Several associations have tried to define the competences of the coach that are necessary for the good performance of his work. The term competence is very widespread in the work environment as it is a predictor of good performance in the work place where one works.

Although the concept of competence is used in the occupational field , it is also used in other fields such as personnel development and education .

The coach’s competencies: what are they?

This article presents the 11 most widespread coach competencies, using the list of the International Coach Federatio n (ICF). These competencies have been established for different purposes: to provide a reference framework for good professional performance or to compare and improve a coaching training programme.

  • To know more about the concept of competence, you can read our article: “How to face a competence interview: 4 keys to get the job”.

How to be a good coach

After clarifying what the coach’s competencies are, the following are the skills, abilities and attitudes necessary for a good professional work:

1. Respect ethical and deontological rules

This competence refers to the ability to understand the ethics and professional standards of coaching, as well as adhering to the code of ethics of the profession. Not only is it necessary to understand these norms and values, but it is also necessary to apply them for good professional practice. In addition, the code of ethics is specific and is an important aspect of coaching competencies, as it clearly communicates the differences between coaching, consulting, psychotherapy and other support professions.

2. Establish the coaching agreement

It is the ability to understand what is required in each concrete coach-coachee interaction and to establish an agreement with the client on the coaching process and relationship . Therefore, the coachee who masters this competence understands and effectively presents to the client the guidelines and concrete parameters of the coaching relationship (logistics, fees, schedule, third party participation, etc.). He/she also reaches an agreement on what is and what is not appropriate in the relationship, on the service that the coach will offer and the method that he/she will use.

3. Establish trust and intimacy with the client

It is the ability to create an enabling environment that contributes to the development of respect and mutual trust . This competence manifests itself because the coach shows genuine interest in the client, continually demonstrates professional and personal integrity, establishes clear agreements, demonstrates respect for the client’s opinions, supports the client in his or her decisions and respects at all times the privacy of the coachee (client of the coach).

4. Being present in the coaching

It is the ability to be fully aware and to create a spontaneous relationship with the client using an open, flexible and confident style . The coach uses his intuition and relies on his internal knowledge, is able to recognise that he does not know everything and shows confidence when dealing with strong emotions. The coach has the necessary self-control to guide the client without being overwhelmed.

5. Active listening

The coach knows how to focus completely on what the client says and what he doesn’t say, and understands the meaning of his words in context. This is one of the competences of the coach that have to do with communication skills , since through active listening more attention is paid to what the client says, but it also helps the coachee to express himself.

6. Questioning with strength

This is one of the most representative competences of the coach in his work, since he must ask powerful questions , that is, questions that reveal the necessary information to get the most benefit for the coachee. These types of questions make the coachee think, i.e. they encourage self-knowledge and self-reflection and help the client to commit to the action. In coaching, Socratic questions are used.

7. Direct communication

It is the ability to communicate effectively during coaching sessions and the ability to use language that is positive and efficient in the relationship with the coachee. The coach who masters this type of competence gives effective feedback , is clear and direct, clearly indicates the objectives of the coach-coachee relationship and uses appropriate and respectful language, encouraging excellent rapport.

8. Creating awareness

It is the ability to integrate and accurately evaluate different sources of information and to make interpretations that help the client be aware and thus meet the agreed goals. The coach creates awareness in different ways, for example, by proposing reflections in search of a greater understanding by the coachee or by helping the coachee to identify the limiting beliefs that do not allow him/her to grow.

9. Designing the actions

Ability to create continuous learning opportunities with the client during coaching and in work and life in general. This competence refers to the work of the coach who must facilitate the coachee’s knowledge of new actions that will most effectively lead to the agreed outcomes of the coaching. In this way, the coach helps the coachee to define new actions that allow him/her to demonstrate, deepen and acquire new learning. He also commits the client to explore new ideas and alternative situations, promoting opportunities for experiential learning.

10. Planning and setting goals and objectives

It is the ability to develop and maintain an effective coaching plan with the coachee. The coach consolidates the information collected and establishes a coaching plan to achieve the objectives. The objectives are attainable, measurable, specific and are achieved in a given time . A good coach has the capacity to make adjustments to what has been planned and helps the client to access the resources necessary for the acquisition and fulfilment of goals.

11. Managing progress and accountability

Among the competences of the coach is the ability to keep the attention on what is important for the client and to transfer the responsibility of the action to the client. To this end, the coach proposes and asks the client for actions that direct him/her towards the desired and planned goal, promotes the coachee’s self-discipline, gives efficient feedback and confronts the client positively when he/she does not comply with the agreed actions.