The purpose of this blog is simple: by sharing what I learned along the way to help aspiring MCC coaches feel more confident.
I hope it offers encouragement, realism and practical guidance. Please feel free to ask more about my MCC journey. I would love to hear what others learned from their own MCC journeys — and what aspiring MCCs most want to know.
So here goes.
1. Expect a profound shift in partnership, presence and practice
Transitioning to MCC-level coaching often requires unlearning as much as learning. Old habits that once served you well at PCC level may need to be stripped away to make space for more powerful MCC ways of being and partnering.
At first it can feel as if your coaching is going backwards – it did for me. It may feel clunky or unnatural as you experiment with new approaches. Gradually, however, you will integrate these new ways and your authentic coaching style will begin to shine through with greater depth, ease and impact.
2. Give yourself time for the transition and make changes gradually
These shifts do not happen overnight. I began preparing around 18 months before submitting my application and before I had completed the required coaching hours.
My advice is to try out one or two new MCC behaviours in every coaching session — but integrate the new behaviours gradually. I found attempting to change everything at once was overwhelming.
Experiment with one shift per session: What worked? What felt different? What might you try next time? Small, consistent adjustments build sustainable change.
3. Draw on the wisdom and learning of the community
You do not need to walk the MCC path alone. Many coaches have travelled it before us and are generous in sharing what they learned.
Two books were particularly influential for me:
- The Heart of Laser-Focused Coaching by Marion Franklin
- The Transformational Coach by Clare Norman
I also recommend attending an ICF-approved MCC training course facilitated by experienced MCC coaches who have a strong track record of supporting successful MCC submissions. Costs vary widely, so take time to research options and choose what best fits your learning style and budget.
Look for a course that offers substantial practice and ongoing feedback. The programme I attended included unlimited recording reviews for a full year after completion. Knowing I could continue submitting recordings for feedback was enormously reassuring. In fact, over the course of a year, I recorded 23 coaching sessions and received feedback from MCC-qualified mentors on 11 of the sessions. This sustained and very focussed practice made all the difference.
I attended MCC masterclasses focused on familiarising us with the MCC competencies (MCC BARS). These were very valuable in opening my eyes to the magnitude of the shift required — particularly the move to truly coaching the person, not the problem. On my MCC preparation course we practised the new approach step by step.
Very valuable to me were my peers on the course: they were a wonderful source of learning and encouragement.
4. Work with willing and supportive coachees
You will need coachees who are happy to have sessions recorded repeatedly for MCC development purposes. I am deeply grateful to mine.
Choose coachees with whom you have strong rapport. This helps create the ease, trust and playfulness that MCC assessors look for, and supports you in developing flow and confidence.
5. Your mentor is your greatest ally
You really can’t expect to do well in the MCC without a mentor. An experienced MCC mentor can pinpoint precisely where your coaching falls short of MCC standards. Work in close partnership with them and use their time wisely.
Before sending transcripts, correct any transcription errors or speaker misattributions. Share recordings where you have genuine questions or believe the session may be close to MCC level: don’t send just anything. Focused, collaborative mentoring accelerates progress.
Encouragement from mentors can be invaluable when you review – perhaps with dismay – recordings that feel less than perfect.
6. Record, record, record
I initially disliked recording my sessions and felt self-conscious. Over time, however, recording became normal — even comfortable. The more recordings you accumulate, the more you acclimatise to the process and can just be completely present with your coachee.
7 MCC recordings can feel natural — even within tight criteria
MCC recordings must fall within a tight envelope (20–60 minutes) and meet all MCC criteria. Yet this does not mean sessions need to feel contrived.
As my MCC capability developed, coachees commented that sessions reached the heart of issues more quickly and delivered greater value — even when shorter. Many of my recordings were between 25 and 40 minutes and felt natural for clients, even when I was consciously ticking off MCC criteria in my head as I coached.
8. Not every session needs to be MCC level
You do not need — or necessarily want — every coaching session in your regular coaching practice to be MCC-level. Not all clients seek that depth or intensity.
However, many MCC skills (contracting, presence, listening, trust and safety) are always important. You may apply them with less granularity and rigour than is required for formal assessment purposes and still provide great benefit for your clients.
9. Use technology wisely
Technology can be an invaluable support. I used tools such as Rae Notes to transcribe and analyse recordings. Its AI function can assess sessions against MCC criteria and provide an overall indication about whether you are ready to submit.
Large language models such as ChatGPT (there are of course many others) can also support analysis if you provide:
- The MCC descriptors
- Your transcript
- Clear instructions on assessment criteria, grading scale and output format
When using an AI, maintaining a consistent format across recordings allows you to track progress more reliably, do remember that it can make mistakes and that you have to train it to be rigorous and to avoid “glazing”. Otherwise, AIs are programmed to make you feel happy in the moment not the long term. So maintain critical distance.
Note that for the levels of analysis you will need from AIs, subscriptions at appropriate levels will be required. I certainly found them worthwhile
10. Resist perfectionism
Your recordings are unlikely ever to feel perfect. Aim for sufficiently MCC-ready, not flawless.
A skilled mentor who has supported many MCC candidates will have a strong sense of readiness. I triangulated feedback from my mentor, Chat GPT & Rae Notes analyses and my own judgment, submitting recordings that all three indicated were MCC-ready. This worked for me — though I remain unsure whether this was a reliable approach. What do others think?
11. Preparing for the ICF credentialing exam
You will be invited to the credentialing exam only after your recordings are accepted. This three-hour exam (79 questions) tests application of:
- ICF Core Competencies
- ICF Code of Ethics
- ICF values
Each question requires selecting both the best and worst response in a set of multiple-choice questions, many of which comprise quite long scenarios. You may choose either home-proctored or test-centre delivery. I experienced technical issues with home proctoring and found the subsequent test centre experience simpler and smoother, but it depends on what is available to you.
There are commercial preparation courses available, and the ICF offers its own. I chose to prepare using AI-generated practice materials based on publicly available information, which was sufficient for me. Be aware that actual exam scenarios are typically longer and more complex than many online practice examples, I struggled to finish within the allotted 3 hours.
Final reflection
I found the MCC journey to be both professionally demanding and personally transformative. It asks us to deepen presence, trust our clients more fully and refine our craft at the highest level.
If you are on this path: stay patient, stay curious and stay connected to the community. Passing is possible — and the learning along the way is profound.
I would love to hear from others:
- What helped you most on your MCC journey?
- What do aspiring MCCs most want to know?
#ICFMCC #MCCJourney #ICFCoaching #CoachingMastery #CoachDevelopment #ProfessionalCoaching #CoachingCommunity
Lesley Hayman Executive Coach 