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Linda |
From the Editor
Welcome to the October issue of the IAC VOICE. Today's message contains all the latest IAC news, including the President's Message, updates from the Board of Governors, a report from the Singapore Chapter and an article from an IAC member benefit provider.
I'll also provide links to the feature articles and columns that have been posted to the blog since the last newsletter. You can always check the blog (http://blog.certifiedcoach.org) during the month to get a jump on your reading.
This month, IAC President Bob Tschannen-Moran invites us into his Inbox to read his response to the concerns of a long-time IAC supporter.
Susan R. Meyer, BOG Secretary, has an update on the comings and goings of the IAC Board. Unfortunately for the VOICE, one of those going is the IAC Communications Coordinator, Sue Brundege. Sue has been a huge support to me in this position and she will be missed!
We also have a report from the Singapore Chapter about their recent gathering, which included a presentation by Past-President Angela Spaxman, "Putting the IAC Coaching Masteries® into Action."
JournalEngine is back as our featured member benefit this month, and Kim Ades has a touching story of how their online journaling community allowed her to reach out and help a struggling parent.
On the blog: In this month's Inside Scoop column, IAC Lead Certifier Natalie Tucker Miller responds to a coach who's been told she's too opinionated.
In her Living the Masteries column, Alison Davis has some questions that are bound to inspire you to reflect on the power of the Masteries in your day-to-day life.
Bonnie Jo Davis delivered our first feature article this month, helping us answer a very important question: Who is your ideal client? Creativity Coach Cynthia Morris brings us along on her journey of passionately inspired product creation.
Are you on Twitter? You can follow our VOICE authors and columnists as well as some of the IAC BOG members. Simply visit http://twitter.com/lindadessau/iac-voice-contributors or subscribe to the list from your Twitter account.
Our 2010 submission guidelines for the VOICE are available on the website. Submissions are welcome anytime throughout the month.
Please contact me with your article ideas and your feedback about this issue. Enjoy!
Warm wishes,
Linda
Linda Dessau, CPCC
Editor, IAC® VOICE
Email: voice@certifiedcoach.org
www.contentmasteryguide.com
From the President
by Bob Tschannen-Moran, IAC-CC
president@certifiedcoach.org
The IAC: Expanding the Path with Integrity
As you may know, the IAC Board of Governors has been involved in a long-range planning process that is guiding our development both now and for many years in the future. The IAC’s new motto, "Expanding the Path to Coaching Mastery," reflects the mission and purpose that the Board of Governors has for the organization. We seek to respect and encourage the many different ways that people become masterful coaches.
The IAC does that, in part, by sharing its primary intellectual content—the IAC Coaching Masteries®—with the coaching world. These nine standards and measures, constituting the highest level of coaching, were developed and validated by an international cohort of coaches seeking to define and describe coaching mastery in terms that could be understood in any culture around the world.
Given the high standard that the IAC seeks to maintain, it is sometimes hard for people to understand the open architecture of the IAC licensing program for coach training programs and mentor coaches. Here is an excerpt of a recent inquiry and concern:
As a coach since the mid 90s with Thomas Leonard, etc., I was a supporter of the IAC at its inception. I say this to assure you that I only think positively about the organization and what's going on. I also know that you grant licenses to schools and organizations to foster the Masteries. An e-mail was forwarded to me about a coaching "program" that promises to teach coaching and become certified in 16 hours!
I noticed on their site that they have a license to teach the IAC Masteries. I find it curious that a program that makes such "ridiculous" promises is allowed to hold an IAC license. I find it disappointing that IAC is associated with such a site.
Here is an excerpt of my reply:
Thanks for writing and sharing your concerns about the IAC licensing program. As you may or may not know, the IAC does not seek to regulate the coach-training industry as part of our certification process. Unlike the ICF, the IAC simply licenses training programs and coaches to use the IAC Coaching Masteries® in their work. In other words, the IAC grants them the right to use our intellectual property but does not vouch for whether or not they are using them well.
I agree that a 16-hour training program is, in my book, more of an introduction to coaching than a complete course. That does not disqualify their graduates, however, from joining the IAC and applying for IAC recognition. Anyone can join and anyone can apply.
Recently, in addition to the IAC Certified Coach designation, the IAC has instituted a new designation: the IAC Practitioner. The Practitioner is someone who has passed the written exam and completed his or her first Learning Agreement (more on that later), versus the Certified Coach, who has also passed the oral exam (demonstration of coaching mastery). I can assure you that the IAC standards are quite high for the Certified Coach, which we view as a Master-level certification. It would be very unlikely that a graduate of a 16-hour coach-training program, were they to have no other coach-specific training, would pass that bar.
As long as the IAC maintains such high standards for its certification, we see no reason to discourage coach training programs of any length or intensity from becoming Licensees and using the IAC Coaching Masteries® in their work.
In addition to the Practitioner designation, the IAC has recently introduced a new measure for accountability and support: the IAC Learning Agreements. To achieve and maintain the IAC Practitioner and IAC Certified Coach designations, IAC members must submit annually a personalized Learning Agreement that describes how they will achieve or maintain the highest standards of coaching excellence. This is similar to Ben Zander’s notion of "Giving an A," if you are familiar with that, from The Art of Possibility. The IAC is essentially asking those holding or aspiring to hold IAC credentials to write the IAC a letter, dated one year in the future, describing what they did to earn their "A" as a coach. IAC reviewers will hold Learning Agreement review conferences, after one year and every five years thereafter, to make sure commitments are being kept and coaches are growing well.
The IAC Board of Governors is excited by how this individuated approach to learning and credentialing is being received in the coaching world. I hope you will come to share that excitement with us as a viable way of expanding the path to coaching mastery.
Apparently, that reply was helpful to the person who wrote, because I received a very appreciative reply.
I hope you find this exchange to be as encouraging as I did. The IAC seeks to expand the path to coaching mastery with integrity, and nothing the IAC is doing now or in the future will change that.
May you be filled with goodness, peace and joy,
Bob
Bob Tschannen-Moran, IAC-CC, is CEO & Co-Founder of the Center for School Transformation and President of LifeTrek Coaching International. Bob has co-authored a new book, titled Evocative Coaching, which incorporates the IAC Coaching Masteries® in a coaching model designed for leaders and coaches in K-12 schools. www.SchoolTransformation.com
BOG Action News
by Susan R. Meyer, IAC-CC
We are lucky to attract such qualified talent to serve on our Board of Governors. Since that is the case, our members are often being continually courted by multiple opportunities and requests for their time. In September, we were sorry to accept the resignations from the BOG of Sue Brundege and Joan Marie Johnson.
- Sue has played a very active role in IAC communications and has most recently held major responsibility for the redesign of our website, due to roll out by late November.
- Joan has served admirably as Vice President and has taken the responsibility of moving us towards implementing the Strategic Plan.
Both expressed regret that the expansion of other roles will take them away from the BOG and both plan to remain active, committed IAC members. Bob spoke on behalf of the entire BOG in wishing them well and expressing our huge gratitude for their contributions.
We are finalizing the process for our new Learning Agreements and are excited to be ready to implement this program. All members can feel free to use the forms to plan their personal development as IAC coaches. Anyone holding an IAC certification will be filing forms annually. Next month, we will share more information and ways in which IAC will support your learning.
Susan R. Meyer, IAC-CC is President of Susan R. Meyer, Coaching and Consulting and of Life-Work Coach. She provides personal and executive coaching and facilitates seminars on topics including life planning, emotional intelligence, leadership development, communication, and coaching skills for managers. www.susanrmeyer.com.
New IAC Coaching Masteries® licensed schools and mentors
| Name | City | State | Country | IAC-CC | |
| Change Zone | Amman | Jordan | No | View Details |
IAC Certified Coaches
Congratulations to Martha Pasternack from Bayfield, CO, USA who recently passed her Step 3 Exam and became an IAC-Certified Coach!
Singapore Chapter News: Putting the IAC Coaching Masteries® into Action
The Singapore Chapter of the International Association of Coaching (SCIAC) held a talk on September 4th 2010 at the Furama Riverfront Hotel Singapore. Our keynote speaker, IAC Immediate Past President Ms. Angela Spaxman, was present to share her coaching experience and also to introduce the IAC. The topic was "Putting the IAC Coaching Masteries® into Action," and included a question and answer session that garnered insightful discussions. It was a fruitful session with good feedback from attendees—such as HR and business managers from Multi National Corporations (MNCs) and experienced business coaches seeking to gain a clearer understanding of the Masteries®. The discussion touched on how organisations can drive a coaching culture through the use of the IAC Coaching Masteries®.
Some key discussion areas were:
- Driving a coaching culture within the organisation
This is unique to each organisation and there are many different strategies. In general, it is suggested that organisations identify and groom a small group of managers who are committed to coaching, and take them through the coaching process as a first step to garner support. This is important because in our enthusiasm to roll out coaching initiatives, we can try to move too quickly. If coaches are in "telling" mode, it can devalue the coaching practice. Coaching then becomes merely a buzzword and its value to the organisation is lost.
- The use of a coaching process
Everyone has to start somewhere, and coaching processes provide consistency until a coaching style is developed. What matters is the result, and a focus on making the change happen for the client. The Masteries® focuses on the coaching conversation, which is independent of the coaching processes used by the coach.
SCIAC News
Aims for promoting the IAC Coaching Masteries® in Singapore
Since our launch in 2009, the SCIAC has sought to drive corporate adoption of the IAC Coaching Masteries® as the benchmark for best practice coaching and also to drive a coaching culture throughout organisations. We have a firm belief that coaching is important for self-development and growth amongst corporate executives. We have had success stories with MNCs and large local organisations. Organisations that have embraced the IAC Masteries® have had their managers trained in IAC’s Coaching Masteries® and in addition, some of their staff have even opted to undertake the IAC certification.
We will continue to strive for coaching best practices and to drive a coaching culture throughout organisations in Singapore in order to promote the IAC Coaching Masteries® in Singapore.
Jin Lee is the Managing Director of SMG Training Systems. She has been working with numerous Multi-National Corporations and local companies across the Asia Pacific regions—coaching, training and consulting their leaders through key transformational and change initiatives. She was one of the Woman Entrepreneurs of the Year in 2001.
One mother helping another
by Kim Ades
It hadn’t occurred to me that an online journal could help a mother struggling with post-partum depression…that is, until I read Anita’s latest entry.
I found Anita, a mother of two, while browsing through our online journaling community. I thoroughly enjoyed her anecdotes about her children—they reminded me of my own kids’ funny stories.
But then I read a particular entry, and realized that Anita had turned a corner. Instead of sharing only happy moments, she was instead writing with brutal honesty about how she felt about having a short fuse with her first child, a spirited 3½-year-old boy. Anita described screaming at her son and then vowing never to do it again; but the next entry chronicled yet another battle that left Anita shaking and in tears. She was worried that she was going to spank her child, something that she knew she would never forgive or forget.
Her guilt leapt off the screen at me, and I couldn’t ignore her pain.
I contacted Anita and offered to talk, to help, either as a coach, fellow parent or friend. Anita spoke to me about her anger, and about having to remind herself to eat and to leave the house. I felt her sadness as she described a good day being one where she didn’t sob uncontrollably. These signs all pointed to a specific cause: post-partum depression.
While it is beyond the scope of coaching to diagnose a medical condition, I did raise the question as to whether this might be what was going on. Anita had heard of post-partum depression, but didn’t know that it could occur so long after a child is born, or that anger is a common symptom. I sensed Anita’s relief that there could be a cause—and a fix—for her feelings. She received medical help, and she decided to hire me as her coach.
Now, 10 short weeks after going through our coaching and guided journaling process, Anita has a completely different outlook on parenting. She even plans on working from home in order to spend more time with her kids. It’s not all rainbows and ponies—raising children never is—but for Anita, the dark cloud has shifted.
Kim Ades, MBA, President of Frame of Mind Coaching and JournalEngine™ Software, is one of North America’s foremost experts on performance through thought management. She works with clients to unveil and switch their thought patterns to ignite significant change and transformation. Visit www.journalengine.com for your own free, secure, online journal.
IAC Member Benefit: IAC members save 50% on customization and 20% on membership (use the coupon code on the IAC Members page).
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 feedback@certifiedcoach.org. Please help us improve.
