What do you stand to gain by earning your PCC Credential?
Earning the PCC credential from the ICF is no mean feat. It requires considerable merit, sustained effort, and a healthy dose of perseverance on the part of a coach. But hollow is the success that comes without the grind of the body and the mind. Such is the case with achieving the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) certification as well. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) has earnt omnipresent respect by ensuring the highest possible standards amongst coaches all around the world. As coaching is still an unregulated profession, anybody CAN call themselves a coach. To prevent clients from being hoodwinked and to forever ensure that they receive the best service possible, the ICF has taken it upon itself to set the bar for coaches at all levels (the ACC, PCC, and MCC). In case you have just begun on your coaching journey, chances are that you are currently drowning in industrial alphabetical soup! Let us help you-
- ACC- Associate Certified Coach
- PCC- Professional Certified Coach
- MCC- Master Certified Coach
All three certifications are provided by the parental body that is, the ICF.
The ICF has certain specific eligibility criteria that a coach must meet so that they can earn the PCC credential. These are-
- 125+ hours of coaching instruction/education
- 500+ hours of coaching experience
- At least 10 hours of mentor coaching with a qualified coach.
They aren’t just done yet though! Once a coach meets the above requirements, he/she must also successfully complete a performance evaluation and then clear the ICF Credentialing exam as well.
TLDR: It is lengthy and comprehensive
Just kidding though. (You DO NOT want to miss reading that if you are a coach)
Yet something as extensive as this program is bound to leave long-term rewards for a coach. You will notice the immediate additions to your skillset (outputs) and the gradual additions to your repertoire as well (outcomes). While the outputs lend immediate credibility to your professional reputation, the outcomes are what add value to you personally and ensure the longevity of your coaching career. The OUTPUTS may be listed as increased confidence, a change in demeanour, a wider network, and better communication skills. While these have been classified as immediate gains in the context of this blog post, these changes will stay with you long after your PCC journey is over. As will the worldwide network of the ICF and your own personal relations that you build in your journey towards earning the PCC credential.
Some of the many OUTCOMES or the values that are added upon completion of the PCC course are listed below-
- Become self-aware- As a PCC, you will obtain greater maturity in understanding yourself. You will be able to optimally perform a SWOT analysis (Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat) on yourself and gauge your own points of improvement. Personal feedback serves as the best form of constructive criticism and you will be able to fully appreciate that fact. As you go on gaining awareness about yourself, you will also be able to realise the types of clients you serve the best.
- Differentiate between responsibility and burden- Modern-day professionals are guilty of classifying responsibility under added tasks and chores. Once the word burden gets associated with it, people shirk away from it in a jiffy. As a PCC you will learn to give challenging tasks your best shot AND will also help your clients imbibe the same spirit. You will realise that anxiety helps neither party. Responsibility and accountability go hand in hand and these twin pillars of professionalism will greatly serve your career.
- Deal with emotions well- Forever on the periphery of what is considered important, emotions are what often take centre stage in tense situations, and if not dealt with properly, will play spoilsport. During your PCC training, you will learn to gauge the various emotions on display by clients. You will be trained to curate your own emotional responses keeping in mind the client. Emotions are the true essence of us as human beings and as a coach it is important that you stay on top of this aspect.
- Ability to take risks- Calculated risks are required in order to survive in every profession and coaching is no different. By learning this ability, a coach will be able to help clients analyse risks and take steps accordingly. In the corporate world, decisions are always of a critical nature, and a PCC is best suited to help clients make such decisions. Such coaches will also help clients to understand that failure is indeed a learning opportunity and a stepping stone and that it cannot be avoided. Mistakes are what make everything possible. While it is absolutely okay to make a mistake, what matters is your attitude and humility at that time. The willingness to accept course correction is what sets success apart from true failure and a PCC must understand this first before passing it on to the client.
- Communicate effectively- The true meaning of this is to convey more by saying less. This quality is usually gained via experience and the length of the PCC training ensures the same for you as a coach. To communicate effectively means to create profound and long-lasting impact. This quality makes sure that people listen to you as you speak and a seamless message transfer takes place. Conversely, this also means that YOU have to listen well. Attentive listening is often the first step towards effective communication and a PCC must start with this in order to truly understand the client. This also allows the coach to handle emotions better!
At Erickson Coaching International, one of the best coaching institutes worldwide, they tackle the tough topic of the PCC credentialing course by making applicants ask the basic questions themselves- ‘Why is it important to you?’, ‘How would you know you’ve achieved it?’ and so on and so forth. Due to our collaboration with Erickson, you will get access to these same revolutionary techniques in the field of coaching- only if you apply now though! (wink wink)
To summarise, by now you should have a clear idea of the benefits of obtaining the PCC certification. Having this credential in your kitty is extremely beneficial for you as a coach, your clients, and the industry itself. Truth be told, it is a no-brainer. Stripping everything away and keeping it to a bare minimum, the PCC credential from the ICF demonstrates your commitment to continued excellence and coaching and THAT is something everyone can take to the bank!
Business development can be one of the fastest ways to grow your business.
Here Vincenzo Trani described ways to help you take your business to the next level.
Business development can be one of the fastest ways to grow your business.
Here Vincenzo Trani described ways to help you take your business to the next level.
Most of the HRIS available in the market has got the performance management module since many years.
I wouldn’t blame the HRIS designers or HR professionals who have helped them design and code it into the system because they have been following the traditional flow/ process of a typical PMS.The traditional age-old process of PMS comprises of the following :1.
Employees and managers set KRA and KPA at the beginning of the year2.The setting of targets/ goals for each KPA/ KPI whether measurable or not.3.
HR converts the achievement into %ge achieved and give rating post normalisationI have worked at leadership levels in HR across many organisations, Indian and multinational and have interacted and closely felt the pain of the stakeholders namely employees, managers and CEO/ MD.
This renders the entire performance management system useless.Data analytics real-time-This is next to impossible as there is no way to find out the performance trends, top and bottom performers, pin point performance issues, bell curving, performance scores for the month, and YTD scores.Bias-Since targets and achievements are inputted by managers and individuals, there is a huge chance of bias.Dovetailed and relevant goals-this is only in theory where individual goals are dovetailed to department goals and department goals are dovetailed to company goals.
Generally, those goals which are easy and convenient to achieve are what is put inside the PMS system and hence companies land up in a situation where individuals achieve their targets but companies fall short of the target.
