From Unconscious Incompetence to Unconscious Competence – My Journey from Coach to Mentor

In my first post on the impact of the process of ICF credentialing, I wrote about how my faith in the coaching process grew as I embarked on a journey to enhance my capacity & ability to align my skills with better insights into my client’s mindsets. Coaches do need to focus on multiple aspects and there has to be a conscious effort at taking care of all the dynamics through awareness about their own sense of being and their coaching skills, the coachee’s mental and emotional space, their relationship with the coachee.

How do we get there? I believe I can best articulate the stages of this journey using the Conscious Competence Matrix as it helps understand the learning process that most coaches go through.

It all starts with a deep desire to coach and then being certified with a “What Next?” in mind. This is about going through the stages of Unconscious Incompetence where there may be little or no awareness of the complete relevance of the skill to Conscious Incompetence where there is awareness about the relevance & extent of further learning required. The duration of this stage depends entirely on the extent of awareness, depth of realization and the strength of the driving force or commitment to enhance the skills.

The next stage of Conscious Competence brings with it a certain level of confidence to concentrate and perform without any assistance. Most of us have been through numerous situations during our coaching conversations of being completely tongue tied, not knowing what to do next with respect to the client’s priorities, emotions or objectives. Some of us even face the challenge of managing time during the coaching session. This is where a commitment to continue practicing, realizing the relevance of what is not working and then making an effort to move to the next stage is most effective.

I realized that this shift from a stage of Conscious Competence to the fourth stage of Unconscious Competence took place when I started working towards earning my ACC Credential. The entire process of Mentoring brought with it new insights. When I started exploring each of the 11 Core Competencies, I understood the relevance, depth and nuances that each of these competencies bring to the coaching conversation. None of these competencies can be viewed in isolation and that each is dependent on the other. This awareness and assimilation takes place through the enriching process of Mentoring. This progression through the four stages comes with a sense of awakening and accomplishment. The practice of the skills makes the entire process ‘second nature’ as it enters the subconscious.

The awakening leads to a quiet inner calm – a state of mindfulness which is a beautiful place to coach from. It helps expand my mind and work with all the dynamics of a coaching conversation with complete calm and sense of being in the moment and supporting clients to integrate their thoughts to move towards the change they desire.

I tend to agree with a suggestion to add a fifth stage to the Conscious Competency Model which “indicates a stage where you can operate with fluency yourself on an instinctive level, but are also able to articulate what you are doing for yourself and others”. (Linda Gilbert). Isn’t this the stage most coaches aspire to be? This is where I would like to be throughout my career as a Coach and Mentor Coach!

If you’re a coach who is thinking of making the shift please visit http://www.symbiosiscoaching.com/accmentoring

or send an email to admin@symbiosiscoaching.com.