Understanding the different levels of coaching certification can help you plan your development as a coach. Each level builds upon essential coaching skills while expanding the complexity and scope of the work you’ll do. Here’s an overview of coaching levels, skills developed at each stage, and the qualifications you can pursue to advance your coaching journey.
1. Entry/Foundational Level (Level 1-3)
Focus: Basic coaching skills and foundational knowledge.
Ideal for: New coaches, educators, team leaders, or professionals who want to integrate coaching into their roles.
Skills Developed: Active listening, Questioning techniques, Goal setting, Providing constructive feedback.
Scope of Work: Focuses on performance improvement, mentorship, or assisting with day-to-day challenges.
Certifications: Programs such as ICF ACC (Associate Certified Coach) or other foundation-level courses offered by national coaching bodies.
2. Intermediate Level (Level 4-5)
Focus: Developing more advanced coaching techniques and applying them in specialized areas.
Ideal for: Experienced managers, HR professionals, or coaches aiming to enhance their practice.
Skills Developed: Advanced questioning and feedback, Challenging assumptions, Handling complex personal and professional growth, Supporting career transitions.
Scope of Work: Often centers on leadership development, building deeper client relationships, and guiding significant career or personal changes.
Certifications: Options include ICF PCC (Professional Certified Coach) or ILM Level 5 in Coaching and Mentoring.
3. Advanced/Executive Level (Level 6-7)
Focus: Executive coaching and strategic leadership development.
Ideal for: Senior managers, directors, and experienced coaches working in high-level roles or corporate environments.
Skills Developed: Complex problem-solving, Strategic thinking and planning, Leadership and organizational development, Performance optimization and managing change.
Scope of Work: Coaches at this level work with executives and organizations to drive impactful changes, focusing on leadership development and organizational strategies.
Certifications: Advanced qualifications like ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching, ICF MCC (Master Certified Coach), or EMCC Master Practitioner.
Spotlight on Level 7 Executive Coaching
The Level 7 Executive Coaching qualification is one of the most respected coaching credentials. It’s tailored for coaches who work at a strategic level with leaders, managers, and executives. This level of certification equips you with:
- Advanced coaching methodologies
- Strategic application of coaching for organizational development, leadership, and change management
- Ethical and reflective practices required for high-stakes environments
- Supervision and mentoring to support the growth of other coaches
Global Coaching Standards
Several key organizations regulate coaching certifications and provide global standards to ensure quality and effectiveness:
- International Coach Federation (ICF): Recognized for offering three certification levels: ACC, PCC, and MCC.
- European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC): Provides accreditation at four levels: Foundation, Practitioner, Senior Practitioner, and Master Practitioner.
- Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM): Known for its Level 5 and Level 7 coaching and leadership development qualifications.
These organizations provide clear frameworks that define competencies, ethical practices, and expectations at each level.
If you're thinking about improving your coaching skills or pursuing professional training, it’s essential to consider both your certifications and personal qualities. Effective coaching is not just about methodologies—your success as a coach depends largely on the personal attributes you bring to the table. These qualities often evolve with experience and manifest differently depending on the coaching level.
Below, we explore key personal qualities essential for effective coaching and how they develop at different stages of your coaching journey.
1. Empathy
Definition: The ability to understand and share the feelings of the client, creating a supportive and non-judgmental environment.
Entry-Level (1-3): Coaches are learning to practice empathy but may still focus more on following techniques and methodologies.
Advanced Level (4-5): Empathy becomes more nuanced; coaches recognize unspoken feelings and emotions, offering more profound support.
Executive Level (6-7): Empathy extends into understanding organizational pressures, executive stress, and leadership challenges. It’s more refined, particularly in understanding complex dynamics in leadership contexts.
2. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Definition: The ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions, and to recognize, understand, and influence the emotions of others.
Entry-Level (1-3): Coaches are beginning to build self-awareness and recognize emotional cues in clients, focusing primarily on maintaining rapport.
Advanced Level (4-5): Coaches can better manage their emotions in high-stakes situations and more deeply understand client behavior and emotional triggers.
Executive Level (6-7): EQ is critical at this level, especially when working with high-level leaders under pressure. Coaches must manage their own reactions while helping leaders navigate emotional complexities within themselves and their organizations.
3. Active Listening
Definition: The ability to fully concentrate, understand, respond, and remember what the client is saying.
Entry-Level (1-3): Coaches are developing their listening skills, often following a more structured framework (e.g., GROW model), focusing on surface-level issues.
Advanced Level (4-5): Coaches have honed their listening to pick up on deeper, underlying issues and emotions, creating stronger insights.
Executive Level (6-7): Coaches are experts in listening not only to what is being said but also to what is unsaid—picking up on power dynamics, body language, and leadership-related concerns.
4. Curiosity
Definition: The willingness to explore a client’s perspective without judgment or preconceived ideas.
Entry-Level (1-3): Coaches are learning to be curious about client goals and challenges but might still rely heavily on set frameworks and techniques.
Advanced Level (4-5): Curiosity becomes more flexible and exploratory, as coaches ask deeper and more challenging questions to uncover hidden insights.
Executive Level (6-7): Curiosity at this level involves delving into complex systems, leadership challenges, and broader strategic issues, often requiring more sophisticated questioning techniques.
5. Resilience
Definition: The ability to recover quickly from setbacks and maintain a positive, forward-looking mindset.
Entry-Level (1-3): New coaches may face challenges around confidence and resilience, especially when dealing with difficult clients or situations.
Advanced Level (4-5): Coaches have more experience managing challenging situations and can bounce back from tough sessions while maintaining a client-centered focus.
Executive Level (6-7): Resilience is critical when dealing with high-stakes situations, difficult leadership clients, or organizational crises. Coaches must model resilience to their clients, who often face immense pressure.
6. Authenticity
Definition: Being genuine, honest, and transparent in interactions with clients.
Entry-Level (1-3): Coaches are still developing their own coaching style and may rely more on scripted techniques or standard practices, which can sometimes feel less authentic.
Advanced Level (4-5): Coaches have developed a more personal, authentic coaching approach that feels natural and genuine to clients.
Executive Level (6-7): Authenticity becomes even more vital, as high-level leaders value transparency and are often very perceptive about who is being real with them. Coaches must navigate authenticity while maintaining professionalism in delicate corporate environments.
7. Patience and Perseverance
Definition: The ability to maintain calm and provide consistent support, even when progress is slow or challenges arise.
Entry-Level (1-3): Early-stage coaches might feel frustration or pressure to create immediate results.
Advanced Level (4-5): Coaches are more comfortable with slower progress and can maintain a calm, patient demeanor, knowing that growth often takes time.
Executive Level (6-7): Perseverance is essential when working with executives or organizations undergoing significant change. Coaches must help clients stay the course through extended periods of transition or difficulty.
8. Confidence
Definition: Trusting in your coaching process and being able to assertively guide clients without dominating the conversation.
Entry-Level (1-3): Coaches are still building their own confidence and may feel unsure about asserting themselves or challenging clients.
Advanced Level (4-5): Coaches have developed confidence in their skills and methods, allowing them to challenge clients effectively and help them stretch beyond their comfort zones.
Executive Level (6-7): Coaches must be highly confident when dealing with senior executives or high-stakes situations. They need to challenge leaders effectively while maintaining trust and credibility.
9. Ethical and Reflective Practice
Definition: Maintaining high ethical standards and continuously reflecting on your practice to improve.
Entry-Level (1-3): Coaches are learning about ethics and boundaries, often through structured guidelines from their training bodies.
Advanced Level (4-5): Coaches are more adept at navigating ethical complexities and regularly engage in self-reflection and supervision to improve their practice.
Executive Level (6-7): Ethical practice is paramount, as coaches work with powerful individuals and sensitive organizational matters. Reflective practice is also more in-depth, involving ongoing supervision and feedback from peers or mentors.
How These Attributes Evolve at Different Levels
At Entry Levels (1-3), coaches tend to rely more on structured methods and focus on developing these personal qualities, often starting with a focus on rapport-building and empathy. Personal qualities may be less intuitive at this stage but are cultivated through practice.
At Intermediate Levels (4-5), coaches become more confident and comfortable with their personal style. Qualities like curiosity, patience, and emotional intelligence deepen as coaches learn to read situations better and adapt their approach.
At Executive Levels (6-7), coaches are expected to embody these personal qualities fully. They must manage not only their relationship with the client but also complex interpersonal and organizational dynamics. Qualities like resilience, authenticity, and emotional intelligence are at the forefront of their work, especially when coaching senior leaders or dealing with high-stakes situations.
As a school manager, you may not have formal coaching training or all the resources needed to fully implement a coaching culture in your school. However, there are practical steps you can take to raise awareness and foster coaching behaviors among your heads of department and teaching staff. Even small actions can make a significant impact over time. Engaging an online coach can further support this journey, offering external expertise and guidance.
Raising Awareness and Encouraging a Coaching Culture
1. Small Steps to Foster Coaching Conversations
- Start with Informal Conversations: Encourage heads of department to adopt simple coaching techniques during everyday interactions. Instead of providing answers, ask open-ended questions to help staff reflect on their practices. For example, 'What options do you think would work best for solving this classroom issue?'
- Promote Regular Feedback: Shift the culture from annual performance reviews to more frequent, informal feedback sessions. Heads of department can begin giving constructive, timely feedback that encourages reflection and growth.
- Encourage Peer Support: Suggest that teachers pair up as peer coaches, supporting each other in reflecting on teaching challenges, exploring solutions, and setting goals.
2. Lead by Example
- Model Coaching Behaviors: As a leader, your actions set the tone for the school. Practice active listening, asking reflective questions, and empowering staff to find their own solutions, rather than directing them.
- Create a Supportive Environment: Let staff know that you are there to support their development. Empower them to experiment with new ideas, take risks in their teaching, and reflect on outcomes without fear of judgment.
3. Provide Simple Coaching Tools
- Introduce Coaching Frameworks: Share easy-to-understand frameworks such as the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will), which can help heads of department structure conversations that focus on problem-solving and personal growth.
- Start with Peer Coaching: Initiate a peer coaching system where teachers can take turns coaching one another, fostering collaboration and mutual learning.
4. Highlight the Benefits of Coaching
- Improved Teaching and Learning: Teachers who engage in coaching are more likely to reflect on their methods and make improvements, leading to better learning outcomes for students.
- Increased Collaboration: A coaching culture encourages open dialogue and collaboration, breaking down silos between departments and fostering teamwork.
- Empowered Staff: Teachers who are coached feel more empowered to make decisions, take ownership of their professional development, and invest in the school's success.
5. Run Awareness Sessions
- Hold brief sessions or workshops to introduce staff to the concept of coaching and its benefits. Start with an overview of coaching values, such as collaboration, feedback, and personal growth.
- Invite staff to share their experiences and reflect on how coaching behaviors could enhance their current practice.
Engaging an Online Coach: A Cost-Effective Solution
Bringing in an external coach to support you as a leader can be a valuable step in promoting and developing a coaching culture within your school. Even if resources are limited, online coaching offers a flexible and affordable solution for school managers and leadership teams looking to build their own coaching skills while embedding these practices into the school's environment.
Benefits of Engaging an Online Coach
1. Personalized Coaching for Leaders: As a school manager, working with an online coach allows you to experience the benefits of coaching firsthand. You’ll receive guidance on how to develop coaching behaviors in your leadership style, which can then influence your entire school.
2. Expert Guidance in Promoting a Coaching Culture: An online coach can provide tailored advice and strategies on how to introduce and grow a coaching culture among your staff. They can help you implement coaching frameworks, engage heads of department, and create momentum for change.
3. Developing Your Own Coaching Skills: Working with an online coach equips you with the skills to coach your heads of department and teachers. You’ll learn how to facilitate coaching conversations, ask powerful questions, and guide reflective practice—skills you can apply directly in your role.
4. Strategic Support for Long-Term Goals: A coach can help you identify and achieve long-term goals for promoting a coaching culture. By breaking down these goals into actionable steps, you’ll be better equipped to lead the transformation in your school.
5. Affordable and Flexible: Online coaching is a cost-effective way to access professional support. It allows you to engage with a coach at times that suit your schedule, and you can tailor the coaching sessions to focus on your specific leadership challenges.
Taking Small Steps Toward Big Change
Developing a coaching culture takes time, but even small actions can yield meaningful benefits:
- Building Trust: Encouraging regular feedback and open dialogue builds trust among staff, making them feel more supported and valued.
- Improved Morale: When teachers feel empowered to grow and supported in their development, job satisfaction and motivation increase.
- Better Student Outcomes: Reflective teaching practices fostered by coaching lead to more innovative and effective teaching, ultimately benefiting students.
Conclusion: How an Online Coach Can Help
If you're considering taking the first steps toward developing a coaching culture, an online coach can provide expert guidance and help your school navigate this transformation. Starting small—by fostering coaching conversations and encouraging reflection—can lead to significant improvements in staff morale, teaching quality, and collaboration.
If you’re considering promoting coaching in your school or organization, feel free to get in touch to arrange an introductory meeting.