ICF Core Competency 1: Demonstrates Ethical Practice
- Cindy Hosea
- Feb 12
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 9
If coaching were a house, ethical practice would be the foundation—the solid, load-bearing base that holds everything else together. It’s not the sleek design, the inspiring vision, or even the skillful craftsmanship. It’s the quiet structure beneath it all that determines whether the whole thing stands tall... or eventually caves in.
You can have the most insightful questions, the most finely tuned frameworks, even the most transformative client breakthroughs—but if your ethical foundation isn’t strong? The trust you’re building on can start to crack. And those cracks? They don’t always announce themselves. Sometimes they show up in subtle misalignments: a vague agreement, a moment of advice dressed as curiosity, or a well-meaning nudge that shifts the power dynamic just enough to matter.
Like the ancient Greek temples that have stood the test of time, coaching rooted in ethical integrity is built to last. It can weather challenge, uncertainty, and growth—because what’s holding it up is steady and sound.
So before we talk about coaching models or client transformation, we start here. With ethics.
🏛 Stick with me. This isn’t a dry list of rules or a lecture in disguise. This is about the kind of coaching that earns trust, creates change, and reflects the integrity you want your practice to stand for. Ready to strengthen your foundation?
Let’s dig in.