Laura Belsten, PhD, MCC

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. 👏

39

7 Comments

The ICF Portfolio Path is an alternative credentialing route for coaches whose learning and practice haven’t followed a single, formally accredited program. Because mastery rarely comes from one institution alone. It emerges through reflection. Through years of practice. And refining how you listen, respond, and trust yourself in the work. The Portfolio Path asks for ownership. Ownership of how you curate your learning. Ownership of how you refine your coaching presence. Ownership of submitting recordings that genuinely reflect MCC-level mastery. In my experience, this is where mentorship matters most. The Portfolio Path isn’t for everyone. It’s for coaches who’ve grown organically, who value depth over formality, and who want their credential to reflect how they actually practise, it can be a deeply aligned route. The Portfolio Path is less about proving something and more about inhabiting the craft more fully. If you’re exploring the MCC Portfolio Path, our next MCC Mentor Coaching Cohort begins in February 2026. DM me “MCC” and I’ll send you the details.

20

The 🍊County Chapter of the International Coaching Federation has invited me to share some tradecraft that can help boost the effectiveness of coaches and OD consultants. This session will define OD and demonstrate how coaching, when applied through a developmental lens, creates learning organizations that prioritize personal growth, reflection, and continuous innovation. Coaching in OD emphasizes the importance of #ReflectivePractice—structured moments of introspection that enable leaders to assess their values, biases, and assumptions, and to engage in deeper, more productive dialogue with others. Through this lens, #ConstructiveDevelopmental Theory provides a model for coaching that helps leaders move beyond reactive problem-solving to #StrategicAdaptation, enabling them to manage unexpected challenges with resilience. At the heart of this approach is the development of reflective practitioners. Reflective practitioners deliberately analyze their own internal processes—values, emotions, strengths, and blind spots—so they can respond thoughtfully to complex situations. In OD, this concept is formalized as Use of Self: the intentional application of self-awareness to interactions and decision-making in organizational contexts. #UseOfSelf encourages OD professionals to bring their full, authentic selves into their work, enhancing their ability to connect with others, facilitate change, and generate long-term impact. Linda Denton, BCC, PCC, DTM Organization Development Network Asia Organization Development Network (AODN) GREATER ORLANDO ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT NETWORK OpenSourceOD International Society for Organization Development and Change IODA - Co-creating a global OD community https://lnkd.in/gczJj8HJ

49

10 Comments

I have come to realize that being neuro-informed must be recognized as a fundamental ethical competency for all service providers - coaches, therapists, doctors, etc. When an estimated 40% of the population (including both biological and environmental factors that contribute to neuro-diversity), then odds are that all providers are already serving patients or clients with neurodiversity -- but they may not understand how to do that effectively. What's the implication of that? When people with neurodivergence engage in ‘masking’-- acting neurotypically in order to avoid negativity -- it "can have a large impact on their sense of self, and lead to exhaustion, burn-out, and poor mental health.” (Oxford Academic Postgraduate Medical Journal) Those with neurodivergent conditions are often more at risk of suffering from mental illnesses or poor well-being due to a lack of support and the stress of 'masking.' And yes, this happens with medical providers, educators, therapists and coaches -- professionals that we might assume are educated in neurodiversity, but typically are not. I'm on a mission to change that. And that's why I'm particularly honored to share that Diane Dempster and I are collaborating with the Directors of DEIB and Ethics at the International Coaching Federation (ICF) to present a workshop in this year's International Coaching Week: "Neurospicy Coaching: What You Need to Know to Recognize and Support Neurodiverse Clients." Neuro-informed work is inclusive, trauma-informed, and fundamentally respectful. It typically takes 17 years for medical research to make it into practice. Let's see if we can accelerate that, shall we? Would love to hear how you're becoming better neuro-informed in your work!? https://lnkd.in/eRN3zaSt

64

14 Comments

Excited to partner once more with Training magazine and run another transfer-powered webinar. No matter what model you use for training design, you can increase training effectiveness (or increase the impact of your training) by paying attention to the following 4 transfer levers connected to training design. 1️⃣ Clarity of Expectations 2️⃣ Content Relevance 3️⃣ Active Practice 4️⃣ Transfer Planning So on August 13th we will jointly explore and discuss: 🎯 Why asking about expectations in a training session is a waste of time 🎯 How to strengthen the perception of content relevance. 🎯 The crucial and so often misunderstood difference between active learning and active practice 🎯 Common mistakes with regards to action planning Looking forward to sharing some practical and tested ideas and tools on what you can do to set the levers in training design to "transfer effective" Register here: https://lnkd.in/dFJqSJZv Wed, Aug 13, 2025 at 9AM Pacific / 12PM Eastern #maketransferhappen #trainingeffectiveness #learninganddevelopment #instructionaldesign #trainingdesign

36

The best leaders don’t have all the ideas! Effective leaders intentionally leverage the experiences, passions, and expertise of those around them. They understand that insight and solutions often reside within the broader team and are confident enough to invite and act upon the contributions of others. In contrast, insecure leaders are driven by a need to prove their own adequacy, which can limit collaboration and silence valuable perspectives (Steele & Whitaker, 2019). A powerful example of this leadership is found in the incident concerning the pollination of date palms in Madinah. The Prophet Muhammad (s) initially offered a personal opinion that manual pollination might not be necessary. When farmers followed this suggestion, the crop yield declined. Upon learning this, the Prophet (s) openly acknowledged their expertise and stated, “You are more knowledgeable about the affairs of your worldly life.” Rather than asserting authority or avoiding accountability, he affirmed the farmers’ specialised knowledge and deferred to their experience. This moment demonstrates the Prophet’s (s) secure leadership. He valued expertise wherever it existed, welcomed correction, and empowered others to lead in their areas of strength. His example illustrates that strong leadership is marked by humility, trust, and the ability to elevate collective wisdom over personal ego.

34

2 Comments

What if the key to impactful learning design isn’t about content, but about performance? Robinson & Robinson are well known in the field of performance improvement for their influential book, Performance Consulting: Moving Beyond Training. Their work helped shape the field by clearly differentiating performance consulting from traditional training-based interventions, and they played a key role in shifting the mindset from "training as the default solution" to a systems-oriented, results-driven approach. This model emphasizes the importance of translating desired business outcomes into clear, measurable performance. It challenges us to clarify how we define success before designing a single experience. Where do you see the most significant challenges when trying to align training initiatives with measurable business outcomes? #microlearning #InstructionalDesign #training #neuroscience #instructionaldesigners #elearning #elearningdesign #talentdevelopment #education #learning #PerformanceImprovement #StrategicLearning #PerformanceConsulting #LearningDesign #LxD

17

1 Comment