OCT 2024: Michael Neuendorff, Professional Certified Coach and principal at Bay Area Executive Coach (BAEC), has begun a new course of intensive training to earn the International Coaching Federation’s Master Certified Coach (MCC) credential. Neuendorff started training earlier this month, with the goal of receiving MCC certification by the summer of 2025.
The coveted MCC credential is held by only 4% of ICF certified coaches, as opposed to 53% who are Associate Certified Coaches (the entry level of certification) and 43% who are Professional Certified Coaches (the mid-level of certification). The exclusivity of the MCC credential attests to the intense study, dedication, and effort necessary to attain the ICF’s highest certification.
Neuendorff has enrolled in the MCC training program offered by Beckett McInroy, a highly respected coach training company honored in 2023 with the ICF Coaching Impact Award (“for their exceptional commitment to quality teaching and learning.”) Beckett McInroy is the only ICF-approved coach training provider to win this prestigious award. “Beckett McInroy is recognized globally for their work and I did my due diligence in choosing a program before enrolling in their level 3 MCC training,” commented Neuendorff. “Several of their instructors are Master Certified Coaches and that makes them ideal to learn from.”
Master Certified Coaches are trained to “coach the person and not the problem,” i.e., to go much deeper with clients to address fundamental leadership and leadership style issues. MCCs guide clients to find and adopt sustainable changes that can significantly alter how they perform not only in their careers, but in their lives in general. These are the areas that MCCs coach in versus lower-level coaches who are generally focused on finding solutions to shorter-term problems and challenges. “Leaders are different after they’ve been coached by an MCC. They think different, they feel different, and they act different,” Neuendorff noted.
As part of the Level 3 program, Neuendorff will take a coaching supervision course to gain expertise in this aspect of coach training. While coach mentoring helps coaches align their coaching with ICF coaching competencies, coach supervision guides coaches in focusing on themselves and their coaching practice. With this training, BAEC opens the door to supervising coaches throughout the U.S., representing a meaningful expansion of services to a burgeoning industry.
For Michael Neuendorff, the pursuit of the MCC is a culmination of his long career in professional coaching: “After being in the world of professional coaching for many years, I’ve consistently strived to be as good a coach as possible. This – the MCC credential – is the logical next step in the evolution of my coaching capabilities. I believe the investment is more than worth it. I’m very enthusiastic about strengthening my coaching and serving clients at an even deeper level going forward.”
