×
Placeholder Image

Contact Us

Form submitted successfully!

Our Blog

We only talk about the good stuff. Curated Collections, Freebies, well researched articles and much more

Coaching Chronicles

Coaching Chronicles with Vijay Srinivasan

What actually fosters coaching mastery in a world where coaches are inundated with opportunities for additional training? At Erickson, our coaching module provides the ideal fertile ground for the development of a coach. You can sign up for our module, evaluate its functionality, and proceed from there.

Our graduates each took their own unique path to becoming a coach. However, it is always instructive to understand what motivated someone to abandon the conventional and pursue the untrodden.

About the Interviewee: Vinay Srinivasan

We had an amazing time talking to Vinay Srinivasan, an aspiring Coach. Have this wonderful read about his journey on the coaching path and how he is paving the way.

Vijay is a software engineer. A Bangalore University alumna, Vijay has worked for more than 20+ years with leading companies. He is an experienced DevOps and an Automation, Performance Engineering Professional.

Let’s start with knowing a little bit about your journey till now. How did you start your journey as a coach?

I started on this particular path in October last year. That’s when I took the art and science of coaching by Erickson in October now. Currently I’m working for a company, which is a business analytics practice. So my experience has been in the IT field till now. I am looking after processes and implementation for the organization to standardize those processes. And that’s pretty much the work. I completed The Arts and Science of Coaching, and completed that on the 29th of November last year. So that’s how it started. That way I’m just four months old. And I am on the path of giving my ACC a by the end of this year associates, which is work in progress with respect to that as of now.

Is there any incident that would you like to share that made you feel that you can go on this path of coaching, leaving the ordinary?

That’s interesting. One time I was discussing with my acquaintance, I always had that urge that I should do something of my own. So I was exploring that with this type. He said that why don’t you look at coaching as an option? He recommended to me that why don’t you talk to this particular institution, Erickson International. And I said that, fine, I’ll do that. Let me give it a try. And let me try to explore it.

As I proceeded I just had a talk with the members of xMonks team. I had a discussion with them, I tried to understand. Rather they understood what I wanted. I connected with Gaurav as well just to understand how exactly this coaching journey would be.

This served me as an alternate career. It was per se from a career point of view. Then Gaurav made a very pertinent point when I asked him what exactly would I achieve at that end? He said something that stayed with me. Something along the lines of 1001 reasons why you will be able to achieve how many I would like to know.

He said that it would just help you to be a better version of Yourself. That actually made me think. Somehow there was an instant connection with Gaurav. Before that I had an extensive talk with Archana as well and it resonated. So that’s how I landed on this path.

How would you describe your transformation with Erickson?

As I started with this coaching journey, I thought we will be learning some skills. Typically when we talk of any learning we talk of acquiring some skills. And then we are going to put that particular thing in practice. Infact Gaurav was our facilitator during the course. Gaurav made a very well thought and a very particular point and that resonated with most of us including me.

He said “Journey of a coach is the journey of a human being”.

Before you coach anyone you will have to understand the transformation yourself. Another thing that came in during this process of coaching is about asking some powerful questions.  And before you ask that it is better that you ask yourself. Once we got into this particular course it was exactly a 360 degree reversal. That it’s not about us it’s about you.

As it progressed over a period of time and by the end of the sessions those notes actually produced some kind of magical effect.

That’s pretty much how this course has helped me transform.

What is one belief you broke out of during the journey?

I will be as vulnerable as I can be (which we appreciate). I am the kind of person who starts a lot of things but never finishes. That is typically what I would say I was. And that’s not exactly the observation that I was talking about. What if a client who’s coming with the same set of problems, what do I do? How can I ask him or tell him that you have to do something when I am not doing it.

That is when the shift started happening once during the course and more specifically after the course. The first thing that I thought for myself is I have to get rid of this habit or improve on that habit. I will not get rid of it. I started exploring how I can take coaching to the next level. I enrolled for a few of the other courses on the internet. How can you reach a larger audience and all those things that they again made me make a fundamental shift in terms of my thinking. Slowly but surely that something was happening.

I was not accomplishing much. I was someone who was starting and not giving up. I was realizing that I am actually much more focused. Laser focused I would say and I was completing things. So I started doing that particular course for the last 45 days. I would say I am on a consistent basis. There are some inherent fears that I was having like, “Hey I want to communicate my ideas to the world. Is there a better way of doing that? “

I started writing blogs which I was not doing because of the fear of people. What will people think about me if i go wrong or whatever the case may be. In one of the one class that I was listening to, the person said, the biggest problem that all of us are facing is what people will think of us. Yes. And he said, he didn’t stop there. The other person about whom you are thinking what he will think of us is also thinking the same way what we have and what you will think about him. Like a mirror.

The Updated 8 ICF Coaching Competencies

ICF Core Competencies for A Coach

The first step of coaching is knowing the ethical rules that accompany a coaching partnership, specifically the ICF code of ethics. The coach and his client then create a coaching agreement that spells out each other’s positions, relationships, ethics, and procedure.

When you’re looking at becoming a life or business coach, you’ll come across the terms coaching competencies and core competencies sooner or later. This usually refers to the ICF core competencies, which are a collection of eleven skills that any coach should possess.

ICF developed the core coaching competencies to help people learn more about the skills and practises used in today’s coaching profession. In practise, they serve as the foundation for assessing coaches seeking an ICF ACC, PCC, or MCC certificate. The coach is supposed to have greater mastery of the coaching competencies depending on the stage.

The coach gives the client the opportunity to maximise their lives by raising awareness through self-exploration, promoting preparation and goal setting, and acting as an accountability partner. ICF also uses coaching competencies to assess what constitutes coach-specific training and the coach training programmes they accredit.

The Updated 8 ICF Coaching Competencies

The International Coach Federation* (ICF) introduced 11 Core Competencies to help people better understand the skills and approaches used in today’s coaching world.

Last autumn, the ICF (International Coach Federation) declared that an updated competency model would take effect in early 2021, and that it would “serve as higher, more rigorous coaching requirements for the future.” Let’s have a look at the 8 new ICF core coaching competencies that form an important part of every coaching professional’s life!

The core competencies are applicable to every type of coach and serve as a foundation to one’s coaching skills. The core competencies skills are an essential part of a coach’s growth apart from the many other techniques as learned during one’s coaching journey.

FOUNDATION

1. Demonstrates Ethical Practice

The Coach understands and consistently applies coaching ethics and standards of coaching.

  • Demonstrates personal integrity and honesty in interactions with clients, sponsors and relevant stakeholders
  • Is sensitive to clients’ identity, environment, experiences, values and beliefs
  • Uses language appropriate and respectful to clients, sponsors and relevant stakeholders
  • Abides by the ICF Code of Ethics and upholds the Core Values
  • Maintains confidentiality with client information per stakeholder agreements and
  • pertinent laws
  • Maintains the distinctions between coaching, consulting, psychotherapy and other
  • support professions
  • Refers clients to other support professionals, as appropriate

2. Embodies a Coaching Mindset

The coach develops and maintains a mindset that is open, curious, flexible and client-centered.

  • Acknowledges that clients are responsible for their own choices
  • Engages in ongoing learning and development as a coach
  • Develops an ongoing reflective practice to enhance one’s coaching
  • Remains aware of and open to the influence of context and culture on self and others
  • Uses awareness of self and one’s intuition to benefit clients
  • Develops and maintains the ability to regulate one’s emotions
  • Mentally and emotionally prepares for sessions
  • Seeks help from outside sources when necessary

CO-CREATING THE RELATIONSHIP

3. Establishes and Maintains Agreements

The Coach partners with the client and relevant stakeholders to create clear agreements about the coaching relationship, process, plans and goals. Establishes agreements for the overall coaching engagement as well as those for each coaching session.

  • Explains what coaching is and is not and describes the process to the client and relevant stakeholders
  • Reaches agreement about what is and is not appropriate in the relationship, what is and is not being offered, and the responsibilities of the client and relevant stakeholders
  • Reaches agreement about the guidelines and specific parameters of the coaching relationship such as logistics, fees, scheduling, duration, termination, confidentiality and inclusion of others
  • Partners with the client and relevant stakeholders to establish an overall coaching plan and goals
  • Partners with the client to determine client-coach compatibility
  • Partners with the client to identify or reconfirm what they want to accomplish in the session
  • Partners with the client to define what the client believes they need to address or resolve to achieve what they want to accomplish in the session
  • Partners with the client to define or reconfirm measures of success for what the client wants to accomplish in the coaching engagement or individual session
  • Partners with the client to manage the time and focus of the session
  • Continues coaching in the direction of the client’s desired outcome unless the client indicates otherwise
  • Partners with the client to end the coaching relationship in a way that honors the experience

4. Cultivates Trust and Safety

The Coach partners with the client to create a safe, supportive environment that allows the client to share freely. Maintains a relationship of mutual respect and trust.

  • Seeks to understand the client within their context which may include their identity, environment, experiences, values and beliefs
  • Demonstrates respect for the client’s identity, perceptions, style and language and adapts one’s coaching to the client
  • Acknowledges and respects the client’s unique talents, insights and work in the coaching process
  • Shows support, empathy and concern for the client
  • Acknowledges and supports the client’s expression of feelings, perceptions, concerns, beliefs and suggestions
  • Demonstrates openness and transparency as a way to display vulnerability and build trust with the client

5. Maintains Presence

The Coach is fully conscious and present with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible, grounded and confident.

  • Remains focused, observant, empathetic and responsive to the client
  • Demonstrates curiosity during the coaching process
  • Manages one’s emotions to stay present with the client
  • Demonstrates confidence in working with strong client emotions during the coaching process
  • Is comfortable working in a space of not knowing
  • Creates or allows space for silence, pause or reflection

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

6. Listens Actively

The coach focuses on what the client is and is not saying to fully understand what is being communicated in the context of the client systems and to support client self-expression.

  • Considers the client’s context, identity, environment, experiences, values and beliefs to enhance understanding of what the client is communicating
  • Reflects or summarizes what the client communicated to ensure clarity and understanding
  • Recognizes and inquires when there is more to what the client is communicating
  • Notices, acknowledges and explores the client’s emotions, energy shifts, non-verbal cues or other behaviors
  • Integrates the client’s words, tone of voice and body language to determine the full meaning of what is being communicated
  • Notices trends in the client’s behaviors and emotions across sessions to discern themes and patterns

7. Evokes Awareness

The Coach facilitates client insight and learning by using tools and techniques such as powerful questioning, silence, metaphor or analogy.

  • Considers client experience when deciding what might be most useful
  • Challenges the client as a way to evoke awareness or insight
  • Asks questions about the client, such as their way of thinking, values, needs, wants and beliefs
  • Asks questions that help the client explore beyond current thinking
  • Invites the client to share more about their experience in the moment
  • Notices what is working to enhance client progress
  • Adjusts the coaching approach in response to the client’s needs
  • Helps the client identify factors that influence current and future patterns of behavior, thinking or emotion
  • Invites the client to generate ideas about how they can move forward and what they are willing or able to do
  • Supports the client in reframing perspectives
  • Shares observations, insights and feelings, without attachment, that have the potential to create new learning for the client

CULTIVATING LEARNING AND GROWTH

8. Facilitates Client Growth

The Coach partners with the client to transform learning and insight into action. Promotes client autonomy in the coaching process.

  • Works with the client to integrate new awareness, insight or learning into their worldview and behaviors
  • Partners with the client to design goals, actions and accountability measures that integrate and expand new learning
  • Acknowledges and supports client autonomy in the design of goals, actions and methods of accountability
  • Supports the client in identifying potential results or learning from identified action steps Invites the client to consider how to move forward, including resources, support and potential barriers
  • Partners with the client to summarize learning and insight within or between sessions Celebrates the client’s progress and successes
  • Partners with the client to close the session

ICF also uses coaching competencies to assess what constitutes coach-specific training and the coach training programmes they accredit. These eight competencies must be the subject of an ACTP, or Accredited Coach Training Program.

Coaching competencies are the foundation skills that must be mastered before anything else. If you can master these, you’ll be well on your way to being a coach in any form or niche. Of course, additional training is needed depending on the specialisation, so coaching competencies aren’t the be-all and end-all, but they are the foundation for all forms of coaching.

1 2 23 24 25 26 27 35 36