Remember this familiar verse found in Galatians 6:4-5 (MSG)? “4-5Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
As a Christian coach, mentor coach, and coach trainer, I accept the International Coach Federation (ICF) definition of coaching. “Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” You may already know that, as an ICF certified coach, I have agreed to abide by the code of ethics within which this definition is published. As a CCN certified coach, I believe in the value of integrating faith with this creative coaching process. How about you? If your answer is yes, then we are together in a search for ways to live this out with excellence in our real live everyday walking around life.
In their 2013 book Creative You, Using Your Personality Type to Thrive, Goldstein and Kroeger challenge readers to know themselves so they can nurture their own creativity. Each of us has our own unique pathway to it. Now I encourage you to accept my challenge: Take advantage of powerful tools to facilitate a process that empowers your clients to tap into their God-given creative potential and take responsibility for doing the creative best they can with their own life… using a coach approach.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of those tools, a valid and reliable one. When applied professionally, it can affirm your clients as they rediscover how God has wired them: What energizes them. How they take in information. How they prefer to make decisions. How they like to approach their “world”. Insights into what motivates them (what to say yes to!) as well as potential Achilles heels (what to self-manage) can be put into practice to achieve the results they want if we communicate effectively through direct communication, powerful questions, and deep listening. We must know the tool and the coaching competencies with such a high standard of excellence that we are then freed up to bring our own essence and being into the conversation.
How would you like to observe a live MBTI coaching session and debrief together the appropriate application of coaching competencies in this context? How willing are you to consider the value of using MBTI as a tool in Christian coaching and to discuss how you can offer it to your clients in the simplest way, using the services of a certified practitioner? If it appeals to you, feel free to join us for this upcoming CCN event: Communicating Effectively in Myers-Briggs (MBTI) Temperament-based Coaching on May 6 at 11am-12:30pm ET. I am confident that as we join in community with other Christian coaches, our clients will be served, our collective vision will be strengthened, and God will be glorified.
Vicki Corrington is a Professional Certified Coach, Certified Professional Christian Coach, Certified Myers-Briggs Practitioner, and Board Certified Coach. She is experienced in Myers-Briggs assessments for individuals, teams, and clients of fellow coaches who strategically align with her for this purpose. Vicki serves on the faculty of Professional Christian Coaching Institute, a distinctly Christian coach training school, and is a member of the International Coach Federation and Christian Coaches Network. Visit www.coachvicki.com to learn more.
