The ICF Changes: From Snapshot to Movie
In the previous blog, I shared some reflections on the upcoming changes from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and what they might mean for coaches.
Since then, I’ve found myself reflecting on it more, focussing less on the detail and more on what is underpining the shift.
Because while the structural changes are clear enough, the implications for how we think about our coaching feel more subtle, and perhaps more significant.
When the Focus Moves
One of the most noticeable shifts is where the focus now sits.
Without a standalone Performance Evaluation, the emphasis moves away from preparing for a single moment where your coaching is assessed, and towards something more continuous.
Your coaching is no longer being viewed through one recording, but through your development over time.
That may sound like a small adjustment, but it changes the feel of the whole process.
It subtly repositions what matters most.
From Producing to Understanding
In the old model, it was easy, understandably, for coaches to orient themselves towards producing a recording that demonstrated their capability at the required level.
There was nothing wrong with that. It made sense within the system.
But it could also lead to a subtle narrowing of focus, where the question becomes, “Can I do this well enough when it counts?”
What seems to be emerging now is a different question altogether.
“How well do I actually understand my coaching?”
That’s a more subtle question that goes much deeper.
It asks you to notice patterns, to recognise what you are doing in the moment and to understand why certain questions land the way they do.
The Space Mentor Coaching Now Holds
This is where mentor coaching begins to take on a different role.
If it becomes the place where your coaching is explored, developed, and evaluated, then the quality of that space matters enormously.
It needs to be somewhere you can look at your coaching honestly, without feeling that you are performing or being judged in a narrow way.
It also needs to be somewhere that brings a clear and accurate understanding of the competencies, so that you can see how your coaching aligns with them in practice.
That combination is not accidental. It requires thought, structure, and experience.
Consistency Over a Single Snapshot
Another implication that keeps surfacing is the idea of consistency.
Without a final performance evaluation to work towards, readiness becomes less about producing one strong example of your coaching, and more about how you show up across your work as a whole.
How you listen.
How you stay with the client.
How you avoid stepping in too quickly with your own thinking.
These are not things that can be switched on for one session. They reflect something more established in your practice.
What This Might Ask of You
There is something in these changes that feels both more spacious and more demanding.
More spacious, because the pressure to get it right in one moment begins to ease.
More demanding, because the invitation is to really to understand your coaching at a deeper level, rather than relying on preparation or performance.
And that requires a different quality of attention, where you give yourself the space to slow down, notice more and develop a clearer awareness of what is unfolding in your conversations.
A Question to Carry Forward
As this continues to unfold, perhaps the most useful place to focus is not on trying to get ahead of the changes but on how you are relating to your own development.
Are you looking for the most efficient way through the process?
Or are you allowing yourself the time and space to really understand your coaching?
The process will continue to evolve and that part is outside your control.
But the depth of your understanding is something you can stay with, and it is likely to matter far beyond any single credential.
