DEMONSTRATES ETHICAL PRACTICES (CORE COMPETENCIES)

 20220310 Module 4

Key Idea: Understands and consistently applies coaching ethics and standards of coaching.

"Wah, so technical!" was my immediate thought as we began the class. "Apa benda? What in the world is this and what had I gotten myself into?" *Head spins and heart palpitations, whilst maintaining the appearance of calm on the Zoom video call. Thankfully, before (more) panic set in, Coach Wendy assured us that these were not things to concern ourselves too much with yet, and we would have time to look into them in the future. Ok, so that's something for future Donny to stress about. (Fun fact, it's 6 months later. Dang you past Donny!!!)

We were introduced to the New 8 Core Competencies (2019) that define a professional coach's required skills and which establishes the foundation for professional credentialing and accreditation with the ICF (International Coaching Federation). They were developed to support a greater understanding of the skills and approaches used within today's coaching profession as defined by the ICF. So basically, if you want to be a good coach and you want to be accredited, then you'll need to embody and practise these core competencies. Ok, not too complicated. Let's dive into the first one.

DEMONSTRATES ETHICAL PRACTICES

The ICF's Definition: "Understands and consistently applies coaching ethics and standards of coaching." Ethics are like a moral compass that governs our behaviour by helping us decide whether something is acceptable or not. It is common for certain professions to have a guideline or statement of ethics, as the individuals no longer represent only themselves, but an organisation or community. It is much like a Christian who is expected to behave in godly ways or exhibit a loving manner, or risk misrepresenting the Christian movement. Sadly, it is almost always the Christian believer who falters in these areas that give Jesus Christ a bad name.

In my conversation with a young couple recently, the wife shared an experience where her family had gathered at the funeral of her uncle who passed. It was a “Christian” service, and in the preaching, they were appalled at how the pastor kept complaining and bad-mouthing the deceased while he had been alive. They stayed for most of the service, but eventually walked out as they could no longer bear the dishonouring and disgraceful delivery.

As I was listening to her recounting the experience, I was literally shaking my head. I couldn’t help but wonder if the pastor was even a true believer of Christ. As a pastor myself, I understand the importance of a funeral service to minister comfort & peace to the bereaved, and to deliver a message of hope through Jesus. Unfortunately, those in attendance received a grave (pun unintended) misrepresentation of what Christians are like (or called to be).

BEing vs DOing

Christians are called to be Christ-like: Loving, gracious, self-sacrificial, gentle, etc. Unfortunately, it is the poor practitioners that give Jesus a bad name. We are called to BE Christ-like, embodying godly character and principles, and then the DOing will naturally follow. Therefore, if I draw parallels to the coaching practice, a Coach needs to Demonstrate Ethical Practices if he/she wants to appear professional and receive accreditation. But the coach needs to embody the principles and BE the coach if they want to build a trusting and lasting relationship with their coachees.