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Competencies, Not Rules
Is ICF Coaching real coaching?
In this episode of PRIME SPACE: Advanced Conversations in Coaching, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores a common tension in professional coaching today: the "rules" of coaching and the reality of our practices.
Many coaches feel overwhelmed by the structure of professional coaching—session agreements, open questions, avoiding advice, demonstrating competencies, preparing for certification. At times, it can feel like coaching requires carrying a mental checklist that conflicts with supporting the client.
But what if that understanding misses the deeper purpose?
Elias challenges the following rules myth and invites coaches to see competencies for what they truly are: best practices designed to serve the client, not constrain the coach. Using a powerful analogy from surgery, he explores how mastery enables coaches to move beyond rigid technique to thoughtful, moment-by-moment decision-making.
This episode is an invitation to move from legalism to discernment, from performing coaching to embodying it, and from rules to freedom in the coaching conversation.
If you’ve ever wondered whether ICF coaching is “real coaching,” this conversation goes straight to the heart of the question.
Memorable Quotes
- “You cannot coach in a straitjacket.”
- “The goal of the competencies is not rules for rules’ sake. The goal is the client.”
- “Mastery is not using every tool. Mastery is knowing when to use the right one.”
- “ICF coaching is real coaching—if we dare to understand it fully.”
Chapters
00:00 — The Weight of Coaching Rules
Why many coaches feel overwhelmed by competencies, certification requirements, and the pressure to “do coaching right.”
04:10 — There Are No Rules
Why the ICF Core Competencies are not rules, but best practices developed through research and collective professional experience.
07:49 — Finding Freedom
Why some coaches struggle with the rules and ways to find freedom in their practices.
12:01 — The Surgeon Analogy
How true excellence comes from understanding every tool deeply—and then making the best decision for the client in the moment.
#Coaching #ICFCoaching #CoachTraining #ProfessionalCoaching #CoachingMindset #CoachDevelopment #LeadershipCoaching
View all episodes
By Elias Scultori, MCCIs ICF Coaching real coaching?
In this episode of PRIME SPACE: Advanced Conversations in Coaching, Elias Scultori, MCC, explores a common tension in professional coaching today: the "rules" of coaching and the reality of our practices.
Many coaches feel overwhelmed by the structure of professional coaching—session agreements, open questions, avoiding advice, demonstrating competencies, preparing for certification. At times, it can feel like coaching requires carrying a mental checklist that conflicts with supporting the client.
But what if that understanding misses the deeper purpose?
Elias challenges the following rules myth and invites coaches to see competencies for what they truly are: best practices designed to serve the client, not constrain the coach. Using a powerful analogy from surgery, he explores how mastery enables coaches to move beyond rigid technique to thoughtful, moment-by-moment decision-making.
This episode is an invitation to move from legalism to discernment, from performing coaching to embodying it, and from rules to freedom in the coaching conversation.
If you’ve ever wondered whether ICF coaching is “real coaching,” this conversation goes straight to the heart of the question.
Memorable Quotes
- “You cannot coach in a straitjacket.”
- “The goal of the competencies is not rules for rules’ sake. The goal is the client.”
- “Mastery is not using every tool. Mastery is knowing when to use the right one.”
- “ICF coaching is real coaching—if we dare to understand it fully.”
Chapters
00:00 — The Weight of Coaching Rules
Why many coaches feel overwhelmed by competencies, certification requirements, and the pressure to “do coaching right.”
04:10 — There Are No Rules
Why the ICF Core Competencies are not rules, but best practices developed through research and collective professional experience.
07:49 — Finding Freedom
Why some coaches struggle with the rules and ways to find freedom in their practices.
12:01 — The Surgeon Analogy
How true excellence comes from understanding every tool deeply—and then making the best decision for the client in the moment.
#Coaching #ICFCoaching #CoachTraining #ProfessionalCoaching #CoachingMindset #CoachDevelopment #LeadershipCoaching