Are you a member of the IAC? Or are you a subscriber? Welcome to all of you.
Our April issue of the VOICE is full of reminders about what it means to be a member of the IAC.
First of all, our President Natalie Tucker Miller has some announcements that are moving our organization forward.
Next, Sub-Editor Susan Korb gets specific about member benefits. Susan has been contributing to the VOICE behind the scenes for the past few months and is finally coming out into the open! Please help me welcome her.
This month we have another first: we're including in the VOICE a longer, in-depth article that is only available to our paid members through a 'click-through' link. When you click the link, you'll be taken to a member's log-in page before being directed to the whole article on our website.
Yes, this is a signal to all our subscribers that we really do want you to join us as members. The IAC Board decided last year that we want to be a member-supported organization. We want to serve our coaching members much more than we want to serve advertisers. Therefore, we do need your financial support. If you've been putting off joining us, now is the time!
In the Member's Article this month, Dave Blanchard of Six Advisors reveals what he discovered through assessing the thinking patterns of over 1400 independent business owners and coaches.
In Members' Voices, two more inspiring coaches share their thoughts about what IAC certification means to them.
And finally, another reminder of an important member benefit for coaches: insurance.
In Coaching Moments, Janice has cooked up a delightful piece with a wake-up call as well. It's interesting how touching it can be when the simple acts of coaching are related to our everyday lives.
As the commitment from paid members increases, the volunteers who are offering gifts of time and talent feel energized and appreciated! It's a wonderfully supportive cycle of growth we're witnessing. If you'd like to be more involved in this cycle, don't hesitate to complete a volunteer application and indicate your area of interest. If you need to renew your membership, please log in and follow the instructions.
On the topic of membership, I'd like to remind you to complete your IAC profile. I've received requests from people seeking coaches from a particular region or specialty. Of course I do not divulge this information no matter what the request. And if you have not completed your IAC profile, those potential clients will not be able to find you! I encourage you to use your profile as part of your marketing strategy. Feel free to poke around the "find a coach" section and see how your colleagues are showcasing their coaching.
Another frequent request from members is information about liability insurance. For our members in the US, one of your benefits is a group insurance rate for professional liability insurance. Once logged in, you can visit the IAC insurance center.
Assessments are also an important tool for coaches, and MAPP has been providing our members with a discount program since the early days of the IAC. In addition to test-driving this assessment for free, you can purchase assessments for your clients at the IAC discount price.
A new alliance we're pleased to announce is with Six Advisors. Dave Blanchard, CEO of The Og Group, Inc., parent company of Six Advisors, Inc., is committed to masterful coaching and will be incorporating the IAC Masteries in the Six Advisors training program. Members of the IAC who train in the Six Advisors program will have the cost of IAC certification covered. More detailed information will appear on your member benefits page in the near future.
And each month we will be adding more alliances for the benefit of our members. If there are particular areas in which you feel the coaching world would benefit, please drop us a line at membership@certifiedcoach.org with your suggestions!
"Are you a Subscriber or a Member?"
by Susan Korb
It has not been my pattern in life to be a joiner. In college I skipped the sorority lifestyle, remaining a person commonly labeled as an "independent." Also, I joined the Brownies, yet left the Girl Scout organization. That all changed when I became a proud member of the IAC this month.
I became aware through coaching and while writing my own newsletter, that operating as a "Lone Ranger" in life and practice has been an energy drain and a hindrance. My coaching practice has taken a more rapid, positive upturn by reaching out and sharing, communicating, and practicing with other coaches.
The initial benefit for me of IAC membership is that I have acknowledged that I am a professional life coach. When I decided to consider myself a Professional Life Coach, the importance of being an IAC Member (an active participant) rather than a Subscriber (an observer) become apparent.
What I particularly like about the IAC:
The IAC is evolving, and that is an important value for me.
The focus is on coaching, and not on individual coaches. Through the IAC I can support the development of coaching in all walks of life.
A few specific member benefits:
The IAC VOICE newsletter is a valuable asset and some of its rich content of articles and features is available to members only.
The IAC certification acknowledges excellence in coaching, yet without a specific learning format requirement.
You can get discounts on insurance, events and other services of special interest to coaches.
There are both on-line and live opportunities to connect with other IAC coaches through COGs and local chapters.
Volunteer opportunities enhance and enrich the learning curve and expand contact and "rubbing elbows" with leading coaches in a supportive environment that elicits your best. If you have questions, ask me. I love it!
Are you an IAC member or a subscriber? If you’re not sure, click on this link: http://www.certifiedcoach.org/join.lasso, enter your email address and ask for your password to be sent to you (if you haven’t got it already). With your password, you can log-in to see your status and upgrade or join.
Meet: Dr. Lucia Murphy, Member of the Board of Governors
by Susan Korb
What attracted you to the IAC and to become involved as a member of its Board of Governors?
My business has many dimensions, and coaching is a one of the tools I use with my clients. From my perspective, education happens in the moment and through experience. The IAC credentialing process honors both of those. I have been a member of the IAC for many years, and was very honored to be asked last year to serve as a member of the Board of Governors.
With the IAC continuing to evolve its focus from coaches to coaching, what currently is your highest priority as a Board member?
My particular contributions to the Board are in Outreach and Strategic Alliance. Those initiatives deal with two areas: First, our team is focused on creating links and connections to enhance the marketplace credibility of the coaching process – among training organizations, academic institutions and corporations that use coaching as part of what they do. We want to shift the spotlight to the unique benefits of masterful coaching for individual and organizational success. From my experience in consumer packaged goods at Frito-Lay and Campbell Soup, talking about tangible benefits is a win-win for everyone. Clients become aware of the potential for great results, coaching gets the attention it deserves!
The second part is inviting our membership to become engaged in the Association. The IAC was created for and by our members. To continue to make it relevant, it has to remain energized by our members. What this organization becomes is entirely up to each of us.
To someone looking for a professional coaching organization, please name a distinction of the IAC that will set it apart?
The IAC approach is based on the coaching process as a whole, not individual coaching styles. Coaching is really bigger than any one individual. In contrast, many other credentialing organizations require the completion of specific programs or following narrowly-defined protocol. In some instances that can make the focus something other than masterful coaching.
Tell us a bit more about yourself.
Professionally, I'm best known as "Doctor Murph". My whole life has been about leveraging information to change behavior: in sales, consumer packaged goods marketing, education and academe, consulting and coaching. My practice brings the power of Human Performance Technology – a set of effective processes based, not just on my personal experiences, but on tons of research – to create 'Success that Sticks.'
At the top of my personal priorities is my family, who we recently moved halfway across the country. I am also proud to announce the launch of my book entitled, LeaderSpeak: 7 Conversations that Create Sustainable Success (available in bookstores April 2007). Believe me, I understand stress! If you want to know more about me and what I do, visit my website, www.DoctorMurph.com.
F.E.A.R. Breaking through thought processes that sabotage a successful coaching practice
by David Blanchard with Harvey Schoof and Dr. Don Kennedy
Excerpts from the article:
"…Over the past three years, using our 6 Advisors™ Assessment Report, a proprietary application of the mathematical science of Axiology, I have measured with laser accuracy the thinking patterns of over 1,400 independent business owners and conducted in excess of 4,200 hours of one-on-one interviews…"
"…Have you ever experienced these potential emotionally paralyzing moments? If so, you are not alone. Over ninety-eight percent of the independent business owners and prospective coaches we assessed and interviewed are experiencing similar thinking patterns…"
"…Our brain is very sensitive to expectations, especially unrealistic expectations. It is a well-known and documented fact that when we vividly imagine, our brain experiences the same brain chemistry that occurs when we are actually experiencing the event in reality. These fantasies can be "so real" that our body reacts physiologically – as if it were actually happening…"
To read the whole article, click here. (Members only)
David Blanchard is the CEO of The Og Group, Inc. a family of companies which are dedicated to increasing self-awareness, leadership potential, and sustained positive change through 6 Advisors™ Assessments & Training, and the stewardship of Og Mandino's perennial best seller The Greatest Salesman in the World. For more information regarding 6 Advisors™ Assessments, training and coaching, visit www.6advisors.com or call 1 800 701-2394.
Members' Voices
As an IAC certified coach since 2004, my experiences within this organization have been very positive. One of the best features of IAC is the continuous emphasis on becoming a master in the coaching proficiencies. As a result of this excellent training, I have tools available for championing my clients to create structures for personal and professional growth. The boomerang effect is that I have attracted ideal clients by incorporating these proficiencies into my own life! Becoming certified is a rigorous process that is well worth the time and financial investment.
Dawn Lind, IAC Certified Coach, CVCC, M.A.T. is the co-founder of Focus On Purpose – a Christian coaching business offering telephone coaching, workshops and assessments. Dawn and her husband work as a team inspiring clients to stay focused on their God-given purpose.
—————————————————————————-
Coaching is my calling and like most coaches, I wanted a credential that says I’m a professional who knows what I’m doing, so way back in 2002, when Thomas Leonard announced a new way to get certified based on the quality of the actual coaching, I decided that was the certification for me.
Since then, I’ve been involved in every facet of IAC Coach Certification, training, certifying (for Coachville) and mentoring other coaches. It’s a labor of love. Nothing’s more exciting than hearing a good coach become a fantastic coach. I’m honored to be involved. The IAC is a wonderful organization!
No matter how cautious your approach to coaching, no matter how carefully you perform your job, the activities you are involved in on a daily basis can put your career and financial stability on the line. The professional liability insurance program endorsed by the International Association of Coaching (IAC) is specifically designed to protect its members from the ever increasing risks of malpractice lawsuits.
Coaching Moments "Coaching Moments" takes a thoughtful, and sometimes lighthearted, look at how coaching can be interwoven into our daily lives. by Janice Hunter IAC-CC
Saving More Than Money
Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you what you are. ~ Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
I shop on Mondays. Every Monday, same supermarket, same basic aim. Feed the family healthily, save as much money as possible and build a coaching business. And a blog. Only it never used to be like that.
Was a time when I just filled the trolley. Then came the personal development books. Half an hour's reading or writing in the supermarket café became a date with myself every Monday. Sometimes it was an exercise in celebrating simple abundance, at other times just extreme self care, time away from homemaking while turning a chore into a pleasure.
Because of the books, I started to enjoy the actual shopping. My 'choice muscles' got a workout as I filled the trolley. Is this bottle of wine getting me closer to my goal or further away from it? In went washing powder that smelled of jasmine and made me look forward to the laundry. Filo pastry inspired me to recreate the hours I spent chatting with my Greek godmother while we made massive spinach pies after a morning squeezing and prodding produce in the noisy street market. Bargain books screamed synchronicity as they reached out to me from the shelves. I even bought a lipstick once because I loved the name Charisma as much as the colour. (Well, some of us stay-at-home mums need all the help we can get… )
Later, when I was focusing on getting ready to send in tapes for Step 2 of the IAC exam, my shopping evolved.
I started seeing the perfection in all kinds of empty shelf disappointments and trolley collisions. I found myself communicating cleanly if I had an issue at the customer service desk and it got easier to respond appropriately when I could see that checkout staff were overwhelmed. As I worked my way around the supermarket, I found myself enjoying the humanity of it all, indulging my curiosity and wondering what the story was in every trolley.
Now that I'm certified, I'm working on ways to pass on my experience and share the joy I've had in every phase of my journey. Ideas flit in and out of my mind like small birds; if I don't capture their fleeting presence in a note or a sketch, they take off, no doubt to bring flashes of colour, pleasure and inspiration to someone more receptive.
When I'm not at my kitchen table, I seem to get strangely inspired in the self-service supermarket café, scribbling away as I slowly sip my way through a pot of mediocre, lukewarm tea. It's like being in an anonymous motorway service station, a Formica filled truck stop far away from the attractions and distractions of my own home. I find it easy to sit and reflect on how far I’ve travelled and to plan where I'd like to go next.
When I write, it helps me to become mindful and aware, to be still and silent enough to see everything, every detail, every sensation as meaningful. My life becomes one big haiku. When I put down my pen and get ready to focus on the shopping, I usually start my week feeling lucky to have a family to shop for, the money to feed them and the time and means to cook healthy meals.
But today I'm dreading the shopping. Spring usually lightens my heart with the fragrance of hyacinths and the sight of jugs of tulips and golden daffodils but not this year.
The supermarket has stacks and pyramids of boxed, foil wrapped, huge, chocolate Easter eggs and golden bunnies atop every aisle as well as in an entire dedicated aisle. In our house, we dye hardboiled eggs red and decorate the house with bowls of them. The Greeks believe they symbolise renewal and the blood of Christ. For me, many chocolate Easter eggs symbolise something entirely different. This year is the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of The Slave Trade Act. It effectively ended Britain's role in the transatlantic shipping of human beings, although no retribution was ever made to those who suffered. Sadly, statistics show that human trafficking is now the fastest growing crime problem in the world, second only to drugs. In West Africa, especially in the Cote d'Ivoire, young boys are trafficked into slavery to work in cocoa production. Many major well known manufacturers buy their cocoa from there, citing consumer demand as their reason for persisting. Fair Trade companies and producers of organic chocolate don’t. My children will be receiving fewer chocolate eggs this year and they won't be their favourite, cheaper brands.
I'm concerned with what my shopping will cost me at the final checkout.
Janice Hunter is a writer, teacher and IAC certified coach who currently specialises in homelife coaching – helping people create authentic, spirit filled lives and homes they love – and in supporting coaches on their certification journeys. She lives in Scotland with her husband and two children.
Congratulations to Marie-Laure Lagrange from Vancouver, BC, Canada and Bonnie Chan from Hong Kong who both recently passed their Step 2 Exams and became IAC Certified Coaches.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
