Fulfill the Vision of Your Coaching - Join the PCC Master Class

In my spare time, I'm a knitter.  You'll usually find me with knitting needles in my hands and visions of my next knitting project in my head.  As an amateur, my visions don't always appear from the yarn in my hands. But the fun thing about knitting is that it can be unraveled back to where it started - just a ball of yarn...

Every once in a while, I create something that aligns with my original vision. This sweater is one example. Just what I imaged and the young girl who received it, loved it!

In my professional life as a coach, I also created something that aligned with my vision - The PCC Master Class.  I call it my "little class" because it's designed for little groups of coaches (less than 5) who are ready to have conversations about the little details that are the foundations for masterful coaching. Topics like what's in your coaching agreements, what wording changes can shift your questions to be more curious, and what thinking can shift your clients to full partners in the coaching.

Little changes that come from intimate conversations about our coaching and big shifts that come from our collective commitment to be the best we can be.

New classes are forming now for Fall 2014 and Winter 2015. I hope you'll join me this year.

Six sessions, 90 minutes each for 9 Core Competency CEU's for $900.00
Email me if you're interested. Because the classes are so small, we schedule the session so that you can attend.


Here's what some of the recent student have to say…

The Results

I feel like I have a more focused approach to my coaching sessions as a result of this course.  I have a clearer picture of the ICF PCC competencies and feel like I have a better grasp of them practically rather than just theoretically. 

Each competency reviewed and discussed led me to deeper insights and practical considerations. My notebook is full.

Every session resulted in a practical reflection of my own work and new ideas for subsequent coaching sessions/practices

The Learning Environment

An open and spacious environment for discussions was a true gift.

I truly enjoy being in conversation with fellow coaches who are thoughtful about their work.

The Instructor

Our instructor was so well prepared and willing to draw upon the expertise of others to complement her own. 

Sue adapted to whatever her learner's needs were, and freely shared her own growing edges and distinctions.

Sue, you do a great job facilitating conversation and creating an effective learning environment.  The fact that you join in the exercises and continue your own learning really adds depth to the experience.

ICFNE Maine Affiliate Program Summary - Mentor Coaching

It was a night of the full moon - both a Harvest Moon and a Super Moon, at that.  With the energy shift that moves us from August’s relaxation to September’s hustle we kicked off the second year of ICFNE Maine affiliate programs with Mentor Coaching.

The mission of the Maine affiliate of ICFNE is to create a community that fosters our learning, building the reputation of coaching in Maine, and supports us in building our businesses. To support that mission, the program was designed to be interactive and draw on the experiences and wisdom of the participants.

.... I was totally impressed with the level of engagement, trust, and support demonstrated by this learning community ... (SG)

I’m passionate about Mentor Coaching as a valuable tool for developing our coaching skills. I also want to bring clarity about Mentor Coaching so that coaches can be informed “consumers” of this valuable service, and that experienced coaches know what it means to be an effective Mentor Coach.

...Sue's workshop illustrated the power of mentor coaching 

in my own professional development in a hands on, real time manner.  

It was structured, organized and high impact.  ... (JE)

The ICF’s definition of Mentor Coaching is “coaching on your coaching”. After small group discussions on what it means to be a mentor, we reviewed the Georgetown University Mentor Coaching Model, which says that a Mentor Coach is an expert in coaching and a partner focused on developing coaching skills.  There are similarities to coaching and there are differences.

...Sue McLeod's presentation clarified the importance of 

mentoring to developing and sustaining the 

quality of my coaching... (JC)

Mentor Coaching begins with establishing your goals for development. Next, the Mentor Coach provides feedback on your coaching, and then engages in a coaching conversation focused on developing your coaching skills.  

The feedback is based on the Mentor Coach observing your coaching, assessing what they see and hear against a standard of coaching (such as the ICF Core Coaching Competencies), and providing feedback in a way that you can hear and understand.  

The Mentor Coach then engages you in a coaching conversation that explores the feedback, looks for opportunities for new awareness about your coaching - including identifying habits and blind spots such as avoiding emotions or skipping over designing specific and measurable actions.

...Mentor coaching targeted areas for my development and 

offered improvement strategies that were spot on.  

I want more!!!... (JE)

After discussing the model, we moved on to demonstrations and practice.  Like coaching itself, the best way to learn about Mentor Coaching is to experience it! 

We used the new ICF PCC Level Competency Markers as the basis for assessing the coaching.  Participants found the markers to be easy to understand and observe as they watched a coaching conversation. They were also humbled by how difficult it is to capture everything that’s happening as they prepared for giving feedback.  

...I want to thank you for such a rich program you presented on mentor coaching. 

It was enlightening! It made me step back and think about my coaching

 and how I follow (or not) the core competencies. 

I've been coaching for 11 years and it's so easy to forget! 

I am now committed to taking one competency and practicing 

the skills for 2 weeks and then moving on to another one... (DB)

After a demonstration of a mentor coaching conversation, we broke into triads for everyone to have the opportunity to be a part of a Mentor Coaching session. The room was energized as coaches coached clients and mentors observed. Then it was the mentor’s turn to try his/her hand at a mentor coach conversation. We finished up with a little feedback to the mentor coach. 

... As a result of the program, I will now be more 

intentional about how I elicit feedback and 

mentoring on my coaching ...  (SG)

Everyone was gracious and courageous in jumping in to try mentor coaching, and came away with a deeper appreciation for Mentor Coaching, Coaching and the community of coaches that we share.

...The interactive exercises enabled me to connect with and 

observe other coaches and appreciate the impact of good coaching... (JC)

Thank you to ICFNE Maine affiliate for the opportunity to present this program. 

And a special thank you to Susan Gallant, Janet Eastmen, Deb Bergeron and Janice Cohen

 for allowing me to include their comments in this blog post.

The hand out for the program is available on my Blog - pccmasterclass.blogspot.com in a post called “Just the Facts - About Mentor Coaching”.

Transforming Judgement into Learning

It’s way too nice today to work inside, so I’m on the deck, squinting to see my laptop screen through the glare, moving around for the optimal position relative to the sun, the shade and the breeze.

It’s worth the trouble!

It reminds me of my college days here in Maine. 

In the spring, when the weather was finally warm enough to be outside without shivering, we’d convince the professors into holding class outside. We were often surprised how little convincing that took, although now I’m sure they had cabin fever as badly as the students! 

Outside, sitting on the library lawn, we couldn’t hear very well, taking notes was a challenge and there were a lot of distractions! But the feeling of the sun on our faces and a warm wind at our backs for an extra hour was heaven!

For the last two weeks, I’ve been working on coaching assessments. In case you don’t know, this means listening to recordings of coaching for the PCC level competencies and finding a few points of feedback to give to the coach.  I’ve been doing this for years, and I still find it a challenge.  It’s sacred space to hold someone’s work in your hands (or ears, in this case) with the intention to pass judgement on whether it’s ‘good enough”.  It’s a delicate thing to find feedback that will speak to someone who is probably most concerned about the results of that judgement. And it’s a challenge for me, with my math brain and desire to find yes/no answers to the question “is this coaching good enough?”.   How do I listen to the words the coach is using, tune into to the relationship the coaching is building, and be witness to the choices he makes as he navigates the complex and delicate paths of a coaching conversation.

It is my continuing, never-ending it seems, learning edge as an assessor and mentor coach. 

How do I manage the impacts of judgement while opening the door to learning?  

How can both of these feel like that Maine spring-time sun - invigorating, humbling, and renewing all at the same time?

Mentor Coaching Fundamentals:

Are you on the journey of becoming - or improving -  your mentor coaching???
In January, my Georgetown colleagues who have lots of experience in mentoring and assessment, and training coaches are beginning a course in Mentor Coaching.

Please join us for this 8-week on-line course as we explore and practice the doing and being of mentor coaching.

Follow this link for course information and registration.

"Just the Facts" - about Mentor Coaching

Mentor Coaching Overview

MENTOR COACHING MODEL

What is Mentor Coaching (according to the ICF)?

• Coaching on your coaching 
• by an ICF credentialed coach at or above your desired credential level

Roles in a Mentor Coaching Relationship

Mentor Coach - person providing coaching on your coaching

Mentee - person receiving the mentor coaching

Client - person being coached for the purposes of evaluating the Mentee/Coach’s coaching

How is Mentor Coaching done?

• Mentee records a coaching session with a Client
• Mentee and Mentor Coach separately review the recording to assess coaching behaviors and identify focus areas for the mentor coaching
• Mentor Coach and Mentee engage in a conversation about the coaching that includes
• Feedback
• Coaching for development
• Action planning for improved coaching

Who is a Mentor Coach?

Expert in coaching competencies, effective coaching behaviors, experience in delivering effective coaching, and understanding the human traits that support or hinder effective coaching.

Partner playing an equal  role with the mentee in their development. In partnership you invite the mentee to create their own focus of learning, their own awareness, their own plans for improvement. In partnership, you share your expertise, observations, assessments, and feedback using a coaching approach designed to foster the learning and development of your menthe.

Resources

Interested in mentor coach training?

Georgetown’s Institute for Transformational Leadership (ITL) Mentor Coaching Fundamentals 

8-week on-line class starts January 2015 - link to course details and registration

For More Information about Mentor Coaching

Association for Coach Training Organizations (ACTO), www.actoonline.org

Position Papers (available under the Resources tab)

"Choosing a Mentor Coach"

"Mentor Coaching Duties and Competencies"

"Recommended Practices to be an Excellent Mentor Coach"

Lees, Janet. "Mentoring and Supervision [Special Issue]." Choice Magazine Volume 10, no. 3 (September, 2012). 

Sue’s Blog Posts - pccmasterclass.blogspot.com

Who Needs a Mentor Coach?  September 2013

"Just the Facts" - about Mentor Coaching  August 2014

Are you curious? About your own coaching? August 2014

For More Information about ICF Coaching Competencies

ICF Website - search for:

• Coaching Core Competencies
• Competencies Comparison Table for ACC, PCC and MCC
• PCC Competency Markers

Are you ready for a personal exploration of the ICF coaching competencies?

PCC Master Class - Sue’s small-group teleclass exploring the PCC level competencies

New Session starting in October 2014

Are you curious? About your own coaching?

A Mentor Coaching Story

I was listening to a coaching recording, getting ready to give the coach feedback to support his development as a coach. “So far, so good”, I thought. Bob (not his real name) was asking open-ended and curious questions, he and the client were working on a clear coaching topic, and he seemed fully engaged in the conversation. 

As I continued listening, I noticed a subtle shift in Bob’s coaching. At the beginning, he seemed slightly behind the client, asking questions about what she had said a few seconds earlier and missing what she had just said. Not a big concern, but I started to be curious.  A little later, he was very connected to the client and focused on what she was sharing in the moment.  “Better”, I thought, but now I was curious to know what had changed for the coach.  In the last section, as the conversation shifted to designing action, Bob’s coaching shifted again. Now he was ahead of the client, expressing his ideas for her future and pushing her forward, while she was still clearly pondering the present moment and exploring what she was learning. 

Now I was truly curious - not about the client - but about the coach. What was going on  to cause Bob’s focus to shift so dramatically as the coaching conversation progressed?

When was the last time someone listened to your coaching… 

with curiosity… 

about you? 

When we coach, we’re in a private conversation with the client. All the focus is on the client.  So who is paying attention to the coach? Who is listening objectively, being curious about the choices the coach is making, and noticing patterns or subtle shifts in the coach’s language, emotions, and presence?

Without that objective view, how can we learn what we’re doing well, what we’re missing, and how we can continue to improve our coaching?  Relying on our client isn’t enough. Remember our clients aren’t experts in coaching. Relying on our own impressions of our coaching isn’t enough. We all have blind spots and selective memory.  And even additional coach training isn’t always enough. New knowledge about coaching or adding new coaching tools doesn’t always help us improve our day-to-day coaching.

Mentor Coaching fills that role. As defined by the ICF, Mentor Coaching is coaching on your coaching, based on actual recordings of you coaching a real client.  Your mentor coach listens to your coaching, makes note of what you’re doing well, and notices opportunities you missed, and patterns and habits you’ve developed. Then, in a coach-like conversation, gives you feedback and helps you to see where and how you can improve your coaching.

I like to think of a Mentor Coach as your “personal trainer”. Your Mentor Coach stands besides you, watching and listening, reminding you to do your best, encouraging you try something new, exploring what you need to push beyond your self-imposed limits.

Oh - and what about Bob?  In our Mentor Coaching discussion, I shared what I had noticed and we talked about what was happening for him during that session. At the beginning of the session, he was taking notes and this caused him to lag behind the client. In the middle, he relaxed and stopped taking notes.  Without the pen in his hand, he connected to the client and what she was saying. Near the end, he got excited about what was possible for his client. He disconnected and tried to pull her into his vision of the future. After our conversation, he saw that he could be a better coach by putting away the pen and paper, and setting aside his own excitement to stay connected to the client.  “Ahhh. Much better”, I thought.



Join me at the ICF New England in Maine meeting on Sept 8 to learn more about Mentor Coaching - and to hang out with the Maine coaching community.  Event Registration Page

The Gift of Fog

Fog is an integral part of the Maine landscape. It rolls in from the ocean covering the coast. It creeps down the rivers to cover the towns, like Bath, that live on their banks.

I've found that fog has an emotional and energetic impact on me.  As my distance vision blurs, so does my future thinking. The past and future disappear.

As the sunlight decreases, so does my energy. It's a sense of time and space closing in, with the only option to focus on what is present at this space and in this moment.

I'm thankful for the gift of fog.

The Intoxicating Scent of Lilacs

With spring comes new energy, more light, a little warmth (when you live in Maine, anyway!), and the promise of being out of the house and on the water.

This weekend spring really seemed to have arrived on the Maine Coast, with mild air, blue skies, fluffy white clouds!   

I found myself noticing the “firsts” of the season...

First row across the harbor in the dingy.

   First wiff of the intoxicating scent of lilacs.

      First trip around the yard with the weed whacker.

         First planting of the annuals that decorate our summer deck.

and.. best of all...

First Maine Lobster dinner!!!

Can I get that for Free?

My daughter has enticed me to try “extreme coupon” shopping. For those of you not familiar, extreme couponers buy items that are on sale and have two or more coupons or rebates, looking for items that can be purchased for 70% or more off of the regular price.  Of course, the ultimate goal is .... FREE!

Here’s an example of how it works:

Rite-Aid is selling a brand of baby aspirin for $2.00 and offering a $1.00 rebate credited to your Rite-Aid Wellness card. In the newspaper, there’s a coupon for $1.00 off that same brand.  Final price???  Free!

A side effect of buying aspirin, toothpaste and shampoo this way is I frequently ask “Is there a way to get that for Free???” when making any purchase.

You're in luck!   I’ve found a Free deal for coaches who are renewing their credential.

Free Continuing Coach Education Units (CCEUs)

Self-Study CCEUs allow you to do your own studying, at your own pace, focused on what you want to learn. For Free!

Here’s how they work.

Do an activity, such as reading, writing, or research related to coaching. Track your time. Write a summary of what you did and how it contributed to your development as a coach.  Include your time in your recertification application as Self-Study CCEUs.

That’s it!

Quantities are limited and some restrictions apply.

Up to 16 Resource Development CCEUs can be Self-Study.

They can not be used for Core Competency CCEUs

You cannot count time spent coaching, mentoring or supervising as Self-Study.

The Fine Print.

Just like the shopping deals that change every week, the ICF changes the rules and requirements every so often!  I encourage all ICF coaches to double check the requirements a few months before they’re ready to renew.  Here’s the website to bookmark!  Individual Credentialing Renewal

Enjoy!

The Big Question: Am I coaching or doing something else?

We all bring more than just coaching skills to our coaching conversations…

Sally and Joan (not their real names) joined the PCC master class for a deeper dive into their coaching skills and competencies. After the usual logistics and introductions we jumped right into a conversation about the ICF Code of Ethics. It didn’t take too long for their big question to surface.  “I’m worried that someone will find out that my ‘real’ coaching isn’t really coaching. I do coaching and I add in other things, based on my expertise and knowledge about the areas the client want to work on.  Am I really coaching or is this something else?”

We created the terms “pure coaching” and “hybrid coaching” to hold the distinction.  I was struck by the level of worry these coaches had that what they called “hybrid coaching” wasn’t acceptable.  I was concerned that their worry affected their coaching. Could they be as confident and bold in serving their clients if this was in the backs of their minds?

I was sure that alleviating that worry would help these coaches be the best they could be. Since I’m committed to coaching excellence, I also wanted to understand this question better. Were they really coaching, or did something need to change for their coaching to be aligned with the coaching competencies?

With our distinction between “pure” and “hybrid” coaching in hand, we focused in to understand this big questions, and to find ways to address their concerns.

What were they doing in their coaching sessions that was concerning to them?

    

They were using their expertise to frame their questions, provide new perspectives, and explicitly share information that was new to the client.

How were they doing this?

    

Sometimes they asked permission - “Can I share something that might be useful?” and sometimes they assumed permission because the client had hired them for that expertise. They offered what they knew, without insisting that the client believe it or use it.

Why were they doing this?

Because it fit, in the moment, with what the client was working on. Because they believed that it would serve the client at that time.

What would you say? Is this coaching, or something else?

As we worked through the competencies, we came to the following conclusions:

When offering your expertise to the client, it’s important to maintain your focus on serving the client and the client’s agenda. This expectation is woven into all of the PCC level coaching competencies. 

This means that what you share should be pertinent to the topic at hand. It also means that it’s presented in a way that serves the client’s continued growth, development, and ability to become self-sustaining.  My students talked about offering another perspective, not the “answer”. Even when teaching the client something new, they hold it as “just another perspective”. Allowing the client to choose what to do with the information reinforced their trust in the client - the she is able to integrate new information and make choices that serve her best.

There’s  also an Ethical question that arises. Is it “ethical” - that is, aligned with the ICF Code of Ethics and Professional Practices - to coach using our expertise and knowledge in this way?

As we read the Code of Ethics, we saw no prohibition on bringing what we know to the coaching. In fact, we noted that we train in different domains of coaching (leadership coaching, relationship coaching, etc.) and engage our client in these specialized coaching services. Of course, our clients would expect us to have perspectives on leadership if they’ve hired us to be leadership coaches!

What we saw is that ICF asks us to stay true to the following tenets:

• Honor our agreements with our clients
• Do not misrepresent our services or qualifications

What is your agreement with the client? What services are they expecting you to provide? 

The agreement should clearly state that you are providing specialized coaching and clarify what that means. Clients should expect that you will bring in your expertise and know how you will use that expertise in the coaching engagement.

Are you qualified to provide that expertise or perspective?

Think about your qualifications for sharing your knowledge with your client, including formal training, education, research, and real-life experience. If your client wanted only that expertise, would you be a qualified candidate to provide them? If you can say “yes” to that (and others would agree), offering that experience to your clients would be appropriate.  

In the End…

After looking at this big question through the lens of the coaching competencies, the students completed the class with less worry. They could see how they were coaching and using their expertise to serve their clients. That was a success in itself!  

They also committed to reviewing their agreements with their clients to make sure they were representing themselves and their coaching appropriately.  And, they made a longer-term commitment to pay attention to their motivations for sharing their expertise during coaching sessions, so that they were staying aligned with serving their clients in the moment.

As the instructor, I was impressed by the honesty and vulnerability that these coaches brought to their work in the class. Without that, we wouldn’t have learned as much as we did, and the impact on their coaching wouldn’t have been as great.

What’s your Big Question about your own coaching?

On Listening

I had come to believe that the act of being listened to was far more important than being in the documentary itself and could be transformative in people’s lives, because no one had actually ever listened to them. 

David Isay on why he moved from making documentaries to StoryCorps.

When I travel, I load up my IPad with podcasts from my favorite radio shows. I can listen while I knit or crochet, so it feeds my need to be doing something meaningful with my hands and my head.

This morning, I sat down with my crocheted scarf project and an episode of On Being that all coaches should find interesting. It’s an interview with David Isay, the founder of StoryCorps, and the topic is “The Everyday Art of Listening”.  

I was intrigued to find that this interviewer holds listening as a way to transform people’s lives and the conversations they have with each other.  So much of what he shared is aligned with how coaches listen and why we listen, and affirms the transformation that we bring to our client’s by the gift of our listening and by bearing witness to their stories.

He also shares how he finds intense listening to be challenging and hard work, and something that he can’t do all the time and with all the people in their lives.  This, too, should be familiar to coaches - it certainly is for me!

I encourage you to find a quiet moment to listen to this extraordinary interview.

http://www.onbeing.org - April 17 episode.

StoryCorps is a project that collects the stories of everyday people in audio recordings, which are stored in the Library of Congress.  http://storycorps.org

A Season of Renewal for Your Coaching

It’s been a long winter!

Here in Maine, we’ve been shoveling snow and dealing with below freezing temps since December. I know from my friends along the East Coast and in the Midwest that it’s been a tough all over. Never ending snow, ice, cold, and cancellations. It’s hard to believe that spring is on it’s way!

One of the delights of my winter has been the PCC Master Class. There are three sessions in progress, each with just a few participants. I’ve been delighted by the level of commitment the students have shown to the process. They are willing to focus in on a specific competency and wrestle with what it means, what they are doing well, and where they need to improve. They share their coaching stories including their struggles and uncertainties - the moments that they’re not so proud of in their coaching. They learn from each other’s experiences and questions. And they design their own assignments to observe themselves more closely, and try new coaching moves.

I’ve witnessed each student grounding her knowledge, increasing her confidence, and deepening her awareness of what it means to be a masterful coach.

And, now, spring is coming. The birds are returning to the Maine landscape. The ice on the rivers is breaking up and flowing out to sea. The snow is melting, revealing the ground from which our summer grass and flowers will emerge.

It’s the perfect season to spruce up your coaching.

Join the PCC Master Class to

> dig into the ICF expectations of a masterful PCC level coach
> turn over and examine your own coaching in a confidential and supportive group of peers
> weed out the bad habits you’ve been tolerating
> sow the seeds for being the best coach you can be

The PCC Master Class is

> Small, intimate group of your peers
> Six 90-minute tele-classes over 6 months
> Flexible scheduling
> ICF approved for 9 core-competency CEUs
> $900 class fee

Call or email now to reserve your place for the Spring program.

Sue McLeod
suemcleod9@gmail.com
(207) 751-1689