IAC VOICE, Vol 1, Num 5, June 4, 2004

In This Issue

1. Message from the President
2. Who Watches The Watchmen?
3. Key PERC Guidelines
4. PERC Leaders Introduced
5 .Subscribe/Unsubscribe Option (and
all that other end-of-newsletter stuff!)
 

By
Barbara Weiland Mark, Ph.D.
President, International Association of Coaching

I am excited to share
some news with you!

Our Professional Ethics
Review Committee (PERC) procedures are up and running. And, I am
pleased to introduce you to Debbie Lawrence, the
newly appointed director of PERC, and Michael Sanders
the chair of the committee. (See articles below.)

In line with our mission to further the interests
of coaching clients worldwide, we have established a strong and
educational process for addressing coaching complaints. This is
a foundational piece in the goal of self-regulation in the coaching
industry.

I’m also pleased
to tell you that Barbara Lemaire is the new chair
of the membership committee and will be happy to assist you and
answer your questions about your membership. See our “contact
us” for information.

I’d like to share some thoughts with you.
When I took the office of president a short ten weeks ago, I asked
each of the members of the board to share with me what their vision
for the IAC was for the next year. I challenged myself to do the
same. Over the course of the past weeks, I have had the opportunity
to have many inspired and inspiring conversations with people both
within and outside of the organization. I appreciate the openness
of these individuals. I see great things for the organization and
for the coaching industry.

With ever increasing knowledge and technological
speed, the world is changing quickly and we are changing along with
it. Coaching is playing and will play an increasingly significant
role in our evolution as individuals and as communities both local
and global. Many of us are or will be, in the next 20 years or so,
the elders of our global tribe. As a global tribe we will have to
have learned how to open our hearts, our minds, and our souls, to
share our resources, our compassion, and our wisdom.

As coaches we must add to the larger field of
personal growth and acknowledge that we are on the forefront of
an evolutionary, indeed, revolutionary wave of human development.
We must learn and teach cooperation, forward thinking, and a commitment
to our best feelings for our own good and the good of all.

On a daily basis we are challenging our clients
to be Olympiads in their personally defined life events. We are
helping people discover the clarity, the commitment, and the drive
to do their personal best.

One of my commitments
to myself is to learn something new about myself, another person,
about the world, and about new theoretical developments everyday.
I am committed to re-evaluating my vision for IAC every 30 days.
In this way, I hope to hold the space for IAC to be constantly responsive
to the changing demands of our coaching community and of the clients
of coaches. I invite you to share your thoughts with me.

And, I invite you
to consider what your commitments are to yourself, your profession,
and your world.

Have a great week!

Warmest regards,

Barbara

Who
Watches The Watchmen?
PERC: Redefining Accountability in the Coaching
Profession

Who watches
the watchmen?

For some time now, this question has
been on the minds of many people in regard to the coaching profession.

“In our relationships with our
clients, we become the keepers and protectors of their hopes and
dreams,” says Michael Sanders, the newly
appointed Chairperson of the International Association of Coaching
(IAC) Professional Ethics Review Committee. “This is an awesome
privilege and responsibility and, as such, it is imperative that
we provide clients with the safety and security they need to grow.”

However, occasionally a serious problem
arises in the coach-client relationship. To whom can a client turn?

The answer is IAC’s recently
launched Professional Ethics Review Committee (PERC). In direct
response to IAC’s mission of “furthering the interests
of coaching clients worldwide”, the mandate of PERC is to
perpetuate IAC’s high and specific ethical standards throughout
the coaching profession.

More specifically, it is PERC’s
objective to be responsive to the interests of clients and coaches
by providing a forum for the review of questions and issues as well
as complaints of alleged unethical conduct by an IAC member.

PERC serves as a model of the highest
professional coaching standards and reflects the values of IAC and
the coaching profession as a whole. PERC also strives to educate
coaches and their clients about these standards and support them
in upholding the highest level of integrity.

Debbie Lawrence, newly
appointed Director of PERC, is excited about the vital role this
committee will play as they it works to address questions of ethics
and “best practices” by coaches.

“Our goal is for our members
to view this division of IAC as a value-added service,” says
Debbie. “We want coaches to use PERC as a secure place to
turn to for guidance on relevant issues and ethical dilemmas arising
within their respective coaching practices.”

The committee consists of a chairperson,
vice-chairperson, and six members, one of whom is a not a coach.
“This will allow for representation from both the coaching
and non-coaching perspective,” says Debbie, “This committee
structure is integral to the need to assure fairness in our decision
making.”

Coaches, clients and the general public
can access PERC through the IAC website or by going to www.coachingcomplaints.org
which offers the opportunity to ask questions, submit issues or
lodge complaints and be assured of a fair, prompt follow-up service.

PERC serves as the mediator of issues
as well as the reviewer of complaints. Committee members will clarify
any misunderstandings or misconceptions that may cause issues between
coaches and clients. In the case of ethical violations, PERC also
serves as the disciplinary body with the authority to revoke the
Certified Coach designation of a coach against whom a grievous complaint
has been unresolved.
“While I’d like to believe that we would never have
anything to do, because there wouldn’t be any issues or complaints,”
says Debbie, “IAC is realistic about the need for such an
initiative. The goal of the committee is to be open, fair, and responsive.
We also want to encourage IAC members to use PERC as a marketing
tool to which they can direct their clients for reassurance and
credibility.”

In time, PERC also plans to draw on
its experiences to develop case studies based on actual situations.
These will be designed as valuable teaching tools in coach training
environments and among coach study and support groups worldwide.
For more details or to just “Ask PERC”, visit us at
www.certifiedcoach.org
or www.coachingcomplaints.org.

PERC is waiting to hear from you!

PERC
Highlights Key Procedures

The highlights of Professional Ethics
Review Committee (PERC) procedures are provided here to provide
readers with a general understanding of how the process works. However,
complete instructions for making inquiries or filing a complaint
through PERC are available at www.coachingcomplaints.org.

• IAC accepts complaints about IAC
  member coaches only.
• No anonymous complaints are accepted.
  A complaint requires the name and address of the person filing
  the complaint as well as a detailed description of the incident,
  including the date of it occurred.
• All complaints are confidential
  and are available only to the director and the committee.
• Complaints must be made within
  a year of the alleged misconduct. However, there will be no time
  limits on complaints of sexual misconduct.
• When a complaint is received, the
  Director of IAC reviews it and within 15 days responds to the
  complainant, stating whether or not the complaint will be pursued.
• If it is to be pursued, the complaint
  is forwarded to the members of the committee who are assigned
  to the investigation.
• A member of the committee, designated
  by the director, then mediates a conversation between the complainant
  and the respondent.
• If the committee determines that
  there has been a breach of ethics, it will take one of four actions:
  1. issue a reprimand,
  2. require that the respondent
     engage the services of a mentor coach,
  3. require removal from membership
     or
  4. require that the coach retake
     the certification exam.
• The coach then has 15 days to appeal
  the committee’s decision.
• If the committee cannot arrive
  at a resolution, it will be referred to the IAC Board of Governors.

Lawrence,
Saunders Appointed To
PERC Leadership Positions

Debbie Lawrence, founder
and president of Abundant Living Personal & Business Coaching,
is the new Chair of the IAC Professional Ethics Review Committeee.
She holds a degree in commerce, a professional manager’s designation
and has completed advanced studies in vocational education.

Debbie works with clients predominantly
throughout Atlantic Canada from her base in Truro, Nova Scotia.
For Debbie, coaching is the happy result of a great deal of personal
development, actively managing change in her own life, and insight
she has gained from close to 20 years championing others in achieving
their personal goals.

Having worked with thousands of individuals
as an adult educator, facilitator, business consultant, and career
coach, Debbie now dedicates her time to coaching business owners
and working one-on-one with individuals looking to make changes
in their personal and professional lives which will lead to success,
balance and overall inner satisfaction.

An acclaimed public speaker, lecturer
and workshop facilitator, Debbie’s signature workshop series,
Choices: Letting Your Heart Sing©, is fast becoming a must
for those who are looking to manifest their personal goals and dreams.

Michael
Sanders, Founder & CEO of CONVERGENCE, a Greensboro,
NC based human \systems consultancy, is the new chairperson of IAC’s
Professional Ethics Review Committee (PERC).

Born in Atlanta Georgia, Michael grew
up in Caracas, Venezuela. He attended Mercer University, Atlanta
Christian College and Cincinnati Bible Seminary. He holds degrees
in psychology, English, theology and history.

Michael is a certified behavioral consultant
and relational awareness trainer and master coach. He brings to
PERC over 20 years of experience coaching individuals and organizations.
Michael’s diverse background allows him unique insight into
individual as well as organizational needs, culture and leadership.
His ability to see beneath the surface enables him to form effective
dynamic working partnerships with both private and public organizations.

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We look forward to hearing from you!
Dr. Leelo-Dianne Bush, IAC VOICE Editor
www.abundantlife-coach.com