09/05/2021
𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟲+ 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴
Becoming a coach means taking a different route for everyone. For me it has been a 6+ year-long journey which included amazing experiences in three different countries:
✅𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭: 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗣 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 @ 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 Romania (132 training hours, 117 coaching sessions with clients, 10 mentoring hours, two oral exams and a written exam ending in the ICF ACC certification);
✅𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴: 𝗖𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 @ 𝗜𝗔𝗖𝗕𝗖 Romania (360-hour program - 60 live training hours, 120 practice hours, 120 individual study hours, 60 coaching sessions with clients, one written exam ending in the national ANC certification);
✅𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟲: 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 - 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 @ 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 The Netherlands (7 intensive days of applied coaching through the constellations method);
✅𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟱: 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 @ 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 The Netherlands(7 intensive days as an assistant in the training team);
✅𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟰: 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 - 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 @ 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗰𝗵𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻The Netherlands (7 training days including mixed methods for non-formal education and coaching);
✅𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟰: 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 @ 𝗘𝗴𝘆𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Hungary (7 intensive training days including several practice coaching sessions daily, most of them video recorded).
⌛𝗢𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬): 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 @ 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀 (blended online synchronous and asynchronous learning of Tony Robbins' coaching methods).
Throughout these years, I have learned valuable lessons about what coaching really means and what it takes to truly help someone. And in this process I also unlearned old ways of seeing the world and thinking, which were not serving me anymore.
ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ɴᴜɢɢᴇᴛꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏʙᴏᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ:
💡𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲. It doesn't matter what the coach knows about your field, it matters what the coach can help you do with what you bring into the session. Domain expertise can bring preconceived notions about how things should be done, a false impression of understanding the client's issue before truly listening, coaching the problem instead of the person and an eagerness to provide solutions - all of which go against the spirit of coaching.
💡 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 creating a safe space for attaining awareness, for naming the previously unnamed, for seeing things with new eyes, for finding internal resources and venturing into the future with a clear vision and plan. The coach is not your parent, therapist or teacher, but an equal partner who mirrors you back to yourself so you can finally see what you've been looking for.
💡 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. While it is essential for a coach to believe at their core in every person's potential and to be accepting and supportive throughout the entire coaching relationship, a good coach will never throw shallow motivational quotes at you or wave pom pons like a cheerleader. Unlike in sports coaching, in executive and life coaching we do not shout at people to get them hyped up for the game :) The issue of motivation is dealt with more deeply - by exploring personal beliefs, values, needs and goals. Once the person is clear about these, motivation flows naturally, without the need for cheap artifice.
💡 𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 (𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆/𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿) 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲). I was shocked to see lots of vitriol on this topic from people making this assumption. So let me say it loud and clear: 𝙣𝙤, 𝙬𝙚 - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝘾𝙁-𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝘾𝙁 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙀𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 - 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩'𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨, 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙨𝙨/𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙧/𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙨:
✔️A professional coach will never try to influence or manipulate the client to make one decision or another.
✔️A professional coach will keep clear agreements with all parties involved regarding the disclosure of information and will never disclose anything the client shares without the client's agreement (unless obliged by the law, for example in the case of hearing a crime confession).
✔️A professional coach will partner with the client and support them throughout their transformation process, even when the client's decisions ultimately affect the sponsor (for example, the client decides the job is not for them and resolves to quit).
There are surely many other takeaways to discuss, but currently these seem key to bringing down the most common misconceptions. Regardless of whether you are a coach yourself or have experienced coaching, I would love to hear your insights.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥?
