It is tempting to use AI as a personal adviser or growth assistant. Why real growth needs friction, and how to use AI for reflection without the echo.

What personal growth is, how it shows in practice and what support a coach can give you on the way.

Four states of knowing, from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence, and how a coach can use them to evoke awareness.

Active listening is a coach’s basic instrument for helping the client reach insights that move them towards their goals.

The fifth coaching competency shows in the coach’s way of being and working: open and flexible, while staying grounded and confident.

The fourth competency focuses on creating trust and safety. A coach needs to be empathetic, respectful and accepting to lay the foundation for trust.

The third competency focuses on the cooperation between coach and client: leading the coaching process, planning and setting goals.

The second coaching competency means that a coach keeps developing, personally and professionally, like an instrument that has to be tuned regularly.

Ethical practice means that a coach follows the law, the values of the professional community and confidentiality, and assesses whether coaching is right for the client.

An introduction to a series of articles on professional coaching competencies, to help you understand what to expect from working with a competent coach.