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Standards, Practices & Ethics Pledge

The ICF Philosophy and Definition of Coaching

The International Coach Federation adheres to a form of coaching that honors the client as the expert in his/her personal and/or professional life and believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach's responsibility is to:

1. Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
2. Encourage client self-discovery
3. Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
4. Hold the client as responsible and accountable

Definition of Coaching

Professional Coaching is an ongoing partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.

In each meeting, the client chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens and contributes observations and questions. This interaction creates clarity and moves the client into action. Coaching accelerates the client's progress by providing greater focus and awareness of choice. Coaching concentrates on where clients are today and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be tomorrow.

Pledge of Ethics

As a professional coach, I acknowledge and honor my ethical obligations to clients and colleagues. I pledge to conduct myself responsibly with the highest degree of integrity and accountability. I strive to do no harm to myself, to those I serve or to the coaching profession.

Standards of Conduct

1. I will treat all clients with dignity as free and equal human beings.
2. I will conduct myself in a manner that brings credit to myself, others, and the coaching profession.
3. I will identify my level of competence to the best of my ability and I will not misrepresent my qualifications, expertise, or experience as a professional coach.
4. I will, at the beginning of any coaching relationship, communicate clearly the terms of our agreement and the expectations of both parties.
5. I will not claim or imply outcomes that I cannot guarantee.
6. I will respect the confidentiality of client’s information except as released by the client, or as required by law.
7. I will obtain permission from each client before releasing their names as references.
8. I will recommend different coaches and/or different resources when the client’s situation requires this.
9. I will avoid conflicts of interest and will give notice of potential conflicts. I will directly address the potential conflict if I enter into a working relationship with a client in addition to a coaching relationship and will specifically agree with the client on how to avoid or manage any such conflict.
10. I will disclose all compensation I may receive for referrals or advice given to a client and ensure the client is aware of such interest.
11. I will respect the commercial aspects of agreements I make with the coaching client and the organization which compensates me, if separate. I will only make agreements that respect all parties and I will honor my agreements.
12. I will not offer professional information or advice I know to be confidential, misleading, or for which the accuracy is beyond my competence to assess.
13. I will endeavor to enhance public understanding and acceptance of professional coaching.
14. I will freely share my skills and practices with other interested coaches in the profession for the purpose of increasing our mutual level of knowledge and competence.
15. I will give full acknowledgment to the work and contributions of others.
16. I will respect copyrights, trademarks and intellectual property rights and comply with laws and my agreements concerning these rights.
17. I will use the ICF definition of coaching as a basis of my coaching practice.
18. I will inform my clients of my agreement to follow the Standards of Conduct of the ICF.

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