Coaching methods
Coaching competency 2: Embodies a Coaching Mindset
The second of the eight coaching competencies means that a coach keeps developing, both personally and professionally. Figuratively speaking, a coach is like an instrument that has to be tuned or sharpened all the time, so that it can give the client the best possible support in reaching their goals.
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The second of the eight coaching competencies means that a coach keeps developing, both personally and professionally. Figuratively speaking, a coach is like an instrument that has to be tuned or sharpened all the time, so that it can give the client the best possible support in reaching their goals.
After their initial training and qualification, professional coaches keep developing through mentoring and supervision and by taking part in further training. In the same way, for a coach to be able to evoke a client’s awareness and growth, the coach has to work on their own emotional intelligence and on the skill of awareness. This means that a coach must be able to be fully present and focused in the conversation with the client. A coach needs to understand themselves well, including their values, attitudes, thoughts and emotions, in order to accept the client’s view of the world, their thoughts and their decisions during sessions, and to build a relationship that is not dominant but equal: a partnership.
My core value is growth. That is why I can say that the coaching mindset is part of who I am, and I have lived it for most of my life, long before coaching came into my field of view. When I first wrote this article in 2021, I was working with a mentor to pass the qualification assessments and earn my ICF credential, and I was taking part in various activities aimed at personal growth. Today I hold the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential.
After their initial training and qualification, professional coaches keep developing through mentoring and supervision and by taking part in further training. In the same way, for a coach to be able to evoke a client’s awareness and growth, the coach has to work on their own emotional intelligence and on the skill of awareness. This means that a coach must be able to be fully present and focused in the conversation with the client. A coach needs to understand themselves well, including their values, attitudes, thoughts and emotions, in order to accept the client’s view of the world, their thoughts and their decisions during sessions, and to build a relationship that is not dominant but equal: a partnership.
My core value is growth. That is why I can say that the coaching mindset is part of who I am, and I have lived it for most of my life, long before coaching came into my field of view. When I first wrote this article in 2021, I was working with a mentor to pass the qualification assessments and earn my ICF credential, and I was taking part in various activities aimed at personal growth. Today I hold the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential.
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The competency in short
Embodies a Coaching Mindset is the second ICF Core Competency. In short, the coach develops and keeps a mindset that is open, curious, flexible and centred on the client.
In practice this means recognising that clients are responsible for their own choices; continuing to learn and develop as a coach; reflecting regularly on one’s own coaching; staying aware of how context, culture and one’s own biases influence oneself and others; using self-awareness and intuition for the client’s benefit; managing one’s emotions; and asking others for help when it is needed.
The 2025 review changed this competency more than any other. It now also speaks about keeping up with coaching best practice and technology, about the coach’s own physical and mental well-being, about nurturing openness and curiosity in oneself, the client and the process, and about being aware of how one’s thoughts and behaviour affect others.
This article is based on my Latvian article “Kouča kompetence – iemieso koučinga domāšanas veidu”, published on 27 April 2021. It was translated into English and its facts were updated in October 2026. In place of the full ICF text quoted in the original, it gives a short summary and a link to the official version.
In practice this means recognising that clients are responsible for their own choices; continuing to learn and develop as a coach; reflecting regularly on one’s own coaching; staying aware of how context, culture and one’s own biases influence oneself and others; using self-awareness and intuition for the client’s benefit; managing one’s emotions; and asking others for help when it is needed.
The 2025 review changed this competency more than any other. It now also speaks about keeping up with coaching best practice and technology, about the coach’s own physical and mental well-being, about nurturing openness and curiosity in oneself, the client and the process, and about being aware of how one’s thoughts and behaviour affect others.
This article is based on my Latvian article “Kouča kompetence – iemieso koučinga domāšanas veidu”, published on 27 April 2021. It was translated into English and its facts were updated in October 2026. In place of the full ICF text quoted in the original, it gives a short summary and a link to the official version.
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