ICF: GROWTH

In the 2021 video Updated ICF Core Competency 8: Facilitates Client Growth by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Janet M. Harvey, MCC, discusses the updates to the competency. Harvey explains that a common phrase people use to describe the purpose of coaching is “to deepen learning so that the client has forward action.” ICF defines the competency as, “partners with the client to transform learning and insight into action; promotes client autonomy in the coaching process.” The subcompetencies are: 

1. Works with the client to integrate new awareness, insight or learning into their worldview and behaviors 

2. Partners with the client to design goals, actions and accountability measures that integrate and expand new learning 

3. Acknowledges and supports client autonomy in the design of goals, actions and methods of accountability 

4. Supports the client in identifying potential results or learning from identified action steps 5. Invites the client to consider how to move forward, including resources, support and potential barriers 

6. Partners with the client to summarize learning and insight within or between sessions 7. Celebrates the client's progress and successes 

8. Partners with the client to close the session 

Harvey explains that it’s not enough for the client to get awareness for who they are, what’s motivating them, and how they are behaving or relating to something; instead, it’s important the client translates the aforementioned into everyday actions and choices –and that they do it in a way that feels respectful of who they are and the insights that have come from the session. The coach in a way is rewarded because they can hear the client confidently accept responsibility that will lead the client into making a different choice with the aim of leading to a better outcome. 

According to Harvey, the update to the competency is seen in an energy shift in the client where they can look broadly in all areas of their life to work with their whole self and promote autonomy. This means out of all of the possible ideas, the client demonstrates which they will choose because now it is the highest priority or may have the greatest impact in their life; then they talk about how they can implement the idea in the next few weeks, who they can partner with to manage progress as well as maintain accountability. This competency is about setting the client up for when they leave the session with awareness of everything they need in terms of commitment.

A master coach of this competency demonstrates this initially during the agreement phase and later where the client is working on outcomes outside of and within the session. The coach has the “compass” based on the agreement and is able to keep the client moving forward by reminding them of their action plan, offering feedback summarizing the client’s progress, and helping the client shift their thinking once the issues and problems are more clear for implementing the action plan. The coach is always giving the responsibility back to the client to be the bridge between client insight and next steps. The coach helps the client stay connected with what they want and invites the client to connect their own dots to their learning and commitment to change. The client demonstrates confidence when they talk about the what to do, how to do it, with whom, when, and how to measure success. The coach helps the client ground the client’s natural way of learning, thinking, being, and creating in the world. 

A coach struggling with this competency solves the problems. It is not up to the coach to know how to problem solve and fix. The coach needs to be a partner to draw out of the client what they might know in order for the client to do something new that is useful. The coach does not define useful for the client; the client defines what is useful to them. The coach needs to make sure the client maintains their autonomy. The coach needs to ask questions they don’t know the answers to, get to know the whole of the client, and remember to help the client identify how to move forward for themselves.