At Become, we often say that coaching isn’t about tools or models. It’s about who we are being in the room. And if there’s one thing that shapes how we show up, it’s our mindset.
Mindset is often thought of as a buzzword, often used (or maybe, overused!) in personal development. But in transformational coaching, it’s not optional. Our mindset as coaches is foundational. Whether you’re a trainee coach or an experienced practitioner deepening your presence, your mindset is that power ‘tool’ that determines the depth and impact of your coaching.
Holding a Coaching Mindset in Transformational Coaching
The ICF describes a coaching mindset as one grounded in openness, curiosity, flexibility and client centredness. Sounds simple on paper, doesn’t it? But in practice, this asks a lot of us. It means noticing our own assumptions, being present to the unknown, and holding space without agenda (to create goals, fix, get to a solution!) It means being willing to get it ‘wrong’ sometimes, because we’re prioritising relationship over consistent performance.
One of the things we work on a lot in our programmes, especially in our ICF & AC Accredited Advanced Diploma in Integrative Coaching is the shift from “solutionising” to “partnering”. As coaches, we often come in with a desire to help, to solve, to do good. And while those intentions are lovely, they can get in the way. When we’re caught up in trying to be useful, we can miss the power of simply being with.
Transformational coaching invites us into a deeper trust—in our clients, in the process, and in ourselves. It asks: What if my job isn’t to guide, but to walk beside?
Mindset as an Ongoing Coaching Practice
A Coaching Mindset isn’t a one-and-done activity. It’s not a switch we flip on when we are in-session. It’s a practice. It’s in the choices we make before a session. It’s in the pauses we take when we notice we’re trying too hard. It’s in the self-reflection we do after a session that felt a bit off.
In real terms, this might look like noticing the part of you that wants to prove you’re a ‘good coach’, and choosing instead to slow down and ask a question that invites silence. It could be sitting with a client who’s stuck in a familiar pattern, and rather than steering them toward solutions, you gently reflect what you’re sensing in their energy or body language. Or perhaps it’s in supervision, where you get curious about your reaction to a session, and realise it revealed something important about your own growth edge. These are the quiet, everyday moments where mindset meets practice, and where transformational coaching really lives.
As the ICF suggests we don’t just need to understand and know the ICF competencies, as coaches we need to embody them. And mindset is at the heart of that. Because if we’re not aware of how we’re showing up, we can’t truly be present with our clients.
At Become, we encourage our Coach Trainees to get curious about their own stories, judgements and growth edges. Not as a side project, but as part of becoming a transformational coach. After all, how can we invite clients into their fullest selves if we’re not doing that work too?
From Transactional to Transformational Coaching
At its core, transformational coaching is about creating space for insight, change and possibility. It’s about more than goals. It’s about identity, purpose, meaning… that usually the client is making in the moment with you. And that kind of work only happens when the coach is grounded in a mindset of compassion, courage and care.
If this approach speaks to you, you might enjoy exploring more about our philosophy and methodology on Transformational Coaching. And if you’re ready to go deeper with your own mindset, presence and coaching depth, take a look at our Advanced Diploma in Integrative Coaching. It’s designed for coaches who are ready to move beyond skills into truly transformational work.
This article is by Joseph Grech, a BPS Chartered Coaching Psychologist, Psychotherapist in Training and a MCC Accredited Coach. Joseph is the Founder of Become Coaching & Training Ltd., a leading ICF Coach Training provider delivering Diplomas in Integrative Coaching at ICF Levels 1 & 2.
