Ethics as One Starting Point for Coaching Relationships

by guest blogger Mikayla Phan

From the coaching perspective, building relationships and developing intimacy and honesty with the client supports successful outcomes.  It is because of this that perhaps one of the most important steps in coaching is in the beginning with the introduction to a Code of Ethics by the coach to the client and sponsor (if there is someone other than the client who is responsible for payment).  A client might know s/he wants to be coached and perhaps even may know some of the specific goals s/he wants to address in the coaching process.  However, the client may have some apprehension before coaching even begins, whether it is due to a difficulty in “breaking the ice”, his or her own knowledge (or incorrect knowledge) about coaching and the coaching industry, concerns about trust and confidentiality issues, or even regarding legal concerns, especially if the coaching process is taking place within a large organization such as a corporation or business.

Indeed, whenever there is a relationship about to be established between two parties, as in the coaching industry or a mental health profession, there is a certain level of apprehension that naturally could exist just because of the nature of the said relationship about to be formed: the client is going to identify an issue or roadblock that might be in the way of achieving his/her goal(s), and the coach is going to serve as a guide to the client as the client discovers the roadblocks and how to efficiently remove them.  That’s a fairly private and intimate thing to do!  It is paramount, therefore, to establish a balanced and solid trust between the said parties.  What better tool to establish this trust could a Code of Ethics be!