The Coaching Cafe Podcast

Coaching in action MCC - Part 2

• Open Door Coaching

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In the Coaching Café Podcast last week, we listened to the first half of a coaching demonstration focused on the highest level of coaching competency - the MCC level of coaching. We invited you to tune in deeply—listening for presence, partnership, curiosity, evoking awareness, and how the coach explored thinking at a deeper level. 

This week, we listen to and debrief the second half of the session. 

Whether you’re preparing for a credential or simply want to take your coaching to the next level, this is a powerful learning opportunity. 

Let’s listen. Let’s reflect. Let’s grow—together. 

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Watch the webinar of this episode on YouTube or read the blog by visiting our website.

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[Music] Well, it's a very good morning, a good afternoon, a good evening to you wherever you are listening to this coaching cafe. Welcome to the coaching cafe. My name is Natalie Ashton. From Opendoor Coaching and I am joined by the fabulous Bridget Calvert. Hello, Bridget. Hello there, Natalie. How are you? Great. Thank you. We've just been getting weather report from all around the world from last time. Please, Tokyo, Wellington, down the road in Sydney, over in Perth, all around the world, so, and Japan, so wonderful for everyone joining us today. Either live or on your favourite streaming service. Today, we're looking at coaching in action. We are looking at MCC level coaching and we're going to be looking at the second part of the coaching demonstration. So we have on our blog available for you, part one. And now we're going to pick up part two of our coaching demonstration. Before we begin, let's acknowledge the traditional owners, the custodians on the lands on which we all meet today, and they continue in connection to the land for waters, the communities of Australia, and the lands from all around the world which you're joining us. We always love to hear what you're joining us from. We pay our respects to them to elders past, present and emerging, and elders from Indigenous communities from all around the world. So our agenda for today, as I mentioned, is to listen to coaching in action, particularly to an MCC recording, the second part of our coaching recording. We're going to listen together, and then we're going to debrief the coaching session once we've listened to the recording. And if you are new to the community, welcome, we are all about creating a community, having shared learning experiences together, and of course having thought provoking conversations like we're having today together, you can feel free to interact with us in the chat box, if you like. And of course, if you are a regular welcome, you know we love to come together with you at this time, or perhaps you have a regular streaming time that you're listening to us, it's wonderful to have you on board with us. So please feel free to interact with us in the chat box, if you have any questions at all. Radio, so previously on our coaching demonstration, we were listening and listening out for the core competencies number three, establishing and maintaining agreement. We were listening to the coach core competency number four, cultivates trust and safety, listened to the coach around core competency number six, listens actively, and seven evokes awareness. And in the coaching conversation, the coach was using very curious exploring questions to try to understand why is this a challenge for the client. And we're talking about not just what the client wants to do, but who the client wants to be, who they want to become as a leader potentially throughout this process. And we heard the coach doing an amazing job to really hold the space for the client and allow the client to explore under the surface. In doing so in cultivating that trust and safety, the coach allowed the client to easily share their fears, the fears of the unknown and the known, and tap into the self-talk and the story they were telling themselves, all of those kind of things were drawn out by the active listening, the trust and the safety that the coach had actually shared. The coach is our very own fabulous Bridget Calvert. It is an MCC level recording and I am almost emotional, but hugely over the moon to share with you that since we met last, Bridget has actually passed to MCC, the knowledge test. And so she is Australia and possibly the world's newest MCC coach. So thank you. I know, we could just pause for a minute. I feel so emotional, so proud and I'm happy for you. Absolutely. I need to. Thank you for the recording. We get by act together. And so we knew that this already, that this recording with the MCC recording, but we had to wait to tell you about Bridget passing the MCC exam. So that has happened since we saw you last, which is great. And Bridget, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So couple of the congratulations coming. Absolutely. I can see them all coming through. Thank you so much, everyone. Yeah, fantastic. All right. So with that, we are listening to Australia and the world's brand new latest MCC coach. We knew it was a recording that had been approved as MCC through the International Coach Federation, but now we get to listen to it with that new lens as well. So here we go. We won't talk during the recording. We're going to pick it up just as the coach our MCC coach. What rules do you have? What rules have you set for yourself that allows us for you to be a challenge for yourself? It's a really powerful question. It builds on all the powerful questions of Bridget had already asked during the first half of the conversation. And now because of that trust and safety that's being built, it's a huge moment of a voking awareness for the client. And at this point at which we hit clearly into competency A facilitating growth for the client. Okay, so without further ado, we'll take our videos off and you can listen. We'll pick it up at that point. Beijing who they are and it's working so by side with some of these colleagues. So it's sort of all not sure how I feel about that. It sounds like that it's not just the fear of the unknown in terms of yourself, but what you do know about the environment in that particular. Yes. Then curious given that you're currently experiencing an 8/9 or 10 even. And yet this particular role has been thrown your way for consideration and yet you do have some insight around some important factors. So I'm wondering what rules have you set for yourself that allow this to be a challenge at all? This is a good question. I think gosh, this goes to the heart of it for me, I think that I've got to where I've got to by working with good people. And not always, but certainly recently and at the start and then the middle, you know, just some weird experiences but nothing too traumatic. But I think the rule that I have is that's not for me, those positions are not for me. I need to stay relatively, I don't know if it's low the word, but almost not invisible, but just to stay below the radar, it's not something I'm very comfortable to do to sit in to a different position where there's a lot of focus. So I think the rule is stay, stay slightly below the radar, do really good work. But don't kind of stick your head up and move into the more senior or more visible roles because then, you know, when you fall over it, you fall from height. So I think, I think that's probably one rule that I'm living by, that I'm not aware, that I'm living by so much. And how do you feel about that rule now that you've expressed it? It's been quite limiting and I've always looked at my career's slow and steady and I think it's been slow and steady because I've always been quite prepodacious around my progress, you know, being quite cautious, low risk adverse, stepping into roles that I know that I can do really well, which is kind of staying slightly below the radar, but then growing really well in the positions, because I, you know, have that mindset of just whatever it is, just work really hard. So this one that's come back a few times, it's almost like a ridiculous conversation to me, I'm just like, well, that's ridiculous. Why would you speak to me about that? Because it's taking me out of that comfort zone, I think, where I feel quite safe. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Safety and comfort. Yeah. Yeah, safety is hugely, hugely important for me. And I've never been one to play the political game either. I just shy away from that and I have no time for that. I don't think about how I could make a difference if I'm in a different role to influence that as well, to silence kind of those games if you like that are played. So I just stay away from it. Yeah. So I think, you know, you've expressed, I guess, what those internal advisors, I guess, say unto you internally, and I'm wondering if you were to go to someone that you really respected, you knew you well. What advice would they give you? They would probably, I'm thinking of the person who's come to me actually, who knows me well, would probably have a smile on their face to go, you know, we're having this conversation. It's the capability just to do it is almost stepping in, making the first step as the hardest thing. And they would probably say, do it. You've got good people around you in this space who are going to support you and help you to be successful. They equally wouldn't push me either, so they wouldn't say just, you know, so I think they would definitely just encourage me to just give it a go, in an environment that's relatively secure for me, whilst I learn the bits and pieces and then take it from there. But so I'm wondering Dominique reflecting back on our conversation so far, what are you learning? That I get in my way a lot and continue to do so, yeah. And I think that's why I brought this today because I know that I'm getting in my way and learnt about the rules that I've kind of living by as well, that rule around safety, keep low work hard, but don't go too far, because the risk is bigger there. So it does sound like it is an important challenge for you right now and focus something that you want to focus on. How will you know when you've been able to overcome this internal chatter and this feeling of wanting to stay play it safe? I think for me it's confidently getting curious about the opportunity and spending time, or this or other, you know, so it could be this or future, and getting really curious about how my experience and my values and my characteristics can make a difference. So rather than looking at an opportunity ago, well I can't do this and I haven't done that and this seems really overwhelming to me. It's turning it around into the possibility of how do I make this work? How does this fit in with what I have to offer? How will it meet my needs? So it turning it around to completely to how I'm looking at it at the moment, moving from why me to if it is me, then what? Yeah. So that ability to be confident and curious and look at the possibility and see how it might work for you. Now understanding that idea to move forward, if you were able to do that on a scale from one to ten, if you can, how comfortable you are with that idea? Where would you be? I would be seven or eight or I can get, because even saying it feels more powerful, and powerful in the sense of I'm in the driving seat rather than the panic and trying to back pedal as quickly as possible, which is the emotion that I felt recently was, oh my goodness, how do I get out of this conversation to put in myself in a driving seat to go, right, this is really interesting. Let's have that conversation. Yeah. So it sounds like you're already telling yourself something different. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And moving forward then, how will you now approach this this conversation, this opportunity? Yeah. Well, I'm thinking as we're talking that I'm going to go back to this person and have a different conversation. And it's not about, right, I want to be, I'm in it, it's more, let's have that conversation around what it is about this role that I can, what can I bring to this role? And I think it's just more of a fruitful explorative, you know, exploration around the ins and outs rather than, I can't do this and that's something new to me. So that, and I think that's a very different type of conversation. Well, it is completely different to the one I had last week, which was just a straight note. Sure. Okay. And I think now that you're challenging the narrative and recognising that there could be potential opportunity, I'm wondering, what do you bring given your experience? It's that you had, what do you bring to a role such as that? Yeah. For me, it's about knowing people really well and knowing what motivates and engages people and teams and adding a commercial lens to that. So ultimately there's a business, there's always a business to run underneath that. But without really, really good, well-intentioned humans doing the work, there's no business. And a comfort level to have the hard conversation and to ask the all-conquestions as well. And whether that's one in one or an open forum. So it's a, I think, and that's over years of different experience, very focused and driven, and organised and all of those sort of good business acumen things that sit in the background. But also really good at surrounding myself with people who are very good at what they do, to combat the things that I'm not good at as well. So working to everyone's strengths. So yeah, I often talk in the different roles that I've had as you can teach most people, most things, but learning how to work with humans sometimes is the hardest part. And you either, sometimes you either have it or you don't know what makes people tick and I know what makes people tick. So for me, I think that's the starting point for most things. Lovely, it sounds like the obstacle that you raised around yourself getting in your own way, essentially the resource and the support is you and what you bring people. At the start of this conversation, you were concerned about potentially the environment or some of the people and it sounds like you do have the skill set and you do have the strength to be able to work in a way that's going to make it experience maybe. What do you think? That makes me nervous. Yeah, no, it's exciting and nerve-wracking because that question you asked around, so what are your values? That was quite an imposing question for me. I'm just as difficult because most people just know it because you're in space and they just know what you do. So talking, sort of articulating it is a good thing for me to do and to sit comfortable in that place to go, this is what I do bring through my years of experience and owning it because that's what I tell other people, I said you just got to own your space. So that was quite a good process for me just to answer that question. Yeah, and you mentioned the words excited and nervous and I wonder if the nerves were there to support you and to be your friend, what would the nerves be telling you? The nerves would be saying this is a good feeling because it's unknown and it's new, so it's a challenge and you're learning new things and it's going to be okay, you know, we just pick up and carry on basically. I think that's what would be happening there. I know. Yeah, one of the next steps you then, Dominique, I'm going to go back and have this conversation with this person and just explore it with them quite differently to what I did earlier. Wonderful. Yeah, and I think thinking about the week, we've got a meeting on Monday, I'll probably do that on Monday. So Monday coming. What are the resources or support do you need? I think I want to write some thoughts down for myself after the session today and make some notes around the conversation that we've had and do some reflection and then dive into the conversation. I don't think I need to speak to anyone else at this point. And thinking about our conversation today when we started and where we are right now, I'm wondering what stands out for you as being a key learning? I think some of the questions were really pivotal for me around thinking about the role that I'm playing in my own decisions and in my own life versus the stories I'm creating about the unknown and what I think could happen. And again, I always say control, the controlable, so how I think and feel about that is in my hands and in my control, but I've been I think comfortably letting that go because it's more comfortable. So I'm probably learning there's a balance for me of feeling comfortable versus the stories I'm creating to keep me away from whatever might be next. So whatever that looks like. Dominic, is there anything else that you'd like to talk about now that's going to make this conversation more complete for you? I think I'm done. All good. Yeah, really good. Thank you. Thanks Dominic and thank you for your vulnerability. Thank you for sharing and thank you for the conversation. No, thank you. That was awesome. Thanks so much, Bridget. You're listening to the Open Door Coaching Coaching Cafe podcast and for more information on programs run by Open Door Coaching, head to our website at opendoorcoaching.com.au. Now back to the podcast. Well, I really wanted the recording to go all the way to the end because for those of you that maybe are working at the certificate for in workplace and business coaching level, you'll hear the MCC coach doing those basics as well towards the end there in terms of what would you like to have this, what are you learning from the conversation and what would make this more complete for you? So even though we are building on our skills, you're still here in MCC co-op to do the most important essentials in terms of the ISEF core competency. So if you're like me, well, you'll listen to this over and over again because there's so much that we can actually gain from this recording in terms of how Bridget establishes the agreement at the beginning, allows that trust and safety to build throughout the coaching conversation, listening actively and then giving back the client the insights coming from her words. But truly, if you're like me, you will have written down all of those questions. I've probably listened to this recording four or five times and each time I've listened to it with new ears writing down those questions because I even as MCC myself can become a better coach by listening to the recording. So it's about evoking awareness and facilitating that client growth. And we really listened to the second half of the recording where because the trust and safety was already built, it really allowed the space for the coach to bring those incredible evoking awareness questions. Are questions like what rules have you set for yourself that allows us to be a challenge? How do you feel about this rule now that you've expressed it? What have you learned? How will you know that you've been able to overcome the internal chatter? So the evoking awareness, but also very craftfully putting a measurement so that the client has awareness of the measurement as well. And then of course, drawing on the client's stress, asking the question in now that you are challenging the know. So now that you yourself are challenging the know that you've had in the past, what do you bring to the situation? So the coach is really drawing on the client's strengths there. And of course, we got those beautiful questions about if you went to an advisor, what might they say, what stands out? So you in terms of the key learning. So these are all opportunities for the coach to do the work in terms of what they're learning and gaining themselves. So there are my insights that I want to offer. Bridge, what would you also like to offer? And thank you Brett for also acknowledging the gentle, the calmness, the empathy, the gentleness and the calmness of asking the questions, meeting the coach at their level, working with them at a pace and a kind of a tone and a calmness to help the client work through that. Bridge, your insights having listened to your own MCC recording. Thanks, Nath and thanks, Brett. Yes, I wrote down, obviously the questions that you've just highlighted, Nath, I also wrote down too. And I want to also reiterate what you've said about the certificate for questions because they are splattered, they are our foundation tool. So even the, you know, if you went to someone that you really respected, what, what, what advice might they give you, that comes from our, the, our certificate for program. You know, the scaling questions, I'm a big fan of scaling questions, you know, scaling question around comfort and to, to gauge where someone's at, the strength space question, you know, is, is it from our certificate for program to, you know, you mentioned all the questions I've written down exactly the same, the same ones. It was really a lot of core competency seven around evoking awareness. I think a lot of those questions and a sat in that space, helping the client to sort of explore new and expanded ways of thinking beyond their current level of thinking there. And what can I add to what you've said? I think you've covered everything, their resources and support, key learnings, a couple of observations were made too, which is also part of that evoking awareness piece, you know, around telling yourself something different and reframing challenge to strength. as well, was, was an observation. So yes, so some open, open questions there, all open questions that evoke awareness and a little obviously with a facilitating client growth moving forward in terms of steps to move forward, that trust and safety, I believe, was there throughout and that listening actively allowing the space. So I don't know, they've added anything to what you've said, but I picked up the same as what you did, Nat. I think the big difference that you'll notice even in the different coaching conversations we've listened to over the previous couple of weeks as well is truly how Bridget holds the space without the need to add bits and pieces in. So I'm a little bit more vocal in my coaching, that's the, you know, you know, like I make a few more noises place of those because that's my natural style, but the truly ability that we've heard to sit in the space and allow the client to explore the client is really struggling, self-talk with an opportunity and Bridget's coaching presence is what I really want to point out here in terms of allowing the client to just explore and when the clients, when you could hear when that, when that question landed around, what rules have you set for yourself, the client has said, oh, good question. There was a big pause and the client said, well, that goes to the heart of it. So these are the kind of things where potentially if you're a bit more of an extroverted coach, you might use a little bit more verbal there, but the no verbals and the actual true pause is something that you can really work on. So it's not a bad thing if you're that, and there are a little bit extra, but what I really have to work on, even though I have my MCC is doing exactly what Bridget did, still bringing yourself to the conversation so you're not a nobody in the conversation, but really thinking about the use of silence even more. And as Sinaly pointed out, thank you, well done, really helpful to hear how you kept the questions brief and clear, very nice insight. Thank you, because it's tempted to repeat yourself and to explain the point you've already made and to convey my point, Sinaly is a bit like me, a little bit more verbal. So something for us to all learn about how we can still maintain that presence without the extra. And I appreciate that Sinaly, I do pick up though, there was a couple of questions I did repeat or rephrase there. So even at this level, we're always going to be reflecting back on what could have done differently. I think there were two questions there that I repeated, and I listening to it thinking, oh, I asked the question, stay out of the space. I'm always saying it, so there's a couple of things there for me. That's something that I also need to, you know, occasionally pull back on. Yes, and as we always do, we listen back to the recordings, we think about how we could have done a better recognising that in the moment in the coaching presence there, that the coach and the client are working together. So both of them might not have even picked that up, but you know, on reflection, we're listening back to how we could even we can grow from the conversations as well. So there you have it, everybody. Take the time to listen again and again listen for the different competencies as you do that. And could I just also recognise our coach, Dominique, for her vulnerability and her willingness and permission to allow us to learn, not only from this coaching recording, but from her as a leader, struggling with different things and also, you know, tapping into her gifts and her strengths as a leader. So we acknowledge Dominique in this process as well. So there you have it, everybody. We have programs coming up towards the end of the year, which we're excited to be delivering to you. Certificate forum workplace and business coaching, the diploma of leadership coaching is coming up as well. So contact us for further information. So we are not going to see you next week because we are on a break the week after. We welcome you back to talk about the newly released ICF core competencies and there will be a touch of controversy. There you go. You can join us in two weeks time when we talk about the new ICF core competencies in the meantime, as we always say, most importantly, enjoy your coaching and enjoy making a difference that you do. Thanks for joining us today. Thanks, everyone.