Competency No. 5
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.
Competency No. 5
”I discovered presence through training as a coach.” Coach Anna Damsma on intuition, creativity, and maintaining presence
For Anna Damsma, maintaining presence was not much on her radar when working as a consultant. Work was more about pouring in excellent advice and building profits.
But when later training to become a coach with the prestigious Co-active Coach Training Institute, Anna, based in the Amsterdam area, discovered three levels of listening existed. And level three listening—a universal level of listening which requires listening on a deeper, more full-sensory level, brought her extreme presence. “This felt so wonderful,” she recalls. “I’ve been hooked ever since.”
In our delightful conversation on how we both define and strive to maintain presence, even when the mindset and feeling feels unattainable, we hear of a woman who now builds her very day around creating moments of presence.
For Anna, that feeling of calm and bold intuition comes from setting her intention in the morning, visiting her garden often (and between calls). Presence comes from coaching, being with her family, and from immersing her hands in clay as a potter.
Whether we’re busy or not, we can learn lessons on maintaining presence as we coach, lead, and live our lives from our interview with Anna.
You can find Coach Anna Damsma on LinkedIn by clicking here. Find me, your show host, via my website, or find me also on Linkedin. Join my first workshop on Maven, Listen Like a Boss, here.
