From 8 competencies to 3 energies

International Coaching Federation (ICF) currently organises its 8 core competencies under 4 clusters.

In our explorations, something interesting emerged.

Coaches and leaders were able to classify any competency from any framework, not just coaching but leadership, into one of three energies mentioned in our living traditions.

• Ichcha Shakti – the energy of intent and will

• Jnana Shakti – the energy of insight and understanding

• Kriya Shakti – the energy of skillful action

  
  

Whether it is listens actively, establishing trust, evoking awareness, or facilitating growth, every competency found its home in one of these three.

Suddenly, what looked like a long checklist started feeling like a self-organising system, provided you understand the first principles.

What makes this lens liberating

You can now stop seeing competencies as isolated compartments but connected ie part of one moving train where based on need you too can move based on the need during conversation.

• You get a rooted structure. Even if competencies are renamed, regrouped or expanded in the future, you can still categorise them under Ichcha, Jnana or Kriya.

• You begin to sense what is missing in a conversation. Is intent unclear, is understanding shallow, or is execution weak.

• You move from “Am I ticking all the boxes” to “What energy needs to be strengthened here”.

  
  

Without these three energies, no conversation is truly complete, whether transactional, developmental or transformational.

What shifts for coaches and leaders

When you work with these three energies consciously, several things begin to change in everyday practice:

• Your self-coaching deepens. You can quickly see whether your own intent, understanding or action is out of sync.

• Your sense of self-worth becomes more grounded. You are not just “doing coaching”, you are working in alignment with an inner map.

• Your self-knowledge becomes more revealing. Patterns in your conversations start pointing you back to patterns in your inner life.

  
  

The principles and processes drawn from Indic wisdom do not stay on the level of philosophy. They begin to inform how you listen, question, respond and hold space in very practical ways.

If these three energies resonate with you and you would like to explore them in person, we invite you to our residential immersion on Coaching Competencies and Indic Wisdom from Dec 25 to 28, 2025.

It is an invitation to investigate:

• How do Ichcha, Jnana and Kriya show up in your own coaching or leadership style.

• Which conversations feel “energetically complete” to you, and which feel lopsided.

• Whether traditional frameworks can in fact simplify and deepen modern ones, rather than compete with them.

  
  

If you choose to explore further or book your seat then WhatsApp Krishna at +91 97390 20102

Brief:

If you’re curious about what truly shapes effective coaching and what makes certain conversations lead to clarity while others do not, this newsletter is for you.

Inside, you’ll find:

• A fresh perspective on what lies beneath all coaching and leadership competencies.

• How “knowing” in the right areas can transform the way you coach, lead and reflect. 

• What makes deep inquiry, not assumptions, the foundation of growth in Indic wisdom.

Take a moment to read the full newsletter, it may shift the way you understand coaching, leadership and wait… yourself.

Visit https://www.shrimathyoga.com/coachness to know more.