Part One: The ICF Philosophy of Coaching
The International Coach Federation adheres
to a form of coaching that honors the client
as the expert in his/her life and work,
believes that every client is creative,
resourceful, and whole. Standing on this
foundation, the coach's responsibility is
to:
- Discover, clarify,
and align with what the client wants to
achieve
- Encourage client
self-discovery
- Elicit
client-generated solutions and
strategies
- Hold the client
responsible and accountable
Part Two: The ICF Definition of Coaching
Professional Coaching is an ongoing
professional relationship that helps people
produce extraordinary results in their
lives, careers, businesses or organisations.
Through the process of coaching, clients
deepen their learning, improve their
performance, and enhance their quality of
life.
In each meeting, the
client chooses the focus of conversation,
while the coach listens and contributes
observations and questions. This interaction
creates clarity and moves the client into
action. Coaching accelerates the client's
progress by providing greater focus and
awareness of choice. Coaching concentrates
on where clients are now and what they are
willing to do to get where they want to be
in the future. ICF member coaches recognize
that results are a matter of the client's
intentions, choices and actions, supported
by the coach's efforts and application of
the coaching process.
Part Three:
The ICF Standards of Ethical Conduct
Professional Conduct At Large
1) I will conduct myself
in a manner that reflects well on coaching
as a profession and I will refrain from
doing anything that harms the public's
understanding or acceptance of coaching as a
profession.
2) I will honor agreements I
make in my all of my relationships. I will
construct clear agreements with my clients
that may include confidentiality, progress
reports, and other particulars.
3) I
will respect and honor the efforts and
contributions of others.
4) I will
respect the creative and written work of
others in developing my own materials and
not misrepresent them as my own.
5) I
will use ICF member contact information
(email addresses, telephone numbers, etc.)
only in the manner and to the extent
authorized by the ICF.
Professional
Conduct With Clients
6) I will accurately
identify my level of coaching competence and
I will not overstate my qualifications,
expertise or experience as a coach.
7) I
will ensure that my coaching client
understands the nature of coaching and the
terms of the coaching agreement between us.
8) I will not intentionally mislead or make
false claims about what my client will
receive from the coaching process or from me
as their coach.
9) I will not give my
clients or any prospective clients
information or advice I know to be
misleading or beyond my competence.
10) I
will be alert to noticing when my client is
no longer benefiting from our coaching
relationship and would be better served by
another coach or by another resource and, at
that time, I will encourage my client to
make that change.
Confidentiality/Privacy
11) I will respect the
confidentiality of my client's information,
except as otherwise authorized by my client,
or as required by law.
12) I will obtain
agreement with my clients before releasing
their names as clients or references or any
other client identifying information.
13)
I will obtain agreement with the person
being coached before releasing information
to another person compensating me.
Conflicts of
Interest
14) I will seek to avoid
conflicts between my interests and the
interests of my clients.
15) Whenever
any actual conflict of interest or the
potential for a conflict of interest arises,
I will openly disclose it and fully discuss
with my client how to deal with it in
whatever way best serves my client.
16) I
will disclose to my client all anticipated
compensation from third parties that I may
receive for referrals or advice concerning
that client.
Part Four:
The ICF Pledge of Ethics
As a professional coach, I
acknowledge and agree to honor my ethical
obligations to my coaching clients and
colleagues and to the public at large. I
pledge to comply with ICF Code of Ethics, to
treat people with dignity as independent and
equal human beings, and to model these
standards with those whom I coach. If I
breach this Pledge of Ethics or any part of
the ICF Code of Ethics, I agree that the ICF
in its sole discretion may hold me
accountable for so doing. I further agree
that my accountability to the ICF for any
breach may include loss of my ICF membership
or my ICF credentials.
