From the Editor
Hello there, I’ve effectively wrapped up my semester as a teacher and student and I could think of no better way to celebrate than with a road trip! Although I visited many friends on my journey from New Hampshire to Tennessee and back, much of my trip was performed solo (including several nights in a tent in the Great Smoky Mountains!) My weeks away were filled with adventures and challenges, but most importantly, the trip afforded me some much-needed alone time. Within this reflective space I was able to truly appreciate “living in the moment”, which is hard for me to do in the grind of my daily routine. I find this sentiment echoed in our articles this month. There is a strong focus on Mastery #4, Processing in the present. Our contributors discuss ways to tie this into our lives, as well as appreciating where other Masteries may already be present. Be sure to award yourself the time to soak in the wisdom in our articles this month. Thank you for reading! Be sure to post your thoughts and responses and don’t feel shy about getting involved in a conversation! Is there something you’d like to see in the VOICE? A particular subject you’d like us to address? Please don’t hesitate to contact us at voice@certifiedcoach.org with comments, questions, event notices, or article contributions. We are always looking for new perspectives and look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Beth Ann Miller is an MFA candidate in Writing and is a native New Englander. She has a professional background in editing and higher education, and enjoys working with youths in the arts. Her stories have appeared in online and print journals and she is perpetually at work on new creative projects. Contents From the President – Vicki Zanini A Balancing Life – Jinny Wang The Forecast – Martha Pasternack Ask the Certifiers – Natalie Tucker Miller Licensing Committee Column – Charlie Boyer IAC Coaches Reading Club From the President “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” -Helen Keller This certainly captures my sentiments as we approach the halfway mark of what’s been an incredible year. I’ve just returned from visiting family where I had the opportunity to stay at the historical Windsor Hotel in Americas, Georgia. The hotel is said to be haunted, even certified as such, and attracts researchers from all over the country. The staff there was super and the ghosts left us alone for the most part. There was a moment when I was certain I heard the ghost of a little girl whispering “mom” in my ear, but who believes in ghosts, right? The hotel was built in 1892 and renovated in 2010. It was built on a strong foundation and continues to thrive under the supervision of devoted caretakers. The IAC was established in March of 2003 and in 2005 underwent its own renovation with the goal of evolving the coaching standards to include a global perspective. It took over 24 months to develop the IAC Coaching Masteries with a team of coaches from several countries and a variety of coaching models. Unlike the Windsor, the coaching industry is still very young and has some growing up to do. But like the Windsor, the IAC foundation is solid and its caretakers are devoted. And the Windsor and the IAC just may have something else in common. Every now and then I am quite certain that the ghost of Thomas Leonard leans in and whispers in my ear, “trust your inklings”. I am sure I’m not the only one. To our success!
A Balancing Life I believe that every step in our lives, whether it is easy or filled with conflict, paves the way for our next step. I find this evident while learning both Tai-Chi and the IAC Masteries together, as they both encourage us to keep a balance between our inside and outside world. Like Tai-Chi represents the balance of our life between Yin and Yang, the Masteries help us to stay focused. I have studied Tai-Chi for over ten years, and my focus on the IAC Masteries has not only strengthened my coaching, but it has been a powerful influence on my awareness in the studying of Tai-Chi. Setting a goal is the first step of coaching. But before that, an important thing is how we treat our learning and how we execute what we’ve learned. This process has a deep influence and becomes especially important in interactions between coach and coachee. In my personal leaning of Tai-Chi, my confidence comes from a strong desire to improve my health. And it works. My health is becoming better than before. (And my blood sugar and blood pressure improved as well.) I believe much of my success with Tai-Chi is due to encouragement and patience from my coach. Our trust has built up through his observing my potential and encouraging my advantages. I know how to listen to my inner voice when I practice Tai-Chi, which improves my skill of Mastery #4 Present at the moment. In quiet moments, it is easy to link with the environments, to listen to nature, to feel its support. I can be aware of my body changing with the movements, my breaths linking with Tai-Chi music, and all around weather changes in the park. In that special moment, I know my body is a small universe within nature. Both of them mix together in harmony. It reminds me that the life is beautiful and joyful. I find learning experiences within my inner dialogue. Questions such as “Where are all my senses at this moment?” and “What awareness does it bring to me?” can be applied to coaching sessions. I encourage my clients to become at ease with their senses. When the silence comes, I don’t worry – the skill of inner listening in the present is powerful. Even without talking, my client can be inspired by this opportunity for inner understanding. They feel supported by my patience and trust can build quickly. In summary, I am convinced that the Masteries (especially #4 Processing in the present, #3 Engaged listening, and #1 Establishing and maintaining a relationship of trust) are linked closely with Tai-Chi. The IAC Masteries can be used as an inner map, a daily lesson in fulfilling a balanced life.
Coach Jinny Wang, IAC Masteries Practitioner, has many years of HR and management experience. She’s promoted coaching in Taiwan since 2000 and supported many entrepreneurs, business owners, and senior managers who now have more confidence to face face their problems. She also help clients focus on building a trusting relationship platform with their key senior managers to communicate better. The Forecast The “forecast” was for a clear sunny day. Well, it thunder-snowed. In May. You get my drift. Sometimes the forecast plays out. Sometimes it does not. When we forecast the results of our coaching and of our client’s manifestation of their goals, as smart as they may be, we are open to “life on life’s terms.” If we focus on the result, to the expense of the process and what is happening in the present moment, we may very well miss precious coaching moments. We may miss the opportunity of coaching to reveal the higher potential for our client’s dream. We may overlook the opportunity to empower our clients and their inner resources to weather a storm. Our vulnerability to get lost in the destination rather than the journey is what brings a tender humanity to our relationships with our clients. As agents of change we can get mesmerized by what that change should look like. A chorus of Angels, a KABOOM or even a BAM does not always herald shifts! Sometimes the indication of a shift is a quietly exhaled breath that tells us something just happened within our client’s inner sanctum. Here is where deep listening in the present moment becomes one of our other valuable coaching skills. If what just happened for our client is not on the radar, in the forecast or announced with gusto, and we are not listening, the soul’s song can go unheard. That is not the end of the world, as my mom would say when my childhood world seemed to shatter. Nevertheless it is a missed coaching opportunity that need not go by the wayside. I am including part of IAC Mastery #4 here for your ease. Take a moment and read it mindfully. It will offer you so much that will support you to develop your masterful coaching. Definition Focus full attention on the client, processing information at the level of the mind, body, heart and/or spirit, as appropriate. The coach expands the client’s awareness of how to experience thoughts and issues on these various levels, when and as appropriate. The coach utilizes what is happening in the session itself (client’s behavior, patterns, emotions, and the relationship between coach and client, etc.) to assist the client toward greater self-awareness and positive, appropriate action. Effect
Key Elements
Q. I was on the WBECS (World Business and Executive Coaching Summit) pre-conference and you talked about self-growth for coaches, not just our clients. A. For me, one of the most important features of our profession is the continuous invitation to self-reflect, to become so aware of our own patterns, habits and behaviors, that we cannot help but personally and professionally advance. There is evidence of this encapsulated throughout the Masteries. Not only in the obvious sections, like “Effective Behaviors” or “Ineffective Behaviors”, but interspersed throughout. Within Mastery #1, for instance, is the measure “the coach acknowledges his/her own limitations where appropriate”. In order to do this, we first must have a keen awareness of our strengths and preferences, as well as the areas in which we would like to grow, or qualities that we simply do not have aptitude, and proceed accordingly. Within Mastery #3, “focusing on what to say next, when the client is still expressing” is listed among common mistakes and misunderstandings that a coach may have. This is a great opportunity to become aware of when (if) this is happening in your sessions, and noticing any effect it is having on the session. You might then look to the measures from this Mastery such as, “the client’s tone and flow of ideas becomes more open and effortless”, to check in on whether this is happening, and if not, what might be in the way? In this way, the Masteries E-book is a treasure trove for growth for both client and coach. What kinds of examples can you find? I’d love to hear your insights, so please feel free to comment here, or email me personally at LeadCertifier@certifiedcoach.org. Do you have a question that you’d like to ask the certifiers? Submit your questions here: http://certifiedcoachblog.typepad.com/blog/ask-the-certifiers.html. Please send your questions on the IAC Coaching Masteries® and the certification process to certification@certifiedcoach.org. Licensing Committee Column The Licensing Committee is experiencing some changes lately. Pepe Del Rio, who has served as chair of the Committee since 2011, will be moving on to another IAC responsibility soon. We very much appreciate that he continues to be active on the Committee during this transition period. Deb Chisholm from Vermont will be assuming the role of Chair, and will work closely with Pepe to keep our work going forward. We are very pleased to announce that Eduardo Vier from Los Angeles, will be joining the Licensing Committee. Among his many accomplishments, Eduardo is fluent in Spanish and English, and will be a terrific asset to the Committee, as more than half our licensure applicants are from Spanish-speaking countries. Welcome, Eduardo! As we continue to revise and clarify the licensure requirements and procedures, we invite IAC members to contact us with any questions you may have, or to please let us know if you discover anything that is not clear to you. One of our most important projects coming up is to revise the Licensing Handbook and the website so that they are “in sync” with each other. We’re keeping busy as summer approaches. Pepe del Rio has been busy traveling lately. He participated in the IAC Latin American Conference in Santiago, Chile. Deb Chisholm has made several “Me Power” presentations to various community groups. Eduardo Vier combines his coaching and volunteer work both with ICF and IAC, and Charlie Boyer is updating his “Team 412 Project” for another round of web-based leadership training. Committee members Deb Chisholm, Pepe del Rio, Eduardo Vier and Charlie Boyer welcome your suggestions and comments. Contact the Licensing Committee at licensing@certifiedcoach.org.
IAC Coaches Reading Club Date: Thursday June 18th, 2015 It’s THE reading and book club for coaches, and it’s all about coaching and personal development books! The book for June is Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening by Matthew and Terces Engelhart. Interested in becoming a bigger part of the Reading Club? Our Reading Club facilitator, Terri Hase, is also looking for a co-facilitator to join the fun, help with book selection, and author outreach. Are you the bibliophile, and fun loving volunteer, that is perfect for the job? Contact Terri now: Treasurer@certifiedcoach.org. Your Feedback We’d love to get your feedback on any issue related to the IAC. Do you have any questions, concerns, encouragement or ideas for improvement regarding membership benefits, certification, the VOICE, the direction of the organization or anything else at all? Please send an email to voice@certifiedcoach.org. Please help us improve. |
Vicki Zanini is founder of Vicki Zanini Coaching & Training. As a certified holistic life coach, she works with individuals and groups who are ready to create new possibilities, boost personal effectiveness, and experience a deeper sense of meaning and inner peace. She has been leading coaching groups and workshops for over 15 years in personal development, self-care, creativity, and intuition. Visit her website at 
Martha Pasternack, MMC 
