Business View Magazine Feb 2023

136 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 “Find the right coach,” she begins. “Because it’s unregulated, anybody can call themselves a coach. So, it is very important to check the credentials of an individual, and where they were trained. It’s important to find a coach that brings the skills, talents, and experience that fits the profile of the client and the client’s goals.”CF reviews its Code of Ethics every three years to make sure it is reflective of the coaching practice and remains a current and relevant guide for coaches and clients alike around ethical conduct. “A typical first session would give a client some insight into what to expect and not to expect; what coaching is and what coaching is not. Sometimes coaching is not necessarily a silver bullet; sometimes good old-fashioned training might be better. Sometimes mentoring might be better; sometimes something different that would bring better results for the client. So, an explanation of what to expect from the coaching relationship is really important. Equally important is a conversation about the ethics of the relationship and the confidentiality of the relationship,” she details. “A coach is not a consultant,” Mook stresses. “A coach is not somebody who comes by and knows there’s a problem and leaves with a solution. A coach, instead, is a catalyzing partner in a client’s own search for solutions. And a coach is also an accountability partner; in other words, somebody who nudges the client to move the needle in their own professional journey. A coach is a trusted partner, but in a very neutral place; it’s about assistance for the client and not the opinion of the coach that matters in the relationship.” Going forward, Mook believes that coaching will continue to grow globally and that the ICF will continue to play a galvanizing role. “We continue to grow in every area of the world,” she says in conclusion. “This is because coaching is acceptable and available for the growth of individuals, teams, and organizations. So, we see coaching growing in popularity – more people will have access to coaching and more people will become coaches. We still are only scratching the surface of what coaching can do.”