As an MCC coach and Gallup-Certified Strengths Champion, I’ve learned this truth:
The most powerful shifts in coaching don’t come from what we say, but rather from how we listen.
Radical Listening offers a clear way to hold space for others’ truths to emerge. It’s a way of tuning into who someone is beyond their words and encouraging them to be present with this sense of awareness. In a loud world full of quick answers and surface-level connection, deep listening on this level is extremely rare.
(For context, check out my original two-part series on Radical Listening. Part 1 Here.)
This is the heart of Radical Listening, and it’s also the mark of a Master Certified Coach (MCC). Having journeyed through every ICF credential level, I’ve learned: mastery isn’t just about skills. It’s about becoming someone who listens with presence, purpose, and love.
Today, let’s explore this intersection of Strengths, Radical Listening, and ICF coaching.
What Radical Listening Adds to ICF Coaching
The ICF’s Competency #6 (Listens Actively) asks coaches to fully hear what the client says and doesn’t say. It asks coaches to create space for self-expression and ask open-ended questions that spark awareness.
Radical Listening takes this competency deeper. It names the approach and intentions that elevate listening from a simple conversation to deeper transformation.
There are key internal and external components. Internally, the coach quiets their mind, notices emotional shifts, and accepts the client’s truth without judgment. Externally, the coach acknowledges what matters, questions with curiosity, and interjects only when it serves the client’s growth.
Where ICF coaching centers on client awareness, Radical Listening takes it further to highlight connection, compassion, and insight.
As Proverbs 1:5 reminds us, “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”
Radical Listening opens this sacred space of listening for both the client and the coach.
Before We Continue , This Is Your Chance to Step Into the Strengths Champion® Circle
September 19–20, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM CST | Live Training, Online
In just 2 days, you can become the kind of coach clients never forget, by attending the upcoming Strengths Champion Certified Coach 2-Day Workshop®.
Inside this interactive certification workshop, you’ll:
– Experience every CliftonStrengths® theme in action.
– Practice coaching live, with hotseat demos and real-time feedback.
– Gain a proven framework rooted in ICF competencies, incorporating the wisdom of Strengths and Radical Listening.
– Walk away officially recognized as a Strengths Champion Certified Coach®.
And here’s the bigger story: Many coaches start out feeling unsure, wondering if they really have the tools to unlock transformation for their clients. But after this 2-day experience, you’ll have practiced it, embodied it, and earned the confidence to call yourself a Strengths Champion Coach®.
Step into a coaching identity that sets you apart by reserving your spot today.
Strengths, Radical Listening, and ICF Coaching: What It Means to Be an MCC Coach
To me, earning the MCC credential is about embodying the presence of a transformational guide.
To listen as an MCC coach is to listen calmly with one’s full attention. It’s being a guiding, listening presence that holds space for a client’s truth to emerge.
There’s almost a sacred element to this deeper method of listening where silence is a tool in itself. Countless times, I’ve been surprised by the organic ways insights emerge, simply by building a trusting and present atmosphere of listening.
Beyond being heard, clients walk away with a newfound sense of being seen, and this opens up the door to new possibilities of seeing themselves and being seen by others.
That’s the impact of MCC coaching.
Strengths, Radical Listening, and ICF Coaching: Mastery
One reason I love CliftonStrengths™ is it gives language to the way we naturally listen, and where we tend to miss cues.
– A coach high in Empathy may pick up on emotional shifts easily but may need to learn how to quiet their own internal reactions.
– A Strategic thinker may ask strong questions but struggle to stay in the unknown.
– Someone with Intellection may listen deeply but may also overprocess instead of reflecting simply and powerfully.
The intersection of Strengths, Radical Listening, and ICF coaching encourages us to view as Strengths as the foundation of high-level impact, but we must know which Strengths to pivot and which to mobilize.
The Listening Journey: ACC → PCC → MCC
As coaches grow through ICF credentialing, so does their listening.
At the ACC level, coaches often paraphrase and stick closely to content. Their focus is on applying the model correctly, and internal distractions can pull them off course.
At the PCC level, coaches begin to balance technique with presence. They reflect feelings, validate values, and ask questions that reveal meaning, not just gather information.
At the MCC level, presence is fully embodied. The coach notices subtle shifts, like a change in voice or energy, and allows silence to breathe. Interjections are minimal but intentional. The coach’s trust in the client’s wisdom is unwavering.
Consider this:
– A client says, “I feel stuck… like I’m spinning my wheels.”
– An ACC coach might respond, “So you’re saying you feel stuck?”
– A PCC coach might ask, “What does spinning your wheels feel like to you?”
– But an MCC coach, practicing Radical Listening, might pause and say, “I’m sensing a heaviness, what’s underneath that image for you?”
Notice how each level invites a more insightful reflection than the last.
Why This Matters Now
Surface-level conversations don’t cut it anymore. People crave depth, truth, and clarity.
Radical Listening, when combined with ICF standards and Strengths awareness, helps coaches meet that need. It allows for coaching that is structured and soulful, and it turns coaching into a space of renewal.
When we quiet ourselves, trust our client, and listen with radical compassion, we create change that lasts.
Listening Is Leadership
I like to think of Radical Listening as a form of leadership and love. Jesus modeled this kind of listening: present, patient, and profoundly connected. He didn’t rush to fix people, He drew out their hearts with questions and grace.
That’s the kind of listening the world needs. It’s the kind of listening coaches are called to offer.
If you’re preparing for your next ICF credential, or you’d like to mentor coaching with Strengths, Radical Listening, and ICF Coaching, let’s connect and discuss it together!
Let’s listen radically. Coach masterfully. And lead with love.
