What Exactly Is ICF?
With the passage of time, coaching started to get associated with sports and athletics. Subsequently, people with specialised knowledge offered their expertise to whoever sought them. With the growing popularity of coaching, it was imperative that the coaching community needed a formal structure that would lay down standards to ensure the highest level of ethical practise. This is extremely important as coaches are dealing with the lives of their clients so they must function at the highest level of efficiency. This led to the founding of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
ICF introduces a system that coaches must adhere to in all their coaching endeavours. This is the secret of success- People fail. Systems don’t. As an ICF member, you will enjoy instant credibility by identifying yourself as part of the world’s largest community of professionally trained coaches. You will have access to local and global networking opportunities, cutting-edge business development and marketing education, and a variety of research and resources to help you reach your coaching goals. Ready to join the global community?
Tips for Selecting the Right Coach Training Program:
1. Know the Content of the ICF Coach Training Program-
The fact that the program must be approved by the certifying organization is the first barometer. If this criterion is not fulfilled, the other criteria are of no use.
An approved ACSTH program by the International Coaching Federation, the gold standard in coaching is one such example of an approved program. The approved content of ICF lays stress (80%) on ICF coaching competencies.
You also need to read in between the lines when discussing with the coach training institute to ascertain how far the institute is ICF framework compliant. For example, if a coach feels it is okay to give advice, this is in violation of the ICF code of ethics. ‘To serve the customer’, or ‘to fulfill customer expectations’ are mere excuses bereft of any merit. The interests of the client are best served when the coach sticks to the process, the system. This is because the underlying assumption is that the coachee/ client is complete so he/she does not need any external or magical advice from the all-knowing expert! Sounds surprising & counter intuitive – isn’t it? Well the world of professional ICF coaching is full of pleasant surprises:)
2. Know the Delivery of the ICF Coach Training Program-
The delivery of the ICF Coach Training program is another criterion to factor in. One option is to focus on a lot of theory and back it up with a series of webinars. The identifying factor of this method of delivery is that it is built around a lot of ‘gyaan’.
Another option is to build the delivery process around Coaching practice. As stated previously, the basic premise of coaching is that the coachee/ client is already complete. Therefore, the aspiring coach is also complete. What s/he needs is only the ICF coaching framework, and a mastery thereof. This is what enables the aspiring coach to develop the science and the art of coaching. The entire journey is one that is internal. The role of books and other external resources are severely limited.
3. Know the Community of ICF Coaches already trained/credentialed-
ICF Coaching gives greater emphasis to others than ourselves. #I2We2He (I to We to He). Coaching grants predominance to the community that you are a part of. At Regal Unlimited, we have created a robust 300+ alumni community for continued learning and business collaboration. This alumni body is part of the unique experience at Regal Unlimited. Therefore, we humbly submit that if you have not considered Regal Unlimited for coach training and certification, you may not be considering the best training institute in the category. Community of ICF coaches not only helps in peer and reciprocal coaching, but it also amplifies the Coaching-Quotient of the learners. This community is truly a Regal family!
4. Bonus Tip- Coaching comes to our lives when we are ready!
Coaching comes to our lives when we are ready, at all levels, just as the Master manifests when the student is ready. The only difference in both the scenarios is that in the case of coaching, it is not so much about the person, rather, it is the process of coaching. Of course, the Master is also a process!
So when someone says,”I am an accidental coach!”, be assured, it is coming from a space of ego that is backed by ignorance. Nothing is a coincidence. Not even taking up the journey of ICF credentialing!
Another way of looking at this is that coaching was always within us. We just chose to tap into that part of consciousness for the collective good and not personal wealth alone.
We hope these tips will help you in your endeavour to choose a training institute for your coach accreditation journey. However, do not be surprised if the search leads you to us. All roads lead to Regal Unlimited. We will see you soon!
You can go through our website for further details on the ICF approved coach training programs.
Best wishes for a transformational journey…within yourselves, and the certification, of course.
