WABC Certified Master Business Coach®
(CMBC®)
The Definitive Credential for Experienced Business Coaches™
How to Apply
Table of Contents
3
Introduction to this Guide
Part One: Overview of the CMBC®
Coach®
WABC Certified Master Business
Not Just Another Coaching Credential
Five Reasons to Get the CMBC®
Learn While You Earn
Are You Eligible?
(CMBC®)
Part Two: Applying for and Earning the CMBC®
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5
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Submission Process
Assessment Process
Time Lines
Assessment Criteria
Re-Certification
Fees
Master’s Degree in Business Coaching
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Part Three: Frequently Asked Questions
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Part Four: CMBC® Portfolio Items
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Overview of the CMBC® Portfolio
Supporting Items
Creating Item 1: Standard Cover Page
Creating Item 2: Standard First Page
Creating Item 3: Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Creating Item 4: Job Description(s)
Creating Item 5: Business Coaching Competencies Analysis
Creating Item 6: Critical Career Review
Creating Item 7: One Supervision Report, Two Referee Reports
Reflective Items
Creating Item 8: Prior Education and Training Claim
Creating Item 9: Experiential Learning Claim
Creating Item 10: Reflective Essay
Creating Item 11: Optional Reflective Exercises
Part Five: Optional Reflective Exercises
Exercise 1: Business Coaching Themes
Exercise 2: Identifying Areas of Learning
Exercise 3: Analyzing Learning Styles, Personal Learning Contexts and Approaches to
Learning
Exercise 4: Investigating Your Learning Categories as a Methodology for Developing a
Learning Model
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Select Bibliography
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Appendices
Appendix A: Business Coaching Definition and Competencies
Appendix B: Supervisor and Referee Forms
Appendix C: How to Gather and Present Evidence
Appendix D: Ethics and Plagiarism
Appendix E: Research Behind the CMBC® Credential
Appendix F: Profile of the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches
Appendix G: Profile of the Professional Development Foundation
Appendix H: Profile of Middlesex University
Appendix I: Profiles of the International Expert Panel
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Checklist
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2
INTRODUCTION TO THIS GUIDE
This guide has been developed by the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches in partnership with
the Professional Development Foundation, an academic body accredited by Middlesex University, to help
candidates apply for the Certified Master Business Coach® (CMBC®) designation.
Part One of the guide presents an overview of the CMBC® credential. You can read in brief about the
credential’s purpose, development, major benefits and eligibility requirements.
Part Two explains how to apply for the CMBC®, how to prepare your portfolio, how you will be assessed
and how you can get re-certified. It outlines the fee structure for obtaining and keeping the credential. It
also gives basic information about applying your CMBC® towards a master’s degree in business coaching.
Part Three answers some frequently asked questions about the CMBC® credential and the process
leading up to it.
Part Four describes in detail the items you must include in your portfolio, and gives instructions and
advice for making the most of your submission.
Part Five offers reflective exercises that will guide you through the thinking involved in preparing some of
the portfolio items.
In the guide’s appendices, you will find the detailed competencies of a business coach, advice on how to
gather and present evidence, notes about ethics and plagiarism, background about the research behind
the CMBC® and other useful information.
As you read this guide, please keep in mind that the CMBC® is a thoroughly researched, targeted
credential that was developed to meet rigorous standards. We want to do all we can to make the
experience of applying for this credential a rewarding, educational and successful one for you. If you need
more information at any point, please contact us.
Email:
enquiries@pdf.net
Phone:
+44 (0) 207 987 2805
Mail:
PDF.net
39 Harvey Lane
Norwich, NR7 0BZ
Norfolk, England
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PART ONE:
OVERVIEW OF THE CMBC®
1. WABC Certified Master Business Coach® (CMBC®)
The definitive credential for experienced business coaches™
It has been an ongoing goal for the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC) to define and
standardize the competencies that underlie business coaching and that set our industry apart from other types
of coaching.
Since 1997, WABC has worked hard to reach this goal. We’ve reviewed international studies and coaching
models; we’ve consulted experienced business coaches and clients; we’ve drafted frameworks and
questionnaires for review by our International Expert Panel. And we’ve seen tangible results—a definition of
business coaching, agreed-upon competencies, and a system of credentials and standard of training for
business coaches.
The WABC Certified Master Business Coach® (CMBC®) has been one of our biggest achievements along the
way. This master-level designation is designed exclusively for business coaches. It’s based on the real-world
competencies of working professionals in all environments: small and large businesses, governments,
institutions, nonprofits—any organization where business coaches practice. It recognizes mastery gained
through both experience and training. And the process of applying for the designation is, in and of itself, a
rewarding learning exercise. The CMBC®, more than any other designation, distinguishes our emerging
profession and singles out those who have advanced and legitimate experience, skills and training in our field.
2. Not Just Another Coaching Credential
WABC has done more than any other organization to identify the tasks, qualities and skills of the business
coach. Working from this foundation, we can offer you a professional designation that is unlike any other.
 Specialized. This is no all-purpose coaching or consulting credential. The CMBC® certifies that you are
a true master business coach. It says your experience and training are specific to business coaching
and meet the highest professional standards.
 Valid. This is no lightweight credential. The CMBC® is based on years of research, development and
testing. Your submission will be evaluated by independent expert assessors, and you must re-certify
regularly.
 Rigorous. This is no paper exercise. The CMBC® involves serious professional development. Acquiring
this credential is a challenging learning process that will earn you university credit.
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3. Five Reasons to Get the CMBC®
WABC’s master credential is the product of sound research as well as collaboration with senior business
coaches, expert educators and the renowned UK-based Professional Development Foundation. Attaining the
CMBC® is a major undertaking that carries a huge payoff. Here are just five ways you can benefit.
1. Advertise Your Mastery
The CMBC® is reserved for individuals with at least five years of business coaching experience, plus enough
learning, positive work reports and reflective ability to meet our high assessment standards. This prestigious
credential tells clients, prospective clients and colleagues that you are a master in your field.
2. Distinguish Yourself as a Business Coach
The CMBC® is exclusively designed for and awarded to business coaches. Business coaching is unlike any
other coaching or related occupation, which is why it needs a credential of its own. The CMBC® confirms that
you have the specialized expertise and knowledge that our distinct field demands.
3. Enhance Your Professional Development
The CMBC® is an in-depth professional development exercise based on advanced adult learning principles.
Preparing your submission involves personal reflection, reading, online work, shared learning with peers,
guidance from your program adviser and feedback from your assessors—all of which will deepen your skills and
strengthen your practice.
4. Raise the Profile of the Emerging Profession
The CMBC® comes at a time when many are designating themselves as coaches and claiming to offer valuable
services. That’s why it is critical to distinguish our emerging profession and those who have legitimate skills and
training in it. By earning our master-level designation, you will play a part in raising the status of our industry and
the standards of your fellow professionals.
5. Earn University Credits
The CMBC® earns you 180 learning credits under the UK university system (45 credit hours in the United States
and 90 ECTS points in Europe). You can use half of these credits towards a master’s degree from Middlesex
University. For more information, see Fast Track to a Master’s Degree in Business Coaching.
4. Learn While You Earn
From the outset, WABC envisioned a credential that does more than just recognize experience and training.
Earning the CMBC® is a powerful learning experience. In creating your portfolio, you will reflect on your
professional practice—the learning you’ve brought to it and gained from it, the models and ethics you adhere to,
the areas where you excel and need development. The CMBC® not only recognizes your superior practice; it
improves that practice, taking you to a new level as a business coach.
5. Are You Eligible?
You can apply for the CMBC® if you meet the following requirements:
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1. WABC Membership
You must be a Full Member of WABC in good standing and maintain all the membership standards.
2. Established Practice
You must have been actively engaged in business coaching for at least five years. Your CV must describe and
document this established practice.
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PART TWO:
APPLYING FOR AND EARNING THE CMBC®
To apply for the CMBC®, you submit a portfolio that presents evidence of master-level learning and that reflects
on and synthesizes that learning. Based on the portfolio, you are assigned credit for your prior learning, which
includes your training and education as well as your experiential learning, typically gained from professional
experience.
The following sections describe how to apply for the CMBC®, how your submission is assessed, how the
designation is awarded and how to maintain your certification.
The submission, assessment and re-certification processes are all conducted independently of WABC by the
Professional Development Foundation (PDF) and Middlesex University. WABC awards the CMBC® to
successful candidates based on recommendations from these two bodies.
1. Submission Process
The CMBC® runs an Assessment Board (the final decision-making stage) three times a year. You can
submit to any of the boards.
Step 1: Apply and Pay the Fee
Provided you are eligible for the CMBC®, you can contact WABC for an application form. The form asks you
some basic questions about yourself and your practice. You also have to declare that you meet the eligibility
requirements. (We reserve the right to ask for proof that you meet them.)
Please realize that because this form is processed outside WABC (by PDF), the admissions department may
not be aware of information that’s in your WABC files. So please fill out the application form completely and
accurately.
Step 1 requires that you make full payment (see “Fees” on page 12).
Step 2: Get Accepted
Within five working days from when PDF receives your application and payment, you will be scheduled for a
telephone interview with a PDF representative. He or she will advise you on the requirements of the CMBC®
process and will identify the professional development benefits you’re seeking.
If for any reason the representative feels the program is not suitable for you, you will be notified by telephone,
given full feedback and have your fee refunded (see Part Three, Frequently Asked Questions, for more about
refunds).
If the interview is satisfactory and you are accepted, you will be notified by email. The email will inform you about
your program resources and your adviser. It will also assign you a username and password for PDF Learning
Net, the online environment you’ll use to interact with other candidates and get access to bulletins, special
resources and other valuable information as you complete your portfolio.
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Step 3: Prepare Your CMBC® Portfolio
The broad purpose of your portfolio is to request credit for prior learning you’ve gained through training
and experience. Part Four of this guide provides detailed instructions on what to include in your portfolio
and advice on how to make the most of your submission.
In preparing your CMBC® portfolio, you must reflect extensively on your practice as a business coach and
draw upon your full range of experience. Your adviser, who is also a trained assessor for the program, is
there to guide you through this intensive process and give you feedback as you build your portfolio.
Once you and your adviser are satisfied that your portfolio is ready, you can submit it through PDF
Learning Net.
Some Notes on the Submission Process

You must submit your final portfolio to your program adviser by the deadline you both agree on.

You are strongly advised to submit your CMBC® portfolio only when you and your adviser both decide
it's ready. Remember, your adviser is a trained assessor, so you should seek his or her advice. If you
choose to submit against your adviser’s advice, your portfolio will still be independently evaluated
following the normal procedure. The assessors will not be aware that your adviser has expressed
reservations.

PDF cannot guarantee the safe receipt of your portfolio or portions of it. You should therefore take
precautions in case of failed delivery.

Your portfolio or portions of it will not be returned to you except as part of the assessment process.
2. Assessment Process
Your portfolio goes through two assessment stages, involving three independent assessors, before
undergoing a final evaluation by an Assessment Board. This staged assessment assures you a fair
evaluation and gives you an opportunity to learn along the way.
Your adviser is there to discuss the assessments with you and give feedback on any resubmission.
The assessors (and your adviser) are all experienced individuals who are specifically trained for the
CMBC® process and approved by Middlesex University. They submit their own portfolios to establish their
credentials and go through two days of training. After doing three assessments under supervision, they
write a report and reflection on their work, which is then evaluated. Then each individual is mentored for a
year (at least 10 assessments) before working as a full assessor.
Stage 1: First Assessment
Within 10 working days from when PDF receives your portfolio, a trained assessor will review it. The
assessor will then notify you of the status of the assessment and give you a constructive critique. You may
be invited for a dialogue.
If the first assessor finds your CMBC® portfolio satisfactory, it passes on to the second stage.
If the first assessor finds your CMBC® portfolio unsatisfactory (unable to receive full credit), it is returned to
you. You have 20 days to modify it and resubmit.
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If you think your returned portfolio is satisfactory without changes, you may ask for the second assessment
to proceed. However, if the second assessor also finds your work unsatisfactory, your portfolio will be
returned and will not be assessed further until you’ve made definitive changes—changes that must be
recognized and certified by your adviser before a third assessment is permitted. Working closely with your
adviser can prevent this problem.
Stage 2: Second and Third Assessments
The second stage begins either when the first assessor passes along your portfolio, when you resubmit
your portfolio, or (if we receive no instructions) when 20 days have passed from your first assessment.
Two trained assessors independently assess your portfolio (or your modified portfolio, if applicable).
Afterwards they jointly create a constructive critique of your work and agree on a recommendation to the
Assessment Board. In the rare event of a disagreement between the two assessors, a senior assessor will
moderate.
Your portfolio will not be returned to you for improvement during the second stage.
Stage 3: Final Judgment
The final judgment about awarding credits is made by the Assessment Board, which consists of
representatives from PDF and Middlesex University along with an external examiner (a senior academic
from another university). There is no appeal of the Assessment Board’s final judgment, though appeals
based on process are permitted (see Part Three, Frequently Asked Questions).
You will receive a certificate stating the number of credits you have been awarded. If you’re awarded the
full 180 credits, WABC will grant you the CMBC® designation within 30 business days (provided you’re a
WABC Full Member in good standing).
If you’re awarded fewer than 180 credits, you’ll be given specific requirements for producing a future
submission (not necessarily as long as the first) to earn the remaining credits. You will also get information
to help you form a plan of learning. You may complete the designation after one year and up to three years
from the date of receiving partial credit.
The assessment process is independent and rigorous, under
the auspices of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher
Education, which maintains standards across the UK.
Universities and within international conventions.
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3. Time Lines
You must complete the CMBC® process within the period agreed upon with your adviser. You will set a
target date within one month of being accepted into the program.
Please keep in mind that the assessment stages take time. Stages 2 and 3 combined may take up to two
months. This time is necessary to make sure your assessment is valid and reliable.
Normally, your completion period should be no more than 12 months. But you will not be penalized for
completing quickly; in fact, most candidates will finish in three to six months.
The completion date you set will depend on your commitments, your reflective ability and the organization
and quality of your professional records. If you normally keep detailed records and notes, you will take less
time to put together your portfolio.
You are allowed one extension to your completion date without penalty. You must request the extension
within the first three months. After three months, extensions will be accepted only if you have extenuating
circumstances or if you pay a continuation fee (25% of the full fee). This limited extension policy
recognizes that self-discipline is part of being a professional, and that resources (such as your adviser)
cannot be allocated indefinitely.
4. Assessment Criteria
The CMBC® process acknowledges that applicants are all individuals who will bring their own unique
experience and learning to building their portfolio. That’s why each portfolio is evaluated individually, by
three independent assessors. However, all portfolios must meet certain criteria to be awarded credit.
The assessors determine the amount of credit using the WABC Academic Credit Scale. This scale was
designed to cover the entire range of requirements of the CMBC® designation.
Broad Criteria
Your CMBC® portfolio must include content that covers two basic areas.

Evidence of master-level ability. You must demonstrate, with evidence, that you have achieved the
necessary level of professional competencies and have a proven commitment to professional
development. You will demonstrate this through various items in your portfolio (see Part Four),
including but not limited to a CV, videotapes, audiotapes, written work, photographs, business plans,
products, case studies, certificates, correspondence and statements by associates and clients,
referee reports, client references and evidence of completed courses.

Reflection on prior learning. You must reflect on and synthesize your past learning. This learning
includes both your training and education and your experiential learning, typically gained from
professional experience. You will capture your reflections in various items in your portfolio (see Part
Four), including but not limited to a reflective essay, completed questionnaires, a description of a
model of practice, commentaries on your evidence, and records of conversations with advisers,
clients and others.
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Specific Criteria
Your CMBC® portfolio must show, backed by evidence, that you have reached a standard of competence as a
master business coach. This standard may have come about through various combinations of training and
professional development, the work you do and your reflection on the theory and experience that inform that
work. More specifically, your portfolio must do the following:







show evidence of your training and professional experience at the master level
reflect on and synthesize prior learning
show evidence of competent practice
show evidence of ethical practice
show evidence of master-level competencies under five major themes (see below)
describe a coherent model of practice (see below)
provide corroboration from others (reports from supervisors, etc.)
These criteria do not need to be met sequentially in your portfolio. More likely, elements of them
will be scattered throughout.
Required Themes
Either throughout your portfolio or in a specific item (most likely Item 9: Experiential Learning Claim), you
must cover the five themes that WABC research has determined as being part of the career of any
professional business coach. You must show how you have manifested these themes in your practice.
You don’t need to refer to the themes by name in your portfolio, but you do need to cover them, explicitly
or implicitly. For example, to address Theme 5 on ethical practice, it must be clear in your portfolio that you
have learned what ethical practice is and have demonstrated it in your work.
Theme 1: Business coaches as professional practitioners
Theme 2: Inquiry and communication
Theme 3: Business coaching practice and understanding
Theme 4: Personal and professional development
Theme 5: Ethical and competent practice
The themes are described in detail in Part Five, Exercise 1.
Model of Practice
The word “model” here is used in a broad sense. Your entire portfolio, especially the reflective items, must
establish a clear picture of your model of practice as a business coach. This guide contains many
resources designed to help you reflect on and articulate your model of practice.
5. Re-Certification
WABC intends the CMBC® to be a statement of professional credibility, not just a record of achievement. A
Certified Master Business Coach® must be a demonstrably active business coach practitioner.
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The CMBC® is therefore an ongoing credential that requires renewal every five years. To get re-certified, you
must do two things:


remain a Full Member of WABC in good standing at all times
show that you have kept your learning and practice up to date through appropriate
professional development activity
To show the latter, you must submit a record of continuing professional development, which will be evaluated
independently, by PDF. Evidence of professional development might include attendance at conferences and
workshops, work-based learning, training and supervision activities, research, presentations and involvement
with WABC or other professional associations.
You will receive a guide to completing the record of professional development when you apply for recertification.
6. Fees
We are pleased to offer the CMBC® designation, and the university credits that come with its successful
completion, for the price of ₤5,200. Currency Converter
This one-time fee covers all costs leading to the designation: materials, adviser assistance, assessments, use of
normal resources and the designation certificate.
Fees are due when you complete the online application form, or within 30 days of the application date if paying
by check or money order. See Part Three, Frequently Asked Questions, for information on refunds.
Re-certification every five years carries an additional nominal fee (approximately ₤150).
The CMBC® is an advanced professional credential from WABC, so full membership in WABC is a requirement
at all times. Annual membership fees are not included in the above fees.
7. Master’s Degree in Business Coaching
The CMBC® designation is part of a progression of continuing professional development. The designation
is valued at 180 learning credits under the UK university system (45 credit hours in the United States and
90 ECTS points in Europe).
You can use 90 of these learning credits towards a Master of Arts in Professional Development (Business
Coaching) from Middlesex University. Then you just need to earn 90 new credits from degree work, which
includes three modules of work-based research culminating in the completion of a research project.
Pursuing this master’s degree counts towards WABC’s re-certification requirements.
For more information, see Fast Track to a Master’s Degree in Business Coaching.
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PART THREE:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How is the CMBC® designation different from or better than other credentials?
The CMBC® is truly unique. It differs from other credentials in a number of ways:

It is sponsored by an international professional business coaching association (WABC).

It is focused on business coaching, not coaching in general.

It offers certification at the mastery level of expertise.

It was developed with the involvement of broad stakeholders, including business coaches (internal
and external), training bodies and client groups (businesses and other organizations).

Its assessment processes are rigorous and independent. Independent assessors from PDF and
from Middlesex University, an international leader in work-based professional development
programs, evaluate candidates’ portfolios, award credit and report their decisions to WABC.

It rewards successful candidates in two ways—with the WABC Certified Master Business Coach®
designation, and with 180 learning credits, half of which can be used towards the Master of Arts in
Professional Development (Business Coaching) at Middlesex University.

It will seek independent confirmation of its relevance. WABC aims to eventually have the CMBC ®
credential process recognized by independent certifying agencies around the world, such as the
National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) in the United States.
I already hold various credentials. Will they be accepted?
The CMBC® assessment process recognizes your prior experience, including existing credentials and
designations from WABC and other organizations. You are encouraged to include details of your credentials and
training in your portfolio, so that any credit they carry can be recognized and counted towards the CMBC®
designation.
The CMBC® is an advanced award for experienced business coaches. While other credentials may count
towards the designation, it is extremely unlikely that they will constitute full equivalence.
WABC is cooperating with other professional bodies to determine the relationships between different credentials
in the field.
What are the roles of the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches, the Professional
Development Foundation, Middlesex University and the International Expert Panel?
The Worldwide Association of Business Coaches is the driving force behind this new, advanced, rigorous
credential. WABC owns the CMBC® designation program and the rights to the designation mark, and has the
sole right to confer the designation on successful candidates.
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WABC sought the expertise of the Professional Development Foundation (PDF) to research and develop this
new credential, including researching the business coaching competencies on which the credential is based. As
well, WABC wanted to keep assessment, administration and evaluation of the CMBC® at arm’s length to keep
the process independent and transparent. Therefore, PDF provides program development, administration,
learning support and expert advice for the credential. Assessment is conducted jointly by PDF and Middlesex
University.
Middlesex University, besides conducting assessments, provides the university credits that are awarded to
successful candidates. It also confers the Master of Arts in Professional Development (Business Coaching)
degree that is open to holders of the CMBC® .
In the initial stages, WABC assembled an International Expert Panel to contribute to the development of the
CMBC®. The panelists, all senior business coaches with at least 10 years’ experience, provided guidance,
professional expertise and testing of the credential.
For more information on these four bodies, see Appendix F (WABC), Appendix G (PDF), Appendix H
(Middlesex) and Appendix I (International Expert Panel).
What is the time line for earning the credential?
Most candidates should earn their CMBC® in three to six months. It could take up to a year, but longer would be
unusual. There is a financial penalty if you exceed the period you initially agree on (unless you request an
extension in the first three months, when one penalty-free extension is allowed). We can’t keep your support
resources in place indefinitely, but we will try to accommodate your professional and personal needs.
For more details, see “Time Lines” in Part Two.
Will client work be kept confidential?
Absolutely. The administration authorities (PDF and Middlesex University) will keep your portfolio but will not use
it for anything other than evaluation without your express written permission. We will never reveal your clients or
others mentioned in your portfolio, or the work you have conducted with your clients, unless we have your
express written permission.
As well, we acknowledge and respect academic and professional proprietary rights. We understand that the
content of your portfolio belongs to you or others you have acknowledged. We will not use the content without
your express permission.
We do reserve the right to permit your adviser, assessors and any consultant in the assessment process to read
or otherwise analyze your submission (e.g., listen to an audiotape), but only for the task of evaluation.
WABC staff will not possess or view your submission at any time.
My English language skills are not great. Can I still take the program?
The CMBC® designation is available to people around the world, even if they don’t speak or write English
fluently. As much as possible, we try to support candidates whose primary language is not English. However,
this may mean that you incur extra translation costs.
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What is the refund policy?
If, after submitting your application and payment, you are not accepted—most likely because you don’t meet the
eligibility requirements—your payment will be refunded, minus a ₤50 administrative fee.
Once you have paid and been accepted (that is, issued an online password), you are enrolled, and as with all
academic and professional programs, the full fee is generally non-refundable.
After you are enrolled, we will provide a 75% refund within the first month if it’s clear that you have not used our
program resources (e.g., adviser, online Learning Net).
From that point on, we will consider withdrawal requests fairly but with no guarantees. Our internal guidelines
are to refund up to 50% of your fee before any portfolio elements are sent to your advisor, and 25% before your
first assessment.
What if I have a grievance or want to appeal the decision?
If you are dissatisfied with how your assessment was conducted or you feel your case was not treated fairly,
reasonably and transparently, you have recourse to our grievance, dispute and appeal procedure.
Write to the Director of PDF, identifying the cause of your dissatisfaction and giving a full history of your
submission. The Director and the supervising PDF faculty will review how the assessment was conducted. They
will contact your adviser and the assessors involved with your portfolio to learn more.
PDF will inform you of the conclusions of its deliberation and, where appropriate, recommend a remedy.
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PART FOUR:
CMBC® PORTFOLIO ITEMS
1. Overview of the CMBC® Portfolio
The main purpose of the CMBC® portfolio is to describe, reflect on and synthesize your prior learning so
that it can be assessed and awarded credit. There are two types of prior learning, and you will make a
claim for both:

Education and training: This is learning gained from formal courses of study, programs that led to
credentials, and non-credit training such as seminars and workshops.

Experiential learning: This is learning gained from work or other significant experiences. This type
of prior learning will likely make up the bulk of your claim.
The CMBC® portfolio consists of two types of items:

Standard supporting items: These first seven items identify you, describe your competence and
provide a critical review of your career. They provide context for Items 8 and 9.

Reflective items: Items 8 and 9 make up the core of your claim for prior learning. In them you
describe how your learning has led to your current practice. You also develop a model of practice
and comment on your skills and knowledge as a master business coach. Item 10 is a reflective essay
about building your portfolio. Item 11 involves optional reflective exercises.
In the end, you will produce reflective commentary in various items to make your case for the learning you
have achieved and to show, by analyzing and synthesizing that learning, that you understand its impact on
your practice. Creating this reflective commentary makes the CMBC® a rich learning experience.
Required Sections
The CMBC® portfolio must contain the following items (in this order):
Item 1:
Standard cover page
Item 2:
Standard first page
Item 3:
Curriculum vitae (CV)
Item 4:
Job description(s)
Item 5:
Business coaching competencies analysis
Item 6:
Critical career review
Item 7:
One supervision report, two referee reports
Item 8:
Prior education and training claim
Item 9:
Experiential learning claim
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Item 10:
Reflective essay
Item 11:
Optional reflective exercises
Length
Your portfolio should be no more than 14,000 words long, excluding appendices and optional reflective
exercises. Much of the material you submit will be from original sources and will appear in the appendices.
You do not have to edit the appendices to any specific length. You can submit them in any format you and
your adviser agree to.
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2. Supporting Items
Creating Item 1:
Standard Cover Page
Type the actual words or phrases that are in bold, and your own response to the words or phrases that are
in quotation marks.
CMBC® Portfolio for Recognition and Credit Rating of Prior Learning
for WABC Certified Master Business Coach® (CMBC®) Designation
“Your full name”
“Date of submission”
I certify that my work conforms to the WABC Code of Business Coaching
Ethics and Integrity and I agree to abide by that Code for all future
applicable work.
“Signature”
(You may include a digital signature.)
18
Creating Item 2:
Standard First Page
Type the actual words or phrases that are in bold, and your own response to the words or phrases that are
in quotation marks.
“Your work address and telephone number”
I wish to apply to WABC for recognition and credit rating
of prior learning in respect of:
(Type either or both of these:)
Previous Credit-Rated Learning
(List titles of qualifications you are claiming. You will describe each one in
Item 8: Prior Education and Training Claim.)
Experiential, Uncertified Learning
(List headings of areas of learning from Item 9: Experiential Learning Claim.
You will describe each one within your portfolio.)
“Your full name”
“Date of submission”
“Signature”
(You may include a digital signature.)
19
Creating Item 3:
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
The CV is intended to provide an overall picture of your past learning from work and voluntary positions.
It should include information not only about your employment, but also about any voluntary or unpaid work
and/or major leisure activities you have been involved in. This provides contextual information about the
learning you have gained. Unpaid work such as being the treasurer of a club or serving on a school board
can be a significant source of learning. Similarly, a serious hobby or leisure interest can be relevant to your
work as a business coach.
20
WHAT TO DO
List items in the following categories. List the events in reverse
chronological order.
o
o
o
o
o
Education (post–high school only)
Employment (including any courses taken)
Unpaid work (include any voluntary work that will form part of your
claim for credit)
Relevant life experiences (e.g., study tours, hobbies)
Publications (give full references)
Guidelines

Try to focus on key achievements and competencies.

The information should be summarized, with dates and a brief description (including the title) of
any post, activity or award.

The CV should be longer than you would normally submit for a job application but should not
exceed 3 A4 pages.

When you complete Item 9: Experiential Learning Claim, you may wish to add to your CV
anything that is particularly relevant to that claim. You can then refer the reader to your CV for
contextual information.
Creating Item 4:
Job Description(s)
This item provides a picture of your current roles, responsibilities and achievements.
21
WHAT TO DO
Write a description of your job(s), following these steps:
1. Provide a brief commentary on each aspect of your current work
roles and activities. Include a short description of each aspect and its
relative importance within the whole job. Concentrate on conveying
the knowledge and skills required to do the job.
2. Add functions and activities that are not part of the official work but
are related to it.
3. Give brief details (e.g., date, duration, subject) of courses or training
programs you have taken in relation to your job. Do not go back
beyond five years; the goal is to create a picture of your current
activities.
Guidelines

A formal job description from an employer (or if you’re self-employed, from yourself) may be a
starting point. However, you will need to provide additional information to give a full and accurate
picture of your work role.
Creating Item 5:
Business Coaching Competencies Analysis
Developing the CMBC® involved researching the core competencies of a master-level business coach
(listed in Appendix A). The competencies fall into three categories:

Self-management—knowing oneself and self-mastery

Core coaching skill-base

Business and leadership coaching capabilities
22
Item 5 requires you to examine your competencies and learning styles and create commentary that
adds to an understanding of your personal model of learning.
WHAT TO DO
1. Complete the Business Coaching Competency Questionnaires
(available through PDF Learning Net) and include them in your
portfolio.
2. After completing these questionnaires, share the results with
someone who knows your work well (client, supervisor, critical
friend). Conduct a “learning conversation” with that person to see
how he or she views your competence, and discuss how you came to
develop that competence. (Try to focus on key areas for you rather
than every individual statement, and reflect on client and referee
reports.)
3. Write a short account of your learning conversation and your
reflections on it. Include the account in your portfolio.
4. Identify how you, as an individual, learn. Exercises 3 and 4 in Part
Five contain exercises that will help you do this. Write a description of
your preferred learning styles and include it in your portfolio.
Guidelines

This task is not about claiming competence you don’t have. It’s about identifying your true
competencies and providing evidence of your ability as a self-reflective practitioner.

Experienced business coaches are not all equally adept in every competency, and everyone has
a different preferred learning style. Moreover, different types of competencies are best developed
in different ways.

As a master-level business coach, you have the skill of being a self-guided learner. In fact, this is
what you help your clients to become. In this item, you should show how you understand your
23
learning strengths and weaknesses, and how you have designed and/or managed your selfguided learning of the business coaching competencies you have developed.
Analyzing How You Learn
It might be helpful to consider the following topics (see Exercise 3 in Part Five for
a discussion of each).
1. Learning styles: how you learn best
2. Personal learning contexts: your life and work and the “space” they leave
you to learn
3. Approaches to learning: methods and techniques for approaching your
learning
Creating Item 6:
Critical Career Review
This item is a written reflection on the overall learning you have gained from your career. It must enable
the assessors to understand the major events that have taken place in your career and the learning you’ve
developed from those events (relevant to your work as a business coach).
In this item, reflect on your career to date and clearly identify the critical incidents and opportunities you
have encountered. This reflection should provide a context and route map for the more detailed discussion
of your experiential learning in Item 9.
24
Your reflection should be approximately 2,000 words long, in a format of your choice.
Creating Item 7:
One Supervision Report, Two Referee Reports
You must provide reports from your supervisor and two people who know your work well. If you don’t
usually have a supervisor in your work, you can request a report from your CMBC® adviser.
The forms for these reports are in Appendix B.
25
3. Reflective Items
Creating Item 8:
Prior Education and Training Claim
As described in the overview of the CMBC® portfolio at the beginning of Part Four, you can request credit
for two types of prior learning: (1) education and training and (2) experiential learning. This item makes a
claim for the first type of learning. It focuses on education and training you completed within the last five
years.
26
WHAT TO DO
1. List the credit-bearing courses, programs and training you are
claiming. Because these have already been credit-rated by the body
that awarded them, you are not asking CMBC® assessors to award
you credits but rather to recognize credits you’ve already earned.
You can claim credit for courses, workshops, formalized training,
post-secondary courses, degrees and credentials (e.g., WABC
Certified Executive Coach, ICF Master Certified Coach). Include this
list in your portfolio.
2. Provide a certified transcript for each course or program in an
appendix of your portfolio.
3. List the non-credit courses, programs and training you are claiming.
You can request credit for online courses, self-study programs,
seminars, workshops and the like. You should discuss these noncredit listings with your adviser to make sure they have appropriate
value. Include this list in your portfolio.
4. Provide evidence of the non-credit courses, programs or training in
an appendix of your portfolio.
Guidelines

Items 3 and 4 of your portfolio also list credit and non-credit courses, programs and training. You
still need to list them here, in Item 8. You may also cross-reference some of your education and
training in Item 9: Experiential Learning Claim.

Credit and learning you earned from courses more than five years ago is generally not
recognized under this item, unless you can show that the learning is still relevant and has been
kept up to date. The correct way to claim courses completed more than five years ago is to list
them in Item 3 (your CV), then claim them in Item 9: Experiential Learning Claim, referring back
to Item 3 as evidence. That way you can show how you have applied the learning from a
previous course, and thus how you have more learning now than before taking the course.
27
Creating Item 9:
Experiential Learning Claim
This pivotal section of the CMBC® portfolio makes a claim for prior learning you have gained from
experience. To make the claim, you must do two things:

reflect on your prior learning by organizing it into areas of learning

describe your model of practice for business coaching and provide a supporting case study
In listing your areas of learning, you will organize your learning experiences by theme. The purpose is to
show that you have acquired master-level competency as a business coach.
For example, in reflecting on your work experience, you may see that you have learned how to teach
young adults. You might have developed this learning through a number of activities: teaching math in
28
secondary school, running a youth group, teaching your child to play a musical instrument. Currently you
apply that experience by developing programs to mentor new recruits in a business. Underpinning this
work is your extensive reading about adult learning.
You would list your area of learning as “Teaching Young Adults.” You would then write a reflective account
of all the learning you identified, including the underpinning theory. Finally, you would provide evidence by
appending a program specification for the mentor training you run.
Your model of practice is what allows, or supports, your ability to practice business coaching competently
and ethically. Describing your model of practice involves reflecting on the purpose of your business
coaching, the perspectives that underpin it and the process you use when coaching.
WHAT TO DO
1. Using the template on page 31, create a draft of one of your areas of
learning.
2. Get feedback from your program adviser and revise the draft
accordingly. Then use the draft as a template for the other areas of
learning.
3. Include all the completed areas of learning in your portfolio.
4. Describe your personal model of practice for business coaching.
Describe the model in the format of your choice, making sure the
assessors understand:
o the purpose of your business coaching
o the perspectives that underpin it
o the process you use when coaching
5. Include a case study that illustrates your model of practice.
Guidelines
Areas of Learning
29
Exercise 2: Identifying Areas of Learning (in Part Five) explains areas of learning in detail and provides
examples. It also contains several exercises to help you determine your areas of learning. You should do
these exercises and, optionally, include them in your portfolio under Item 11: Optional Reflective
Exercises.
You can also use Exercise 1: Business Coaching Themes (in Part Five) to help you reflect on your work
and learning before undertaking Item 9. Completing this exercise will help you present your areas of
learning more coherently. You may actually use the business coaching themes to organize your areas of
learning, though they aren’t sufficient on their own (you will need to add more areas of learning).
Model of Practice
Your model of practice should be consistent with your competencies as revealed in Item 5, and with your
experience as revealed in Item 6. You should clearly identify the purpose, process, sequence, theoretical
perspective and application of your coaching. Include elements such as your role as a coach, your client’s
responsibilities and how you ethically manage the engagement.
30
Template for Drafting Areas of Learning
(Each area of learning must include the following headings
and information)
1. Name of Area of Learning: Provide a succinct name that clearly
describes the learning you are claiming.
2. Introduction: In a short paragraph, describe the area of learning and
how you acquired it. Where appropriate, refer the reader to
information already in Items 3 and 4 rather than repeating the
information here. (You may want to selectively expand Items 3 and 4
to give more details that support your areas of learning.)
3. Relevant Courses Attended: List any relevant training or
professional development courses you attended in the last five years.
For each, give the date and duration, and outline the content and the
form of assessment (if any). If any of the training or courses are
already in Item 8, refer the reader there.
4. Description of Learning: Itemize the specific learning you are
claiming credit for in this area of learning by providing a detailed
breakdown of the knowledge, skills and abilities you are claiming. In
addition—and this is very important—you must explain how the
specific learning is or will be applied in your practice as a business
coach. See the box on the next page for more guidance.
5. Evidence: Provide some item (short document, minutes of a
meeting, etc.) to confirm that what you describe in the area of
learning actually took place or was produced. (Appendix C discusses
evidence you can use.) You should provide only two or three items
per area of learning. You can choose what they are, as long as they
assure the assessors of the scope and depth of the learning
described. Provide a clear reference to the evidence in each case.
You can refer to the same piece of evidence in more than one area
of learning; you only need to supply the evidence once in your
portfolio.
31
Description of Learning
The “Description of Learning” section of the template is the key to your claim for credit.
What’s required here is not a statement of what you have done, but an explanation of
the intellectual activity involved. Describe what decisions you had to make in the area of
learning, what factors you had to take into account, and perhaps most importantly, if you
were to undergo the experience again, what you would do the same or differently and
why.
You don’t have to make an explicit claim for credit (e.g., “I claim credit for this area of
learning …”), as this is understood to be your objective. But you do have to support the
idea that you deserve credit by making an explicit reference to the evidence provided.
You may want to express your learning in terms of the following:

Knowledge: “I am able to list/state/outline ... (for example) the key principles of
….”

Understanding: “I can discuss/explain/clarify/identify ... (for example) the policy
of/procedures for ….”

Application: “I can illustrate/demonstrate/apply ... (for example) the process of
….”

Analysis: “I know how to distinguish/contrast/compare/calculate ... (for example)
the effectiveness of ....”

Synthesis: “I am able to organize/set up … (for example) … plan for ….”

Evaluation: “I know how to evaluate/appraise/assess/review ... (for example) the
causes of ....”
32
Experiential Learning in Relation to Competencies
Appendix A lists the competencies that WABC identified, after extensive research, as
being those of a master-level business coach. Your assessors will look for these
competencies in your CMBC® portfolio.
It is not necessary, however, to directly prove each competency. Instead, you can
discover your areas of learning and explain how you apply them in your practice. This,
together with Item 5: Business Coaching Competencies Analysis, will show that you
have the necessary competencies. In this way, you are creating a holistic model of your
learning that is more instructive to you than merely listing proof for each competency.
Note: In your reflections, you should refer to the online Business Coaching Competency
Questionnaires available through PDF Learning Net rather than the lists in Appendix A.
The former provide the key competencies, the latter a complete listing.
33
Creating Item 10:
Reflective Essay
To complete your CMBC® portfolio, you must submit a reflective essay (approximately 2,000 words) that
analyzes the experience of assembling your portfolio and synthesizes this analysis into a theory of your
learning patterns and styles.
This reflection involves more than simply identifying the quality of the learning you experienced while
assembling your portfolio. Ideally, the reflection will help you gain self-knowledge that you can carry into
your future life experiences and business coaching practice.
There is no requirement for how you structure the essay. Because it presents your own personal reflection
on your experiences, you will want to organize your ideas to suit that reflection.
The assessors will evaluate your essay for the following:

the development of a reasoned train of thought (typically whether you have answered “how?,”
“why?” and “with what consequences?”)

the quantity and quality of your analysis (particularly whether you have seriously reflected upon the
learning process)

the effectiveness of your communication
34
You May Want to Ask Yourself

What were my initial expectations? Did they change during the
process of preparing my portfolio?

What problems did I encounter and how did I cope with them; how
did the process develop?

Have I discovered anything about myself or my work role?

Have I discovered new areas of learning that I or my employer
had not previously recognized or fully used, or has the process
confirmed what I already knew?

What aspects of this discovery will be useful to me in my future
development as a coach?

How easy or difficult was it to identify learning and provide
evidence of it?

Has identifying areas of learning made me think about areas I
would like to focus on in the future?

Has my development of the CMBC® portfolio and my reflection on
it influenced or altered how I view myself, my work as a coach or
my career aspirations?
35
The Value of Reflecting on Learning
Much has been written about the process and value of reflection as an aspect of
learning, especially in regard to learning from experience.
D. A. Kolb in particular (see Select Bibliography, page 55) has identified four different
activities that learners engage in (in a cyclical fashion) to learn effectively. (1) Learners
need to have concrete experiences. They then need (2) to reflect on their experiences
and (3) to generate abstract concepts or theories to make sense of their experiences.
Finally, they must (4) test their theories through active experimentation and
engagement. In other words, they must reflect before they can engage in further useful
concrete experiences.
36
Creating Item 11:
Optional Reflective Exercises
This guide and the online PDF Learning Net offer many resources that will help you understand, organize
and present your prior learning. In several of these resources, there are exercises you can complete as
part of your reflection on learning.
We recommend that you complete all of these exercises and attach them to your CMBC® portfolio as Item
11. Doing so will help the assessors understand your processes and will provide further insight for their
assessment. However, this step is entirely optional. You may want to attach a few of the optional exercises
or none at all.
The optional exercises in this guide are all in Part Five, which follows.
37
PART FIVE:
OPTIONAL REFLECTIVE EXERCISES
Exercise 1:
Business Coaching Themes
Your experiential learning (Item 9) must clearly reflect your individual experience and its relevance to your
claim to be a master-level business coach. However, during WABC’s research into business coaching
competencies, five themes emerged as common to all business coaches working at this level.
You may use these themes to structure your learning under Item 9. Whether or not you do, the assessors
will look for evidence of these themes in your portfolio.
We strongly recommend that you consider each theme and try to summarize your understanding of it by
doing the exercises below.
THEME 1: BUSINESS COACHES AS PROFESSIONAL PRACTITIONERS
Theme: Those involved in business coaching have previous, and possibly continuing,
interests in other disciplines besides business coaching, and in the development of
constructive relationships between those disciplines and value systems (for example,
business coaching and consultancy).
1. Summarize your understanding and practice in light of this theme. Areas you might like to include:
(i)
To be familiar with, and able to draw on, knowledge and approaches in other areas of
practice that have particular relevance for your approach, understanding and practice in
business coaching.
(ii)
To be able to think about approaches and issues in business coaching that have significant
implications for your other (or previous) areas of practice, and to apply this knowledge and
understanding to your current business coaching practice.
2. It could be helpful to briefly outline your general lineage in business coaching.
3. Summarize the major influences that have shaped your current practice.
4. Conclude with a phrase or sentence that pulls together the influences that guide or underpin your
practice.
38
5. Outline your approach to practice, and the philosophies and values that underpin it.
6. Where in your portfolio have you included evidence to support the statements you have made?
THEME 2: INQUIRY AND COMMUNICATION
Theme: The major approaches in business coaching are increasingly based on a body of
knowledge about human development, change and organizations, and have an associated
theory of, and strategies for, intervention.
The body of knowledge must be open to research. The approaches to this body of knowledge involve
different modes of inquiry and communication. How do you use these modes of inquiry and
communication in your practice?
Summarize your understanding and practice in light of this theme. Areas you might like to include:
(i) To be familiar with, and able to make use of, a range of approaches (both quantitative and
qualitative) to inquiry relevant to business coaching, and to adopt a continuing attitude of inquiry in
relation to practice.
(ii) To be familiar with, and to undertake, the range of communication modes required in practice and
inquiry, and the dissemination of knowledge and understanding (formally and informally) arising from
practice and research.
(iii) To demonstrate a range of methods of inquiry, including research and exploration of literature.
Include the way you evaluate your practice.
THEME 3: BUSINESS COACHING PRACTICE AND UNDERSTANDING
Theme: Business coaches should, as individuals, be competent in at least one of the major
approaches or have developed a coherent model of practice of their own. However, they
should also be familiar with a broader range of models. This enables them to undertake a
supportive or supervisory role with others and also to be in a better position to know the limits
of applicability of a particular model and of their own capabilities.
Summarize your understanding and practice in light of this theme. Areas you might like to include:
(i) To be able to undertake, in professional ways, all aspects (e.g., theoretical, practical, relational,
scientific, organizational) of at least one approach to the practice of business coaching.
39
(ii) To be conceptually knowledgeable about a number of business coaching approaches (e.g., theories
and models) and ways of working (e.g., individual, organization-wide, group), and to be familiar with
relevant professional and scientific information.
(iii) Where do you integrate different approaches or develop your own model of practice? Indicate how
you have used your training and experience to achieve this.
THEME 4: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Theme: Business coaches are engaged in ongoing supervision and personal development.
This might include supervision and supervised practice, theoretical and practical knowledge,
and personal training (e.g., arrangements to ensure that practitioners are aware of and can
appropriately manage their personal involvement in, and contribution to, the processes they
practice).
Supervision, however defined or used, must have the aim of ensuring that the practitioner performs work
with competence and integrity.
Where supervision is not normally based on direct observation, further evidence of competence and
integrity must be demonstrated by measures such as monitoring outcomes, discussing case material with
a panel, interviewing select clients or recording specified sessions.
Summarize your understanding and practice in light of this theme. Areas you might like to include:
(i) To actively and systematically engage in various kinds of personal development work so as to
develop greater understanding of personal issues and to recognize and reduce impediments to
effective practice.
(ii) To actively engage in being supervised (in a non-managerial sense) so that personal, clinical and
professional issues in business coaching are open to continued questioning, review and
reconsideration.
THEME 5: ETHICAL AND COMPETENT PRACTICE
Theme: In addition to knowledge about business coaching approaches and issues, business
coaches operate in accordance with the WABC Code of Business Coaching Ethics and
Integrity (or codes equivalent to WABC’s) and any applicable national codes in their own
jurisdiction.
40
Business coaches must be able to relate these codes to contexts within business coaching practice, and
to understand the issues facing the emerging profession in this regard. Business coaches should ensure
that they practice only within areas in which they are competent.
Summarize your understanding and practice in light of this theme. Areas you might like to include:
(i) To be familiar with the ethical implications for practice of the major social, cultural and political issues
and controversies concerning business coaching, including multicultural and equal opportunity
issues.
(ii) To be familiar with related disciplines and aspects of life outside the context of business coaching,
and to be able to use this knowledge appropriately in reflection, practice and inquiry to ensure ethical
and competent practice.
41
Exercise 2:
Identifying Areas of Learning
This exercise helps you complete Item 9: Experiential Learning Claim, your claim for credit for prior
experiential learning. You make this claim in part by listing your areas of learning and providing evidence
for each.
What Is an Area of Learning?
Areas of learning are distinct categories of knowledge or skill that are in turn applied to business coaching.
You claim credit for each area of learning you have developed.
You must explore your learning experiences, document them (i.e., provide evidence), identify the category
of learning they apply to and show how you apply the category of learning as a business coach. By the
time you have listed and explained all your categories of learning, you will have shown the assessors that
you’ve developed all the core competencies of a business coach.
What are appropriate learning experiences?
Start by assembling a list of your learning experiences. You are likely to have developed a great deal of
skill, ability and knowledge over the years. What were the experiences that contributed to this learning? To
be appropriate to the task, these must be experiences that contributed to skills or competencies necessary
for business coaching.
Example
Begin with a logical group of learning experiences, such as management experiences. Learning
experiences within that group could include the following:








supervising direct reports
setting objectives
giving performance feedback
recruiting and hiring
disciplining and firing
compensation planning and giving recognition
setting direction and strategy
participative management
Now categorize these experiences according to what you learned, and explain how you apply that area of
learning to business coaching.
What did you learn from these experiences?
Perhaps you learned about the importance of clear objectives, target setting, resource planning, feedback
and delegation. You might have also done some reading on management by objectives, triple-loop
42
feedback, behavioral theory in relation to feedback, relationships between strategy and implementation,
and the contribution of people-management theories to achievement.
At a higher level of application, this group of experiences has taught you that getting the best from people
requires inspiring your staff to “buy into” the objectives, based on an understanding of how the objectives
contribute to both their personal goals and the organization’s mission. This is one area of learning.
How does this area of learning apply to business coaching?
These experiences have taught you how to help your client resolve motivational issues as a manager or
supervisor. (Be explicit about how each area of learning applies to your ability and knowledge as a
business coach.)
Developing a Provisional List of Areas of Learning

You may have had many business or professional activities that have been relevant to your
development as a business coach. For example, working as an accountant, and later as a
management consultant, may have led you to develop a particular understanding of the issues
that face businesses in rapidly changing markets. You use this understanding in coaching
executives who run businesses that face these challenges.

You must show how you apply your area of learning within your business coaching practice. It
doesn’t need to be an area of learning that directly helps your clients (like in the example above),
although most are. You could have an area of learning that helps you do your job well. That is
also applicable to business coaching, though indirectly so.

Using Item 3: Curriculum Vitae, Item 4: Job Description(s), Item 5: Business Coaching
Competencies Analysis and Item 6: Critical Career Review, you can critically evaluate your past
and current experiential learning to find the skills and knowledge that have sprung from them,
then sort them into areas of learning. Continuing with the management experience example
above, you might list the following areas of learning:
o Area of Learning: Coaching Managers on Objectives—understanding of people
management applied to coaching managers on implementing objectives.
o Area of Learning: Understanding of organizational development and the creation of
business coaching programs.
Important
Always tie your experiences to evidence. The assessors can’t give credit for areas of learning that are
unsupported. The areas must be based on fact and explicitly linked to your experiences.
Online Resources
You can use the three online Business Coaching Competency Questionnaires to help structure your
presentation of this material. The questionnaires can also help you identify areas of learning.
43
Examples of Areas of Learning
Many of your areas of learning will be touched on in your coaching work (e.g., setting objectives) and may
be the focus of client projects (e.g., change-management programs). Here are some examples.
1.
HR and organizational development. Learning and experience may include:









2.
Business coaching skills. Learning and experience may include:






3.
Business coaching and mentoring
Creating development plans
Case formulation and intervention (experience here could be developed in a clinical or counseling
setting that has subsequently influenced your practice as a business coach)
Win-win negotiation
Constructive feedback
Providing practical advice and guidance
Conducting research. Learning and experience may include:




4.
Designing and delivering team-building programs
Designing and delivering change-management programs
Orchestrating downsizing and restructuring
Designing organizational hierarchies and structures
Creating and implementing cultural assessments, polls and surveys
Designing and managing 360-degree processes
Creating cultural change programs
Designing mentoring and coaching programs
Building leadership development programs and processes
Designing and administering research studies
Collecting, analyzing and interpreting data
Writing research papers, proposals and reports
Delivering research presentations
Other specific business coaching skills and methods. Learning and experience may include:






Coaching frameworks
Counseling and personality theories
Conducting assessments
Coaching in specific developmental areas; candidates could develop these skills through working
in leadership roles or through navigating a career transition and then applying that personal
experience, in an informed way, to practice as a business coach
Leadership styles
Stress management
44







5.
Consulting—providing consulting to internal or external clients in a range of areas:




6.
Organizational design, HR and OD projects
Business strategy
Day-to-day business challenges
Specific consulting skills (e.g., marketing, developing business)
Counseling and applied psychology. Learning and experience may include:




7.
Communication
Relationship management
Networks and networking
Career management
Strategic thinking
Delegation
Crisis management
Providing psychotherapy or family therapy
Experience with clients in in-patient settings
Advanced (graduate) course work in psychology or counseling theories and methods
Sports coaching and psychology—team building, skills analysis
Optional coaching skills may include:
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Team building
Crisis management
Problem solving and decision making
Conflict resolution
45
WHAT TO DO
1. Think about the information you have read so far.
o Look for significant operational areas and skills in your job
description(s) (Item 4). Look for areas of major work, interests and
activities in your CV (Item 3), including unpaid, voluntary and
leisure activities.
o To be specific about knowledge, skills and learning outcomes,
think about your learning in terms of the five themes in Exercise 1:
Business Coaching Themes.
o A list of five to ten areas is appropriate at this preliminary stage.
2. Consider evidence you could use to substantiate your claim for learning
in these areas (e.g., testimonials, appraisals, correspondence to and
from you).
3. Discuss your list of areas (and your evidence) with your program
adviser before developing the areas. Your adviser can tell you whether
your ideas at this stage are likely to result in Item 9 being the right
length and at the right content and academic level.
4. Include your list of areas in Item 11: Optional Reflective Exercises and
write a description under each title.
1.
46
Exercise 3:
Analyzing Learning Styles, Personal Learning Contexts and Approaches
to Learning
The main purpose of this exercise is to help you discover your successful learning patterns so that you can
reflect on them in Item 5: Business Coaching Competencies Analysis. However, the exercise also helps
you reflect on your prior learning, so you may want to refer to it in preparing Items 8 and 9.
Learning Styles
Investigating and reflecting on learning styles helps you define the way you learn best, as well as the
factors that enhance or impede your learning.
People tend to have preferences for how they approach learning tasks. Some prefer to make random
associations; others like structured interpretations. Some prefer abstract interactions with ideas; others
require a concrete experience to introduce a concept. Research suggests that most of us learn best when
information is presented in a way that matches our preferred learning style.
Determining your learning styles will help you choose a successful approach to learning. It might also
identify how you can improve your learning ability.
We suggest you begin by completing one of the many learning style questionnaires publicly available and,
optionally, include it in Item 11: Optional Reflective Exercises.
To fully describe your learning styles, you also should consider other, more diverse factors. For example,
you may or may not need to be in a neat, orderly environment to concentrate on learning. You may study
more effectively early in the morning or late at night. You may learn best in concentrated bursts or in short
but frequent sessions.
In this exercise, you should define all the factors you can think of that are important in helping or hindering
your learning.
47
WHAT TO DO
1. Complete at least one classic learning style diagnostic exercise. Use the
results to consider how you learn best. If you wish, include this exercise
in Item 11.
2. Reflect on your different learning experiences. Try to identify factors that
influence your learning or behaviors you must adopt to be effective.
Group together the learning experiences that you have approached the
same way or that, on reflection, you should have approached the same
way.
3. Write a description of your learning styles. Include:
o a title or short descriptor of each relevant style or factor
o a description of how strong you are in that style OR
o a description of how you are influenced by the factor
o a short example if you think it illustrates your description
4. Include the description of your learning styles in Item 5: Business
Coaching Competencies Analysis. This description is a required item in
your portfolio.
Personal Learning Contexts
Understanding your personal learning contexts helps you reflect on the influences that arise indirectly from
aspects of your life and work, and that affect the development of your competence.
Learning takes time and energy and reduces the time and energy you can dedicate to other activities.
When planning your learning, you must therefore understand the influence on, and the influence from,
your life and work. With this self-knowledge you can make positive decisions, either informed or
negotiated, about how and when you study.
48
Rarely is “learning time” any time. In the previous section on learning styles, you identified how and when
you learn effectively. In an ideal world you would have a surplus of productive time and space to devote to
your learning, but that’s rarely the case.
Most people have their early learning successes during periods of full-time education, when they have
freedom to structure their study time. This freedom decreases significantly when a job or career is
involved. In addition, the quantity and degree of freedom change at various times of life. Entering or
leaving a stable partnership, having children, changing jobs or taking up another time-consuming activity
all affect learning by changing the context for it.
In this exercise, you will reflect on your current life, work and constraints. This enables you to do three very
important things:
1. Determine whether or how you can apply experiences or learning to your current context
2. Determine which learning approaches are feasible and which are unrealistic
3. Decide on or negotiate changes to your life or work for the period of your study program
WHAT TO DO
1. Reflect on aspects of your current job and your life that affect the time you
have for learning. Consider how these have changed during your life so
that you can determine the relevance of earlier successful learning
approaches.
2. Write a description of your current personal context, highlighting:
o contexts that hinder or help you in learning
o what can realistically be changed or must be worked around
o changes to your current context that might help you complete your
learning, and the steps needed to realize these changes
3. Include this description of your personal learning contexts in Item 11:
Optional Reflective Exercises.
49
Approaches to Learning
The purpose of this exercise is to identify techniques or methods that help you learn, and to identify the
situations in which they are most appropriate.
There are many approaches to learning. For example, rote learning may be useful for learning key facts or
a spoken script. Visual association may be useful for remembering names. Preparing and presenting a
subject in public helps you remember and internalize a subject. Being coached helps you address specific
objectives.
By reflecting on past successes or failures, you can identify the approaches to learning that have worked
for you. Where possible, it’s important to consider the personal learning context in which you used the
approaches and the category of learning they worked for. You’ll also want to identify new approaches that
could be successful for tackling particular objectives.
WHAT TO DO
1. Reflect on your previous learning successes and consider the merits of
learning approaches you’ve identified in past experience or studies.
Identify where and why particular approaches succeeded, or might
succeed in the future.
2. List some different categories of approaches to learning and write a short
description of each. You should include:
o a title or short descriptor of the approach
o a complete description of the approach or technique
o where and why it is successful or likely to be successful
o a short example if you think it illustrates your description
3. Include this discussion of your approaches to learning in Item 11:
Optional Reflective Exercises.
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Resources
To get full value from this exercise, look for the following resources on PDF Learning
Net:

More information about learning styles, learning contexts and approaches to
learning

The Business Coaching Competency Questionnaires (which you must complete
for Item 5 of your portfolio)

One or more examples of a personal analysis of these topics (contributions from
peers, posted online as they become available)
51
Exercise 4:
Investigating Your Learning Categories as a Methodology for Developing
a Learning Model
The purpose of this exercise is to show a way of reflecting on different types of learning that result in
professional competencies. This exercise may reveal patterns that form a foundation for your written
description of your personal learning styles.
In this exercise it’s helpful to consider the different types of learning:

knowledge and fact acquisition

skill development

changing attitudes or beliefs
You will have many examples of these types of learning, and you can categorize the examples according
to how you approach them.
For instance, you may decide that you approach improving your self-awareness differently from improving
your organizational development skills. In that case, they do not belong in the same category. However,
you may decide that you approach learning verbal communication skills, such as negotiating and advising,
in the same way you learn organizational skills. You could therefore group them together.
52
WHAT TO DO
1. Complete the Business Coaching Competency Questionnaires on PDF
Learning Net (you must complete them for Item 5 of your portfolio).
2. Reflect on your own learning experiences. As a resource, use the reports
from people who know your practice well. Group together learning
experiences that you approached or could have approached in the same
way.
3. Write a list of learning categories and a short description of each using
whatever methodology you have chosen. Include the following:
o category title
o a description of what you would include within each category
o a short example if you think it illustrates your description
4. Include this list in Item 11: Optional Reflective Exercises.
5. Reflect on your career and write a description of how you achieved the
competence you have today.
6. Include this written reflection in Item 11: Optional Reflective Exercises.
53
Resources
To get full value from this exercise, look for the following resources on PDF
Learning Net:

Reflection, Learning and Assessment Resource document

Business Coaching Competency Questionnaires

One or more examples of a completed reflection (contributions of peers,
posted online as they become available)
54
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
If you would like to explore the key theories and approaches that the CMBC® portfolio and assessment are
based on, here are some useful resources.
Assiter, A. and Shaw, E. (eds). (1993). Using Records of Achievement in Higher Education.
London: Kogan Page.
Jarvis, J., Lane, D. A., and Fillery-Travis, A. (2006). The Case for Coaching. Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development. Wimbledon.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning. London: Prentice Hall.
Lane, D. A. and Corrie, S. (2006). The Modern Scientist Practitioner: A guide to practice in
psychology. London: Routledge.
Schon, D. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Schon, D. (1991). The Reflective Practitioner. (2nd ed). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Simosko, S. (1996). Applying APL: Principles in flexible assessment: a practical guide. (2nd
ed). London: Kogan Page.
Stephenson, J. and Yorke, M. (eds). (1998). Capability and Quality in Higher Education.
London: Kogan Page.
55
APPENDIX A
Business Coaching Definition and Competencies
WABC Definition of Business Coaching
The following definition of our emerging profession is the outcome of many contributions from business
coaches and others. The definition is evolving. We welcome your comments, advice and constructive
criticism.
Business coaching is the process of engaging in meaningful communication with individuals in businesses,
organizations, institutions or governments, with the goal of promoting success at all levels of the
organization by affecting the actions of those individuals.
Business coaching enables the client to understand and enhance his or her role in achieving business
success. The business coach helps the client discover how personal characteristics, including a sense of
self and personal perspectives, affect personal and business processes and the ability to reach objectives
within a business context. With this method, successful coaching helps the client learn how to change or
accommodate personal characteristics and how to create personal and business processes that achieve
objectives.
Business coaching establishes an atmosphere of trust, respect, safety, challenge and accountability to
motivate both the coach and the client. In turn, this requires that the business coach conduct an ethical
and competent practice, based on appropriate professional experience and business knowledge and an
understanding of individual and organizational change.
56
WABC Business Coaching Competencies
Self-Management—Knowing Oneself and Self-Mastery
1) Knowing Yourself—Self-Insight and Understanding
a) Having ready access to your thoughts and feelings and being aware of how they affect your behavior
 Be aware of your own emotions and able to recognize what you're feeling at any given time
 Know the reasons why you feel the way you do
 Recognize how your feelings affect you and your work performance
 Have a high degree of awareness of what is important to you and the contribution you want to
make—your values, purpose and vision
 Know what you want and go after it
 Know when your self-talk is helpful
 Know when your self-talk is unhelpful
2) Acknowledging Your Strengths and Development Needs
a) Having a realistic perception of your strengths and development needs—knowing your strengths and
limitations and showing a commitment to continuous learning and self-development
 Know your strengths and less-developed areas, your abilities and limitations
 Reflect on ways to learn from experiences
 Seek out constructive feedback to improve your performance
 Act on constructive feedback to improve your performance
 Be able to show a sense of humor and perspective about yourself
 Be a continuous learner: seek opportunities for self-development and lifelong learning, always
looking to improve and grow
b) Self-belief—believing in your self-worth and capabilities
 Present yourself to others as self-assured and confident in your capability
 Prepare to take an unpopular stand when a decision or strategy compromises your principles
 Make effective decisions in difficult or ambiguous situations, when time is critical
 Trust your instincts and hunches, even in uncertain situations
 Emphasize your strengths and appreciate them; accept your shortcomings and make allowances
for them
3) Self-Mastery—Managing Your Thoughts, Feelings and Behaviors in Ways that Promote Behavior
Contributing to Career and Organization Success
a) Self-regulation—managing your reactions and emotions constructively
 Monitor and contain distressing emotions and regulate them so they don't keep you from doing
the things you need to do
 Maintain self-control under adverse or stressful conditions (e.g., maintain demeanor, composure
and temperament)
 Manage your own behavior to prevent or reduce feelings of stress
 Be able to think clearly and to stay focused when under pressure
 Accept negative feedback without becoming defensive
 Talk yourself out of a bad mood
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Distinguish between a client's contribution, and your own contribution, to your emotional reactions
b) Integrity—choosing ethical courses of action and being steadfast in your principles and beliefs
 Set an example by consistently modeling high standards of honesty and integrity
 Confront unethical behavior conducted by others
 Be willing to admit to mistakes, even in the face of adverse consequences
 Build trust by demonstrating ethical behavior
 Take responsibility for your failures and mistakes, without blaming others or the circumstances
c) Self-responsibility—assuming personal responsibility and accountability for your performance
 Assume personal accountability for meeting goals, outcomes and deadlines
 Follow through on projects, difficulties and inquiries to full resolution
 Plan and organize work effectively
 Do whatever it takes (within reason) to meet commitments
 Keep your promises and fulfill your commitments
d) Adaptability—flexibility in handling change
 Take changing priorities and new developments in your stride, even in the face of ambiguity
 Be flexible and adaptable when confronted with unexpected changes
 Modify an approach or strategy as situations change
 Be willing to modify a strongly held position in the face of contrary evidence
 Adjust to new situations easily
 Effectively juggle multiple demands on your time
e) Emphasizing excellence—setting for yourself, and confidently pursuing, challenging goals and high
standards
 Set yourself challenging goals
 Maintain commitment to goals in the face of obstacles and frustrations
 Demonstrate a willingness to take calculated risks
 Remain optimistic and persistent, even in the face of setbacks or disappointments
 Be confident that you will find a solution when you are under pressure
 Constantly seek ways to improve your performance
 Operate from hope of success rather than fear of failure
 Feel capable of exerting influence on your life situation
f) Initiative—taking independent action to change the direction of events
 Show inclination to initiate rather than react
 Aim to achieve more than is required or expected of you
 Bend the rules when necessary to get the job done
 Take anticipatory action to avoid problems before they happen
 Independently seek out and act on opportunities
g) Creativity and innovation—being receptive to new ideas and being able to generate alternative ways to view
and define problems
 Seek out innovative approaches and current developments related to your area of expertise
 Seek out new ideas and approaches from a wide variety of sources
 Experiment with different and novel ways to deal with problems and opportunities
 See alternative ways to view and define problems
 Think up alternative solutions to problems and challenges
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Core Coaching Skill-Base
1) Creating the Foundations for Business Coaching
a) Working within established ethical guidelines and professional standards
 Abide by the ethical guidelines, standards and code of conduct of your own professional
association and others
 Clearly communicate the distinctions between coaching and other types of helping relationships,
such as mentoring, counseling/psychotherapy and consulting
 Recognize the limits of your own competence, and refer to other professionals when appropriate
b) Agreeing on a clear and effective contract for the coaching relationship
 Develop a working agreement on the nature of the coach-client relationship (e.g., roles,
responsibilities and boundaries)
 Establish a formal coaching agreement/contract (either written or oral) that is specific, fair and
effective, and that reflects the organizational context
 Agree on terms of confidentiality
 Determine whether there is an appropriate match between your own background and coaching
style and the prospective client's needs and expectations
 Have a clear policy on note-keeping and/or taping sessions (e.g., for supervision purposes) and
communicate this to the client
2) Developing the Business Coaching Relationship
a) Establishing trust and respect
 Demonstrate a genuine concern for the client's welfare and success
 Demonstrate a strong belief in the boundless potential of others
 Consistently work to establish trust and honest communication with the client
 Establish clear agreements and keep promises
 Clearly and candidly share your values, attitudes, beliefs and emotions when appropriate
 Encourage the client to take on new and challenging tasks, while providing appropriate support
 Create an environment of safety and security when dealing with sensitive issues
 Create an environment of safety and security in which the client is able to share all sides of
him/herself (e.g., his/her ambitions, needs and fears)
 Be honest and truthful in difficult situations (e.g., prepared to tell the client what he/she needs to
hear but others won't say)
b) Establishing rapport
 Have an open and responsive presence
 Be comfortable sharing your intuitions with the client
 Demonstrate a willingness to take risks and to enter the unknown
 Have a very flexible approach to coaching and be able to adapt your style to what works best for
the client
 Make appropriate use of humor to make the work more fun
 Be able to tolerate open expression of strong emotions directed at you without becoming
defensive
 Be able to manage the client's expression of strong emotions about his/her situation without
getting caught up in the client's emotions
 Be able to work with a variety of learning styles in individuals
 Give objective feedback in a non-judgmental manner
59
3) Promoting Client Understanding
a) Listening to understand
 Adjust easily to the client's agenda
 Hear the client's expectations about what is and is not possible
 Confirm understanding by observing and interpreting non-verbal signals (e.g., body language,
facial expressions, tone of voice, etc.)
 Use positive body language and non-verbal signals to demonstrate openness and undivided
attention
 Demonstrate active listening by seeking clarification, rephrasing the client's statements and
summarizing to check understanding
 Encourage the client to "say more"—create a positive climate for the client to express his/her
feelings, perceptions, concerns, suggestions, etc.
 Acknowledge the client's ideas and suggestions and build on them in discussions
 Offer non-judgmental responses that encourage the client to explore and validate his/her feelings,
concerns and aspirations
 Use silence as an appropriate intervention to elicit more information
 Listen to the client's emotional undercurrents
 Pay attention to what the client isn't saying about issues discussed
b) Questioning effectively
 Ask questions that reflect an understanding of the client's point of view
 Ask challenging questions that help the client to self-discover
 Pose open-ended questions that help the client to clarify issues
 Ask questions that help the client to develop new perspectives and new possibilities for action and
learning
 Ask questions that evoke commitment to action
 Ask questions that steer the client towards his/her desired outcomes
c) Communicating clearly
 Prepare in advance for the coaching session
 Ensure that feedback to the client is clear and meaningful in terms of the client's intended
outcomes
 Present alternative ways of viewing the client's situation that are useful and meaningful to the
client
 Clearly state the coaching objectives, and the rationale for using particular techniques or
exercises
 Use language appropriate and respectful to the client (e.g., non-sexist, non-racist, non-technical,
non-jargon)
 Use analogies, metaphors and examples to help the client grasp an idea
 Clarify and review with the client the information obtained during sessions
d) Facilitating depth of understanding
 Understand and respond to the client's unspoken feelings and concerns
 Identify patterns and discrepancies in the client's thoughts and/or behaviors
 Enable the client to discover the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that will help him/her to achieve
meaningful outcomes
 Add order, clarity, depth of understanding and perspective to problematic situations
 Help the client to look at the broader context of issues or problems
60
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Create an environment that supports exploration and change
Help the client to recognize the impact of his/her thoughts and feelings on behavior
Recognize the client's strengths and areas for learning and growth
Help the client to identify the most important issues to address during coaching
Contribute your knowledge, experience and expertise without giving advice
Employ a variety of perspectives when trying to make sense of a situation
4) Facilitating the Personal Transformation
a) Promoting action
 Help the client to identify actions that will enable him/her to demonstrate and strengthen new
learning
 Encourage the client to think deeply and creatively, to look for new or different approaches to take
 Help the client to systematically evaluate identified concerns, options and opportunities
 Encourage the client to make appropriate decisions after exploring possible outcomes
 Ensure that the coaching session leaves the client feeling motivated to apply what was learned in
his/her life setting
 Recognize and celebrate the client's successes
 Encourage and support the client to apply new knowledge or skills immediately (i.e., during the
coaching session)
 Help the client to determine a challenging yet realistic pace of learning
b) Focusing on goals
 Work with the client to develop a coaching plan and goals for development
 Encourage the client to keep focused on concerns and opportunities relevant to agreed-upon
goals
 Ensure that the coaching plan and development goals address the client's concerns and major
areas for learning and development
 Create development goals that are specific, measurable, action-oriented and results-oriented, and
that have an appropriate time frame
 Assess coaching progress and adjust goals based on interim results and changing priorities
 Help the client to evaluate and access the learning resources (e.g., people, books, courses) that
will support his/her desired outcomes
 Help the client to focus and build on his/her successes
c) Building resiliency
 Help the client to remain on track between sessions (e.g., to take the actions needed to
accomplish his/her goals)
 Spend time in subsequent sessions checking the client's progress regarding actions committed to
previously
 Acknowledge what the client has and has not done, learned and become aware of since the
previous session
 Positively confront the client when he/she does not take agreed-upon actions
 Effectively relate what is being discussed to where the client wants to be
 Promote self-discipline in the client by holding the client responsible and accountable for agreedupon actions
 Develop the client's ability to coach him/herself
d) Managing termination of coaching
 Assess the client's readiness for termination of coaching
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Take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that the client can continue his/her development
Clarify with the client any follow-up arrangements
Guide the client and other stakeholders in devising a long-range development plan
Recommend internal and external means of development that best fit the needs of the client and
the organization
Communicate with the client's manager or other stakeholders to ensure commitment to the client’s
future development, including regular progress reviews
Make yourself available for questions and clarification after the coaching ends
Check in with the client occasionally, as appropriate, to maintain the relationship
5) Professional Development
a) Maintaining and improving professional skills
 Regularly seek out client feedback on your performance to help you develop your practice
 Recognize your own limitations as a coach and seek supervision when appropriate
 Use supervision on a regular basis to maintain and improve your coaching skills
 Consult with supervisors and colleagues regarding client and coaching issues and issues related
to your own professional development as a coach
 Attend conferences and workshops to develop your coaching skills, expertise and knowledge
 Read books, journals and articles to keep abreast of current developments in coaching
Business and Leadership Coaching Capabilities
1) Alignment
a) Understanding the business and displaying a strong grounding in business knowledge and competencies
 Bring to the coaching situation a wide range of relevant knowledge about, and experience in, large
corporations
 Bring to the coaching situation a wide range of relevant knowledge about, and experience in,
SMEs and start-up/entrepreneurial businesses
 Understand the broader business context in which the client operates (e.g., market outlook,
competition, products and services, clients and customers)
 Become familiar with the vision, goals and objectives of the organization and its stakeholders
 Understand the organization's practices and policies as they relate to achieving business
objectives
 Understand how the organization evaluates the client’s performance and results
 Understand the client's role and position relative to the organization’s overall mission, strategy,
and key business initiatives
 Become familiar with the organization's human resource policies and procedures (e.g., on
sensitive issues such as sexual harassment, diversity and incident reporting)
 Become aware of how decisions are made and implemented within the organization (e.g.,
corporate governance principles, structures and channels for conducting business)
b) Demonstrating proficiency in systems thinking
 Be equally comfortable discussing broad conceptual issues and specific practical issues
 Encourage the client to look at the wider picture
 Help the client to see his/her position and the organization through various viewpoints and
perspectives
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Apply a systems perspective to identify wider patterns of activity (internal and external) that help
or hinder achievement
Recognize the client's interdependence with other people and processes in the organization
Identify patterns or meanings in events and data that are not obviously connected
Identify parallels between the dynamics in the coaching relationship and the client’s impact on
people and processes in the organization
Approach each problem situation with a clear perception of the political reality
Be comfortable coaching in a turbulent and constantly changing business system, filled with
ambiguity
c) Aligning coaching initiatives with the business
 Identify and set coaching and development priorities within the context of business plans
 Ensure that coaching is primarily concerned with the client’s development in the context of
organizational needs
 Be clear about the responsibility of the client and other stakeholders to take action
 Challenge the client, when necessary, to relate his/her behavior back to company aims
 Strive to maximize the client’s contribution to the organization’s needs
 Be flexible in adapting the client’s development needs to changing business priorities
 Be able to ask tough, challenging questions that make the client think along new strategic lines
 Be comfortable coaching around international issues and agendas
2) Leadership Knowledge and Credibility
a) Acting as a strong and influential role model
 Be able to inspire and motivate others at the highest levels
 Help the client to create and communicate a compelling and inspirational picture of the future
 Model and demonstrate leadership behaviors in ways that enable the client to enact these
behaviors for him/herself
 Practice leadership and integrate leadership qualities and behaviors into your working practice
b) Possessing thorough working knowledge of the world of the executive leader and leadership development
 Know how leaders learn and the processes that facilitate leadership learning
 Understand the challenges of effective leadership
 Be thoroughly familiar with the demands faced by leaders in their particular business
 Identify appropriate leadership development processes
 Identify and select coaching techniques appropriate to the client's leadership developmental tasks
 Identify and articulate the difference between a manager and a leader
 Facilitate the client's transition from manager to leader
 Understand and communicate the qualities required for effective leadership
c) Displaying highly developed communication and interpersonal competencies
 Display a high level of confidence in working within the leadership arena
 Discuss issues in a language appropriate to the business context
 Understand the points of influence within the organization
 Work beneath the strong ego of the leader
 Challenge the leader to raise standards in all areas
3) Coach as Leader and Developer of Own Business
a) Creating and managing business relationship networks
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Be able to win new clients
Be able to generate referrals from other professionals
Be able to generate new business through word of mouth
Provide the organization and the client with background information about yourself and your
practice (e.g., references, fees and business practices)
Maintain a large network of contacts with other qualified professionals
Refer clients when you are not the best possible resource
b) Collaborating with other coaches
 Establish alliances with other coaches to enable delivery of large contracts
 Identify and develop resources and referrals
 Share values and ethics with other coaches
 Share best practices with other coaches
 Promote the coaching profession
 Learn about and develop the coaching profession
c) Developing yourself in a business capacity
 Attend events (e.g., workshops and conferences) to develop your understanding of leadership and
business ideas
 Read professional books and trade journals (e.g., Harvard Business Review) to keep up with
business developments
 Read business newspapers (e.g., Financial Times) and business pages to stay informed about
business and economic conditions
4) Creating and Maintaining Partnerships with all Stakeholders in the Business Coaching Process
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
Proactively develop a network of relationships and strategic partnerships within the organization,
and maintain it through regular contact and follow-up
Understand and effectively discuss with the client and decision-maker the guidelines and
parameters of the coaching contract (e.g., logistics, fees, inclusion of others if appropriate)
Recognize and involve Human Resources and other stakeholders as appropriate when agreeing
on accountability
Understand the needs and requirements of the coaching sponsor
Participate in the organization’s process for selecting, matching and orienting business coaches
Develop a formal written confidentiality agreement before the coaching begins (e.g., specify which
information will and will not be shared, in which circumstances, with whom and how)
Communicate openly about coaching progress with the client and other stakeholders (within the
limits of the agreed-upon confidentiality)
Facilitate communication between the client and the organization about what the client is working
on, his/her progress and his/her support needs
Abide by the organization’s values, ethical practices, confidentiality agreements, business
practices and human resource policies; withdraw if these are incompatible with your own values
5) Understanding Organizational Behavior and Organizational Development Principles




Understand organizational processes and how to improve their efficiency and effectiveness
Analyze the elements, principles and relationships in organizational structure, culture and change
management
Know how to facilitate the creation of vision and the clarification of direction
Know how to facilitate the development and implementation of strategic and operational plans
64

Know how to facilitate the development of strategies for leading and managing organizational
change
6) Assessment
a) Assessing the client
 Select from a wide variety of assessment instruments (e.g., 360-degree feedback and measures
of personality, learning styles, interests, leadership style)
 Carry out additional assessments of variables such as the organizational culture, team
communication, organizational trust, quality, employee satisfaction, efficiency and profitability
 Administer only those instruments for which you have been fully trained, certified or otherwise
prepared
 Explain clearly the strengths and limitations of assessment instruments
 Maintain the client’s confidentiality by protecting assessment data
 Provide a safe, supportive environment in which to deliver assessment feedback
 Deliver feedback in ways that encourage the client to act upon the assessment
 Help the client to use assessment data to create a development action plan
b) Assessing the individual and organizational benefits of business coaching
 Know how to measure the effectiveness of coaching
 Demonstrate commitment to measuring coaching success
 Create relevant return on investment (or other models) for identifying added value
 Use pre- or post-coaching assessments (e.g., 360-degree feedback) to measure results
 Offer reliable and valid means for measuring the results and outcomes of coaching
 Establish goals in the contracting phase so that the performance of both you and the client can be
measured
7) Having Respect for and Knowledge about Multicultural Issues and Diversity







Adapt the language and/or approach you use during coaching to racial and cultural differences
Be aware of how cultural dynamics influence business processes, interactions and outcomes
Help to form effective strategies consistent with the organization's position in a global economy
Help the client to recognize the value of diversity, and to maximize the benefits of racial and
cultural differences in ways that improve outcomes
Demonstrate personal commitment to treating people equally and with respect and dignity
Clearly understand the business benefits of effectively managing racial and cultural diversity
Understand potential preferences and biases associated with your own racial and cultural identity,
and how these might enhance or impede your delivery of services
65
APPENDIX B
Supervisor and Referee Forms
Please be aware that the assessors will not begin to evaluate your portfolio until they have all the required
documents. It is your responsibility to make sure all forms are completed and included in your portfolio,
including the supervisor and referee forms that follow.
1. Candidate’s Description of Supervision Arrangements
Instructions to Candidates
You must provide details of your supervision arrangements. It may be that your supervision takes the form
of work with peers or happens in a group process. Perhaps you have some other method of ensuring the
quality of your work. If you do not have a supervisor, discuss this with your adviser.
Identify your specific arrangements on this page (or on attached pages) as follows:
Supervision Arrangements
(a) Describe your supervision arrangements in relation to your business coaching practice.
(b) Summarize previous supervision arrangements, if appropriate.
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2. Supervisor’s Statement
Instructions to Supervisors
The candidate is seeking the designation of WABC Certified Master Business Coach® (CMBC®).
Please confirm that she or he has some form of regular professional supervision in force at this time.
Please confirm that the supervision is ongoing by stating when it started and its frequency. It is also helpful
to provide information on the approach to business coaching that is being supervised, the client group(s)
and any recent issues addressed in supervision. While your task is not to provide a formal evaluation, it is
helpful to provide your views on the strengths and limitations of the candidate’s business coaching practice.
Please return the completed form to the candidate in a sealed envelope. You may also give the candidate
a copy if you wish.
Name of Candidate _____________________________________________
Supervisor’s Personal Information:
First Name(s) __________________ Surname __________________
Title __________________
Supervisor’s Professional Qualifications: (e.g., WABC Certified Master Business Coach® or other
professional designation)
Details of Supervision Arrangements:
1.
Context in which supervision is provided.
2.
When approximately did supervision start?
3.
How frequent are the supervision sessions?
4.
How long are the sessions?
5.
Supervision method(s) used (case discussion, tape, etc.)
6.
Type of clients.
I believe this person is competent to practice.
Signature __________________
Date __________________
67
3. Referees’ Reports
Instructions to Candidates
You must provide reports from two referees who know your work well. Their task is to read your CMBC®
portfolio, discuss it with you and comment through this form on your professional and personal suitability
for recognition as a WABC Certified Master Business Coach® (CMBC®).
Your referees must understand that they are responsible for providing accurate information about your
eligibility for the designation. In most cases, to do this job well, referees will need access to your complete
portfolio.
Please ask each referee to complete and sign the referee form below (with additional pages, if necessary,
attached and signed). The form must be placed in a sealed envelope and returned to you for inclusion in
your portfolio. The referee can give you a copy to read if you both agree.
Name of Candidate
____________________________________________
Referee’s Personal Information:
First Name(s) __________________ Surname ______________________
Title __________________
Employer/Organization__________________ Job Title_________________
1. How long have you known the candidate and in what capacity?
2. Please describe the opportunities you have had to observe or become familiar with the
candidate’s practice of business coaching.
3. Do you believe the candidate has the competency to practice independently as a WABC
Certified Master Business Coach® (CMBC®)?
You may attach additional pages if necessary. Please sign each one and note the number of additional
sheets here_____.
To the best of my knowledge the information provided by the candidate is a truthful account of his/her
training, practice and experience.
Signature __________________
Date __________________
68
APPENDIX C
How to Gather and Present Evidence
What Is Evidence?
Your claims for prior education and training (Item 8) and experiential learning (Item 9) must be supported
by evidence that demonstrates the knowledge and skills you’re seeking credit for. In supplying this
evidence, you need to think not only about which evidence to use but about how to use it to illustrate your
learning. Your use of evidence will help your assessors evaluate the extent to which you can analyze your
learning.
69
Types of Evidence
Your evidence can take many different forms, for example:




Photographs
Videos
Audiotapes
Written work
Your evidence might include examples of items you have produced yourself, for example:





Business plans showing objectives and results
Financial forecasts and plans
Monthly and annual reports
Products you have made
Case studies
Your evidence might include information gathered from others about what you can do, for example:



Certificates
Correspondence (e.g., from colleagues, customers, clients, suppliers)
Statements by clients, line managers or other independent sources familiar with your work
Where physical evidence is not available, consider using a case study. For example, you could describe a
case or critical incident you participated in and discuss in detail how it demonstrated the learning you are
claiming.
Your evidence might also include a discussion of how you applied to your work the learning you gained
from a course or other activity. You might use certificates and transcripts as evidence of the course or
activity, and/or you might provide evidence that demonstrates the application of the learning in your
subsequent work.
70
How to Present Evidence
Evidence is never self-explanatory. You must therefore explicitly tell your assessors how you intend them
to understand your evidence. It’s a good idea to attach a short commentary to each piece of evidence
explaining how it authenticates a particular claim for credit or area of learning.
The evidence you use should sufficiently illustrate the point it supports. As a rough guide, you might select
one piece of evidence (e.g., a certificate) to support a claim for prior education in Item 8. You might select
two to four pieces of evidence to support each area of learning listed in Item 9.
It is often possible to find a piece of evidence that demonstrates several skills or supports more than one
area of learning. Be sure to cross-reference properly to enable your references to be followed.
71
APPENDIX D
Ethics and Plagiarism
Ethics
Much information you have gathered in your work as a business coach will be potential evidence for your
CMBC® portfolio. You may in some cases want to use sensitive information as evidence.
When this happens, it is essential that you comply with the professional, legal and moral standards
appropriate to the type of information you are using. Even before you comply with ethical standards for
presenting sensitive information, it is your responsibility as a professional to find out what these other
standards are. You will have to look to appropriate sources for these standards.
While not a comprehensive treatise on the topic, the following points may help:




You must obtain consent for the use of material from everyone involved in its production (e.g.,
team members, clients). You should identify how you obtained the consent and include evidence
of the consent.
You should consider how to sanitize the material. For example, you can replace names with
pseudonyms, and real addresses with fictional addresses. (Striking these details through with a
pen or obliterating them with correction fluid is not enough.)
You can create simulations to demonstrate actual situations, and have their accuracy (as a
representation of your work or the actual situation) corroborated by someone familiar with the
situation. For example, a manager at your workplace could corroborate the accuracy of an event.
Check the legal status of material before using it. If in doubt, check with your program adviser
and also your business or organization manager (if applicable).
Plagiarism
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.) defines the verb “plagiarize” as follows:


to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own: use (another’s production)
without crediting the source
to commit literary theft: present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing
source
It is assumed that anything you submit for assessment in the CMBC® process is your own work, that the
words, ideas and arguments are your own. However, the process does require you to reflect on things you
have read and studied. If you present or represent those sources in writing (or other methods of
72
presentation), you must show where and how your work is indebted to those sources by using standard
reference practices.
Note: The complete and definitive plagiarism policy for this program is that of Middlesex University. You
can access the policy online through PDF Learning Net. The following is a summary to help you prepare
your CMBC® portfolio.
Copying
Never copy anything without explicit acknowledgement as described under "Quoting." This includes
copying the work of other candidates.
Quoting
Normally you should resort to quotations only when the original wording is essential to support the
argument. If you quote directly from a book or paper, you must reference the quotation properly.
Put it within quotation marks and reveal the source so that the reader can find it.
You can use any recommended referencing system, but it must state the author, title, date and
page number. You may wish to have numbered footnotes or a shorter reference—for example,
(Smith, 1986, p. 89)—with the full detailed source in a bibliography at the end. It does not matter
which system you use. Regardless of which system you use, you should list all your sources at the
end in a bibliography or reference section. Two standard reference systems (which you can access
online or in most bookstores) are Harvard and MLA. It is helpful to follow one of these systems so
that you are consistent and comply with standard practices.
Paraphrasing
This means putting someone else’s ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing is acceptable
provided that you make it clear what you’re doing. You should acknowledge paraphrasing in every
paragraph where it occurs. There are many ways to do this without interfering with the flow, such
as:
"Smith goes on to argue that ..."
"Smith provides further proof that ..."
As with quotations, you must at some point give the full details of the source you are using.
General indebtedness
This approach can be tricky, so when in doubt, err on the side of caution. General indebtedness is
more problematic with an essay-type piece than with a work example. If the way in which you
present a topic is basically drawn from one book, you should note this. Similarly, if the method you
use to order your evidence and argument, or to organize your material, reflects one particular
source, then say so.
Assessing plagiarized work
Proven plagiarism is a very serious offence against scholarship, and in most institutions results in
automatic expulsion. Plagiarism in this program results in the candidate’s suspension at that time,
with no possibility of completing the program. If plagiarism during the program is detected after the
73
program is completed, the award of credits (and the designation) will be withdrawn.
If in doubt about the quality of your referencing, consult your adviser before submitting anything for
evaluation.
74
APPENDIX E
Research Behind the CMBC® Credential
All along, it has been WABC’s goal to ensure that the Certified Master Business Coach® (CMBC®)
credential, including the submission and assessment processes leading up to it, is of the highest caliber.
Therefore, to develop the program WABC turned to the Professional Development Foundation (PDF), an
independent academic body validated by Middlesex University that specializes in work-based research and
post-graduate programs in the professions. In particular, WABC called upon the expertise of PDF’s
founding director, David Lane (MSc, PhD, FBPsS).
(See Appendix G for more information about David Lane and PDF, and Appendix H for more on Middlesex
University.)
Research Approach
Working together, WABC and PDF took a three-stage approach to the extensive research behind this
credential: (1) identify master-level business coaching competencies, (2) produce a definition of business
coaching and (3) establish criteria and credit rating for the new designation.
1.
Identify Master-Level Competencies
We began with an extensive review of coaching models currently in use. We also held a series of
focus groups that brought together experienced business coaches and clients to investigate how
business coaching is practiced worldwide. One of these focus groups was our International Expert
Panel (see Appendix I). In addition, we reviewed 180 studies from around the world (listed at the
end of this appendix).
Then we drafted a framework of competencies and circulated questionnaires within the
International Expert Panel. After integrating the results with other international knowledge bases,
we produced a final document that identified the competencies expected of a CMBC® holder. We
will continue to review these competencies to ensure they remain relevant.
2. Define Business Coaching
We investigated the activities, objectives and nuances of coaching within various types of organizations,
as practiced by external coaches, internal coaches and managers as coaches. We analyzed our
findings to clarify the functions of the business coach and the level of expertise required for the CMBC®
designation.
3.
Assign Credit Rating and Test the Program
To conform to university standards, the business coaching competencies and the indicators of
those competencies were assigned appropriate credit rating. Our International Expert Panel
75
participated in verifying the competencies, the indicators and the weighting of each. Then, once the
CMBC® credential process was developed, the panel tested the entire program.
Program Foundations
WABC has taken steps to ensure that the CMBC® stands up to thorough professional, academic and client
scrutiny at all times. In particular, we identified the following objectives, which form the foundation of the
designation:

The designation is based on independently verifiable standards, determined through sound
research by expert program developers.
The designation requires business coaches to prove their competencies.
The designation is awarded through expert evaluation by independent assessors in a
university context.
The designation provides university-level credits that are transferable to a post-graduate
degree program. This requires that the certification, administration and evaluation processes
be independent of WABC.
The recipients are required to maintain the designation on a regular basis.




The CMBC® certification process is based on the system of accreditation of prior experiential learning
(APEL). APEL is a proven system of assigning credit based on evidence of prior learning, including
education, training and learning gained from work experience. The system allows seasoned business
coaches to be recognized and certified for knowledge and skills they’ve acquired through their practice as
well as through their training.
To earn APEL credit, candidates must demonstrate their ability to fully use and synthesize their prior
learning. They are therefore required to reflect on their prior learning and how they have developed their
practice as business coaches. Reflecting on learning and subsequent behavior is a valuable professional
development activity in itself, one that offers proven benefits to the individual.
Studies Reviewed
During our research, we conducted a detailed review of 180 studies from around the world. Here is a list of
studies reviewed as of March 8, 2005.
1.
2.
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APPENDIX F
Profile of the Worldwide Association of Business
Coaches
The Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC) is the first
international professional association dedicated exclusively to business
coaching, and the only association that requires advanced qualifications
for membership. WABC has been serving business coaches and their
clients since 1997.
WABC is rapidly positioning itself as the leading authority on business
coaching. The association has taken on some key initiatives over the last
few years, among them developing rigorous membership standards,
drafting the Code of Business Coaching Ethics and Integrity, and unveiling
the prestigious master-level credential, the WABC Certified Master
Business Coach® (CMBC®).
Business coaching is still an emerging profession, so it’s to be expected
that a global, cross-industry body of knowledge, standard of training and
system of credentialing don’t yet exist. But seeing the profession as
emerging means being able to actively influence how it evolves, as
opposed to passively looking on while external forces, such as government
regulators, determine its direction.
Building a profession requires building and maintaining public trust. WABC
aims to do just that through its self-regulatory activities, which include
creating a code of ethics, a well-defined set of professional standards, a
body of knowledge about the profession and a standard of training and
credentialing. Taken together, WABC’s activities will help decision-makers
around the world when they screen, hire, train and evaluate business
coaches.
"WABC, PDF and
Middlesex University
are committed to
building the
profession of
business coaching by
setting the highest
international
standards for training
and credentialing. I'm
very excited about
the far-reaching
impact of our work as
more businesses and
organizations take
advantage of our
valuable, potentially
world-changing
services."
—Wendy Johnson
President and CEO,
WABC
For more information, visit the WABC website.
85
APPENDIX G
Profile of the Professional Development Foundation
The Professional Development Foundation (PDF) is an independent
academic body that specializes in work-based research and post-graduate
programs relating to the professions. PDF is validated by Middlesex
University to develop and provide innovative programs in professional
development. The WABC Certified Master Business Coach® (CMBC®)
designation is one such program.
A recognized research entity, PDF has developed research and education
programs in cooperation with a wide range of professional, corporate, public
and voluntary bodies. PDF’s leadership in business coaching goes back
many years and includes being a founding member of the International
Center for the Study of Coaching at Middlesex University.
David Lane, founder of PDF, is a leading business coach, coach trainer and
researcher. He has applied his background in psychology and human
resources management, along with his understanding of coaching
frameworks, to benefit clients and the business coaching industry around the
world. He has advised a number of key bodies in the industry, and has
supported coaching initiatives in the US, South Africa, the UK and elsewhere
in Europe.
David has spent more than 25 years working with professions and
organizations to establish practice-relevant competency and accreditation
models. He led the development of both the CMBC® program and the WABC
Accredited™ designation. David and PDF continue to play a pivotal role in
the CMBC®, managing the credential program and the independent
assessment of portfolios.
"I am pleased to be
working with WABC in
its commitment to
establish clear standards
at such an important
time in our emerging
industry. WABC’s
decision to create an
independent process is
to be commended."
—David Lane, MSc,
PhD; Professor and
Director of Research,
International Center for
the Study
of Coaching, Middlesex
University; Founding
Director, PDF
For more information, visit the PDF website.
86
APPENDIX H
Profile of Middlesex University
Based in the United Kingdom, Middlesex University was created through the amalgamation of a
number of long-established colleges. It has approximately 22,000 students studying on campus and
around the world, and 2,500 staff. Middlesex is the largest provider of programs for international
students in the UK.
All universities in the UK are accredited by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
Middlesex University is regularly assessed by this body and must carefully monitor and manage the
standards in all its departments, programs and courses.
Middlesex operates from a foundation of the highest standards in academic excellence. It has an
enviable track record as an award-winning, dynamic and progressive institution that is dedicated to
global learning. Here are some highlights:






Middlesex has 15 international offices where students who wish to study in London can
obtain recruitment services and advice. These offices are also the key to the university’s
hundreds of academic partnerships worldwide.
The university is committed to achieving the best possible success and employability of its
students by offering outstanding student support, highly effective teaching and learning
strategies and practical links with employers.
Underlying the university’s program work is a passionate belief in offering higher education
to all who will benefit from it.
The university’s academic standing, creativity and innovation have been widely
recognized. It is one of the few UK universities to be awarded three consecutive Queen's
Anniversary Prizes. The university has also held the Investors in People Award since 1999.
Middlesex is the only UK university to concurrently hold a Queen’s Award for Enterprise
and a commendation for Innovation in Work-Based Learning.
Middlesex is the home of the International Center for the Study of Coaching and the UK
Centre for Excellence in Work Based Learning.
For more information, visit the Middlesex University website.
87
APPENDIX I
Profiles of the International Expert Panel
Alix de Poix (Luxembourg) has worked both nationally and internationally in consulting (over 17 years) and
human resources (14 years) for companies such as Medtronic (Health Care), Yves Rocher (Perfumes and
Cosmetics/Direct Marketing and specialized retailing) and CCF (Investment Banking), now HSBC. For 10
years, she was a senior partner with Heidrick & Struggles, based in the Paris office. In 2004 she left that firm
to develop her own practice focusing on executive coaching, sustainable leadership development and
change management.
Andy Johnson (South Africa) is an international leadership coach based in Johannesburg, South Africa,
where he founded that country’s first coaching company eight years ago. As a line manager, Andy spent
many years as a mentor, working with emerging leaders on their continuing development, before becoming a
professional coach 10 years ago. Since moving to South Africa, Andy has coached over 150 leaders within
Africa, from both public and private sectors and in a wide variety of disciplines. His prime focus is one-on-one
coaching, but he also coaches teams and facilitates group coaching sessions for accelerated development
programs.
Ann Houston Kelley (Netherlands) specializes in coaching international executives and their senior
management teams in “using differences to get the job done” in an increasingly complex, diverse and
changing business environment. She particularly enjoys the challenge of changing corporate mindsets in
mergers and acquisitions. She has dual citizenship (American and Dutch) and has been working across
Europe since the mid-1980s.
Anne Geneviève Girard (Canada) focuses on identifying talent and developing people in their
organizations. As a certified psychologist, management consultant and coach, she coaches on leadership
and management skills as well as on strategic or succession planning issues. Entrepreneurial herself, she
particularly appreciates working with high-potential executives and with presidents and CEOs of small
businesses and their executive teams. She works mostly with national manufacturing and service companies
with international operations, some of them family-owned.
Carlos Marin (United States) has a distinguished international career as a management and leadership
development educator and adviser. With over 20 years of experience, he has been a highly successful
executive coach and a mentor to hundreds of business leaders in North America, Central and South
America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Catherine Sandler (United Kingdom) has worked extensively in leadership development, group dynamics
and organizational behavior for 17 years, in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. In 1998 she founded Sandler
Consulting, which specializes in coaching senior executives and top teams. She leads six other coaches,
working with a range of blue-chip and SME clients in the business and not-for-profit sectors. Catherine is an
experienced supervisor and has run workshops and master classes on coaching in the UK and France. She
has taught at the London Business School, INSEAD, Cambridge University and the Tavistock Clinic.
Christopher Simon-Evans (United Kingdom) is an international management coach and consultant with
almost 20 years’ experience in helping professionals improve their communication and people skills, develop
their careers and achieve their full potential. Over the past 15 years, Christopher has coached and trained
hundreds of business managers and professionals from a wide range of sectors and countries, both on a
one-to-one basis and in groups. He speaks fluent French and has lived and worked in France.
88
Cynthia Alt (United States) is a senior executive coach with Executive Coaching Network, Inc. (EXCN).
Cynthia has over 14 years' experience consulting with Fortune 200 companies and entrepreneurs. Her
proficiency in leadership development, organizational assessment, facilitation and strategic planning has led
to measurable results for the individuals she has coached. Cynthia has consulted with executives and small
business owners on strategic planning, organizational development and business alignment.
Deborah Fortney (United States) is a senior organizational development specialist with Ernst & Young, a
professional services firm encompassing 55,000 employees in the US and Canada. Deb drives Ernst &
Young's 360 feedback process as a key development tool for leadership. To further support the effective use
of feedback, she has championed the development of an internal coach professional group and acts as a
mentor coach to internal coaches. She is at work on a book based on her experience in building a "feedbackrich" culture and the impact of that approach for cultural change and dynamic leadership development.
Diana T. Bragg (United States) has over 15 years of experience in several areas: developing and
coaching executive management teams, career development consulting, recruitment, business development,
and designing and implementing human resources and training programs. She brings a rich diversity of
experience to her consulting work with organizations and individuals. Diana specializes in leadership
development, executive career and life strategies coaching, and developmental assessments.
Diane Vere (United Kingdom) is an experienced and qualified performance management coach. She has
special expertise in developing and implementing business strategy through performance management
systems to improve customer service and business profitability and to achieve cultural and behavioral
change. Her clients have included General Electric, Citibank, In Wear, Perstorp Wareite, Johnson Wax
Professional, Hays Personnel Services, AT Cross, Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-operative Society
and ELEXON.
Ernesto Olascoaga (Mexico) is the founder of Grupo Visión Global, a consulting firm since 1976, and
partner of Boston Loyalty Group. As a business coach and consultant with more than 30 years' experience,
he has helped thousands of leaders and teams from a wide range of sectors to stay focused and aligned
while executing their strategies. Ernesto has integrated a “dynamic strategic alignment” methodology,
blending his organizational change competencies with information technology products. He specializes in
strategic change management, leadership development and process redesign for collaborative work
systems. He speaks fluent Spanish and English.
Gary Henson (United States) is the founder and president of BusinessCoach.com. With over 30 years as
an entrepreneur, he gave up a successful career in commercial real estate to pursue business coaching and
has been committed to transforming businesses and lives ever since. Gary specializes in business coaching
as a strategic and change-management tool leading to improved customer and employee satisfaction as well
as increased corporate performance.
Heather Dawson (United Kingdom) has spent over 12 years as a coach and 20 years as a marketing
professional, strategy consultant and business owner in North America and the UK. Her expertise is in
working with senior executives who lead change, and she is skilled at bringing together the multiple
components of senior leadership and strategy. A Canadian, Heather has lived in London, England, since
1994. She is a partner with Praesta Partners LLP, where she is an executive coach and head of quality, and
leads the Board Effectiveness Practice.
Indrani Choudhury (United Kingdom) is a chartered educational psychologist and organizational
psychologist with many years' experience in senior management positions within the public sector. She has
also been coaching for a number of years. Apart from her consultancy work, she is interested in education
and is an external adviser for head teachers’ performance management and an appraiser for the Special
Educational Needs Tribunal.
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Jane Upton (Spain) is an executive coach with nearly 15 years of experience. In addition to coaching, she
works as a consultant with executive and management teams to accelerate their performance. Her previous
experience was in senior international human resources, where she was extensively involved in mergers,
acquisitions and environments of cultural change. Jane has lived in Spain for the last 12 years.
Jean Claude Noel (United States) has lived on three continents and has conducted business in many
industries and in every part of the world. Besides his deep understanding of cross-cultural environments,
Jean Claude brings to executive coaching and leadership development a real-life global experience at the
board level and an educational background in consulting and coaching based on clinical organizational
psychology. In 2001, building on his interest in the human aspects of organizations, he participated in the first
INSEAD/HEC program in Consulting and Coaching for Change.
John McKee (United States) is the expert and visionary behind BusinessSuccessCoach.net, an online
destination for professionals ranging from small and large business owners to entry-level managers to seniorlevel executives—anyone who aspires to maximize their success in the business world. John, a 30-year
veteran of corporate boardrooms and executive suites, has personally hired, fired and promoted thousands
of people.
Kaoru Hosokawa (Japan) is a well-known business coach who founded Tokyo-based BusinessCoach Inc.
in 2003. His firm currently offers corporate training services to high-profile companies in Japan, joint coaching
seminars with Nikkei Venture Magazine and Nikkei Business Associates, and one-on-one and group
business coaching. Mr. Hosokawa is one of the most active writers on business coaching in Japan. He has
written many articles and columns for major business publications like Nikkei Business Associates, Nikkei
Venture, and the Tosho Newspaper.
Kate Lanz (Netherlands) brings more than 12 years of international corporate experience to her executive
coaching. Kate has a distinctive competence in blending direct business experience with a psychodynamic
understanding of individuals and organizations. Working with organization leaders and those who report to
them, Kate helps both individuals and teams to improve their effectiveness and productivity. Her current
client base consists mostly of major international organizations in Europe. She has also worked extensively
in Latin America and the US. Cross-cultural effectiveness is a constant factor in Kate’s work.
Kate Lidbetter (United Kingdom) is currently head of SKAI´s coaching and mentoring practice. She has 14
years of consulting and coaching experience in organizational change and leadership practices, and
previously spent 13 years as an operational leader in various global financial institutions. Her projects have
included transforming a mortgage processing operation through an innovative restructure that incorporated
culture change and a move to customer-facing alignment. Productivity improvements exceeded 200% in
some cases. Kate is co-founder of SKAI and co-designer of SKAI´s coaching and mentoring methodology.
Kathleen Sarli (United States) has over 30 years’ experience in international training, leadership and team
development, and executive coaching. Her primary focus is helping individuals to understand their inherent
skills so as to improve their personal development and business results. She is the founder and principal of
Socrates Executive Consulting, which offers quality consulting services to executives and organizations.
Kelly-Lee Mansi (Canada) has more than 24 years of business experience and works with individuals,
entrepreneurs and corporate clients. With expertise in finance, change management, team building, career
assessment and leadership development, Kelly-Lee has used her insightful coaching to help revitalize and
launch new careers for thousands of executives and professionals from around the world, including from
major Fortune 500 companies. She has also helped professionals transition to create alignment with their
aspirations and become successful entrepreneurs.
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Knud Pedersen (Denmark) is a senior management consultant with Mercuri Urval. He specializes in
strategic, organizational and management development. Knud is experienced in leadership coaching, team
coaching, strategic coaching and coaching to deliver organizational change. He was instrumental in
developing Mercuri Urval’s coaching capability and has been project manager on many national and
international projects.
Linda Gartland (United States) has been managing partner and a senior consultant with Corporate
Insights & Development (CID) since 1992. Linda has exceptional expertise in leadership and organizational
development, and is a highly sought-after executive coach. Her 25-year career has spanned a number of
disciplines and industries, which contributes to the breadth and strength of her consulting, coaching and
training skills.
Lynn Litow Flayhart (United States) is an organizational development specialist. She has 25 years'
experience in executive coaching, assessment for selection and development, leadership development,
organizational assessment and development, strategic and business planning, facilitation, mediation, training
needs assessment, training design and implementation, and team building.
Marc Kahn (South Africa) is managing director of Encounter Consulting Pty (Ltd.), a registered
psychologist, a senior executive coach and a corporate facilitator. Marc has worked with many organizations,
both locally and internationally, since 1992 and has a special interest in the areas of leadership,
psychological awareness and human development. A respected supervising coach, he currently coaches
individuals at board and director levels in several major companies in South Africa.
Mark Sobol (United States) has gained international recognition for his work as a collaborator with
executives of major corporations who design, engineer and lead strategic change as they merge, acquire,
launch new businesses or change to a new direction. His work spans more than 23 years of consulting and
coaching executives in multicultural environments in throughout nearly 40 countries.
Marti Janse van Rensburg (South Africa) has a background that ranges from scientific research to
fashion design to teaching to corporate management. Her 10-year corporate career was accentuated with
experience in developing people through coaching, and for the past six years coaching and training has
become a full-time career. Marti coaches and trains people one on one and in groups in various African
countries and in the UK. She also does work at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, the only South
African school listed in a 2005 international survey on corporate programs.
Melinda Sinclair (Canada) is a professional coach, facilitator, consultant and educator with more than 30
years' experience in knowledge-based and learning-oriented environments. Since 1998 she has played a
leadership role in developing the Professional Coaching Program for Adler Professional Schools, Inc. in
Toronto. Melinda is actively involved with coaching leaders in knowledge-based environments and with
supporting organizations that want to move towards a coaching approach to leadership and management.
Miguel Angel Gurrola (Mexico) has worked for international and Mexican companies including Unilever,
Coca-Cola and Camesa. In his current position at Unilever Latin America, he provides internal coaching
services within the Centre of Expertise Learning & Organization Development, which he leads. In 2000 he
started his career at Unilever de Mexico as HR Director in three different business units. Before that, he was
Human Development Manager for Coca-Cola in Mexico. For over 10 years, Miguel has provided internal
coaching interventions focused on executive, leadership and organizational development as well as change
management.
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Natalie Witthuhn (South Africa) has run her own consultancy, specializing in personal and organizational
development, since 1989 and has offered coaching as a service since 1995. She lectures part-time for the
Management Development Unit at University of Witwatersrand Business School. Her focus for the university
is emotional intelligence and coaching in the leadership programs the institution offers.
Paddy Pampallis Paisley (South Africa) is an executive and supervisory coach. She has spent most of
her career partnering people in their journeys to identify their leadership qualities and uncover their power
and meaning through the transformation of understanding self, others and organizations. She draws on 30
years’ experience in various learning, health, government and business fields. Paddy has worked with groups
in a number of organizations, as well as with individuals at the board and executive level.
Ron Hyams (South Africa) has coached hundreds of business leaders across most sectors in the UK,
continental Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia and South Africa. Ron is the founder of the South African office
of Praesta Partners, a UK-based firm with 13 offices around the globe. He coaches senior managers, teams
and high-potential individuals, and in doing so, he develops business leaders who deliver outstanding results.
Rosa Krausz (Brazil) is a senior consultant, teacher, writer and seasoned executive coach and director of
Intelectus, a consulting, training and executive coaching firm in Sao Paulo. Her 30-year career took her to
different countries and helped her build meaningful professional and personal experiences and growth
opportunities. Rosa works with executives on leadership, interpersonal relations, time management, conflict
management and power management issues, focusing on organizational, professional and personal results.
Rose Milbeck (United States) is the owner and visionary of MRI Consulting Group, a business
development company founded in 1991. She coaches and consults with clients from a variety of service,
manufacturing and distribution companies. With over 30 years of extensive management experience in both
corporate and closely held environments, she works with clients to enhance their operations and move their
organizations to the next level of success. She coaches clients who seek an ongoing partnership with a
distinctive, powerful support structure that champions their desired outcomes.
Sabine Dembkowski (Germany/England) is a highly regarded executive coach with over 15 years as a
management consultant, change/transformation agent, author and trainer across Europe and the US. Sabine
is founder and director of The Coaching Centre. This full-service consultancy for executive coaching,
leadership and transformation is based in London and Cologne and serves a blue-chip client base. Before
setting up The Coaching Centre, Sabine worked for A.T. Kearney and Monitor Company in London, Ford
Motor Company and the Institute of German Economy.
Samir Bata (Jordan) draws on over 21 years of diversified work experience in sales, marketing, business
coaching, training and development with Merck, the world leader in the health care sector. Samir holds a
Master of Science in transformation management from the University of Buckingham (UK). He founded
LEAD2ACT International, a business and marketing coaching and transformation consultancy firm, in 2005.
Sara Jane Radin (United States) is a globally recognized management consultant and a seasoned
executive coach who delivers rapid results. She works with senior executives and their leadership teams to
identify, assess and rapidly address individual and organizational performance improvement opportunities to
increase profitability. Sara Jane has demonstrated that an organization’s effectiveness increases as it
systematically focuses on both the people and profit sides of the business to build the capacity to prevail in
its desired markets. One way she helps executives and their teams achieve this balance is through individual
executive coaching.
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Sheila Goldgrab (Canada) is an experienced executive leadership coach who specializes in leadership
development and multi-rater feedback. Sheila has coached entire executive teams and high-potential
individuals in many industries and has originated a feedback process, based on interviews, that has a
positive impact on corporate culture.
Stan Herman (United States) is a coach, teacher, salesperson and former VP of Sales and Marketing for a
Fortune 500 company. Stan’s innovative and energizing presentation and consulting style moves people to
action. He has spent over 20 years shoulder to shoulder with sales and business professionals, helping them
achieve their goals through coaching, consulting and good example. “Respecting and developing people” is
his personal coaching, sales and marketing strategy, and he has been called a consultant with a “people”
philosophy.
Stephen Parker (Denmark) has vast experience as a management consultant, coaching top executives in
some of the largest companies in Denmark and abroad. His typical organizations are telecommunications,
medicals, city councils and energy. Stephen owns his own company, Human House, which has 20
consultants who specialize in management training and organizational development seen from a human
resources perspective.
Sunny Stout Rostron (South Africa) is an international performance consultant and executive coach with
a wide range of experience in leadership, communication and conflict management. With 12 years as an
executive coach, Sunny believes there is a strong link between emotional intelligence and business results,
and she works with individuals and teams to help them achieve individual and organizational goals. She is a
founding member and the national coordinator for COMENSA (Coaches and Mentors of South Africa), which
is aligned with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
Tiina Harmaja (Finland) works as a key personnel coach at Johtoloisto Oy. Over 15 years of strategic and
executive work in various business environments have given her solid grounding in and wide comprehension
of how to coach key personnel, with both personal and work-related objectives. Tiina’s long-term experience
and her extensive education have together built up a convincing expertise.
Ton de Graaf (Netherlands) is a seasoned business coach who owns his own business, Quest Coaching.
Over the past 12 years he has held more than 1,000 coaching sessions. Quest Coaching is part of a network
of organizations. Ton works closely with a number of specialists in coaching, psychotherapy, human
resources management and interim management. These specialists have been carefully selected and share
the vision of Quest Coaching.
Trevor Childs (Belgium) spent his early career in various engineering, economics and production roles.
Transferring to commercial work, initially as general manager for a global business, he spent a number of
years on the board of one of ICI's major businesses. With his extensive experience at the board level in
management, manufacturing, acquisitions, R&D, and the purchasing and supply chain, Trevor has led global
and European industry groups of producers. He has served on senior staff development panels, and has
actively coached high-potential individuals. He now owns his own executive coaching business in association
with Praesta Partners and provides services throughout the Benelux area.
Uwe Böning (Germany) is co-founder and CEO of Böning-Consult, a well-known management and
business consultancy in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. A practicing business coach for over 20 years, Uwe
has built a reputation as a pioneer, especially in business coaching, in Germany. His core clientele consists
of executives at different organizational levels who are employed by Germany’s top companies, including
BMW, E-ON, Boston Consulting Group, Deutsche Bank, Accenture and many more.
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Checklist

Your CMBC® portfolio is complete:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Your CMBC® portfolio contains material to support your claim for:
o
o
o
o
o
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Standard cover page
Standard first page
Curriculum vitae (CV)
Job description(s)
Business coaching competencies analysis
Critical career review
One supervision report, two referee reports
Prior education and training claim
Experiential learning claim
Reflective essay
Reflective exercises (optional—some online, some in this guide)
Training and experience at the master level
Five years’ relevant business coaching experience
Competent practice
Ethical practice
Underpinning knowledge at the master level
Your CMBC® portfolio presents a strong framework for:
o
Coherent model of business coaching practice, with supporting case studies
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