Competency No. 5

Debbi Gardiner McCullough (D G McCullough)

Around 4% of the 55,000 + coaches certified with the International Coaching Federation hold the revered status of Master Certified Coach. Why so few? I'm about to find out. Competency No. 5, the podcast, explores how we maintain presence when we coach, lead, and live our lives. We interview coaches and others whose very livelihood depends upon staying calm and present with those they serve. We also chronicle my attempts (as a self-retired professor and global business reporter from New Zealand) to become an MCC coach. This effort requires beaucoup coaching hours, mentoring, and adhering strictly to the ICF's seven core competencies, especially the deceptively tricky Competency No. 5, maintaining presence. 

  1. 6d ago

    "Coming to a new country opens your eyes." Award-winning author and coach Lucy Chen on navigating cultural change

    When Lucy Chen moved to California, U.S. from Beijing, China in the early 90s, cultural confusion abounded. Presidents getting impeached? Strangers smiling and waving hello? And then nuanced confusions of her own, telling one person she was five foot 10 when five foot five, only because she calculated height so differently. "I didn't mean to mislead," Lucy remembers. "I was confused." Chen believes every expert has a story worth speaking and has gone on to write two beautiful books of her own, including one on the stories of her parents who prevailed over cultural revolution, food scarcity, and isolation. And the lessons those have brought her. This won her a narration award and several book awards.  We learn of her transitions to the U.S., what those taught her; career transitions and all that built towards what she does today: writing, speaking, and now publishing, encouraging others to tell their story, also in book form. Because real comfort, confidence, and truth comes from capturing our history/her-story.  Our Guest You can find Lucy Chen on LinkedIn. Find her Build Resilience: "Live, Learn, and Lead" book on Amazon. Our Host Debbi McCullough, is an executive communications coach for Fortune 500 leaders, a former reporter for the Guardian, the Economist, and the Financial Times. Book her for coaching, training or ICF mentoring here.   Join her training programs on Leland Coaching. Subscribe to her writings via Substack.

    "Coming to a new country opens your eyes." Award-winning author and coach Lucy Chen on navigating cultural change
  2. Aug 22

    Maintaining Presence Requires Taking No Notes When I Coach

    The Truman Capote technique, letting our senses remember the most important bits of a conversation, (which I learned in journalism school at UC Berkeley) works surprisingly well in coaching.  I realized this four years ago, when I tried taking notes amidst an early boom in my coaching business. Writing and then trying to read afterwards notes from ten sessions in one day was futile. So I stopped. And I let my memory serve me instead. Which it did, beautifully.  Over the last five years, I've coached over 10,000 sessions purely off of presence and curiosity. By memory, with no notes, I type up and share with my coachee a crisp, story-like summary after.  It takes me one to two minutes, in deep flow, to write up what I recall, in ways where clients feel tender and heard. I even remember details years later, if we reunite for friendship or more coaching. I'm convinced the reporting system I've devised helps connect us through the written word long after the coaching conversation ends, and that's what I'm sharing in these short essays, which I read for you in this week's Competency No 5 episode. [Publishing soon to Substack.] Your show host Debbi McCullough is an Economist and Financial Times-trained journalist who became a Master Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and a communications coach for newly-promoted or promoting Fortune 500 leaders. Book her for coaching, training or ICF mentoring here.   Train with her on Maven here.

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About

Around 4% of the 55,000 + coaches certified with the International Coaching Federation hold the revered status of Master Certified Coach. Why so few? I'm about to find out. Competency No. 5, the podcast, explores how we maintain presence when we coach, lead, and live our lives. We interview coaches and others whose very livelihood depends upon staying calm and present with those they serve. We also chronicle my attempts (as a self-retired professor and global business reporter from New Zealand) to become an MCC coach. This effort requires beaucoup coaching hours, mentoring, and adhering strictly to the ICF's seven core competencies, especially the deceptively tricky Competency No. 5, maintaining presence.