Beyond the Badge | Week 1
ICF Core Competency 1: Demonstrates Ethical Practice
My PCC badge was a milestone.
But my real learning began much before the badge arrived.
It began in Quiet conversations. Difficult conversations.
Conversations where a client paused, looked within, and trusted me with something deeply personal.
And in those moments, I understood something very powerful:
In coaching, trust is built by what we ‘protect’….
The client’s story.
Their silence. Their vulnerability.
Their pace. Their agenda. Their right to choose.
During my PCC journey, when I immersed myself in the ICF Code of Ethics and Core Competencies, “Demonstrates Ethical Practice” did not feel like a compliance requirement. It felt like a mirror.
It asked me some powerful questions like :
Am I honoring the client’s confidentiality?
Am I clear about the boundaries of coaching?
Am I serving the client’s agenda – or quietly pushing mine?
Am I holding power with responsibility?
These questions stayed with me.
Coaching is a sacred partnership where the client remains whole, resourceful, capable, and in charge of their journey.
That is why ethical practice is the first competency.
It is the foundation.
Before presence. Before listening.
Before evoking awareness. Before action.
📚My powerful learning from this competency:
“𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.”
As I continue this journey as a PCC coach, I carry this responsibility with deep humility.
To hold conversations with integrity.
To create spaces where leaders feel safe to think aloud.
To honor the human being behind the designation.
And to impact more lives – one ethical, meaningful conversation at a time.
The badge is visible.
The practice must be invisible, consistent, and uncompromising.
Ping me for a Virtual coffee.
No agenda. No obligation. Just two professionals sharing learning and exploring possibilities….
Chander Sharma
Executive Coach | Leadership Coach | Facilitator | Conversationalist