Have you taken the time to read through the ICF's Standards and Ethics Document?

Here it is in it's entirety...

THE ICF CODE OF ETHICS

Part One: The ICF Philosophy of Coaching

The International Coach Federation adheres to a form of coaching that honors the client as the expert in his/her life and work and believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach's responsibility is to:

• Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
• Encourage client self-discovery
• Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
• Hold the client responsible and accountable

Part Two: The ICF Definition of Coaching

Professional Coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses or organizations. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.

In each meeting, the client chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens and contributes observations and questions. This interaction creates clarity and moves the client into action. Coaching accelerates the client's progress by providing greater focus and awareness of choice. Coaching concentrates on where clients are now and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be in the future. ICF member coaches and ICF credentialed coaches recognize that results are a matter of the client's intentions, choices and actions, supported by the coach's efforts and application of the coaching process

Part Three: The ICF Standards of Ethical Conduct

Professional Conduct At Large

As a coach:

1) I will conduct myself in a manner that reflects positively upon the coaching profession and I will refrain from engaging in conduct or making statements that may negatively impact the public's understanding or acceptance of coaching as a profession.

2) I will not knowingly make any public statements that are untrue or misleading, or make false claims in any written documents relating to the coaching profession.

3) I will respect different approaches to coaching. I will honor the efforts and contributions of others and not misrepresent them as my own.

4) I will be aware of any issues that may potentially lead to the misuse of my influence by recognizing the nature of coaching and the way in which it may affect the lives of others.

5) I will at all times strive to recognize personal issues that may impair, conflict or interfere with my coaching performance or my professional relationships. Whenever the facts and circumstances necessitate, I will promptly seek professional assistance and determine the action to be taken, including whether it is appropriate to suspend or terminate my coaching relationship(s).

6) As a trainer or supervisor of current and potential coaches, I will conduct myself in accordance with the ICF Code of Ethics in all training and supervisory situations.

7) I will conduct and report research with competence, honesty and within recognized scientific standards. My research will be carried out with the necessary approval or consent from those involved, and with an approach that will reasonably protect participants from any potential harm. All research efforts will be performed in a manner that complies with the laws of the country in which the research is conducted.

8) I will accurately create, maintain, store and dispose of any records of work done in relation to the practice of coaching in a way that promotes confidentiality and complies with any applicable laws.

9) I will use ICF member contact information (email addresses, telephone numbers, etc.) only in the manner and to the extent authorized by the ICF.

Professional Conduct With Clients

10) I will be responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries that govern any physical contact that I may have with my clients.

11) I will not become sexually involved with any of my clients.

12) I will construct clear agreements with my clients, and will honor all agreements made in the context of professional coaching relationships.

13) I will ensure that, prior to or at the initial session, my coaching client understands the nature of coaching, the bounds of confidentiality, financial arrangements and other terms of the coaching agreement.

14) I will accurately identify my qualifications, expertise and experience as a coach.

15) I will not intentionally mislead or make false claims about what my client will receive from the coaching process or from me as their coach.

16) I will not give my clients or prospective clients information or advice I know or believe to be misleading.

17) I will not knowingly exploit any aspect of the coach-client relationship for my personal, professional or monetary advantage or benefit.

18) I will respect the client's right to terminate coaching at any point during the process. I will be alert to indications that the client is no longer benefiting from our coaching relationship.

19) If I believe the client would be better served by another coach, or by another resource, I will encourage the client to make a change.

20) I will suggest that my clients seek the services of other professionals when deemed appropriate or necessary.

21) I will take all reasonable steps to notify the appropriate authorities in the event a client discloses an intention to endanger self or others.

Confidentiality/Privacy

22) I will respect the confidentiality of my client's information, except as otherwise authorized by my client, or as required by law.

23) I will obtain agreement from my clients before releasing their names as clients or references, or any other client identifying information.

24) I will obtain agreement from the person being coached before releasing information to another person compensating me.

Conflicts of Interest

25) I will seek to avoid conflicts between my interests and the interests of my clients.

26) Whenever any actual conflict of interest or the potential for a conflict of interest arises, I will openly disclose it and fully discuss with my client how to deal with it in whatever way best serves my client.

27) I will disclose to my client all anticipated compensation from third parties that I may receive for referrals of that client.

28) I will only barter for services, goods or other non-monetary remuneration when it will not impair the coaching relationship.

Part Four: The ICF Pledge of Ethics

As a professional coach, I acknowledge and agree to honor my ethical obligations to my coaching clients and colleagues and to the public at large. I pledge to comply with the ICF Code of Ethics, to treat people with dignity as independent and equal human beings, and to model these standards with those whom I coach. If I breach this Pledge of Ethics or any part of the ICF Code of Ethics, I agree that the ICF in its sole discretion may hold me accountable for so doing. I further agree that my accountability to the ICF for any breach may include loss of my ICF membership and/or my ICF credentials.

Believe it or not, we all want a lot of things for other people. Have you ever stopped to consider what it is that you want for others? Here's an exercise to play with...

Make a list of at least 20 things you want for everyone in the world, whether or not you will ever meet them. Here are a few examples:

What I want for you is the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have no financial worries.

What I want for you is true bliss.

What I want for you is the rewards that having an attitude of gratitude can bring.

Be careful not to make them things for people to "do." The idea is for it to be things to have or be. If you really want to stretch yourself...try to make a list of 50 things!

Enjoy! And if you want some ideas of how you can use this list, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

In starting any new career, all the attention usually goes to WHAT do you need to DO to succeed. However, there's a whole other side of the story: WHO do you need to BE to succeed as a coach? Let's take a closer look at some fun possibilities:

1. Someone who is Curious! I've heard that curiosity is the most attractive attitude out there. If you ask yourself, "I wonder what will happen if..." you are more open to the possibilities, rather than being dead-set on a particular result. This means you'll be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that easily come your way.
2. Someone who is Patient! Arghh! This was a hard one for me to learn, how about you? They don't say, "Patience is a virtue," for nothing! Truth is, things don't always happen on our timetable, and often for a really good reason. But when they do happen in their own good time, we're much happier than if we've pushed too hard and made ourselves a stress-monster in the process.
3. Someone who is Persistent! While we're being patient, it also helps if we keep plugging away at things! Isn't that ironic? The key here, though, is not to push too hard but simply take some action and allow things to happen.
4. Someone who is Generous! You may need to give away a lot in order to get the ball rolling on receiving. Some coaches feel like they need to be careful not to give away too much - as if the well might run dry at some point. What I've seen to be true is that the more you give, the more you seem to have to give. Maybe it's that your generosity nudges your creativity! And who doesn't enjoy being creative?!?!?
5. Someone who is Collaborative! Ever notice how authors always have an acknowledgements section of their book? It takes the assistance of an awful lot of people to turn an idea into 280 pages that you can hold in your hand. How can it not be true for a new career? Right now, take a minute to make a list of the people who have already helped you on the path to launching your career as a coach. How have they helped? What seems to be missing for you? Who can help you with it? These are the folks who are or will be your collaborators. Invite them to play and have fun creating something greater than anything you could have done on your own!

Did you know...there are two levels to Core Competency #2: Establishing the Coaching Agreement

The first level is establishing the agreement for the overall coaching relationship.

The agreement can, and probably should, be established both in writing and verbally.

To establish the agreement in writing, you may want to create a series of documents that inform the client of what is expected within the context of the coaching relationship. You want to include the expectations of you as coach and the expectations for your client. These documents can include:

• a welcome letter
• a policies and procedures document (or a contract )
• a questionnaire for self-discovery and awareness
• a copy of the ICF Standards and Ethics.

To establish the agreement verbally, you may want to schedule the first session as a review of the documents (thus the overall coaching agreement) as well as the establishment of a focus for the coaching and an overall coaching plan.

The second level is establishing the agreement for each individual coaching session. This means you ask a few very key questions:

1. What does the client want to discuss and be coached on? (What is the topic?)
2. What does the client want to walk away with from the session? (What is the desired outcome?)
3. How will the client know the session has been successful? (Is there some specific way of measuring when the outcome has been reached?)