If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change- Wayne Dyer

Change, Adaptability & Mindsets (CAM) are the trending words at least for last eight months since COVID-19 has hit our lives. Irrespective of where you are CAM is part of each and everyone’s life.

At the same time ICF (International Coach Federation) announced the revised ICF core competencies for coaches around the world in Nov’19 seems quite timely. The core competencies are central to coach education and acts as a guiding light for organisations and coaches to deliver the true value to their stakeholders.

Coaching Mindset is a new competency that had been added to the ICF core competencies and I feel that is a very important addition to sustain the quality of coaching in the world.

Mentoring and Supervising Coaches for quite some time gives me insights to the mindsets coaches are carrying and how that contributes to their own growth as a coach/professional /individual. While the observations are many, this is my attempt to bring out some of the prominent ones that are road block to coaching’s future in the world.

The journey of becoming a coach starts from Coach Education which primarily has 3 key objectives :

1. Shifting Mindsets
2. Know How of Coaching (Includes Art and Science)
3. Practicing Coaching

So the 2 and 3 are easy to get on to however the 1^st one heavily depends on individual investment of attention and experimentation. After all we can take the horse to the well but can’t make it drink.

In simple words “Mindset is the way we look at things” and Mindsets involves “Mental Models” that needs cognitive recognition and conscious effort to make the change It also involves a lot of ‘letting go’ of comfort and unlearning  to experiment with the new mindset.

Changing mindsets also demands the courage to stand alone with people who are operating with the old ones and adapt to make way in the world of people who can’t even understand words like mindsets and mental models.

While Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset conversations are taking rounds in each facilitators’ and coaches’ vocabulary , the “being” is still in question.

Here I am mentioning some of the behaviours that keep us hostage to our own potential as coaches and believe me I have been at each of them at some point in time. The journey of doing the real work demand us to free ourselves from the insecurities that make us play small.

Limiting Mindsets

1. Supplier Mindset Vs Value Creation/Systemic Thinker
   • Looking at Coaching from no. of coaching sessions lenses:Approaching contracts focused on “what goals client wants to achieve?” and “what actions client has taken?” Keeps us away from looking at creating systemic value for organisation and teams through the client to be able to leave client with higher return on investment.Some key questions that can expand the thinking:
     • What impact the client can bring for system through the coaching engagement?
     • What would be the impact of coaching on the team members and the organisation?
     • How can coaching support the evolution of coachee’s “Being”?
     • What are some of the values client can re-define during the engagement to be of more value to others?

• Evaluating Coaching effort with financials:Honestly this is a very difficult conversation because it forces us to put a price to our education, experience & intent. To me I feel this screws up our mindsets too. It stops us from beginners mindset and creates biases of all sorts. Definitely blurs our understanding about coaching as a skill and its proficiency. As a result we pick few figures from what’s existing in the market and use a comfortable figure to deal with the ‘business’ side of it. While that’s logical it takes away the real confidence of coaching from the coach. A small example: A coach can have 30 years of business experience and 1 year of coaching experience puts a price as per 30 years not 1 year which clearly disrupts coaching sanctity and value at several levels.Key question for Reflection
  • As a coach do I have the beginners mind in everything I do?
  • As a coach am I engaging from the energy level with my coachee?
  • As a coach am I reflecting on my development on continuous basis?
  • Knowing my level of proficiency am I comfortable calling myself a coach?
• Negotiating contracts in terms of per hour costHourly rates were designed for workers and then the consultants adopted that model. Being coaches it’s critical to understand the value we bring to the client. It’s not the coaching process alone that coaches brings.Experienced coaches are a unique combination of maturity, wisdom, energy and deep internal security along with clear understanding of coaching process and tools.

  In effort to “get sold” as a coach, subconsciously we tend to operate from “worker” mindset and the result is that this is becoming a norm to hire coaches. Part of the reason for this is lack of investment in self-development leading to low confidence that leads to mindset of “something is better than nothing” which is hugely detrimental to the quality of coaching.

  Coaching as a profession (by its nature) needs continuous development and investment, a conscious call for readiness on this can be made by professionals before joining the profession.

  Key reflection questions

  • What’s the REAL reason for me to be a Coach?
  • Can I coach for free just to make a difference?
  • Can a coach certification of 5-6 months make a real coach?
  • What are the scarifies am I willing to make to move forward in my “being”?
  • What are my comfortable habits that are preventing me to be a real coach?
  • Is Coaching a Profession or Urge for me?
• Selling Coaching programs like vegetable without understanding the real value of itAs mentioned in the beginning, Coaching education is meant to transform mindsets which means Coaches delivering these programs have evidence of their own journey to be a veteran versus using this pure business opportunity on the cost of others investment. The real value of programs needs to leave new coaches with deep realisations of self, the test is when the participants can see changes in their mindsets as it is less about teaching GROW model and practicing that on script.
• Operating from mindset of exchange versus givingCoach as a role demands us to be bigger and larger in our perspectives to be able to unconditionally deliver value. According to me putting a price to it is impossible. In today’s time when no one has time, attention, patience and skills to listen to dear ones, Coaches devote their lives for betterment of others, Can there be a cost attached to it? Or Can you say I will devote my attention to you and this is the rate for it? Isn’t that paradoxical?When it comes to supporting someone in their journey, as a coach can I just think of giving attention, resources and value unconditionally. Do not confuse this with giving unlimited time because unlimited time is not equals to unlimited value. Question is how can I give maximum value/attention and resources in limited time versus thinking of my client only during the sessions and not in between.

2. Status Vs IntentEnough examples are available where the frameworks of status are keeping us captive and taking our attention towards maintaining those statuses versus focusing on value creation.Reflection Questions
   • Can I run unconditional initiatives that can be for larger good?
   • Can I give back to the society?
   • Am I an Individual with unique sets of passions and hobbies away from my Coach status?
   • How is my coach status connected to my Identity?
   • Can my friends and family see me beyond being a coach?
   • Are there friends with whom I can be vulnerable?
   • What’s the first line of introduction I give about myself anywhere I go?

Purpose Vs Revenue

Several professionals enter coaching industry thinking it’s easy money. The tag of a Coach definitely sounds fancy and attractive without making it obvious that it’s a journey of transforming self-first. It may not be a place of comfort for many and carry just the title only lands up in frustration and resentment.

Reflection questions

• Do I know my purpose?
• Is coaching really a bridge between me and my purpose?
• Is coaching the right business model for me?

4. Expenses Vs InvestmentThere hasn’t been any conversation where  I didn’t hear that “I am tight on my budget, can you reconsider the cost”. Without saying much here I would like all of us to reflect, Do you say the same thing to the school your child studies in?We also do not realise how much we are negotiating for. While negotiation is not a bad thing the value that you are negotiating for speaks about your mental models. Receiving more value by being attentive and asking more questions during the learning is a wiser way to gain ROI versus negotiating on few bucks.

   The mindset of investment on self-development keeps looking for complimentary webinars which we all know are meant as teasers versus skill building efforts. How about concentrating our efforts and attention in researching “what you exactly want”? and from “whom you would like to learn?” and surrendering to the learning versus sending time bringing just few bucks down.Who else understand the real value of education than the coaches?

   While coaching our clients we are harnessing attention to create learning mindsets so the real question is what about our own mindsets.

   In my learnings I feel coaches need to imbibe the right mindsets to be able to stretch their own potential and be more effective as coaches. Coaches are seen as examples for people to follow and hence focusing on ourselves and the way we are showing up is the first responsibility we have. Upgrading ourselves on skills and competencies is as critical as upgrading our mindsets.

Do share your comments and feedbacks.