Welcome back to the Coach Within podcast! In this episode, host Coach Jedi kicks off a new series designed to help you develop your coaching competency skill sets for the ACC, PCC, and MCC credential levels.

While mastery is a continuous journey of learning and growth, not just about credentials, this episode focuses on the ACC (Associate Certified Coach) minimum skill requirement for ICF Core Competency 3: Establishes and Maintains Agreements.

Discover the importance of partnering with clients to create clear agreements for both the overall coaching engagement (formative) and each specific session (sessional). Learn why sessions must be client-led, not coach-led, and how this promotes client ownership and accountability. Coach Jedi breaks down the essential behaviors assessed at the ACC level for this competency, including inviting the client to define the desired outcome, reaching agreement, showing curiosity about the client's connection to the topic, and staying focused on the client's agenda. Avoid common pitfalls like choosing the topic for the client or shifting direction without their agreement.

To help you practice with accuracy and precision, you'll learn the "AIMS" principle: Ask, Illuminate, Map, Stay. This principle serves as a memory aid to guide you in partnering effectively with your clients on the coaching agreement. Remember, mastering coaching is about consistent skill demonstration and creating a deep, authentic space for the client.

Tune in to sharpen your skills and aim higher in your coaching practice!

Key Highlights:

• The podcast series focuses on developing coaching competencies for ACC, PCC, and MCC credential levels.

• Mastering coaching is viewed as a continuous mindset of learning and growth, not just achieving credentials.

• CC3 involves partnering with clients and stakeholders to create clear agreements.

• There are two levels of agreements: overarching/formative (for the whole relationship, including logistics, confidentiality, etc.) and sessional/specific (for each individual coaching session).

• Performance evaluation assesses the coach's ability to demonstrate competencies within a session, focusing on the coach's evidence of behavioural skills at the ACC level rather than the client's outcome.

• At the ACC level, minimum skills for Competency 3 include establishing clarity and depth in the session agreement, partnering/co-creating the agreement and success measures, and attending to the client's agenda throughout the session.

• A critical requirement is that the coach invites the client to identify their desired coaching outcome, and the session is client-led, not coach-led.

• Allowing the client to define and own the topic and outcome fosters accountability and sustainable change.

• Co-creating measures of success helps determine if the session was valuable for the client.

• The coach must stay focused on the client's stated agenda unless the client indicates otherwise, checking in periodically to ensure the conversation is on track or to pivot if the client desires.

• Failing to meet the ACC standard for this competency often involves coach-led behaviors, such as the coach choosing the topic or shifting the agenda without client agreement.

• Mastering coaching is about the consistent demonstration of skills with precision and accuracy.

• The "AIMS" principle is introduced as a memory aid for coaching agreements: Ask, Illuminate, Map, Stay.

• Consistent practice, seeking mentor coaching or supervision, and experiencing coaching are vital for skill development.

Don't forget to check out jedi.coach for more resources and information on upcoming programs. If you found this episode helpful, please follow, share, and leave a review to help others discover The Coach Within podcast.

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Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jedi@jedi.coach⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠—let’s get started to create a transformative experience today.

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