Results, Results, Results

Attending another International Coaching Certification Course in Helsinki in March 2025 was a great pleasure.  

For those of you who have already attended one of these events, you may know my feelings well. The words that spring to mind include enlightened, educated, enthused and exhausted–but in a good way.  

Now, you may be asking yourself, why did I retake the course?  

Naturally, when joining the WCO team, I wanted to get closer to how the International Coaching Certification Course works and refresh myself on its content.  

Also, I wanted to grasp the opportunity to have the experience again, to join like-minded people, learn more tools and tips, and practice the coaching craft in a safe space.  

Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed the course as much as I did the first time I took it eight years earlier. The experience was just as fantastic, and the participants were, too! 

What was particularly interesting was reflecting on my life between the two courses.  

At this point, it would be easy to say everything has been amazing. Oh yes, clouds have disappeared completely from my skies, angels gently awake me in the morning, and my coffee always stays hot. 

Hmm. Well, that’s not quite the case, and for most of us, life doesn’t work like that, does it? 

  However, many great things have happened, some of which I attribute directly to my coaching experience, whether it be the WCO ICC course, the WCO Master Coach course, the coaching sessions I arranged with Pauliina Hallama or my own experience of coaching others.  

Undoubtedly, one of the gifts I’ve received is to focus on doing things I enjoy.  

This has led to my newly discovered creativity, including writing books, producing theatre, painting pictures, and occasionally picking up my bass guitar when time allows. I’m not an expert at any of these, but I love doing them and they didn’t happen eight years ago. 

I also prioritise spending time outdoors, which feeds my creativity and benefits my health and business. Incidentally, I have never gained more ideas than I do when walking, but maybe that’s another blog. 

More importantly, coaching has given me a concrete set of tools I deploy whenever I have a challenge or wonder if I should be doing something and if so how I should do it? It has also slowed me down to think things through sometimes rather than just driving ahead regardless (If you know me, you know me). 

The ability to coach myself has put things into perspective, generated a plan to go forward, knocked down barriers, and helped me to achieve more of what I want.  

Coaching others also helps me coach myself; those powerful questions arise, don’t they? 

Therefore, when needed, I take a blank sheet of paper and coach myself with the ROSA model.  

What is my current situation?  

What do I want to do?  

How could I do it in the best way?  

What are the steps I must take? 

Lo and behold, something happens, and stuff gets done, and in a better way. 

That’s a gift for life! 

If only someone had given me the gift of self-coaching when I was young? 

Here, I salute Veera, one of the WCO organizers who had brought her eighteen-years old son, who participated with enthusiasm.  

No, there is no perfect solution to this challenging world, is there? 

But coaching helps. 

I believe wholeheartedly in the World Coaching Organization and its values. The difference coaching has made to me is huge. That’s why I joined the team, and it’s a pleasure to be a small part of something that benefits so many. 

Let’s continue to change some together, and I hope to meet you somewhere along the way. 

Written by John Swallow, new Chief Growth Officer at World Coaching Organization.

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