by Ken Jones

One of the most frequently asked questions from people considering coaching is about the “process,” or about what it looks like to work with a coach. Because thousands of individuals have decided they are coaches because they have a particular expertise or experience in a specific area (i.e. sports coaches, writing coaches, even life coaches), it can be difficult to know how to choose a coach or even whether coaching is the right choice.

At CMDA Life & Leadership Coaching, all of our coaches hold certification with the gold standard certifying body for professional coaches, the International Coaching Federation (ICF). That organization has developed strict standards of performance for ICF certified coaches. As we invest ourselves in teaching and instructing coaching skills, and as we strive to coach healthcare professionals with excellence, here are the eight core competencies we use as our guide for excellence, developed by the ICF:

1. Demonstrate ethical coaching practices, and understand and consistently apply coaching ethics and standards of coaching.
2. Embody a coaching mindset that is open, curious, flexible and client-centered on the health professionals we serve.
3. Establish and maintain agreements with clear understanding about the coaching relationship, process, plans and goals of those we coach.
4. Cultivate trust and creating a safe, confidential and supportive coaching environment that allows healthcare professionals to share freely, in the context of mutual respect, trust and confidentiality.
5. Maintain what we call “presence,” as we focus and remain fully conscious and present in every coaching conversation with healthcare professionals, employing a style that is open, flexible, grounded in Christian truth and confidence.
6. Listen “actively.” We focus on what the PBC (person being coached) is and is not saying, to fully understand what is being communicated in the context of healthcare today. Our coaches only coach Christian doctors and other healthcare professionals. That distinction is one we feel particularly called to!
7. Evoke awareness, by facilitating insight and learning in the PBC, using tools and techniques such as powerful questions, silence, metaphor and analogy to help promote progress, discovery and movement in the PBC.
8. Facilitate growth, partnering with Christian healthcare professionals to transform learning and insight into actions, movement and change, while encouraging and promoting client autonomy in the coaching process.

Our passion in reaching out to healthcare professionals is to create an experience in both teaching and coaching that meets the highest standards of professional coaching within a context of Christian faith. Our ministry is specific to the unique needs of Christian healthcare professionals. In a word, we care. We love Christian doctors, and our great joy is in being a part in helping doctors move and grow in their journey serving Christ. And, whether we are teaching doctors in what represents excellence in coaching, or spending time coaching doctors all across the country, our commitment is the same: Help Christian doctors be all they can be for the cause of God’s kingdom.