IAC VOICE, Volume 4, Issue 11, February 2007,

Angela

From the Editor

What does it take to get certified? Why should I bother to do it? How should I do it?

This month the VOICE shares some perspectives on these questions about certification.

You'll meet IAC's Secretary Bernie Strout and learn her thoughts on certification.

One of our members, Kim Robinson IAC-CC, shares her experiences with getting certified and some tips on how to do it.

The Chair of the Certification Committee, Sali Taylor IAC-CC, reveals more details on the transition to the IAC Masteries.

And in this month's Coaching Moments,
Janice Hunter reminds us of the joy of making choices rather than doing
what we 'should'. You know, although maybe we think we 'should' get
certified, we may not actually have to!

On
that note, I'm very pleased to be able to announce that Janice did just
become an IAC Certified Coach. Congratulations Janice! Her article also
gives us a hint of how happy she is.

Cheers,

Angela Spaxman
Editor, IAC VOICE
Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org
Web: www.spaxman.com.hk 


Natalie

Answers from the President
by Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC
president@certifiedcoach.org

A round of applause to all who have renewed or are planning to renew their membership!
The recent "Special Announcement" netted sign-ups and feedback that
have been nothing short of inspiring. I speak for all the devoted
volunteers and contributors to the IAC when I say we are excited to
find so many members who share the vision of advancing coaching to the
highest standards of universal excellence.

If you missed the latest bulletin, you can view it here: http://www.certifiedcoach.org/news/febannounce.html

The
IAC continues to attract the coaches and professionals who are
dedicated to our growing profession. Offers of time and talent have
allowed us to expand some of our initiatives and move forward more
quickly with the several projects in the works. Please consider joining
this team of dynamos by volunteering. You can find the volunteer
application link on the left menu bar after logging in: http://certifiedcoach.org/login.lasso

One
volunteer who works to assist the IAC membership is member Kerri
Laryea, IAC-CC, who will be launching the first IAC local chapter.
Kerri offered to pilot the program, which will begin March 1st in
Phoenix, AZ. If you're in the Phoenix area and wish to join this
chapter, contact Kerri: kerri@iklarity.com

Onward
and upward, fellow professionals. Thank you for your graciousness
during our transition into the IAC's next exciting phase. Allow me to
offer this tribute to Thomas J. Leonard who passed on February 11th
2003: "The essence of leadership is not giving things or even providing
visions. It is offering oneself and one's spirit." – Lee Bolman &
Terence Deal

And the members of the IAC certainly do.


Meet the Secretary – Bernie Strout
by Angela Spaxman

How did you get involved with the IAC Board?

I
was introduced to the IAC by our President, Natalie. Her enthusiasm
about coaching and certifying coaches really peaked my interest.

What's involved in your position as Secretary?

As
Secretary I am responsible for taking notes on all of our board
meetings, recording the notes and posting them for other board members.
As Secretary I am also a member of the Executive Committee. The
Executive Committee is responsible for supporting our President,
helping to resolve issues, finance oversight and filling in the gaps.
As a committee we meet at least once a month prior to the board meeting
and as needed based upon the needs of the IAC.

What is important to you about the development of the IAC?

For
the immediate future I want to see the organization become financially
stable. What I mean is that as an organization we can only continue to
achieve our goals if we have a stream of income to support the
development of the organization. Secondly I want to see the IAC
certification become the certification that tells people you are the
expert. You, as a coach, have gone above and beyond the standard. The
IAC is the ultimate standard, if you will. Thirdly I want to see us
develop continuing education for our members that helps them to stay on
top of their industry, to bring new skills to organizations where
coaching is not necessarily the primary responsibility of a person.

What have you done to develop yourself as a coach?

I
am the one member of the board who is not a coach by profession. I am a
financial advisor who uses coaching in my profession. As a financial
advisor I use coaching as a method to help my clients reach their
financial goals -personally, professionally and in business. To develop
my skills in this area I am a consummate reader, I develop my skills
through courses and I have a number of coaches who coach me.

Hey,
that's really interesting, I didn't realize that you're not a coach. So
you're a good example of why we changed the last word of our name to
'Coaching'! Are you certified or do you plan to get certified by IAC?

I am currently not certified, though I have this as one of my personal goals to become certified.

Could you tell us a bit more about why you want to get certified, even though you're not a professional coach?

As
a financial advisor I use the same set of skills that a good coach will
to help my clients reach their financial goals. The area of financial
advising that I specialize in is wealth management. To create a plan
that is truly customized to my clients I need to really drill down to
their true desires – not to except the easy answer. In understanding
what drives my client, what their true financial goals are and helping
them to stay the course during financial swings I need to be coaching
my clients.

In
developing and refining my skills it is just a natural conclusion that
one should just take the next step and get certification. It's more
personal satisfaction for me then anything else. I have always believed
that I can learn more about how to help my clients if I am open to
learning what other, related professions do and translate that to my
practice.

Who has coached you?

Throughout
my professional career I have had coaches of one type or another. In my
early years it was mentors within the organization who coached me. As I
developed my business I have used professional coaches, colleagues and
others. Two of my coaches today sit on the board of the IAC.

What else would you like to say to our members?

This
is an exciting time for the IAC. In 2007 the IAC certification process
will be based upon the IAC Masteries. As we move forward this year I
challenge each of our members to get certified if they have not already
done so. As an organization we want to be known as the epitome of
coaching excellence. To do this we need our members to get certified,
to spread the word about the organization and certification, and to get
involved in the organization.

You can read more about Bernie at www.ubs.com/fa/bernadettestrout


My Journey to Certification
by Kimberly Robinson, IAC-CC

Here
is my story: We all do something well. For coaches, that "something"
includes providing valuable coaching to our clients. However, being
able to coach proficiently and demonstrate that ability are two
different things.

The
ease with which I coached my clients was challenged while working
towards becoming certified by the IAC. In my prior profession I was
tested by both written and demonstrative means so I understood and
respected the IAC's wanting to witness my coaching ability firsthand.
What seemed to be the biggest barrier for me was the test anxiety that
accompanied the demonstration. Because of that, it took several months
for me to be able to create the sessions I felt best demonstrated my
coaching abilities.

Last
January I set my intention that I would complete both parts of the IAC
certification by June. I succeeded in passing part one of the exam
January 10th. Now all that was left was the recording submission.

Up
to that point, I had devoted two years of my life learning, studying
and practicing the proficiencies. I attended two different preparatory
certification courses, one with Natalie Miller at Coachville and the
other with Barbara Sundquist. Both were very rich programs that offered
me the opportunity to understand, practice and hone in on what the
proficiencies were and how best to use them. During these programs I
met a number of fantastic coaches who helped me work towards my goal of
certification. They allowed me the opportunity to practice with them,
providing me with valuable feedback and excellent coaching.

As
I journeyed towards certification I ran up against several hurdles
which fed into my test anxiety. For months I stumbled over the intro to
the coaching session. I worked hard not to let the intro distract me
from the coaching session itself. Thankfully, I had a wonderful coach
offer me an analogy that helped me overcome this hurdle.

Other
challenges I faced included having a wonderful session with a client
and learning afterwards that the recording had not started. GRRRR!
Other challenges included, running over the 30 minute time limit with a
great session and wondering if I'd actually hit all 15 proficiencies in
a session less than 30 minutes. Not only did I have to become
comfortable with listening to my own sessions, I had to overcome the
discomfort of listening to my own voice.

My
colleagues generously offered critiques of my sessions. There were
times I found myself getting sucked into other people's fears and
frustrations around the certification process which only made me feel
more frustrated and confused. I spent 16 to 20 hours each week
attending teleclasses, participating in triads and buddy coaching
situations, and listening to and critiquing others coaching sessions. I
feel the time I spent in all these venues really helped me to enhance
my coaching as well as prepare me for certification.

The
final barrier I had to work through were my feelings around how I would
feel if the dreaded happened…what if I didn't pass? It took time for me
to explore all the angles of this issue and come up with the courage to
send in my recordings.

What
finally prompted me to send in my recordings was that I got fed up with
the uncertainty that accompanied my waiting. I felt in my gut that I
had two recordings that did indeed demonstrate my ability to coach
proficiently, intro and all. One of the sessions I chose, I had
received some not so positive feedback from a trusted colleague. I
decided to trust my own gut and send it in.

In
April I composed my email to the IAC which included my recordings and
pushed the send button on my computer. My body physically shook for a
half hour after sending the email. After the shaking subsided, I felt a
sense of calm, ready for whatever outcome I would receive.

I continued with my triads and buddy coaching until June 1, when I received an email from the IAC which said "Congratulations Coach Robinson. You passed your recorded calls with outstanding scores." You can imagine the excitement and relief I felt after dedicating so much of myself to this process.

For those of you working towards certification I offer you this:
Study the proficiencies, practice the proficiencies, ask for help from
others, be kind to yourself, know that the certifiers want you to be
successful, and trust your gut. I wish you great success.

 
 

Kimberly Robinson RN, BSN, IAC-CC, kim@coachuthru.com, www.coachuthru.com 
Kimberly Robinson is the owner of Coach You Through Burnout, LLC. She
coaches women who want the necessary tools and strategies to prevent
burnout in order to create a life they want for themselves.

 
 


More on the IAC Masteries Transition
FAQ Answered by Sali Taylor, IAC-CC
IAC Certifier and Chair of the Certification Committee

Last month we introduced the IAC Masteries, our new international standard of measurement for coaching excellence, and we answered questions
about their development and impact. Now we can share a few more details
about the transition timeline and how this may affect you.

We
are eager to transition over to the Masteries and we hope you will bear
with us during the interim period as we gradually work out all the
details.

Have the Masteries been formally launched?

Yes,
the Masteries were posted on the IAC website in November and more
formally introduced in the January Voice. You can check them out here.

When is the last date I can get certified using the 15 Proficiencies?

December 31, 2007

When can I get certified using the Masteries?

We
expect to have the beta test of the masteries scorecard completed in
the next few months. At that time you will be able to apply for
Masteries certification. We will make a formal announcement in the
VOICE when we are ready to start certifying using the Masteries.

Will there be a new Step 1 Exam for the Masteries?

Yes,
we are in the process of developing the content for a new Step 1 exam.
In the meantime you may take the current 15 Proficiencies exam and then
choose to be certified under the either the Proficiencies or the
Masteries for Step 2 (once they are available).

What if I have already passed the Proficiencies based Step 1 Exam, can I apply for Part 2 certification using the IAC Masteries?

Yes,
if you have passed Step 1 already, you may submit recordings for
certification using the new Masteries (once they are available) just as
you would have for the Proficiencies.

Will I be able to request which system I use for certification during the transition period?

Yes.
During this one year transition period , if you wish to be scored under
the Proficiency system you may request that in writing when you submit
your application. Otherwise you will automatically be scored using our
new Masteries scoring system (after we make the official announcement
that we will start using them for certifying).


Coaching Moments
"Coaching Moments" takes a thoughtful, and sometimes light-hearted,
look at how coaching can be interwoven into our daily lives.

Shaking off the shoulds
by Janice Hunter

The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes — ah, that is where the art resides.
               Artur Schnabel 

I opened the kitchen curtains this morning to an eerie brightness and snow falling silently outside.

My
kids' delight in the snow is not contagious. After I packed them off to
school, wrapped up, laughing and excited, I sat down at the kitchen
table, hugging a steaming mug of coffee as I remembered my own
childhood winters, trudging through blizzards to school, with frozen,
aching fingers and toes, breathing in damp wool from the scarf I'd been
mummified in.

So,
no ski slopes, toboggans and brightly coloured bobble hats for me, I'm
afraid. Snow's for Christmas, when the tree tops glisten, Bing and Dean
croon, fairy lights twinkle outside on snowy conifers and I snuggle up
in front of the fire with a feel good film and something yummy. Today
I'm having a snow day. No ice-dancing with other cars on roads like ice
rinks; I'm staying in and going nowhere.

It's
all too easy to let the shoulds gently freeze out the To Be list, the
fun and the wants, till you can't even remember what they were – but
today I'm giving myself a day off.

A
day off from self-imposed routines and unquestioned obligations; a day
off from marketing emails designed to make me feel anxious and lacking.
A day where no-one cares whether I have a niche or not.

But
having a snow day doesn't mean that nothing gets done. It's often in
moments of silence, idleness or mundane activity that inspiration and
creativity take us by surprise.

I've
whizzed through the cleaning and clutter, choosing to tackle the
windows to let in more of the bright snow light. I've ignored the
ironing but cleared out an entire kitchen cupboard instead, just for
that glorious feeling you get as you bag up objects you neither love
nor need. I've listened to an inspiring audio clip from Byron Katie's
new book, 'A Thousand Names for Joy' and I've done some chatty email
coaching, slurping hot chocolate with whipped cream, marshmallows and
chocolate sprinkles, glad I've not got a webcam. And the avalanche of
marketing emails in my inbox? To unsubscribe, click here    Click…. Click….Click….

While
I've been sitting here writing, it's stopped snowing and some of the
snow has thawed. I've just watched a laurel branch bounce back from
under its burden of snow, launching it like a catapult.

That's
how I feel as I shake off the shoulds, the rest of my snow day
beckoning me like our snow covered front garden, silently waiting to
share its treasure when the kids come home.

I
might be tempted to build a snow wolf or make some snow angels with
them. Or most likely, I'll put on the kettle and watch them through the
living room window, daydreaming of a new year stretching before me like
an empty beach full of promise, a cinema's COMING SOON trailers, a
tempting pile of unread books, hyacinths hidden in a bowl, a brand new
journal to cuddle up with and bustling pavement cafes full of people to
meet and delicious treats to tempt the senses.

A year of choices, not shoulds.

A Few Days Later…

 …a longing fulfilled is a tree of life
                           Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)

I
burst into the bathroom this morning and sobbed all over my dumbstruck
husband. "I passed… I passed…." He just laughed, shook his head and
held me very tight. Funny thing, relief.

Janice Hunter IAC-CC
LovingtheDetails@aol.com 


 

Janice
lives with her husband and two children in Scotland; she is currently
skipping giddily around the house in her dressing gown, doing a pretty
good impression of Scrooge on Christmas morning.

 

  


© 2007. All rights reserved. International Association of Coaching

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