Mindset

 


As I pondered on the second competency of “Embodies a Coaching Mindset”, I began to wonder about what the meaning of the word “Embodies”. One definition I found read, “to give bodily form to; make corporeal; incarnate, to give definite, tangible, or visible form to; make concrete”. As I reflected on the definition, I thought that this competency really is the difference between doing coaching and being a coach. 

ICF defines this competency as “Develops and maintains a mindset that is open, curious, flexible and client-centered”. In practice, this means being fully present and being engaged with clients’, actively listening to them, and asking powerful questions that helps us and the client to gain insights into themselves and their challenges. It also means being flexible and adaptable, recognizing that each client is unique and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to coaching.


The 7 principles guiding this competency are as follows;
1. Acknowledges that clients are responsible for their own choices
2. Engages in ongoing learning and development as a coach
3. Develops an ongoing reflective practice to enhance one’s coaching
4. Remains aware of and open to the influence of context and culture on self and others
5. Uses awareness of self and one’s intuition to benefit clients
6. Develops and maintains the ability to regulate one’s emotions
7. Mentally and emotionally prepares for sessions
8. Seeks help from outside sources when necessary

Reflecting on all 7 principles, one thing became clear to me, as a coach, we’re not meant to have the answers to everything, we’re not meant to be the “expert”, coaches are simply just “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential”. And as partners, we’re learning together with the client, being aware that there are many turns along this journey and each turn teaches us a little something new.

Embodying a coaching mindset is ultimately not about what I do, but who I am as a coach, and it is a fundamental aspect of my professional identity.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Questions... Questions... Questions

Image
Asking good questions is a key skill in coaching. I learnt in webtorial 12 that questions have the power to trigger a mental reflex known as “instinctive elaboration”. An “instinctive elaboration” is when the brain, for a brief moment focuses its resources solely on answering the question asked. This got me curious and I decided to look into “instinctive elaboration” a little further to see how I could leverage this mental reflex in a coaching conversation.  I discovered that while questions can cause the coachee to experience “instinctive elaboration”, something they have no control over, their response is absolutely under their control. The quality of the questions we ask as a coach could either lead the coachee to think deeper and initiate profound shifts in thinking OR it could cause further confusion and maybe even anxiety for the coachee. Good or even power questions allow us to harness the power of the coachee’s brain to spark deep thinking, creating opportunities for perspe...
Read more

Explore Coaching Models

Image
Coaching models… what are they and why do we need them? Coaching models are essentially a framework of sorts to provide a structured approach to the coaching process. A coaching model can help a coach prepare and plan for a coaching session, help guide the coaching conversation and help a coach stay focused.  I realised there are many models out there and there isn’t a “one size fits all” model. But, while looking at some of the models, I found some similarities. They each have some form of the following components; - Establish a goal - Explore options - Enact a plan While coaching models are designed to provide a framework, a structured approach to coaching, I believe as coaches, we should allow a model to constrain us. Coaching isn’t a “linear” process, coaches need to be flexible and flow with the coachee… not the coaching model.  The model is like a vehicle we use to get our passenger (the coachee) to their destination. As the driver, we need to pay attention to wher...
Read more

Neurological Levels

Image
  It took me quite some time to properly process the lesson and it dawned on me to try and find something familiar or a metaphor, something I can easily relate to, to help summarise my learnings for the webtorial. To help me understand the lesson better in this particular instance, I realised applying this framework in coaching is like trying to “debug” a faulty software code. Software codes are basically a collection of “instructions” and algorithms that are put together to perform a certain task. Without going into much technical detail, software codes are structured into parts or levels, each part/level is designed to perform a certain function. Some parts/levels need to work with other parts to complete a function, while others may work independently. Collectively, they come together to make the software whole. Like most software (or applications), there is a “user interface” that we interact with, the part that we see, touch and feel, and then there’s the part we don’t see, th...
Read more