MINIMUM SKILL REQUIREMENTS COMPETENCY BY

COMPETENCY FOR MCC CREDENTIALING

Copyright 2006, International Coach Federation, all rights reserved.

The ICF believes that it has an obligation to support its member coaches in the growth of
their skill set. Every master coach started as a beginner, progressed through an
intermediate level of skill, and became masterful, where the hallmark is always the
complete evidence of the coach's role as learner about the client. The ICF credentialing
process with its three levels is a reflection of the continuum of growth that each coach
undergoes.
This document has been created to support coaches with preparation for the MCC
credentialing exam. We also hope that this document will assist mentor coaches
supporting and supervising these coaches; and coach training schools undertaking
accreditation of their programs. The aim is the help coaches successfully complete the
MCC exam and also to help them continue to develop their skill set as coaches.
The document's structure will provide those seeking a credential an understanding
regarding what assessors evaluate in relation to each competency, the minimum level of
skill necessary to successfully demonstrate a MCC level of competency, and also help
them understand what non-coaching behaviors might prevent successful completion of
the MCC exam process. We hope the document helps each individual coach answer the
following queries: What does it mean to be a MCC coach? What do the ICF assessors
listen for when they are evaluating my coaching? As I progress on my coaching journey,
what are my strengths and what are the skill set areas that I need to grow to pass the
MCC exam?
Finally, the ICF strongly believes that clients receive real and substantive value from
MCC coaches. That value rests always in the coach's complete attention to the client and
what the client wishes to accomplish, the complete level of partnership with the client, as
well as the coach's complete support of the client's agenda. We honor each and every
coach on their journey and look forward to supporting your path of growth as coach and
your credentialing path within the ICF.
1. Meeting Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards - Understanding of
coaching ethics and standards and ability to apply them appropriately in all
coaching situations
a. Understands and exhibits in own behaviors the ICF Standards of Conduct
b. Understands and follows all ICF Ethical Guidelines
c. Clearly communicates the distinctions between coaching, consulting, psychotherapy
and other support professions
d. Refers client to another support professional as needed, knowing when this is needed
and the available resources
Important Note: Familiarity with the code of ethics and its application is required for all
levels of coaching and the standard for demonstrating a strong ethical understanding of
coaching is similar and rigorous for all levels of ICF credentialing. An applicant will pass
this competency if they demonstrate a knowledge of the coaching conversation that is
focused on inquiry and exploration and if the conversation is based on present and future
issues. An applicant will not pass this competency if the applicant focuses primarily on
telling the client what to do or how to do it (consulting mode) or if the conversation is
based primarily in the past, particularly the emotional past (therapeutic mode). In
addition, the ICF notes that if an applicant is not clear on basic foundation exploration
and evoking skills that underlie the ICF definition of coaching, that lack of clarity in skill
use will be reflected in skill level demonstrated in some of the other competencies listed
below. For example, if a coach almost exclusively gives advice or indicates that a
particular answer chosen by the coach is what the client should do, trust and intimacy,
coaching presence, powerful questioning, creating awareness, and client generated
actions and accountability will not be present and a credential at any level would be
denied.
2. Establishing the Coaching Agreement - Ability to understand what is required in
the specific coaching interaction and to come to agreement with the prospective and
new client about the coaching process and relationship
a. Understands and effectively discusses with the client the guidelines and specific
parameters of the coaching relationship (e.g., logistics, fees, scheduling, inclusion of
others if appropriate)
b. Reaches agreement about what is appropriate in the relationship and what is not, what
is and is not being offered, and about the client's and coach's responsibilities
c. Determines whether there is an effective match between his/her coaching method and
the needs of the prospective client
Key Skills Evaluated: 1) The depth of creation of agreement for session; 2) The
coach’s ability to partner and the depth of partnering with the client in the creation
of agreement, measures of success, and issues to be addressed
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to achieve a
passing score for establishing the coaching agreement is that the coach fully explores
with the client what the client wants to work on. The coach engages in full exploration of
the measures of success for each topic in the session. The coach engages the client in a
full exploration of the issues related to the topic that must be addressed for the client’s
measures of success to occur. The coach, through a partnering discussion, ensures that
both the coach and client are clear about the agenda, the measures of success, and the
issues to be discussed. The coach attends to that agenda and those measures throughout
the coaching, unless redirected by the client. Any potential change in direction of the
coaching session is thoroughly explored in partnership with the client and the client is the
ultimate decision maker as to whether a change in direction will occur. The coach
regularly checks with the client throughout the session to make sure that the client’s goals
for the session are in fact being achieved and that the direction and process chosen are
forwarding the client’s thinking and/or action about their desired goals .
A coach will not receive a passing score for establishing the coaching agreement on the
MCC exam if full partnership with the client is not demonstrated. Full partnership will
not be demonstrated if the coach chooses the topic(s) for the client or if the coach does
not coach around the topic(s) the client has chosen. The evaluation for this competency
will also be negatively impacted if the coach does not explore the measures of success for
each topic with the client to a degree that achieves clarity about the client’s intent or
direction for the session, does not allow the client full input into the issues that should be
discussed relative to the client’s stated objectives for the session, or does not check with
the client about whether the client is moving toward what the client wanted from the
session.
3. Establishing Trust and Intimacy with the Client - Ability to create a safe,
supportive environment that produces ongoing mutual respect and trust
a. Shows genuine concern for the client's welfare and future
b. Continuously demonstrates personal integrity, honesty and sincerity
c. Establishes clear agreements and keeps promises
d. Demonstrates respect for client's perceptions, learning style, personal being
e. Provides ongoing support for and champions new behaviors and actions, including
those involving risk taking and fear of failure
f. Asks permission to coach client in sensitive, new areas
Key Skills Evaluated: 1) The coach’s depth of connection to the client; 2) The
coach’s depth of demonstration of trust in the client and the client’s processes of
thinking, creating; 3) The coach’s willingness to be completely comfortable with
their own authenticity with the client
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to receive a
passing score for establishing trust and intimacy with the client is that the coach
demonstrates complete trust in the client and the process. Such trust and intimacy will be
evidenced by the equality between coach and client in the conversation, the coach’s
comfortableness with not knowing as a state to expand awareness in, and the coach’s
willingness to be vulnerable with the client and have the client be vulnerable in return.
The MCC level coach demonstrates a complete confidence in self, the coaching process,
the client, and the client’s perceptions, learning style, and personal being. The client is
treated as a full and complete partner in the relationship with a complete and full
invitation to participate in the development and creation of the coaching process and their
own new learning and behaviors. There is a sense of complete ease and naturalness in the
conversation.
A coach will not receive a passing score for establishing trust and intimacy with the client
on the MCC exam if the coach does not treat the client as a full partner choosing not only
the agenda, but also participating in the creation of the coaching process itself. Lack of
full partnership will be demonstrated if the coach exhibits an interest in the coach’s view
of the situation rather than the client’s view of the situation, does not seek information
from the client about the client’s thinking around the situation, does not seek information
about the client’s goals regarding the situation, or any attention seems to be on the
coach’s own performance or demonstration of knowledge about the topic. In addition, the
evaluation will be negatively impacted if the coach does not invite the client to share
his/her thinking on an equal level with the coach and/or chooses the direction and tools in
the session without significant input from the client. Any indication that the coach is
teaching rather than coaching will also create a score below the MCC level.
4. Coaching Presence - Ability to be fully conscious and create a spontaneous
relationship with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible and confident
a. Is present and flexible during the coaching process
b. Accesses own intuition and trusts one's inner knowing
c. Is open to not knowing and takes risks
d. Sees many ways to work with the client, and chooses in the moment what is most
effective
e. Uses humor effectively to create lightness and energy
f. Confidently shifts perspectives and experiments with new possibilities for own action
g. Demonstrates confidence in working with strong emotions, and can self-manage and
not be overpowered or enmeshed by client's emotions
Key Skills Evaluated: 1) The coach’s depth of partnership with the client; 2) The
coach’s depth of observation of and use of the whole of the client in the coaching
process
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to receive a
passing score for coaching presence is that the coach is completely joined with the client
in the coaching dialogue and is a connected observer to the client holding both objective
and emotional perspective simultaneously. The connection is to the whole of the client,
who the client is, what the client wants, how the client learns and creates, and what the
client has to teach the coach. The coach evidences a complete curiosity that is undiluted
by a need to perform. As with trust and intimacy, the coach is in a complete partnership
with the client where the client is an equal or greater contributor to the conversation and
direction of the coaching than the coach. The coach is willing to let the client teach the
 coach and is unafraid to be a student of the client. At the MCC level, the conversation
between coach and client is equal and easy, even in uncomfortable moments.
The ICF notes that trust and intimacy and presence are quite related competencies.
Therefore, a coach will not receive a passing score for establishing trust and intimacy
with the client on the MCC exam if the coach does not treat the client as a full partner
choosing not only the agenda, but also participating in the creation of the coaching
process itself. Such lack of full partnership is demonstrated if the coach exhibits interest
in the coach’s view of the situation than the client’s view of the situation, does not seek
information from the client about the client’s thinking around the situation, does not seek
information about the client’s goals regarding the situation, or any attention seems to be
on the coach’s own performance or demonstration of knowledge about the topic. In
addition, the evaluation will be negatively impacted if the coach does not invite the client
to share his/her thinking on an equal level with the coach and/or chooses the direction
and tools in the session without input from the client. Any indication that the coach is
teaching rather than coaching will also create a score below the MCC level. The
evaluation will also be negatively impacted if the coach does not allow the client to help
develop coaching tools for themselves and instead relies on standard coaching formulas,
tools, or questions.
5. Active Listening - Ability to focus completely on what the client is saying and is not
saying, to understand the meaning of what is said in the context of the client's
desires, and to support client self-expression
a. Attends to the client and the client's agenda, and not to the coach's agenda for the client
b. Hears the client's concerns, goals, values and beliefs about what is and is not possible
c. Distinguishes between the words, the tone of voice, and the body language
d. Summarizes, paraphrases, reiterates, mirrors back what client has said to ensure clarity
and understanding
e. Encourages, accepts, explores and reinforces the client's expression of feelings,
perceptions, concerns, beliefs, suggestions, etc.
f. Integrates and builds on client's ideas and suggestions
g. "Bottom-lines" or understands the essence of the client's communication and helps the
client get there rather than engaging in long descriptive stories
h. Allows the client to vent or "clear" the situation without judgment or attachment in
order to move on to next steps
Key Skills Evaluated: 1) The coach’s depth of hearing what the client says in
relations to the client’s agenda; 2) The coach’s ability to hear on multiple levels
including both the emotional and substantive content of the words; 3) The coach’s
ability to hear underlying beliefs, thinking, creating, and learning that are occurring
for the client including recognizing incongruities in language, emotions, and actions;
4) The coach’s ability to hear the client’s language and to encourage the client to
deepen descriptive language for themselves
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to receive a
passing score for active listening is that the coach listens as a learner and listening
happens at the logical and emotional level at the same time. The listening is both linear
and non-linear and responses from the coach evidence learning about the client at
multiple levels. The coach’s responses evidence that the coach is hearing the client’s
intuitive abilities, the client’s energy, when the client speaks of important things, when
new growth is occurring for the client, how that growth is related to the client’s stated
objectives and agenda, and when the client is finding, creating, and using a more
powerful sense of self. The coach is also able to hear the client’s current thinking and
growth and relate it to the future the client is trying to create. A MCC level coach hears
the totality of the client’s greatness and gifts as well as limiting beliefs and patterns. The
coach’s listening is cumulative from session to session and throughout each individual
session.
A coach will not receive a passing score for active listening on the MCC exam if the
coach does not demonstrate listening that is based on the whole client and an ability to
hear the client’s thinking, learning, and feeling at multiple levels. The coach will not
receive a passing grade at this level if the listening is filtered only through the coach’s
methods of thinking, learning, and creating and does not actively hear and use as a
significant coaching tool, the client’s methods of thinking, learning, and creating. The
coach will not receive a passing grade if nuances of the client’s language are not reflected
in the coach’s responses. As with PCC, the coach will not receive a passing grade at this
level if the listening is not focused on and responding to what the client says or the
coach’s response is not related to what the client is trying to achieve or their hearing is
limited to listening for problems or weaknesses. The coach will not receive a passing
grade on the MCC exam if the coach appears to be listening for the place where the coach
can demonstrate their knowledge about the topic or tell the client what to do about the
topic.
6. Powerful Questioning -Ability to ask questions that reveal the information needed
for maximum benefit to the coaching relationship and the client
a. Asks questions that reflect active listening and an understanding of the client's
perspective
b. Asks questions that evoke discovery, insight, commitment or action (e.g., those that
challenge the client's assumptions)
c. Asks open-ended questions that create greater clarity, possibility or new learning
d. Asks questions that move the client towards what they desire, not questions that ask for
the client to justify or look backwards
Key Skills Evaluated: The coach’s depth of questioning that evokes the core issues
that are either contained in or underlie the client’s agenda; 2) The coach’s ability to
explore with and to evoke exploration by the client of the emotional and substantive
content of the words; 3) The coach’s ability to explore with and evoke exploration
by the client of the underlying beliefs and means of thinking, creating, and learning
that are occurring for the client; 4) The depth at which the coach’s questions
provide a thinking space for and elicit new perspectives from the client
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to receive a
passing score for powerful questioning is that the coach asks mostly, if not always, direct,
evocative questions that are fully responsive to the client in the moment, to the client’s
agenda and stated objectives, and that require significant thought by the client or take the
client to a new place of thinking. The coach makes frequent and full use of the client’s
language and learning style to craft questions and the questions clearly provide a space
for a client to use and expand their own style of thinking, learning, and creating. The
coach will ask the client to clarify for themselves at levels beyond the surface. The
coach’s questions are fully based in curiosity and the coach does not ask any leading
questions that reflect a conclusion by the coach. The questions often reflect what the
coach has learned about the client’s strengths and/or require the client to find deeper
contact with the client’s way of being and find hidden power, gifts, and strengths in
himself/herself. The coach asks questions that help the client create the future rather than
focus on past or even present dilemmas or problems. The coach is at ease asking
questions that will make either the coach or the client or both uncomfortable. The coach
is also comfortable with letting the client create questions for themselves.
A coach will not receive a passing score for powerful questioning on the MCC exam if
the coach does not demonstrate questions that are evocative and ask the client to think in
a larger space or an experimental space related to the client’s agenda and stated
objectives. The evaluation will also be negatively impacted if the coach frequently asks
informational questions or questions that keep the client in the past or in present detail of
a situation rather than in forward thinking. The evaluation will also be negatively
impacted if the questions do not make frequent use of the client’s language, thinking, and
creating style or do not make use of what the coach has learned about the client. The
coach will receive a score below the MCC level if the questions reflect the coach’s view
of the situation, the coach’s learning and processing style, or a preconceived answer by
the coach. The coach’s inability to move beyond standardized coaching questions or a
standardized model will result in a score below the MCC level.
7. Direct Communication - Ability to communicate effectively during coaching
sessions, and to use language that has the greatest positive impact on the client
a. Is clear, articulate and direct in sharing and providing feedback
b. Reframes and articulates to help the client understand from another perspective what
he/she wants or is uncertain about
c. Clearly states coaching objectives, meeting agenda, purpose of techniques or exercises
d. Uses language appropriate and respectful to the client (e.g., non-sexist, non-racist, non-
technical, non-jargon)
e. Uses metaphor and analogy to help to illustrate a point or paint a verbal picture
Key Skills Evaluated: 1) The ease, directness, and depth with which the coach
shares perspectives, thoughts, intuition, and feedback; 2) Whether the coach
appears to have any attachment to the coach’s perspective; 3) The coach’s effective
use of the client’s language and learning models; 4) The breadth of the invitation the
coach gives to the client to share his/her own perspectives, thoughts, intuition, and
feedback
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to receive a
passing score for direct communication is that the coach easily and freely shares
observations, intuitions, and feedback with the client without attachment. The coach
shares directly and simply and frequently and, at a high level, incorporates the client’s
language. The coach fully trusts the client to choose the responses to the coach’s
communication that are best for the client. The coach frequently invites the client’s
intuition to come forward, and additionally invites, respects, and celebrates direct
communication from the client. The coach creates expansive space for the client to have
equal or more dialogue time than the coach and the level of full partnering in the
coaching dialogue is easily evident. The coach has a very broad language base to use and
experiment with and uses the client’s language to broaden that base. The coach’s
communication frequently invites the client to engage in broader learning and discovery
and to integrate and apply that learning and discovery not only to present challenges and
agendas, but also to the creation of the client’s future.
A coach will not receive a passing score for direct communication on the MCC exam if
the coach does not fully invite the client’s participation in the coaching dialogue on an
equal level, if the coach’s communication reflects an agenda or directing of any kind by
the coach, if the communication does not evidence frequent use of the client’s language,
learning, thinking, and creating styles, or if the communication does not often create a
place for the client to engage in deeper thinking, learning, and discovery. The evaluation
will also be negatively impacted if the coach’s communication limits the thinking and
learning direction for the client without specific interaction with, discussion of, and
assent by the client to the limitation.
8. Creating Awareness - Ability to integrate and accurately evaluate multiple
sources of information, and to make interpretations that help the client to gain
awareness and thereby achieve agreed-upon results
a. Goes beyond what is said in assessing client's concerns, not getting caught up in by the
client's description
b. Invokes inquiry for greater understanding, awareness and clarity
c. Identifies with the client his/her underlying concerns, typical and fixed ways of
perceiving himself/herself and the world, differences between the facts and the
interpretation, disparities between thoughts, feelings and action
d. Helps clients to discover for themselves the new thoughts, beliefs, perceptions,
emotions, moods, etc. that strengthen their ability to take action and achieve what is
important to them
e. Communicates broader perspectives to clients and inspires commitment to shift their
viewpoints and find new possibilities for action
f. Helps clients to see the different, interrelated factors that affect them and their
behaviors (e.g., thoughts, emotions, body, background)
g. Expresses insights to clients in ways that are useful and meaningful for the client
h. Identifies major strengths vs. major areas for learning and growth, and what is most
important to address during coaching
i. Asks the client to distinguish between trivial and significant issues, situational vs.
recurring behaviors, when detecting a separation between what is being stated and what is
being done
Key Skills Evaluated: 1) The coach’s ability to partner fully with the client in
exploration of new and broader perspectives, learning, creating, and actions; 2) The
coach’s ability to share perspectives without attachment and invitation to the client
to share their own thinking, perspectives, and intuition; 3) The coach’s invitation to
and acceptance of the client’s intuition, thinking, and language as critical tools in
the coaching process; 4) The coach’s ability to illuminate the client’s fixed ways of
thinking that might inhibit growth or accomplishment of the client’s goals without
treating the coach’s observation as truth, but only as the coach’s thoughts; 5) The
coach’s ability to use the client’s language as a tool of creating awareness; 6) The
coach’s ability to integrate beginning, middle and end of the session together if
appropriate to the client’s learning and creating
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to receive a
passing score for creating awareness is that the coach’s invitation to exploration of
important issues precedes and is significantly greater than invitation to solution. At a
MCC level, the coach’s way of being is consistently curious, the coach is willing to not
know, and to let the exploration evolve based on the client’s thinking, learning, and
creating, and the coach appears as much an explorer as the client. The coach has not
concluded what awareness should be in any manner, nor does the coach force awareness
in any manner. The use of the client’s greatness, strengths, intuition, and learning style is
fully invited and welcomed. There is no evidence of “fixing” a problem or the client or a
need to rush unless the client has indicated a specific need for a time sensitive solution.
The coach allows the client to make the coach aware and the client’s voice more
prevalent than the coach’s. There is a clear, strong sense that the coach is engaged in
connected observation of totality of who the client is and what the client wants, sharing
that with the client, and creating space for the client to share back. The coach provides
sufficient space and encouragement to allow the client to integrate and use new
awareness to resolve current challenges, achieve current goals, and think how the new
awareness may be used in the future.
A coach will not receive a passing score for creating awareness on the MCC exam if the
coach drives the client toward solution without fully exploring issues that may be
important to gaining complete solution or accomplishment for the client. The evaluation
will also be negatively impacted if the coach does not fully invite and allow the client to
use as coaching tools, the client’s intuition, thinking, and learning. The evaluation will be
negatively impacted if the dialogue of awareness does not provide sufficient space for the
client’s full participation in creating awareness, if the coach’s communication reflects an
agenda or directing of any kind by the coach, if the coach’s voicing of awareness does
not evidence frequent use of the client’s language, learning, thinking, and creating styles,
or if the coach does not often create an easy place for the client to engage in deeper
thinking, learning, and discovery. The evaluation will also be negatively impacted if the
coach’s communication limits the thinking and learning direction for the client without
specific interaction with, discussion of, and assent by the client to the limitation.
9. Designing Actions - Ability to create with the client opportunities for ongoing
learning, during coaching and in work/life situations, and for taking new actions
that will most effectively lead to agreed-upon coaching results
a. Brainstorms and assists the client to define actions that will enable the client to
demonstrate, practice and deepen new learning
b. Helps the client to focus on and systematically explore specific concerns and
opportunities that are central to agreed-upon coaching goals
c. Engages the client to explore alternative ideas and solutions, to evaluate options, and to
make related decisions
d. Promotes active experimentation and self-discovery, where the client applies what has
been discussed and learned during sessions immediately afterwards in his/her work or life
setting
e. Celebrates client successes and capabilities for future growth
f. Challenges client's assumptions and perspectives to provoke new ideas and find new
possibilities for action
g. Advocates or brings forward points of view that are aligned with client goals and,
without attachment, engages the client to consider them
h. Helps the client "Do It Now" during the coaching session, providing immediate
support
i. Encourages stretches and challenges but also a comfortable pace of learning
Key Skills Evaluated: 1) The coach’s ability to fully partner with the client in
designing actions that relate to and move forward towards the client’s stated
agenda; 2) That actions are of a breadth and depth that they may include thinking,
feeling, and learning; 3) That the designed actions integrate the whole of the client
whenever appropriate; 4) That the designed actions are appropriate to what
occurred in the session, where the client is with their sated agenda and desired
outcomes; 5) That the designed actions are appropriate to the client’s methods of
thinking, learning, integrating, and creating
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to receive a
passing score for designing actions is that the coach works in complete partnership with
the client to design actions or, in the alternative, lets the client lead in designing actions.
At the MCC level, the coach and client design actions that fit the client’s goals, learning
style and creating methods, where the client is, what the client wants, the client’s
measures of accomplishment, and that reflect the pace of wanted or necessary movement
designated by the client. The coach allows actions to include thinking, creating, doing,
and being. The coach engages the client in relating designed actions to other aspects of
what the client wants, thereby broadening the scope of learning and growth. The MCC
coach encourages exploration and informed experimentation to help the client develop
for themselves more powerful, leveraged activities. The MCC coach may, as a
supplement to client development of tools, suggest tools, exercises, or structures, but
invites the client to engage in full thinking about whether these suggestions are of use to
the client and invites the client to modify the suggestions, or reject them and invent on
their own.
A coach will not receive a passing score for designing actions on the MCC exam if the
coach does not invite full client participation in the design of activities or dominates in
any way the design of activities. The evaluation will also be negatively impacted if the
designed activities do not reflect a clear potential for forward learning or movement by
the client related to the client’s agenda, desired outcomes, or to some other learning that
the client has defined as necessary for their growth. The evaluation will also be
negatively impacted if designed actions and/or discussion designed actions involves only
physical activity with no attention to the thinking, learning, being, and creativity
structures of the client.
10. Planning and Goal Setting - Ability to develop and maintain an effective
coaching plan with the client
a. Consolidates collected information and establishes a coaching plan and development
goals with the client that address concerns and major areas for learning and development
b. Creates a plan with results that are attainable, measurable, specific and have target
dates
c. Makes plan adjustments as warranted by the coaching process and by changes in the
situation
d. Helps the client identify and access different resources for learning (e.g., books, other
professionals)
e. Identifies and targets early successes that are important to the client
Key Skills Evaluated: 1) The coach’s ability to fully partner with and explore with
the client in order to create goals and plans that match the client’s learning and
creating style, stated agenda and desired outcomes; 2) That the plans and goals
designed are of a breadth and depth that they may include thinking, feeling,
learning, and creating; 3) That the designed plans and goals integrated the whole of
the client whenever appropriate; 4) That the designed plans and goals are
appropriate to what occurred in the session, and where the client is with their stated
agenda and desired outcomes; 5) That the designed plans and goals are appropriate
to the client’s methods of thinking, learning, integrating, and creating; 6) That
wherever appropriate, the coach helps the client design measurable achievements
that are steps toward the client’s ultimate desired outcome
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to receive a
passing score for planning and goal setting is that the coach works with the client to
clarify and develop goals that achieve more than just the presenting concerns of the
client. The coach lets the client lead in designing goals and planning or, in the alternative,
works in complete partnership with the client to create goals and plans. The coach and
client create goals and plans that fit the client’s goals, learning and creating methods, and
pace of wanted or necessary movement. The coach allows plans to include thinking,
creating, doing and being. The coach engages the client in relating goals and plans to
other aspects of what the client wants, thereby broadening the scope of learning and
growth.
A coach will not receive a passing score for planning and goal setting on the MCC exam
if the coach does not invite full client participation in planning strategies or designing
goals or dominates in any way the creation of plans and goals. The evaluation will also be
negatively impacted if the plans and goals do not reflect a clear potential for forward
learning or movement by the client related to the client’s agenda, desired outcomes, or to
some other learning that the client has defined for as necessary for their growth. The
evaluation will also be negatively impacted if designed plans and goals and/or discussion
designed actions involves only physical activity with no attention to the thinking,
learning, being, and creativity structures of the client.
11. Managing Progress and Accountability - Ability to hold attention on what is
important for the client, and to leave responsibility with the client to take action
a. Clearly requests of the client actions that will move the client toward their stated goals
b. Demonstrates follow through by asking the client about those actions that the client
committed to during the previous session(s)
c. Acknowledges the client for what they have done, not done, learned or become aware
of since the previous coaching session(s)
d. Effectively prepares, organizes and reviews with client information obtained during
sessions
e. Keeps the client on track between sessions by holding attention on the coaching plan
and outcomes, agreed-upon courses of action, and topics for future session(s)
f. Focuses on the coaching plan but is also open to adjusting behaviors and actions based
on the coaching process and shifts in direction during sessions
g. Is able to move back and forth between the big picture of where the client is heading,
setting a context for what is being discussed and where the client wishes to go
h. Promotes client's self-discipline and holds the client accountable for what they say they
are going to do, for the results of an intended action, or for a specific plan with related
time frames
i. Develops the client's ability to make decisions, address key concerns, and develop
himself/herself (to get feedback, to determine priorities and set the pace of learning, to
reflect on and learn from experiences)
j. Positively confronts the client with the fact that he/she did not take agreed-upon actions
Key Skills Evaluated: 1) The coach’s ability to partner fully with the client to create
structures and methods for measuring progress and holding the client accountable to
themselves for the progress; 2) That the methods and structures of accountability
integrate the whole of the client whenever appropriate; 3) That the designed
structures and methods of accountability are capable of producing forward
movement by the client, appropriate to what occurred in the session, and to where the
client is with their staged agenda and desired outcomes; 4) That the designed
structures and methods of accountability are appropriate to the client’s methods of
thinking, learning, integrating, and creating; 5) The coach’s ability to trust the client
to be accountable to themselves and confidence in holding the client accountable as
per the agreed upon methods of accountability
At a MCC level, the minimum standard of skill that must be demonstrated to receive a
passing score for managing progress and accountability is that the coach encourages the
client to determine their own methods of accountability and offers support for those
methods. The client helps the client determine or the client determines independently
who should be on their accountability team and how to use each person, including the
coach and the client, themselves, to be accountable. The MCC coach encourages the
client to develop accountability structures that are reflective of the client’s agenda, stated
objectives, broader learning or accomplishment that the client wants to obtain, and
continues to push the client’s forward thinking and activities at a pace both acceptable to
and challenging to the client. The coach trusts the client to be accountable to themselves
and sensitively calls the client to account or discussion if agreed upon forward movement
does not occur. The structures and measures of accountability should clearly reflect the
use of the client’s best strengths as well as the best of the client’s learning and creating
methodologies.
A coach will not receive a passing score for managing progress and accountability on the
MCC exam if the coach does not invite full client participation or does not encourage
client leadership in planning strategies and methods of accountability or dominates in any
way the accountability mechanisms that are created. As with the PCC evaluation, a coach
will not receive a passing score for managing progress and accountability on the MCC
exam if the coach is the most significant voice in setting accountability structures, if the
coach is unable to support the client in developing an effective measures and
accountability structure, if the measures and structures do not have a clear relationship to
the client’s stated agenda and desired outcome or the client’s learning and creating
processes, if the methods and structures do not have a clear purpose and potential to
move the client forward, or if suggested tools and structures clearly do not bear a
relationship to the needs of the particular client or his/her agenda or deeper learning
designated by the client. The evaluation will also be negatively impacted if the coach
suggests standard coaching tools or exercises without discussing with the client the extent
to which they might be of value to the client or does not encourage invention of structures
by the client based on the clients thinking, learning, being, and creating style.
Copyright 2006 International Coach Federation, all rights reserved.
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