Cathy Liska Competency as a coach goes beyond skill development, training, and practice. Coaching competency is enhanced with experience both as a coach and in areas that serve coaching clients.
Many coaches have far more experience then they realize. Take the time to list your experience, and use the list to explore what additional experience you want to gain. Specifically, list all of the jobs, volunteer positions, and household responsibilities you have had in your life time. Outline the work you did and include special projects you handled. This becomes a resource when writing your bio and refreshes your memory on experience you offer. Use this list to discover areas where you want to gain experience and find opportunities to either volunteer, do contract work, or study.
Coaching experience comes with time as you build your client base. Each client and each coaching session provides new insights. Enhance your experience by reflecting on what you are learning as you coach. Create a log or journal of the insights and read through it periodically. This process builds on your learning experience with reflection and additional insights through review because each time you review it your thinking is different because of where you are at in the moment and coaching experience.
