Lesley Buckman achieves international coaching recognition

A Cairns businesswoman with a passion for helping others has become the only woman in Far North Queensland to recieve international recognition as a Professional Certified Coach. But what does it mean?

Leadership and communications coach Lesley Buckman has become the only woman in Far North Queensland to be recognised by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). Picture: Brendan Radke

A Cairns businesswoman with a passion for helping others has become the only woman in Far North Queensland to be recognised by the International Coaching Federation as a Professional Certified Coach.

Leadership and communication coach Lesley Buckman is one of only three coaches in the Far North, and the only female, to achieve the accreditation.

To gain accreditation as a Professional Certified Coach, a person needs to have completed at least 125 hours of coaching education, 10 hours of mentor coaching with an eligible coach, and delivered 500 hours of coaching since starting training.

“The ICF is recognised internationally for its stringent ethical and professional standards and this certification is a step forward in ensuring that coaching in Far North Queensland reflects the best practices in the profession,” Ms Buckman said.

“For me, it’s about providing coaching that is not only effective but grounded in a deep sense of responsibility to the clients and communities I work with.”

Leadership and communications coach Lesley Buckman has become the only woman in Far North Queensland to be recognised by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). Picture: Brendan Radke

Ms Buckman, who has been in leadership roles for 25 years, with a decade of experience in leadership communication, said she wanted to help those within the business community.

“I set up my own company to go down the path of coaching with leaders and business teams, because it plays in our home environment and work culture,” Ms Buckman said.

“If you’re not feeling good, you can’t be there for other people and if there’s too much chatter or negativity in your own mind, you can’t see past that into the bigger picture.”

Ms Buckman said it was important for those in the business space to build strong communication skills within themselves and their teams in order to create a healthy workplace environment and happier employees.

“When you look at bullying and toxic work cultures, it stems from those in leadership who don’t have the ability to look further than themselves or are too weighed down by their own issues,” she said.

Ms Buckman, who suffered personal hardship 10 years ago, said her circumstances made her passionate about helping others.

“Over the years I’ve gradually added on multiple areas to become a qualified trainer, and went onto doing diplomas and certificates because it’s a powerful industry and surprisingly has not got much regulation,” she said.

“My goal is to see more qualified coaches in Far North Queensland, bringing professionalism and building client trust in important work.”

Originally published as Lesley Buckman achieves international coaching recognition