Review of the last coaching breakfast: Mentor coachingpar David Carey, ACC
My first experience with mentor coaching was incorporated into the coach training program I followed with Royal Roads University. In order to obtain my certification as a coach I had to receive mentoring from two mentor coaches, chosen out of a list provided by the University. I remember it as an intimidating yet rich experience.
Being new to the coaching profession, I found it a little scary to have experienced coaches listen and evaluate my fledgling forays into coaching, however as I look back on those sessions now, I can see how the thoughtful and insightful feedback I received from those two mentor coaches helped to hone my emerging skills and shape the coach that I have become today. Their patience, encouragement and candor helped me to see the importance of Mentor coaching and gave me the confidence I needed to find and work with a mentor coach again when I recently needed to renew my ACC certification.
The ICF website describes Mentor Coaching for an ICF Credential as ‘’coaching and feedback in a collaborative, appreciative and dialogued process based on an observed or recorded coaching session to increase the coach’s capability in coaching, in alignment with the ICF Core Competencies.’’
To underline the significant role of mentor coaching in a coach’s development, ICF has made mandatory Mentor Coaching an integral part of the credentialing process. Today each level of the credentialing process, ACC, ACC renewal, PCC, and MCC certifications all require 10 hours of mentor coaching before the credential is awarded.
This requirement can represent a significant investment of both time and money and it isn’t always easy to find a mentor coach, or to clearly understand the mentor coaching process. So, in order to bring clarity to the process, answer coach’s questions and explore what good mentor coaching should look like, on October 9th The English Activities Committee invited Joan T. Cook MCC, founding member of ICF, and mentor coach, to present a workshop on what mentor coaching is, why it is important and what to look for in a mentor coach.
In her 45 minutes presentation, drawing from her personal experience as a mentor coach and also incorporating testimonials from coaches in the group who had acted as mentor coaches, or had been mentor coached, Joan was able to help participants to better understand the purpose and importance of mentor coaching, both to the individual coach and to the coaching profession as a whole. As mentor coaching will undoubtedly continue to play a significant role in the ICF credentialing process, hopefully Joan’s workshop will continue to have a significant impact of Québec coaches for many years to come.
