Steve Gerst

At Blanchard, we have developed a world class ROI measurement tool before and after training is complete. Partnering with our clients to see the gaps close with behavioral change and business impact is so rewarding for both our clients and ourselves. We believe in behaviour change!

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𝗪𝗵𝘆 “𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱” 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗜𝗖𝗙 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹-𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 Many very capable coaches aren’t actually ready for their ICF credential. This often comes as a surprise. Coaches may have completed their training, be coaching regularly and seeing clients benefit from the conversations they are having. Their coaching sessions feel thoughtful and productive so applying for a credential can seem like a straightforward step of gathering the hours and submitting a recording. In practice, credential assessment asks for something more precise. When I listen to recordings as an ICF Assessor, I’m listening for clear and consistent evidence of the Core Competencies across the whole conversation. I’m paying attention to ✳️ how the agreement is shaped with the client ✳️ how the client’s thinking guides the direction of the session ✳️ how awareness develops in the client’s own words ✳️ how the coach’s presence supports the process throughout Many coaches already demonstrate aspects of this in their sessions. The difficulty is recognising what strong evidence actually sounds like when it appears consistently across an entire recording. Most coaches rarely record their sessions and even fewer listen back through the assessment perspective.  Without doing that, it is very difficult to know how your coaching actually comes across. Credential-readiness comes from understanding the competencies in enough depth that your coaching aligns with them clearly and consistently. Having that clarity makes a significant difference when you prepare a recording for assessment. This is where mentoring becomes particularly valuable. Together we unpack the competencies in detail and translate them into what they sound like in a real coaching conversation. Coaches learn how to review their own sessions with far greater precision and how to prepare recordings in a way that demonstrates the standard clearly. As that understanding develops, coaching becomes more consistent because the coach understands exactly what the competencies require and how they appear in practice. They become more confident because it’s grounded in understanding the standard, not guessing whether or not you meet it. Mentoring can make the whole process far clearer. My next 𝙄𝘾𝙁 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙚 begins in May and I’m always happy to talk through whether it would support you. Send me a message or book a short call if you’d like to explore it. (The link is in the comments).

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𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐝-𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐎𝐮𝐭 61% of mid-level leaders report being the “go-between” for conflicting expectations from executives and front-line teams. They’re stuck in the middle, expected to translate misaligned goals, navigate generational friction, and hit numbers with unclear authority. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩. We equip department heads and project leaders with cross-functional clarity and a 3-5 year roadmap that’s actually aligned with company goals and each generation’s strengths. 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤? #TruthfulTuesday #ShopFloorStats #MiddleManagerSqueeze #BlueCollarAlignment #LeadWithClarity

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Coaching Pays for Itself (and Then Some) ✴️ Friday Factoid Series 📊 The Data Doesn’t Lie A global study by the International Coach Federation (ICF) found that executive coaching delivers an average 7x ROI, with some organizations reporting up to 49x ROI. That’s not theory, it’s data. 🔶 LEADERSHIP REFLECTION When budgets are tightened, leadership development is often the first to be cut. But here’s the truth: coaching isn’t a cost center, it’s a profit multiplier. 🔸 Leaders who receive coaching make better decisions more quickly. 🔸 They model resilience and focus under pressure. 🔸 They create teams that outperform because clarity and accountability become the norm. What’s often missed is that coaching doesn’t just improve leaders, it improves the systems and culture they touch. The ripple effect multiplies across an organization. 🟠 TWO PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR LEADERS If you want to see ROI from coaching inside your organization, start here: 1️⃣ Measure What Matters – Don’t just track hours of coaching; track outcomes: engagement scores, turnover rates, and leadership effectiveness. The data will speak louder than the invoice. 2️⃣ Cascade the Impact – Encourage coached leaders to share insights with their teams. When leaders bring coaching lessons into meetings and decision-making, the ROI compounds. Your Turn: If coaching can deliver 7–49x ROI, what’s the cost of not investing in it? 👉 DM me if you are ready to level up your leadership. Tagging a few voices I respect in leadership, what’s your take on this? Rick Van Staveren, Kim Caron, Jocelyne M Y Paul, David Savage, Zine-Eddine Mohamed Ghezali #FridayFactoid #LeadershipDevelopment #BGRCoaching #ExecutiveMindset

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Congratulations to Timothy R. Clark for his excellent webinar, "The Business Case for Psychological Safety," and the release of his revised and expanded book, "The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety." The second edition has a new subtitle, switching from "Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation" to "How to Build a High-Performance Culture." What's happened in the six years between the two editions? More research by Tim and others that show the business case for psych safety and more awareness of its importance. Yet, it's not always easy to provide psych safety or feel psych safety. For example: -- On the one hand, many of us know individuals--and their organizations--need to have psychological safety to flourish.    -- Yet, on the other hand, individuals may choose to censor themselves if speaking up feels like an act of courage, rather than the normal way of being and doing. Rather than run the risk of their words bringing them rejection, dismissal, or punishment, they decide to self-protect and stay quiet.     As leaders and teammates, we’ve got to be more intentional about viewing psychological safety as a "necessary precondition for productive human interaction" as Tim describes it. Without psych safety, individuals can "feel too vulnerable or too armored to be able to feel safe to participate." For more about my reactions to the webinar, the new book and one of my memorable experiences with psych safety, check out my blog: https://lnkd.in/gt5FfgMQ

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Over the years, mentoring coaches working toward their ACC or PCC, I’ve noticed something interesting. Many coaches arrive at the mentor coaching phase with a long list of questions they didn’t expect to have. How many hours are actually required? What is the ICF really assessing in the Credentialing Exam? And how do you know if a mentoring program will genuinely support your coaching practice? This stage of the journey often brings more uncertainty than people anticipate. That’s why, before opening the next cohort of our ICF-Approved Group Mentoring Program, Nour Al Hassan and I are hosting another information session for coaches who want to understand this step of the process more clearly. During the session we will explore: – how mentor coaching actually works in practice – how the ICF competency framework shows up in real coaching conversations – the structure and rhythm of the group mentoring process – timelines, requirements and practical questions 📍 Info Session – Zoom 🗓 March 18 🕛 12:00 PM – Dubai / Gulf Standard Time Participants in the session receive 10% off the mentoring program. If you’re preparing for ACC or PCC (application or renewal) and want to understand whether this step is right for you now, you’re welcome to join. DM me or Nour Al Hassan for the Zoom link.

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Are you (or someone you know) facing an ICF PCC credential performance evaluation? My team and I have been assessing ICF performance evaluations since 2012, guiding leaders and coaches toward ACC, PCC, and MCC certification. So we've seen all the biggest mistakes, and worked to find simple ways to help. One of the biggest hurdles is the big leap from ACC to PCC. After more than a decade of listening to recorded coaching sessions, I’ve seen 4 simple shifts that make a real difference in passing PCC and set you up for MCC. If you or someone you know is preparing for PCC evaluations, these quick tips can help deepen your coaching sessions, which is exactly what ICF markers look for. When I worked toward my MCC, I remember how tough it was. Many coaches today feel the same overwhelm. It’s not you, the path really is challenging but also a worthy pursuit. That’s why I’m here: to make the process clearer and more supportive, so you can grow into the kind of coach you want to be. 👏

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🏈NFL headlines say kickoff returns are “dramatically up” in 2025. But in Lean thinking, the real question is: 👉 Is this a true signal … or just statistical noise? Using a process behavior chart (PBC), we can see it’s not random fluctuation. The 2025 data point is a clear signal — driven by the NFL’s updated new dynamic kickoff rules. 📊 Over time, every big “jump” in touchbacks has corresponded with a system change (rule changes in 1994, 2011, 2016, 2023, and now 2025). That’s the lesson: 🏈 Metrics don’t move dramatically on their own. 🏈 Signals emerge when the system changes. 🏈 Tools like PBCs help us separate headlines from reality. And this is why Lean emphasizes PDSA cycles: plan a change, study the results, and adjust based on evidence — not noise. Here’s the chart that tells the story, below. What about your workplace? ⚡ How do you tell whether a “dramatic” change is real — or just part of the usual variation? What problems do you see when there's confusion over this?

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