The Coaching Relationship is Like a Glass of Water
The relationship between Coach and the Client needs to be as transparent as water, otherwise none of the parties feel confident.Professional Representation
As a coach I have to be scrupulous about how I portray the coaching services I offer to my clients and potential clients. I cannot guarantee results from coaching, or agree a contract with an element of payment based on results. I also need to be completely honest about my coaching qualifications, experience, expertise and credentials. People need to be able to trust the coach that they are working with, and they need to know exactly what they are getting. Any coach you work with should be explicit about their training, qualifications and experience. Whilst there are great coaches who have not been formally trained, there are also people in the coaching marketplace who are not trained and have limited experience, where caution is advisable.
Conflict of Interest
There are many potential situations of conflict of interest that can arise in coaching, and a professional coach acting within the ethical guidelines will head them off at the pass wherever possible, as well as tackling anything else that arises head on with a client. For example a coach should not coach a team and an individual member of that team separately. This could easily lead to a conflict of interest because the coach could align more with that individual in the team scenario (or indeed less) and it would be very challenging to be impartial in the team coach situation. If a coach is working with an individual and that individual wants to have some work done with their team, the coach should be able to refer that work to another suitable coach, rather than take it on themselves.
Professional Conduct with Clients
Coaches need to maintain the highest level of professional conduct with their clients, they need to act with integrity, and not allow the relationship boundaries with their clients to blur. A professional coach must also ensure that they remain alert to the needs of the client at all times, if they have a sense that the client would be better served by another source of support – even another coach, then they should raise this with the client.
Confidentiality / Privacy
Confidentiality in a coaching relationship is paramount. Clients talk to their coaches about things they would not discuss with anyone else, often revealing the contents of their hearts, minds, and spirit. That confidentiality must be completely upheld, even in a corporate setting where the organisation is funding the coaching. Anything that is shared with the organisation e.g. the HR function must be with the explicit agreement of the client and from the client rather than the coach. The coaching relationship is like a glass of clear water. Any breach of confidentiality would be a spot of black ink from which it was impossible to recover.
In summary if you are thinking of working with a coach, or you already are, either personally or professionally, its important that you check out their code of ethics and know where they stand. Coaches who are members of the International Coaching Federation (www.coachfederation.org) also have the ability to take ethical situations to the Ethics Committee for advice and guidance at any time, giving professional support.
Cristina Madeira is a Certified Executive Coach. More about this subject
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