Becoming a professional coach

Last week, 10 brand new professional coaches, including yours truly, were handed certificates attesting to our having completed the Accelerated Coach Training Program (ACT). The ACT is an intensive four-month, three-phase training program meant to equip the coaching aspirants with paradigms, skill sets and tools deemed necessary to become a professional coach.

The sessions reminded me somewhat of my Asian Institute of Management business graduate school years

The first phase, which was conducted over a week last September, was essentially an immersion and a quick but intensive deep dive in all the facets of coaching. We had lively and interesting sessions wherein each participant took turns in assuming the roles of coach and trainee in a coaching dialogue of a real-life situation that each participant wished to tackle.

This was then followed by a critique of the class on how the designated coach handled their particular session. This process enabled the participants to have a preview of what the second phase of ACT would likely entail and, more importantly, put into practice our learnings.

Ten newly minted professional coaches received their certificates of having completed the Accelerated Coach Training Program. The program is an intensive four-month learning journey on executive and life coaching. It was conducted by Benchmark Consulting led by its Founder and President Julius Ordonez. The program participants included Daily Tribune columnist Bing Matoto and Carlos Aboitiz of the Aboitiz group of companies. The sessions reminded me somewhat of my Asian Institute of Management business graduate school years where group discussions of real-life business scenarios served as a convenient vehicle for practicing our newfound management skills in preparation for the real world after business school.

The second phase of ACT was the practicum or the on-the-job stage where we each had to secure an actual coaching engagement. This engagement was supposed to be for no less than three months with a minimum of one-hour coaching sessions twice per month. During this three-month-long engagement, a structured coaching protocol is to be strictly complied with in order to move on to phase three.

At the start of the engagement, it is imperative that the trainee is formally advised that the engagement is a practicum requirement and that he should give his consent to the recording of every coaching session for the purpose of a subsequent discussion and evaluation by the mentor of the would-be coach after each session. The student himself, with the aid of the aspiring coach, through “powerful” questions, is expected to set the goal for the coaching engagement to be achieved after three months.

A powerful question occurs when it prompts the trainee to process more intensely his current reality and to conclude, on his own, that either a stronger re-affirmation of his existing reality or an aspiration for change is needed because he has realized achieving such a goal will be best for him and his family when going forward. This goal could be something as simple as losing a specific number of pounds or as ambitious and dramatic as a new self-realization of “being” — what you are — or a paradigm shift in thinking on the part of the player.

As an example, this new self-realization could be, in more concrete terms, a life-altering decision to resign from one’s current job and change career paths and make a go of entrepreneurship. Of course, as the saying goes, what you put in is what you get. In other words, the learning becomes more interesting and fulfilling for both the coach and trainee as the goal set becomes more challenging.

For the aspiring coach, it is critical that the pupil should agree to finish the whole process and, at the end of three months, conclude that the stated goal has been achieved. If the student is unable or unwilling to continue, the would-be coach will not be allowed to move on to phase three.

As you might appreciate, the coach cannot completely control the endgame as he really takes the roll of the dice in the choice of the right trainee. In my case, I was fortunate that the student recommended by a fellow aspiring coach, a CEO of a multinational with literally thousands of people under his responsibility, was prepared to stick it out throughout the whole process. For confidentiality, let’s call him RM.

Frankly, I couldn’t have asked for a more fulfilling and ideal situation than what I experienced in coaching RM. My pupil is a well-compensated, high-ranking officer of the company he works for. RM’s main responsibility is to ensure the satisfaction of customers who avail of their corporate services, which means practically a daily grind of high-stress scenario for RM reaching to the point of prejudicing family life. Of course, such a situation induces anxiety and doubts if indeed this is how his life should be. The series of chats we had, the follow-ups and constant reevaluation and validation of RM’s aspirations stemmed from an honest, open and trusting relationship that at the end, I believe, produced a mutual sense of fulfillment and well-being on both our parts.

Finally, the fourth and final part of ACT was a collective review of the aspirants’ experiences and learnings from the on-the-job phase. Lastly, to determine our readiness to be labeled now as a professional coach, a written exam and a revalida demonstration of our coaching skills were the ultimate hurdles to receiving a coaching certificate.

I was never happier professionally than when I was handed my certificate that I am now a professional coach!