And this is stated by a long-long-trained coach who’s “graduated” through 3 formally recognized programs and then helped create a 4th because I saw so many missing elements in some of the others.

Honestly, I’ve made a very good annual living now 17 years through nothing but mentoring, coaching, and related activities. Would I do it all again? Yes.

But – I’d do that for the camaraderie, the self-development, and simply because in many ways it is a quite wonderful field. I don’t actually consider it a profession – and we won’t go into why, but it is probably the same reason your foundation has so generously funded sorely needed research.

While I carry the MCC for now – regretfully named Master (anything) by International Coach Federation — and it was quite a journey to qualify, I’ve truthfully only found it professionally “important” to anyone 3 times in over 1.5 decades.

Once:
EPA (U.S.Gov’n) was quite delighted 8 of us could “claim” this along with a whole slew of grad degrees on our co-joint application that was awarded an annual coaching contract.

Next:
A “risk-covering” corporation wanted the pre-assurance of ANY credential (frankly, it could have been a mail-order one I’m quite sure) just in case of need to justify having “hired the best” at a time when executive coaching was not yet common.

Third:
Once an aspiring, beginner coach was looking I suppose or a trophy mentor – as she asked more in references, formal training, academic degreed background, than ALL the other clients I’ve ever had before or since ever wanted.

And – just to confirm what you already stated, literally, never once – not ONCE – has any other client — other than one who is also a coach — had a clue there even WAS a credentialing or certification process for such folk as we are.

I will say this – the single, most valuable training through all this I’ve had has been from 2 (actually 3) sources:

1. clients
2. coaches I’ve been fortunate to work with in supervision of their work with clients

And I continue to be most grateful for every instance of each. Oh…and also this:

3. my own 7 coaches I’ve had over the past 18 years — every single one being someone I’d still have confidence referring

Whew!

Well, all this is sparking off you writing while on sabbatical, Ruth Ann.

I can’t wait to see what you’ll stir up once you’re back “on the job” next year!

It’s so wonderful to read someone else with a similar viewpoint on this subject. I have similar conversations at least three times a week when people call me with similar questions. I would simply like to say here, “Thank you!” for writing it so eloquently. As we say in Australia, “Good on ya, mate.”

Cheers, Noel

I have learned more from my client engagements than from any of my two formal coach training programs.

I attempted to “Twitter This” but the “Twitter This” link failed.

I’ve totally changed how I bill for my non-corporate coaching sessions. Clients can book me for as little as half an hour with no obligation for more. It’s amazing how much clutter you can clear away in half an hour. Tell the consumer to look at the results…,how they felt after the session. Did they feel empowered? Preached to? Energized? More aware? This is the best way to choose a coach that fits with who you are and what your currently living. Those criteria work across the board to all consumers. Bottom line (to consumer) are you getting what you want or what you think you can get?

I have an enviable client list and consistently get great praise from clients, none of whom has asked about where I had coach training. Nobody has asked about certification, of course.

If you want to have a successful practice, you need to learn practical skills and draw on empirically-tested methods, almost all of which have been researched and documented in social, organizational, and motivational psychology instead of coaching. That’s my two cents.

I agree. No certification will substitute for the results that you deliver. But the fact that there’s no central accreditation body, such that you can have a B.S. in Coaching, makes it that much harder. I would think that over time, that Life Coaching and Executive Coaching could become structured and maintstream, just like Sports Psychology, which is mental performance coaching for athletes. On a flight last week, I sat next to an Sports Psychologist who helps well-known professional athletes deal with performance anxieties and injury. How is a CEO any different than a professional athlete– are their needs any less?

Are the folks who say that they don’t have the money to afford the expensive coaching program using that as a foil to not get started?