Which part of the ICF coaching competencies isn't included, and why it matters for professional coaching

Three big guideposts for great coaching—the ICF way

If you’ve ever spoke with a coach who felt almost like a mirror you could walk into, you’ve felt the power of good structure. The International Coach Federation (ICF) lays out three big guideposts that shape how coaching is done: Setting the Foundation, Co-Creating the Relationship, and Facilitating Learning and Results. It’s less of a recipe and more of a map that helps coaches stay present, ethical, and effective as they help clients move forward. What some folks wonder about, though, is where does feedback fit in? Is that its own thing, separate from these buckets? Here’s the gist: Feedback and Evaluation aren’t a standalone component in the ICF’s core set. They’re woven into the coaching process, not billed as a separate competency.

Let’s walk through those three pillars with a practical, everyday lens—especially useful if you’re juggling talent development, leadership growth, and workplace learning in real-world teams.

Setting the Foundation: the bedrock you can trust

Think of Setting the Foundation as the ground under a building. If the ground shifts, the walls crack. If you want coaching to land well, you start with clear agreements and ethical guidelines. This isn’t a sterile check-list, it’s a living contract that helps both sides understand the game plan, boundaries, and what success looks like.

What does that look like in practice? The coach and client align on what they’re hoping to achieve, what kind of relationship they’ll cultivate, and how they’ll handle confidentiality and boundaries. It’s about trust, plain and simple. You don’t want to walk into a woods with a map that’s unclear about where the trails begin. In many workplaces, this foundation also means honoring organizational norms, patient consent, and appropriate confidentiality in line with policies. The result is a sturdy, predictable space where curiosity can rise without fear.

If you’re in talent development, you’ve probably seen this in action in leadership conversations, coaching circles, or performance development plans that need a humane, principled frame. A clear coaching agreement isn’t a checklist item; it’s the quiet guarantee that both parties can show up as themselves and still be productive.

Co-Creating the Relationship: trust, presence, and a shared journey

Once the foundation is set, the real magic happens in the relationship. This is the “how” of coaching—the climate that makes learning possible. Co-Creating the Relationship is all about trust and safety, yes, but it’s also the practical craft of showing up in the room in a way that invites the client to explore honestly.

A few touchstones here:

• Trust and safety: clients reveal what’s really going on when they feel seen and not judged. That safety isn’t a soft add-on; it’s a deliberate stance the coach adopts—verifying assumptions, inviting questions, and holding space for discomfort as a path to growth.

• Presence: coaching isn’t just talking; it’s listening in a way that signals you’re fully with the client in the moment. You tune in to what’s said, what isn’t said, and what signals are trying to come through.

• Active listening and signaling: the way the coach uses paraphrase, clarifying questions, and reflective statements helps the client see patterns without feeling labeled or boxed in. You want to illuminate, not critique.

• Honest, clear communication: you name what you observe, invite perspective, and avoid jargon that can block understanding. The best coaching feels like a conversation with gravity—important, but still human.

For folks in talent development, this is how coaching becomes a catalyst for real change. It’s not about swapping advice; it’s about co-creating a space where the learner notices a gap, feels supported, and experiments with new actions. The relationship is the container that holds the growth process.

Facilitating Learning and Results: turning awareness into action

The last bucket—Facilitating Learning and Results—centers on helping clients turn insight into practical steps and measurable progress. It’s where the rubber meets the road: awareness is good, but actions and results are what shift performance.

Key elements you’ll see here include:

• Creating awareness: the coach helps the client uncover assumptions, unlock blind spots, and see options that weren’t obvious before. It’s not about telling someone what to think; it’s about widening their lens.

• Designing actions: together, the coach and client identify concrete steps tailored to the person’s context. These aren’t wild theories; they’re doable moves that someone can actually take.

• Planning and accountability: you set up a realistic plan with milestones and check-ins that keep momentum without turning into micromanagement. Accountability is mutual, not punitive.

• Facilitating growth: the aim is to extend the client’s capability—new skills, new mindsets, and new ways of approaching challenges.

In practice, this looks like guided experimentation: a client tries a new approach in a real project, the coach helps frame what success would look like, and both partners review outcomes with curiosity. The learning isn’t a one-off event; it travels with the person as they apply learning across contexts—team meetings, strategy sessions, one-on-one conversations. That’s where real development lives.

Feedback and Evaluation: woven into the coaching flow, not a stand-alone badge

Now, about the elephant in the room: feedback. You’ll often hear people say that feedback and evaluation are essential in any development process. In ICF terms, however, feedback isn’t a standalone competency. It shows up naturally within the three core components as you help a client learn and grow.

What does that actually look like?

• Feedback as a behavior, not a label: a coach might reflect on what they observed, name patterns, and invite the client to interpret those patterns. It’s delivered in a way that preserves autonomy and invites the client to own the next steps.

• Feedback embedded in discovery: when the client notices a new awareness (for example, how they tend to lead in meetings), the coach uses that insight to design a practical action plan. The “feedback” is part of the learning conversation, not a separate evaluation.

• Feedback as ongoing calibration: rather than waiting for a formal review, feedback arrives continuously in the dialogue—helping the client adjust direction in real time.

This matters for professionals in talent development because it keeps the coaching relationship aligned with growth rather than performance judgments. A coach who leans on feedback as a natural part of facilitating learning can support sustainable development without turning coaching into a corrective mechanism. It’s a subtle distinction, but it changes how clients experience growth—less about being assessed, more about becoming capable.

Why this distinction matters in the real world

If you’re applying these ideas in a corporate setting or a learning-and-development role, you’ll notice how the three components map onto everyday work. Setting the Foundation gives you a shared understanding of ethics, boundaries, and expectations—critical when coaching leaders through sensitive change. Co-Creating the Relationship creates a safe space where teams can explore new behaviors without fear of judgment, a prerequisite for honest dialogue. Facilitating Learning and Results translates well into strategic development plans, leadership pipelines, and performance improvement efforts, because it connects awareness to action and to concrete outcomes.

And yes, you’ll encounter feedback and evaluation in many contexts—that’s unavoidable in organizations. The key is to let feedback flow through the coaching relationship rather than treating it as a separate competency to check off. When feedback is integrated, it supports learning loops that keep the client moving toward meaningful results.

A practical way to think about it

• Start with a clear foundation: what are the guardrails, what’s confidential, what does success look like?

• Build the relationship: show up with curiosity, listen deeply, and create a space where the client can test ideas.

• Move to learning and results: help them uncover insights, design actions, and monitor progress in a way that feels doable.

• Let feedback be the glue inside the conversation: point out what’s observable, invite interpretation, and co-create the next steps.

A few quick reminders for CPTD-minded readers

• The CPTD lens often blends coaching, learning, and performance development. For professionals who wear multiple hats, understanding these ICF components provides a common language to guide conversations across roles.

• You don’t have to pick one bucket and ignore the rest. In strong coaching, all three areas inform each other, weaving a more resilient practice.

• Real-world coaching thrives on clarity plus humanity. You don’t need to be perfect or overly polished; you need to show up with ethical intention, genuine listening, and a practical pathway to growth.

A short takeaway list you can keep handy

• Setting the Foundation: ethics, agreements, professional standards.

• Co-Creating the Relationship: trust, safety, presence, listening, open dialogue.

• Facilitating Learning and Results: awareness, action design, planning, accountability.

• Feedback and Evaluation: not a standalone core component, but naturally interwoven within coaching conversations.

In the end, the core idea is simple enough to remember: coaching is a collaborative journey. The three big components provide the map; feedback sits inside the dialogue as needed, not as a separate badge. For anyone working in talent development, this distinction keeps the focus where it belongs—on helping people learn, grow, and apply new skills in ways that matter to their work and their lives.

A note on the art and craft

If you enjoy coaching in the wild, you’ve likely noticed how the best sessions feel effortless and precise at the same time. That balance—between structure and spontaneity—doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from grounding the work in solid principles (like the three components) while staying attuned to the person in front of you. The goal isn’t to follow a script; it’s to hold a space where discovery can happen, risks can be taken, and progress can be measured in real terms.

Want a touch more context? Many organizations reference the ICF competencies to frame coaching initiatives alongside leadership development, employee engagement, and change management. When teams align around these shared standards, you’ll notice a clearer language for conversations, a steadier approach to development, and a more humane way to move forward together.

So, the next time you reflect on coaching in a CPTD-aware setting, remember the trio: Setting the Foundation, Co-Creating the Relationship, and Facilitating Learning and Results. And when someone mentions feedback, think of it as a natural thread woven through those conversations—never a separate bolt-on, always a part of the journey toward meaningful, observable growth.