Coaching training
February 20, 2008
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Yesterday I was asked whether I had followed training from the International Coaching Federation. I told the person I had not. I researched it, but frankly, I didn’t see any significant reward in this kind of training. There is simply not that much new that they provide and the attempt to create a certification is mostly a way to make it more difficult to enter the market for new comers. Certification potentially raises fees for those who are involved in coaching.
There is a good reason to want to certify, and Seth Godin explained in his book The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick). There has to be a difficult period to go through, which sorts the “real” coaches from those who only have a business card with that title. Currently there is no legitimate certification for coaches. Organizations that say they certify sell something, smokes and mirrors mostly, but they don’t really certify. I am skeptical of them.
This morning I read Johnnie Moore’s ideas about coaching. First of all, he makes an important statement about what works:
Research on what actually works in any kind of person-to-person relationship where there is some goal of personal change concludes that there is one key factor in success, and it isn’t the technique used. It’s that both participants have faith and trust in each other and share some optimism about the outcome. That creates the context in which the client can figure out for himself the best way forward. This gives him the joy of disovery and an inherent sense of ownership.
Training schools train in methodologies. But reliance on method may be counterproductive.
Timothy Gallwey, author of the “Inner Game” who points out that coaches who come in with solutions for clients actually tend to reinforce their client’s sense of incompetence. Richard Farson, a great writer on management, also suggests that standard training has the same effect – it actually disables the recipients confidence in their own talent and ability to work out solutions.
Johnnie Moore and I share a background in improvisation, though his experience is much more extensive than mine. I share this piece of his philosophy:
I’m also a believer in improvisation, a willingness to experiment and try new things out without getting overly attached to getting it right. I’m good at helping clients figure out new, more exciting choices open to them in what first seemed like impossible situations.
Like Johnnie Moore, I too offer a free first session. My client and I have to know that we can indeed work together, that we are a good fit. After that first session we both have to make a decision whether we want to work together. I too have to make that decision. If I don’t think I am the best possible person for you, I will tell and possibly suggest someone else. Doing otherwise would violate my sense of ethics. And my client has to think I am the best person to help her or him.
This is how I state what I do as a coach:
When you work with me you will
- figure out what you want (or need) to do,
- determine that you can do it,
- plan how you will do it,
- overcome resistance to do it,
- take the steps to do it.
Sounds simple enough, but don’t be fooled. Show me someone who can do these things, and I show you someone who has mastered her or his life.
It is an interaction between you and me, an interaction which focuses relentlessly on improving your life.
Technorati Tags: coaching, training, methodology
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Hi Niels, thanks for the link. I’m glad you talked about accreditation, I feel very similarly to you. I’ve looked at several of these quite important sounding accreditations and felt very sceptical. I feel just that little bit more confident now in my stance of not belonging to any of them. My own thoughts turn more towards forming a practice group for kindred spirits to support each other rather than give out certificates.