Coaching Skills for Leaders
An accredited program of the International Coaching Federation
What do you do when you’ve been leading for years — and it still feels like you’re figuring it out as you go?
When you move into a leadership position, no one prepares you for the rude awakening: the position itself carries little authority to get anyone to do anything.
It’s like becoming a cat owner. The cat didn’t get the memo that you own it or that you’re in charge. You have to get into relationship with the cat. It has to learn to trust you, to see you have its best interests at heart. It has to want to do things for you.
You probably weren’t handed a leadership manual when you got promoted.
And what got you promoted isn’t enough for where you are now.
This Isn’t About Becoming a Coach. It’s About Leading Like One.
You don’t have to leave what you’re doing. You don’t have to hang out a shingle or build a practice from scratch. Most of our graduates never coach a paying client, because that was never the point.
You just have to want to lead more effectively — with more clarity, more confidence, and more impact on the people around you.
The Quadrant 3 Leadership Coach Certification (Q3LC) is an ICF-accredited program designed for leaders who are ready to change how they work. Whether you’re leading a team, running a business, or building toward your next chapter, coaching skills don’t just change how you help others. They change how you lead yourself.
What Q3LC Gives You
- A framework for understanding where you are in your own leadership journey — and what’s actually holding you back
- Language for the conversations your role demands, so you stop rehearsing them in your head at 2 am
- A way to set goals that leads to real action — for yourself and the people you lead
- Confidence that comes from having a system to come back to when your instincts run out
- A cohort of leaders doing the same leadership work, who will still be there after the ten weeks end
This is Quadrant 3 Leadership
Applications now open for the September 2026 Cohort
Here’s What Our Graduates Say
“What surprised me was the depth of the program. I found that I would get to apply what I was learning in real-time. I was amazed that we could use what we were learning with our clients, even as we were learning it. I highly recommend this certification. It challenged me, grew me, and gave me a format I can use to help others that is in line with my values. This program made me more confident. And I realized, I am good at this!”
“I was leading well—but I wanted to lead more intentionally. This program made me a better leader for my team. My mindset really changed to being about empowering my team members to be their best. I have transformed to a better coach and I am beginning to see changes in my team.”
What You’ll Learn
In this ICF-accredited program, you’ll master:
The Leadership Journey Framework — The four stages every leader moves through, how to tell which one you’re in, and how to spot which one a person on your team is in. Most leaders misdiagnose this at their own peril: you end up coaching someone toward independence when they’re still looking for someone to copy.
Hardwiring and How it Shapes Your Leading — How personality assessments stack into three levels of self-understanding, and how that stack helps you move through doubt and inertia instead of waiting them out.
How Story Helps and How it Sabotages — The stories you tell about yourself function like a search engine. Helping your or hindering you. You’ll learn how to identify those stories in yourself, and in the people you lead.
Goal Setting for the Whole Person — Learn why traditional goal setting falls short and discover methods to set meaningful goals that actually lead to action. Even goals people have buried in the past.
Mission & Values as a Leadership Compass — Identify your values concretely enough to use them to make fast decisions in the middle of a busy week.
Practical Daily and Weekly Organization — Methods that hold up for distracted leaders, built around what matters most rather than what shouts loudest.
Applying Tools in Real Time — Understand the power in the Quadrant 3 non-linear system, which lets you meet yourself and those you lead exactly where you are, knowing which tool fits the moment.
Applications now open for the September 2026 Cohort
How will you change?
You’ll address the conflict you’ve been avoiding…and your team won’t hold it against you. Most leaders sidestep tough conversations. Often because they’ve watched one go badly. Now you’ll know the simple way to open a tough conversation that lowers the other person’s defenses and allows for a more constructive dialogue. And doesn’t need weeks of emotional cleaning up.
You’ll stop choosing between bossing them around or being their friend. If you were promoted over your peers, leading them can be awkward. Some leaders feel they need to be bossy, breaking all relationship. But leading others well and staying in relationship aren’t mutually exclusive. Now you’ll know how to keep the relationships you want to keep.
You’ll stop feeling you need to come in at 6am to get your own work done. You’ll now be able to have space to do your own work during your work day, in part because you’ll know how to stop being the only person giving answers. You’ll also know how to give yourself permission on your calendar to not be available to your team so you can do the deep work you now need to do.
Your team will stop waiting for you. Being told it would take three people to replace you used to feel like a compliment. But it really means you’re doing the thinking for everyone else. As you work through this program, you’ll learn to grow your direct reports’ ability to develop their own judgment. They’ll start bringing you options instead of expecting you to have all the answers.
You’ll have a culture that works, even when you’re not in the room. Whether you need to be on the road, are approaching retirement, or actually want to use some of your PTO, you’ll now know that your leadership is growing people who can still do the work, even if you’re not there.
You’ll stop feeling leadership requires you to be somebody else. As a new leader, it’s normal to copy other people and incessantly try on new approaches. But now you’ll be more confident being yourself and learning that your style of leadership may be exactly what your team needs.
Program Details
Upcoming Cohorts
September 2026 (10 weeks)
January 2027 (10 weeks)
Looking to bring the Q3LC inside your organization? [Email Marc about a private cohort →]
Format
- 10-week intensive program (standard)
- 5-week accelerated program (available on request)
- Live, interactive sessions on Zoom — no travel required
- Practical application between sessions
- 3 months of ongoing group coaching follow-up
Investment
$9,995
(or three installments of $3,500)
36 hours
Partial Scholarships
A central goal of this certification is to provide a diverse experience for all participants and deep exposure to various perspectives and backgrounds. To help make that a reality, a limited number of partial scholarships are available. If you’re interested in being considered for a partial scholarship, please answer the scholarship question on the application
What You Leave With
- An official Quadrant 3 Leadership Coach Certification you can list on your LinkedIn profile
- Professional license to use the Q3LC framework with your team
- Workbooks for each session
- Your own copy of both The Surprising Gift of Doubt and Coaching for Performance
- 3-months follow-up coaching with the Q3LC community
- 36 International Coaching Federation CCE hours
“This program made me a better leader for my team and the techniques learned has turned me into a resource for other leaders in my organization”
Is Q3LC right for you?
This program works best for leaders with three to five years of management experience — earned in work, community, home, or professional associations. Real-world experience moves the training from theory to action you can use immediately.
It also works best for leaders who have known real failure. This isn’t an academic exercise. It’s grounded in research but built for the real world. Leaders who have navigated disappointment and setback tend to absorb what we teach more quickly — because they know the stakes.
It’s probably not right for you right now if you’re looking for a system that will make leadership feel finished. The leaders who get the most from this arrive already suspecting that leading well is going to be hard, and they want to be better doing the hard work rather than escaping it.
The size of each cohort is limited to ensure personalized attention.
Join 45 Leaders Across Three Continents
“In my role as executive director, having the skills to coach my team is directly correlated to the incredible outcomes we achieve. Those we get to work with deserve to have the best of me and my team in every interaction.
“Becoming a certified Quadrant 3 Leadership Coach enhanced my skills, filled my toolbox, and affirmed who I want to be as a leader.
As leaders, we spend so much energy pouring into others. This is a chance to invest in yourself. An investment that will pay high dividends for those you work with, those you lead, and for you. Say yes to becoming an even better YOU today!”
NO-RISK GUARANTEE
This program comes with a “No risk guarantee.” If within 7 days you realize this isn’t for you…just ask for your money back.
Applications now open for the September 2026 Cohort
Your Instructors
Marc A. Pitman, CFCC, CSP
Marc designed and teaches the Q3LC because he’s lived the problem it solves. A Certified FranklinCovey Coach since 2003 with a Master’s in Organizational Leadership, he’s spent more than two decades alongside leaders who were capable, experienced — and quietly convinced they were the only ones who didn’t quite have it figured out. They weren’t.
He’s the author of eight books including The Surprising Gift of Doubt, a member of the International Coach Federation, the International Enneagram Association, and the National Speakers Association, and serves as past-president of the ICF South Carolina chapter.
Emily J. Pitman, CPCC, ACC
Emily is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation. She brings 30 years of leadership experience across business, civic, and faith-based organizations — and a genuine ability to meet a leader exactly where they are.
At ejpitman.com, Emily works with leaders on paths of self-discovery, through seasons of feeling stuck, and during times of transition. She draws on strategic thinking, clear communication, and — yes — a pair of knitting needles to spark momentum and meaningful growth.
Applications now open for the September 2026 Cohort
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this an accredited coaching certification?
How much does this program cost?
When are the next sessions?
The next cohort starts Wednesday, September 16, 2026 and runs for 10 weeks. The next 10-week cohort starts in January 2027. Interested in a private cohort for your organization? Email Marc at [email protected].
How much time will the course take?
This certification is accredited for 36 ICF continuing education credits, so it does require both class time and additional work between sessions. In addition to ten 90-minute live sessions, you’ll be reading both The Surprising Gift of Doubt and Coaching for Performance (both sent to you upon acceptance). The rest of the work is designed to be easy to test during your normal daily work.
Where is the class?
We meet on Zoom. No travel required, and no time zone barrier — graduates have joined us from three continents.
What happens if I miss a class?
Is this program 5 weeks or 10 weeks?
The standard format is 10 weeks. A 5-week accelerated version is available on request. If you’re interested in the faster format, mention it in your application or email Marc directly at [email protected].
Are there scholarship options?
Yes. A limited number of partial scholarships are available to help ensure a diverse cohort. If you’re interested in being considered, answer the scholarship question on the application.
I'm not a coach or consultant. Is this the right program for me?
Yes. In fact, most of our graduates aren’t professional coaches. This program is for leaders who want to lead more effectively. The coaching skills you’ll learn are leadership skills. They’re what separate leaders who develop their people from leaders who manage them.
I love this but I'm not sure if the timing is right.
Good question. Despite having forty-five graduates, another twenty-four leaders have applied, interviewed, and been accepted. But then never started. Not one of them decided against the program. They just never picked a cohort.
One thing that helps is to ask if this ten weeks is any worse than the next ten-week cohort. If it is, take the later cohort. We’ll hold your seat. If you don’t, then there’s no better time to start than with this cohort.
Don’t just take our word for it
Emily Hill,
Audiology & Hearing Aid Associates
Dawn Cogan, St. Mark Youth Enrichment
A Central goal of this certification is to provide a diverse experience for all participants and deep exposure to various perspectives and backgrounds. To help make that a reality, a limited number of partial scholarships are available.
If you’re interested in being considered for a partial scholarship, please answer the scholarship question on the application.
