Ethics form the very foundation of professional coaching. In order to become a recognized profession, not only does coaching need a set of professional standards,
definitions or a credentialing system, but also strong ethical guidelines. Coaches need to draw upon a number of factors to ensure the highest quality of their services:
their thorough awareness of ethics in coaching, their ethical sensitivity, as well as their understanding of and commitment to professional ethics.

Authors present their findings from the observation of multiple supervision sessions for coaches at different levels of coaching practice. It transpires that, depending on their level of professional advancement and proficiency, coaches’ needs – in terms of the type and style of supervision – vary. The process may require the supervisor to take on the role of a teacher, a mentor or a coach. Authors conclude that the flexibility of communication and the ability to evaluate the supervisee’s pro fessional advancement and needs, and to adjust the supervision style accordingly, are the crucial skills of the coaching supervisor.

The main objective of this article is to broaden the knowledge of professional coaches with certain aspects of clinical psychology. The focus is on those symptoms demonstrated by patients, which could be the early warning signs of mental illness or problems when psychiatric or psychological help is necessary. Professional Coaches have a responsibility to distinguish their services from therapy, because they are not legally sanctioned and not allowed to offer therapy. Coaching does not focus on dysfunction, diagnosis, symptoms or the past, and that is the reason, why these topics are not included in the curriculum preparing one for this profession.
But an ethical coach should observe when a client needs a therapy instead of, or
in addition to, coaching and will recommend accordingly. As well as a good
therapist, could observe when a client is ready to take greater responsibility for
their own life and recommend coaching. This article will argue the significance and
importance of aforesaid awareness and expertise, which will allow professional
coaches will be able to recognize whether a client would benefit from coaching
or should seek guidance from other specialists. For this reason, in this article the
Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) is presented and discussed, as well as the
characteristics behind the concept of psychological diagnosis.

The article presents the results of research on innovation competencies, defined as those conducive to the implementation of organizational innovations, along with different methods of developing these competencies. In the course of the research, seven structured interviews were conducted with managers in multinational companies operating on the Polish market. The aim of the study is articulated in the form of three research questions:
1. What competencies are crucial for fostering organizational innovation?
2. Which development methods are most frequently applied by businesses
in order to improve innovation competencies?
3. How could coaching tools contribute to fostering innovation competencies?
When confronted with the first question, respondents referred to the various components of competencies: knowledge, skills and attitudes. Many of them mentioned the following: cooperation; openness to the new and to change; involvement; proactivity. The following attitudes were identified by more than one person as crucial for the implementation of organizational innovation: responsibility (for one’s work), courage (to take up new tasks), openness (to change and to new solutions), outcome orientation, commitment and reativity.
In response to the second question, companies listed a variety of methods that they had applied to improve those competencies. The majority of the surveyed firms implemented numerous development measures on their own, i.e. staff meetings with senior managers use coaching tools to motivate employees to look for new olutions. Training and coaching sessions with external service providers have also been organized.
When answering the third question, the majority of respondents stressed the usefulness of coaching, both in improving innovation competencies and in developing or implementing innovative solutions. Many managers use coaching tools to encourage employees to seek innovative solutions. Another factor conductive to the use of coaching tools by managers is the organizational culture. The research is a pilot project and a starting point for quantitative research.