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Linda |
From the Editor
Welcome to the July 2011 issue of the IAC VOICE!
There is a lot to celebrate about IAC membership today. In his President's Message, Bob Tschannen-Moran reveals the details of a powerful new membership benefit that is the helping the IAC express one of its core values. Curious? Check it out!
We also feature another member benefit with an article by Confident Coach Connection's Doris Helge, who presents her tips for confident business building.
In IAC Chapter News, IAC Coaches in Hong Kong announced the birth of their new IAC Masteries® book. Find out more and join the party!
In the second part of her series on coaching the Higher Being, IAC Licensee Deborah Williams explores how the yogic concept of the koshas (layers of self) can lead you and your clients to a state of Higher Being.
Want the Inside Scoop on what our IAC Certifiers find most challenging about coaching? Natalie Tucker Miller tells all.
Finally, if you ever struggle with the length of your to do list, professional organizer Claire Tompkins returns to the VOICE this month to ask: "Is that task really urgent or does it just seem that way?"
Alison Davis will be back soon with her column, Living the Masteries. In the meantime, you can browse previous entries here.
Our 2011 submission guidelines for the VOICE are available on the website. Submissions are welcome anytime through 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
P.S. Are you on Twitter? You can follow the IAC at http://twitter.com/IACCoachMastery. There is also a list of VOICE authors, columnists and IAC BOG members at http://twitter.com/lindadessau/iac-voice-contributors.
From the President
by Bob Tschannen-Moran, IAC-CC
president@certifiedcoach.org
The IAC: A Coaching Organization
The title of this month’s President’s message may seem a bit odd since "IAC" stands for the "International Association of Coaching," but not every professional association of coaches is itself a "coaching organization." What’s the difference? Some organizations support the work of coaching without actually engaging in the experience of coaching itself. There’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s not the way the IAC chooses to go about its business.
From its inception, the IAC has understood and lifted up the importance of a simple principle: be a coach, have a coach. Coaches who have never had the experience of being coached, or who have not been in a coaching relationship for many years, lack something kind of crucial. It’s a matter of walking the talk. That’s especially true for those coaches who aspire to coaching mastery. Mastery is gained incrementally over time, as we coach and experience coaching across many hours of professional practice.
That principle is certainly widespread in the coaching industry. Indeed, there are those who criticize some coaching associations because of how they have linked the requirement of being coached to coach certification. It can come across as a racket, where the requirement of being coached for certification fills the practices of those who hold the keys to certification. For all their developmental value, such arrangements can drain the pure "love of learning for learning’s sake" out of coaching relationships.
The IAC has avoided these conflicts by not specifying a particular path of development for those who would seek coach certification. Although the IAC acknowledges and affirms the value of mentor coaching, coach training, supervision and other forms of coach preparation, even licensing mentors and training programs to use the IAC Coaching Masteries® in their work, the IAC does not specify how to prepare for certification. Coaches are free to choose the preparation path that suits them best, demonstrating their mastery through the IAC certification process when they are ready.
Since the IAC does not require coaching for certification, the IAC has been seeking other ways to express and live into its commitment to the "be a coach, have a coach" principle. As with all young organizations, it has taken a while for the IAC to figure out how to do that. Just as it took time for the IAC to develop the Learning Agreement Process as a way of adding rigor and integrity to the Practitioner and Certified Coach designations, so has it taken time for the IAC to become a coaching organization in which every member is not only encouraged but also empowered to experience coaching for themselves.
That time has now arrived. Through a strategic partnership with ReciproCoach, a global "match-making" service for professional coaches founded in 2005 by IAC Board of Governors’ member Kerryn Griffiths, the IAC is now offering every IAC member a way to not only "be a coach," but also to "have a coach," absolutely free of charge, for up to eight sessions each on an annual basis. This $55 USD value is now included in every IAC membership. It is an exciting opportunity that holds great potential for elevating the coaching game of every IAC member. Here is how the service works:
- When people join or renew their membership in the IAC, they have the ability to receive a voucher code, as a Member Benefit, for one round of reciprocal coaching, mentoring or supervision through ReciproCoach.
- The voucher code makes signing up and participating with ReciproCoach completely free of charge to the IAC member.
- By signing up, coaches are agreeing to provide up to 8 hours of coaching or 3 hours of mentoring or supervision and to receive a like number of coaching, mentoring or supervision hours in return.
- Coaches do not coach and receive coaching from the same individuals. This is not "buddy coaching" (you coach me and I coach you). Instead, ReciproCoach serves as the "match maker," based upon your pre-identified criteria, to make sure that the right coaches find each other in order to optimize their professional learning, growth and development.
What’s the difference between coaching, mentoring and supervision? ReciproCoach has defined each category rather clearly. Coaching is coaching: a transformative process for personal and professional awareness, discovery and growth. Mentoring is listening to another person coach in order to provide constructive feedback and coaching on that. Supervision is a process for accelerating client progress through talking with other coaches about the process, theory and practice of coaching.
All that and more is now available to IAC members, absolutely free of charge, with no strings attached. If you are a current IAC member and you have not yet taken advantage of this exciting new opportunity, then I encourage you to do so immediately. Once you log into the member area at the new IAC website, click on Continuing Development and then click on the ReciproCoach link to find out more and to generate your own ReciproCoach voucher code.
If you are not yet an IAC member, then this opportunity provides you with one more reason to join. By investing in your continued growth and development as a coach through our strategic partnership with ReciproCoach, the IAC has added a $55 USD bonus (the cost for one round in ReciproCoach) to your membership, at no extra cost to you. It's hard to find a better bargain in the coaching world. And don't forget about the $10 USD discount for early-bird renewal for current members!
Ask yourself: In what ways do you support your own professional development and growth as a coach? When was the last time that you actually received coaching in a formal coaching relationship? What’s stopping you from getting more coaching right now? How could participation in ReciproCoach assist you to become the best coach you can possibly be?
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 schools.
Confident business building for coaches
by Doris Helge
Why do so few talented coaches build a thriving practice? Many coaches are trapped in a destructive myth about confident business building: You're confident . . . or you're not!
The truth about confident business building
There is no magical degree of confidence when you enjoy every moment. What matters is your long-term performance.
Confident business building is somewhat similar to playing soccer. You can lose or win a particular game. That's why a good soccer coach encourages players after a loss to focus on the record at the end of the season. An excellent coach goes farther, with the most critical factor being how much every player learns and improves over time. "We're always building for the next season."
When we review a specific season of our coaching calendar, we often rigidly evaluate our income as either "good" or "not good enough." A more empowering view will build your confidence. Focus on building a sustainable successful practice. Reflect on your growing confidence because you're courageously taking intelligent risks.
Besides looking back at performance improvement over time, there are a couple of specific things you can do to increase confidence.
1) Ask curious questions that feed your confidence
Did your business make it through a very challenging economy because you were innovative and developed new alliances? Did it grow at a steady pace because you continued to grow your skills? When you made a mistake, did you quickly recover and learn what not to do? How can you network with other professionals and ask happy clients for referrals?
2) Pair great marketing with great coaching to build your business
Successful coaches are those who hold a reliable dual focus: marketing plus advanced skill improvement that produces referrals.
To keep this focus, identify a mentor coach who consistently moves forward in spite of obstacles. Select someone with long-term vision and a game plan. They'll challenge you to take healthy risks. Discover the joy of building a business with a firm foundation based on excellent planning, faith and love of the amazing game we call coaching.
Doris Helge, Ph.D., is an IAC, CTA, RCI and NLS-certified certified coach, mentor coach and president of the IAC-licensed training school, Confident Coach Connection, where she teaches the IAC Masteries™, advanced coaching skills and "Confident Business Building." Visit http://ConfidentCoachConnection.com for a special report and the IAC New Coach Virtual Chapter.
IAC Member Benefit: IAC members save 10% on all Confident Coach Connection training programs including IAC Certification Preparation classes & Advanced Coaching and Business-Building classes. Discover more at www.ConfidentCoachConnection.com and at www.NewIACCoach.com/Discounts-for-IAC-members.html.
New IAC Coaching Masteries® licensed schools and mentors
| Name | City | State | Country | IAC-CC | |
| The American School of Professional Life Coaching (ASPLC) | Jacksonville | FL | United States | No | View Details |
| NUTRITIONAL COACHING | Barcelona | Spain | No | View Details |
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.
