Beyond the Badge | Week 3
ICF Core Competency 3: Establishes and Maintains Agreements
There was a moment during my PCC journey when a mentor paused me and asked:
“What exactly is the client asking to be coached on?”
I thought I knew.
The conversation had started well.
The client was speaking.
I was listening.
There was energy in the room.
But slowly, I realised something important.
We had entered the conversation.
But we had not fully established the agreement.
And without that clarity, even a good conversation can quietly drift.
That became a powerful learning for me.
Coaching is not just about moving forward.
It is about first agreeing on where we are going.
What does the client want from this conversation?
What would make this session meaningful?
What outcome are we partnering around?
What needs to be explored today – not someday?
For senior leaders, this becomes even more critical.
Their world is full of complexity. Multiple priorities.
Competing expectations. Strategic pressure. Unspoken dilemmas.
A coaching conversation must help them cut through the noise.
It must create clarity.
It must build alignment.
It must ensure that both coach and client are working on what truly matters.
For me, this competency – Establishes and Maintains Agreements – is the quiet architecture of meaningful coaching.
It reminds me that clarity is not a formality. It is the foundation.
And maintaining the agreement is equally important.
Because sometimes, halfway through a conversation, something deeper emerges.
The coach must notice it.
Name it. Check it. And partner with the client again.
My powerful learning from this competency:
“A clear agreement does not restrict the conversation. It gives the conversation direction, depth, and discipline”…..
And perhaps that is what makes coaching so valuable for leaders.
It does not allow thinking to wander endlessly.
It helps thinking become sharper.
More intentional. More useful.
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