Cathy Liska 
Coaching provides an average 600% return on investment (ROI). At the same time, there remains a challenge to the integrity of coaching due to the wide-spread use of the terms “coach” and “coaching” without professional coaching certification or the application of coaching competencies. This means for individuals or organizations hiring a coach or coaches, and for professionally trained coaches too, awareness combined with questions and the promoting of standards supports the effectiveness of coaching.
- For individuals seeking a coach: interview at least three prospective coaches and ask them about their coach-specific training and ICF membership.
- For organizations starting a coaching program: contract for outside training for internal trainers at a minimum and ideally for an initial cohort of coaches then determine whether to continue with outside training or establish an internal program with outside support.
- For organizations hiring external coaches: vet the coaches on your list based on their coach training and ICF membership.
- For untrained coaches: recognize that until you have the training required for ICF membership you are working toward being a coach and communicate that to your clients.
- For credentialed and/or ICF member coaches: access all possible opportunities for talking about or writing about what coaching really is, how it works, and the power of the process when done properly.
The more all of us engage in the conversation and ask questions about the training and certification of the coach, the more we support the coaching profession as a whole and also individual success with coaching engagements.
