Lessons from the Certifiers

 

Have You Completed Your Learning Agreement?
by
Natalie Tucker Miller, MMC

One
hallmark of our profession is the necessity to stay, as Thomas Leonard
advised, a few steps ahead of our clients. How is this meant in a
coaching sense? Certainly we’re not expected to study the very
things our clients are studying and stay ahead of them on content.
That, in fact, could limit our ability to grow with them, if all we’re
focused on is the knowledge and data of their interests or professions.

It’s
the commitment to one’s personal growth that opens possibilities
for clients. And it’s the client’s growth through coaching
that encourages the coach to discover more about themselves, which
in turn inspires and benefits their clients. The broader your perspective,
the more you can help your clients broaden theirs, while leveraging
the opportunities that are most appropriate for them.

This
is such a powerful concept to consider when designing your IAC Learning
Agreements. Too often, coaches are approaching these as tasks to be
checked off a list and filed away. Philosophically, this could not
be further from the IAC’s intent of continued development as
a coach. This is exactly one of the ways to stay a few steps ahead
of your clients: by using the brilliance of the Masteries to elicit
the meaning and purpose of the circumstances, relationships, and events
in which you engage on a regular basis.

Your
coaching sessions will only be as effective as the time you are willing
to put into your own growth. However you choose to accomplish that,
you’ve got this great support system called the IAC Learning
Agreement.

Do you have a question that you’d like to ask the certifiers?
Submit your questions here: http://certifiedcoachblog.typepad.com/blog/ask-the-certifiers.html.

 

 
Natalie Tucker Miller, MMC, is the Lead Certifier and a certifying
examiner at the IAC, as well as Past-President. Natalie is founder
of Ageless-Sages.com Publishing (www.ageless-sages.com),
and creator of the literary genre, Picture Books for Elders™.
 

 
Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries^®
and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org.