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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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