Module 8 - Ethical Considerations for Your Coaching Business

There was once a time when business leaders could just tell the public “trust me to do the right thing” and they would. Then, with increased regulation and pressures, businesses were asked to show they were working to ethical standards through their own reporting.

Businesses are entering a new era, the “prove to me” era. “Trust me” and “show me” are no longer considered good enough. There is a growing demand for businesses not only to say they are ethical, but to prove they have ethical values embedded throughout their organisation at every step. Would you trust your doctor’s office to keep your medical records confident simply by them saying “I promise I won’t tell anyone”? Probably not!

Professional Coaching is no different. As a coach, you will be told sensitive personal and professional information by your clients as they start to open up and learn more about themselves. As a coach, it’s your responsibility to create a safe, productive and private environment that will build trust and create an environment for them to be honest with you and themselves.

The International Coach Federation has taken the lead in developing ethical standards among its members that every professional coach (certified or not) should read and adapt to their business. Through its own Code of Ethics, Ethical Conduct Review Process, Program Complaint Process and Independent Review Board (IRB), The International Coach Federation sets professional coaching standards while also giving consumers a venue to file ethics complaints about ICF Members, ICF Credential-holders or ICF-approved training programs. Should you decide to become a member of the ICF, it would be required to know and abide by these standards in your business model.

The Code of Ethics for the International Coach Federation is broken down into 5 sections:

Section 1: Professional Conduct at Large

Section 2: Conflicts of Interest

Section 3: Professional Conduct with Clients

Section 4: Confidentiality/Privacy

Section 5: Continuing Development

Each section is then broken down into a list of “ethical do’s and don’t” that provide guidelines for avoiding risky scenarios that could potentially put you or your client in a sticky situation. For more information on the ICF Code of Ethics, visit here.

For those not affiliated with the ICF, maintaining a Code of Ethics in your business is not only beneficial for your clients, it’s good for the reputation of your business as a whole. Being a coach your clients know they can trust is more likely to generate referrals and help build your business by word of mouth. If you’ve created an online marketing campaign for yourself (which I highly recommend), securing positive testimonials and reviews of your business can bump you to the next level of success almost instantly.