Facilitates Client Growth
Coaching a client is like growing plants. A coach will nurture and care for her coachee and patiently wait for her to bloom into a beautiful flower.
Wow…. this has been a journey of core competencies and here we are at Core Competency 8, which is the last competency that we have learnt.
The 8 core competencies in which we had went through:
Demonstrates Ethical Practices
Embodies A Coaching Mindset
Establishes & Maintains Agreements
Cultivates Trust & Safety
Maintains Presence
Listens Actively
Evoke Awareness
Facilitates Client Growth
I realized that I had indeed transformed a little week by week as I reflected to what I had learnt and how I am behaving. From the first web-torial, I reset some buttons in my life which I am seeing some positive changes in myself as well as the people around me. I tend to be more open and encouraged because Coach Mel reminded me, “ It all begins with ME”. I am more present and listens actively without pre-judgement whenever I am in a conversation with anyone else. With all the encouragement I received, it made me wants to bring forward and spread this positivity to people around me because I want them to feel encouraged, believe in themselves and give them the deserving acknowledgement too. All these awareness has also made me realized, being a coach is not just to coach someone and bring transformation to them. We must be able to transform ourselves first then only we can help others to do so.
Based on ICF’s definition, Facilitate Client Growth is “Partners with the client to transform learning and insight into action. Promotes client autonomy in the coaching process”.
There are 8 sub-points to this competency which are:
Works with the client to integrate new awareness, insight or learning into their worldview & behaviors
Partners with the client to design goals, actions & accountability measures that integrate & expand new learning
Acknowledges & supports client autonomy in the design of goals, actions & methods of accountability
Supports the client in identifying potential results or learning for identified action steps
Invites the client to consider how to move forward including resources, support & potential barriers
Partners with the client to summarize learning & insight within or between sessions
Celebrates the client’s progress & success
Partners with client to close the session
Based on the above sub-points, it reinforces to us that as coach we are here to help them realize what they are saying and then challenge their own belief system. We don’t decide for our coachee on their goals but we as coach, we get into the journey of learning and partner them in designing their goals. We constantly remind our coachee that they are in charge of the session and we are here to support them and encourage them to move forward towards their goal in life and help them with clarity and clear of any possible barriers along the way. It is important that we hold the mirror for our coachee whenever we sense any shift of mindsets and connect the dots between the sessions by asking “What’s the new learning about yourself?” It’s helping them to discover their purpose in life.
Acknowledging our coachee’s progress and milestones is a good check-in of their emotions and thoughts. It can be done along the session and not just at the end of the session. It is important for us as humans because as Coach Wendy shared, our human brains are being biologically wired to be negatively biased most of the time. Hence, celebrations are great ways to rewire our brains for positives. As for the closing, coach do not close for the coachee. However, we can guide coachee to summarize their thoughts and emotions for the session by asking “How would you like to close the session ?”. Let the coachee close the loops and tighten their own loose screws for themselves because they are creative, resourceful and not broken. They would have the answers within themselves.
Growth Mindset Framework
What is mindset? According to Dr. Carol S. Dweck, mindset are beliefs. What do we believe in our ability? Dr. Carol explains that there are 2 meanings to ability and I have summarized as below:
Fixed ability that needs to be proven
Proving you are smart & talented
If you are smart or talented, you don’t need effort
Failure means you are having setback
Non-learners
Changeable ability that can be developed through learning
Stretching yourself to learn something new - developing yourself
Effort makes you smart/talented
Believe their basic qualities can be developed, failure may still hurt, but failure don’t define them - believe in human potential
Failure means not growing to your fullest potential
Learners
Based on the above, I would like to share my observations on my own kids.
My elder boy always loves drawing since he was young. He will draw whenever he is free and I could see his effort and the time he spent in his hobby. On contrast, my younger boy never really enjoy drawing as much as his brother. Whenever there’s any homework on art, he will drag his brother to help him out. Younger boy’s excuse is always “ I don’t know how to draw, I can’t draw or my drawing is not nice”. When his brother teaches him, he will complain it is so difficult. These are all fixed mindset as he stops himself from trying and decided that he’s bad in art.
Hence, we have to explain and encourage him to try out. Never stop just because it is difficult. I told him a story about the challenge of climbing over the wall. If he stop trying, he will be forever stuck behind the wall. It doesn't matter how long it takes but most importantly is that the effort that matters and sooner or later he will surely climb over the wall. True enough, his drawing is not too bad after all for a 7 year old kid who always thought he is never as good as his brother. With the encouragement, he indeed improved and more confident of his drawing. Now, whenever he draws he will go around asking for comments & rating on his masterpiece. This indeed is a celebration for my little coachee’s progress and the new awareness of his will continue to motivate him to continue to explore and discover his ability.
As for myself, I never had dreamt that I will be a trainer when I was a banker. Now that I am a trainer, I never thought I will soon be a coach and coach others! Mindset is really powerful!
Nothing Is Impossible.
The Word Itself Says “ I’m Possible!” - Audrey Hepburn