How ICF PCC Certification Can Boost Your Coaching Skills and Client Trust

Introduction: Why Coaching Credentials Matter

Today, everybody calls themselves a coach, whether mentors, counsellors, therapists, or YouTubers. As the market becomes more crowded with these ‘coaches’, having a coaching credential can be the differentiating factor. 

Becoming a professional coach includes 

• Training, mentoring, and certification by ICF-approved programme providers (Regal Unlimited) and 
• Being members of and credentialed by ICF, the global gold standard in professional coaching. Professional Certified Coach (PCC ICF) is not the journey’s end but a pit-stop. 
• The real journey starts after the credential. 

Being “professional” is entirely another story. Coaching from a state of Being too

There are several coaching certification bodies globally, but no professional body has come close to what the International Coaching Federation (ICF) has achieved. Over the last three decades, ICF has perfected pure and classical coaching. It has become the de facto coaching credential for those serious about coaching.

There are three levels of ICF credentials- Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Master Certified Coaching (MCC). At Regal Unlimited, we compare the credentials with the education system-

• ACC- Under-Graduate
• PCC- Post-Graduate
• MCC- Doctorate

At ACC, coaches become familiar with the process- the science of coaching. At PCC, the competencies come alive as we move into the realm of the art of coaching on a solid foundation of the science and process. At MCC, we aim to chase mastery in coaching by taking the coaching competencies beyond the coaching conversation.

To achieve mastery in coaching, we must be comfortable being artists; that is where the ICF PCC certification comes into play.

Enhanced Coaching Skills Through PCC Certification

Rigorous Training and Mentorship 

To qualify for the Coaching Credentialing Exam, ACC coaches undergo 60 hours of training, 10 hours of mentoring, complete assignments, and 100 hours of practice. 

ICF PCC coaches undergo a cumulative 125 hours of training, an additional 10 hours of mentoring, and over 500 hours of coaching practice. At both levels, the asynchronous training includes reflection, assignments, and recordings of coaching conversations. 

“I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times.”– Bruce Lee

Regal Unlimited equips our ACC coaches to coach at PCC levels based on ICF – PCC markers. Our PCC coaches are encouraged to explore mastery – at the confluence of 

• the coaching skills, 

• holistic marketing of coaching and 

• deep work.

Competency Development

Regal Coach Certification for ICF-PCC is built on 

1. the ICF competency framework at the core. 
2. our coaching model (REGAL), and 
3. Some coaching tools (visualisation, metaphors, Perceptual Positioning, Regal@60, etc.).
4. our exclusive assignments, which are not just for the sake of the asynchronous component of the programme but for deep learning. 

The competency framework consists of 

1. Setting Goals, 
2. leading to Deep Exploration, 
3. leading to Awareness and Actions 
4. built on a solid foundation of trust and 
5. governed by ethics.
6. Embodying Coaching Mindset is at all levels of the process, which is the key to mastery at PCC and MCC levels. 

Since 2014 (ICF introduced CC 2 Emodying a coaching mindset years later!), a coaching mindset has been part of our coaching and mentoring frameworks. The process was non-linear and spiritual. This is perhaps the toughest competency to practice and demonstrate and most critical to coaching from a state of Being. 

At that consciousness, 

1. Listens Actively (ICF CC 6) at the fourth level, generative listening (Otto Scharmer)
2. Presence is effortless (ICF CC 5)
3. The conversation is in a flow state, dancing in the moment (a la jugalbandhi)
4. This results in a new awareness of the surprise of the coachee and actions thereon.

These frameworks are helpful when we mandate the learner coaches to “practice, practice, practice.” 

Practice that is intentional, reflective and self-transformational. 

A corporate executive who hit CXO level in his early forties chose to return to campus (a global business school), discovered the true power of professional coaching as part of the programme and decided to become a professional coach in his next innings. While he started with the usual ‘I know it all, done it-seen it’, he discovered at the PCC leg, 

“Coaching is all self-transformational.”

And we have been reminding ourselves about that since then!

While the ACC journey focuses on learning to become a coach through the science and process, the coach discovers that all coaching is self-transformational at the PCC level. 

Boosting Client Trust with ICF PCC Certification

Credibility and Professionalism

• Client Confidence in Results: An ICF PCC credential may make clients feel more confident in the coach’s ability to deliver meaningful results. The advanced training signifies that the coach is capable of facilitating profound change.
• Ethical Standards and Trust: ICF-certified coaches must follow a Code of Ethics, which ensures they maintain the highest standards of coaching practice by creating safe, trustworthy environments for the clients.

How PCC Certification Differs from ACC and Benefits Beyond

• Deeper Skill Mastery: ACC level introduces the coach to the framework. Coaches move from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence and conscious competence. PCC enables the coach to move to unconscious competence, coach as an art on the strong foundation of the science and the process. The coach truly partners with the client to co-create the goals the client wants to achieve and go beyond towards their ‘full potential, personal and professional.’
• Pathway to MCC: For coaches aiming to reach the Master Certified Coach (MCC) level, PCC is necessary to enhance their qualifications and experience.

Impact on Business Growth

• Attracting High-Quality Clients: Clients looking for advanced coaching services are more likely to seek out PCC-certified coaches, and the certification can thus lead to increased business opportunities.
• Higher Rates and Packages: The credibility of the PCC credential allows coaches to justify higher rates and offer premium coaching packages.
• Global Recognition: A PCC from the ICF— a globally recognised body— can open doors to international clients and corporate coaching engagements. This enhanced reach can give global wings to your coaching practice.

Personal Growth and Professional Satisfaction

• Lifelong Learning and Development: Once we become coaches, we sign up for a lifelong journey to learn and grow. It never stops. It is not about credentials or related topics we discover but deeper self-awareness. 
• Sense of Achievement: With 125 hours of training, 500 hours of practice, mentoring, and all the asynchronous learning unique to Regal Unlimited, the PCC credential represents a significant accomplishment and can boost the coach’s confidence in their abilities.

Why PCC certification with Regal Unlimited: 

Regal Coach Certification for PCC is ICF-approved (Level 2)

1. The journey is full of rigour and depth. Successful professional coaches and MCC/PCC credentialed mentors facilitate the shift to unconscious competence. The synchronous (80% of training hours) and asynchronous (with all its depth and variety) training make it the best in its category. 
2. Destination, as pitstops: This journey is not a sprint to the ICF PCC credential but a marathon with multiple sprints in between. These are tracked and monitored for the best learning experience in adult learning philosophy.
3. Company: Adult learning also means learning from the programme mentors, all the resources, the cohort and the alumni. The entire ecosystem contributes to our learning and growth. At Regal Unlimited, with our #CommunityFirst value, we nurture the learners during their PCC certification journey and beyond. Various initiatives, such as
   1. Regal Muse Art, where experts from diverse fields share their wisdom
   2. Regal Nest, reciprocal peer coaching, allows coaches to focus on “perfect practice, that makes perfect.”
   3. Regal Book Club – we cover one book every month together. 
   4. Regal Coaching Consortium – coaching assignments for coaches
   5. Coaching Unlimited – for CCEUs and beyond. There are no such programmes.
   6. Leader As Coach (LAC), Building a Coaching Mindset (BCM) and Coaching Workshops for corporate leaders and executives.
   7. All the mentors for our programmes are our alumni. #CommunityFirst

If you are not part of this community, you may be missing out!

Conclusion: Why Pursue PCC Certification?

• A strong ‘why.’ Coaching is a calling. It is our calling to touch lives deeply, and coaching is one of the best options. 
• To touch lives deeply, we have to vibrate at a higher consciousness. It is a big responsibility. 
• PCC is a good way with its rigour and depth. 
• Being a ‘professional’ coach also demands we maintain the profession’s highest standards, and subscribe to the ICF code of ethics. 

As Subash CV, MCC, Founder of Regal Unlimited, says: 
‘As a coach, I am blessed to witness the transformational shift in my clients.”