Professional Coaching

UW Bothell School of Business partners with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Washington to offer a transformative coaching program for future leaders in the MBA and MSA programs. Students receive four sessions with volunteer ICF-credentialed coaches, focusing on areas like communication and leadership development. Coaching empowers students to set and achieve personal and professional goals. It’s distinct from therapy or consulting, emphasizing self-discovery and accountability. Students take charge and actively participate in their growth. This tailored 1:1 coaching experience, facilitated by passionate professional coaches, promises valuable leadership growth.

Coached students reported these results

  • Setting clear and challenging goals
  • Learning to be accountable
  • Acquiring leadership skills
  • Curbing procrastination
  • Improving work/life/school healthy balance
  • Connecting with values and purpose

What are some reasons for having a coach?

The typical topics/situations people seek a coach’s help:

  • Something urgent, compelling or exciting is at stake (e.g. a challenge, stretch goal or opportunity)
  • A gap exists in knowledge, skills, confidence or resources
  • A desire to accelerate results
  • Unsure of what goal to set, how to prioritize tasks
  • Success has started to become problematic
  • Work and life are out of balance, creating unwanted consequences
  • Core strengths need to be identified, along with how best to leverage them

What coaching is not

While a coach is capable of advising you, bear in mind that the role of the coach is to support, challenge and hold you accountable to changes you want to make. This is different from consulting, mentoring, training, therapy, counseling, life management, friendship or religious ministry.

Read on to find out more about the coaching process.

What to expect

The coach will:

  • Facilitate gentle exploration of your needs, skills and thought process
  • Help you identify your own solutions and action steps (instead of giving direct advice)
  • Be supportive and non-judgmental, be a thinking partner
  • Help you to map out a plan, strategy for your goals
  • Support you to overcome barriers and situational roadblocks
  • Help you create new awareness
  • Be supportive to improve confidence and enhance capabilities

Your coach and you will have an initial discovery conversation, which will set the clear objectives and outcomes for the coaching contract.

Your investment

Be ready to play along. Commit to making the relationship meaningful and productive. Here are few things which will help with your success.

  • Assume full responsibility for personal decisions and actions
  • Show up on time, clear your desk, turn off your cell phone, close emails, put away any other distractions and play full-out during our sessions
  • Be willing to stretch and be open to discovering ‘blind-spots,’ receive feedback in order to help expedite achieving your goals
  • Be open and honest to get the most out of your coaching sessions
  • Allow yourself to be open to new possibilities, varied ideas and unique ways of finding solutions.

What is the application process?

  1. Learn about the partnership between ICF and the UW Bothell School of Business and its benefit to MBA and MSA students.
  2. Watch this TED Talk by Simon Sinek (over 66 million views!)
  3. Apply for a coaching spot in Fall 2024.
  4. Commit to meeting with your coach four times for one hour each.

Confidentiality

The contents of every coaching session and the details of every coaching relationship are totally confidential and will not be shared with anyone else.

About ICF & ICF Washington

ICF is a global professional body for advancing the profession of coaching. It spans 140 countries with approximately 30,000 members.
ICF Washington is one of the earliest chapters of ICF and is the 5th largest in the US in terms of total members.

Questions? Please email the MBA Graduate Team at uwbbgrad@uw.edu.