, expresses insights, identifies major strengths versus areas of growth, asks clients to distinguish issues and behaviors, brainstorms, helps focus, engages to explore, promotes self-discovery, celebrates, challenges, advocates, helps ‘do it now,’ encourages, consolidates, creates plan, makes adjustments, helps identify resources, targets early successes, clear requests of actions, demonstrate follow-through, acknowledges, prepares, keeps client on track, focuses on the coaching plan and adjusts, move between big picture and context, promotes client self-discipline, develops client’s ability to make decisions, and positively confronts.
What does this mean to you as a professional coach?
A great coach is both a great listener and a great questioner. Questions and follow-up questions empower understanding, exploration, and clarity. With your clients’ permission, ask them to discover more about themselves.
Coaches open the door for possibilities by sharing perspective and then asking more questions. Expand on answers with carefully-worded probing questions. Ask for more ideas and brainstorm.
As a coach, you are a strategic and accountability partner. Support the client in developing their plan and deciding on how they are accountable to their plan.
Coaches have the privilege of celebrating successes with clients.
