New ICF Competencies, Now What?

New ICF competencies are here once and for all!

It is finally time to wave goodbye to the original International Coach Federation Coach Core Competencies once and for all.

I am a bit sad to see them go, I’ll be honest. Those ‘hearty eleven’ have been guiding in my coaching and mentoring work since I first met them in 2008.

I know them by heart and I could pick them out of a crowd (or a coaching sessions) in a minute. They will always be near and dear to my coaching heart.

Enter the ‘mighty eight,’ as I like to call them. It’s now time to get to know a new set of guiding principles. If you are in a coach training program, you will notice that they are integrated into the curriculum

If you are thinking about applying for a new credential, you will be following a new and updated ICF Credential Path.

No matter your credentialing goals, one thing is for certain, you will need to be learning, and aligning your work with the new competencies, and you will want to come up with a plan.

Here are my tips:

Start Early

If you are a planner like me, you may find it a bit hard to believe that many (okay most) credentialed coaches that I work with only have a vague of the date on which their credential renews. Since you must acquire forty CCE units in the three years since you were awarded the credential it’s really important that you put this date on your calendar and work backward to sign up for the programs you will need to take to earn your CCE units.

You can find your renewal date by logging in to the ICF website, clicking to your profile, and selecting Edit Profile. The date will be there. Make note of it!

Learn the Competencies

You can find the new eight competencies and associated materials on the ICF website. I have created my own copies for the coaches I work with in my various programs. You can download my working copy of the International Coach Federation Competencies here.

Build Learning Into Your Waiting Times

It’s not always easy to sit down and study for hours at a stretch. I’ve found a great way to anchor the new competencies is to study them in smaller time blocks. I like to use Quizlet as my go-to online study tool. It’s an app that you can put on your phone or tablet. When you are stuck in a line-up, or waiting for an appointment, you can pull up the app and learn some competencies! You can get the Quizlet study cards I created for the Quizlet for new competencies here.

Join a Learning Group and Earn CCE Units

My grandmother used to say, ‘many hands make light work,’ while we were all gathered around her kitchen sink drying dishes. So true. Group members can make great accountability partners and learning in groups can be fun. And, if you are spending time learning the new competencies anyway why not earn CCE units while you are at it? I’ve been talking about my new monthly learning group for a little while now. You can earn 24 CCE units for a small membership fee each month. It’s a cost-effective way to keep the learning going all year. You can find out more here.

I know that’s lots to think about, especially since many of you are still enjoying your summer break. But I figured you might just want to get the wheels turning now that it’s official.

The mighty eight are here!

Pass me another marshmallow!