Holding the Client’s Agenda: Coaching Beyond the Surface
- Cindy Hosea
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 8
Picture a fishing bobber floating on a still lake. It bobs gently, responding to every ripple, every small movement on the surface. But beneath the water, unseen forces are at play—currents shift, fish move, and something deeper is stirring.
In coaching, the client’s immediate concerns are like that bobber, moving with the waves of day-to-day life. But the bigger agenda? That’s the deeper current below, the one that truly shapes their transformation. Great coaches don’t just follow the bobber; they help clients sense what’s happening beneath the surface, guiding them toward the deeper waters of their growth.
One of the most essential skills in Co-Active Coaching is holding the client’s agenda—but this doesn’t just mean following their every topic of conversation. It’s about helping them distinguish between the “little a” agenda (immediate concerns) and the “Big A” Agenda (their deeper transformational journey).
This skill is deeply connected to the ICF Core Competencies, particularly Maintains Presence and Evokes Awareness. Let’s explore how to hold both levels of the agenda at once, with real-world coaching scenarios.