Twenty years ago when I completed my first coaching class I was told what I repeat to those I teach now: “Start coaching now! You don’t have to wait or be certified first. Get clients, practice, get better!”
That sounds great! But there are a few things that we say to ourselves that give us pause. First, “I am just a beginner and I’m not that good.” Secondly, “Who is going to agree to be coached by me? I am not certified!” Then thirdly, “Where do I get certified in the first place?”
It’s true, you don’t need to be certified in order to coach or even call yourself a coach. You can simply “put yourself out there” and offer your services. With practice and intentional feedback and continuing education you will hopefully get better.
But if I did want to be certified where would I go? That’s a good question because it seems that everyone is putting out a shingle to coach and train coaches. Many also hand out their own certifications. Is that what certification is? That doesn’t sound very professional or trustworthy.
However the International Coaching Federation (the ICF) has been the real “gold standard” of coaching certification for years. Founded in 1995 they now have more than 50,000 credentialed coaches in 166 countries worldwide and are growing by more than 12,000 coaches a year. Then just like universities and other professions they are seeking external accreditation themselves through the ISO (International Standards Organization) and the NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies) to elevate and set themselves apart. The ICF has been an example of an organization of continuous improvement and holding themselves to exceptionally high standards. Their updated “core competencies” of coaching are but one example.
The ICF not only certifies coaches but also coach training. So if one is serious about coaching and coach training one will want to seek out not only a certified coach but a certified coach training program or school. So those coaches who want to seek credentialing will look to the ICF above all others.
But why? Why be certified if you don’t need it in order to be a coach?
Well, let’s go back to the initial things that give one pause: First, let’s take as a given that the ICF is where you want to be certified. Receiving their certification, including the every three year renewal process is far more than just putting up the money and getting a piece of paper. It means you put in the work. If you have an ICF certification, you earned it.
Which brings us to the second reason. When you pursue certification you can’t help but get better. Certification requires not only a certain number of coaching hours logged but also a required number of coach training hours. Other requirements include mentor coaching, passing a coach knowledge assessment, and letters of recommendation from credentialed coaches. Then finally submitting recordings and transcripts of two coaching appointments which are carefully reviewed to see if they demonstrate the markers for the certification you are seeking. That’s a lot. It’s not just putting in the time and paying the money. It is behavior based. Can you perform? So you can’t help but get better and learn from the process and outcomes required for initial certification and ongoing renewals. (See the ICF’s credentials here.)
Finally, after having received your ICF certification you can confidently share it with your clients and potential clients. If they aren’t sure what that means you can inform them. In the end though it will say, you aren’t just pulling this coaching thing out of your shirt sleeve and presenting to be a coach. You are in fact a coach. You know what you are doing.
ICF certification means something. To you and to your clients. You don’t have to have it in order to coach but it is the framework for not only good coaching but continual improvement and life long learning.
As you join the LCMS Coaching Network, we invite you to share not only about yourself and your coaching niche. We invite you to share where you are in your coaching journey including your certification. We want to be your biggest cheerleaders. We get it and we celebrate not only where you are going but how far you have come. Welcome and congratulations!
Scott