From the Editor Welcome to the August 2011 issue of the IAC VOICE! In The IAC: A Quality Organization, President Bob Tschannen-Moran celebrates the integrity and transparency of the IAC certification process as well as the individuals who have achieved that masterful designation. Then he invites you to assess your own commitment to quality and how you express that in your work as a coach. This month's featured member benefit article is from Coaches Rising founders Joel Monk and Laurens van Aarle, who help you avoid The Two Most Common Mistakes Coaches Make. In her Inside Scoop column, Natalie Tucker Miller answers the question, Are the IAC Learning Agreements a Good Idea? Natalie thinks they are, and so does IAC Past President Angela Spaxman, who recently created her first Learning Agreement Proposal. I interviewed Angela to hear the insights she gained from going through that process. Alison Davis once again shares her Living the Masteries column with Alberto J. Calderón as they each explore Mastery #5 – Expressing by asking, "Just how effective is my communication?" 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 Dessau, CPCC 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 The IAC: A Quality Organization As President of the International Association of Coaching I have a unique vantage point on all of the activities of the IAC’s many volunteers and staff. Much of what goes on happens without my involvement and I am continuously impressed with the quantity of both the work and the outputs. Given that the IAC operates on a modest budget with no full-time staff and a relatively small membership, such accomplishments are truly remarkable. That’s all the more so when you consider the commensurate commitment to quality that the IAC has long demonstrated. From the beginning, the IAC has held itself to the highest of standards when it comes to the work of establishing standards for and recognizing exceptional examples of the coaching profession. Given that there are many other coaching organizations to choose from, those of us who choose the IAC want to be known by our commitment to quality. How else can one explain the dedication of so many people to a certification requiring such a high level of mastery? At this point, the IAC has certified a total of 76 coaches. That list is small enough that I don’t mind celebrating the accomplishment right here by listing their names:
That’s an elite group of quality coaches who represent the best of the best when it comes to the coaching profession. As custodians of the IAC Coaching Masteries™, the highest standards for effectiveness in the coaching industry, these people are truly masters of their craft. If you are looking for a quality coach, indeed, if you are looking for a Master Coach, then these are the people for you. You can find their contact information through the Find a Coach directory on the IAC website. People tell us it should be easier to become an IAC-CC. At times, we wish it was. But when it comes to vouching for coaching mastery, the IAC holds itself to the highest of standards. Better to err on the side of high standards than of easy access when it comes to something so profound as proclaiming someone a Master Coach. The IAC Certification Board, headed up by former IAC President Natalie Tucker Miller, takes full responsibility for the certification process. They are accessible to anyone with questions about the certification process (you may contact them via the IAC website). Typically, when a concern arises, one conversation can set things in order. The IAC owes the certifiers a big debt of gratitude. Their work is impeccable and transparent. What many people do not realize is that the certification process is not a profit-making venture for the IAC. When people submit their recordings for review, those recordings are transcribed (paid for by the IAC) and scored by two certifiers (also paid for by the IAC). Covering these and other administrative costs, the fees charged for certification represent more of a commitment to the industry rather than a commitment to making money. Right now the IAC is reviewing its approach to certification, and will soon be announcing ways for training organizations and mentor coaches who are using the IAC Coaching Masteries™ in their work – the IAC Licensees – to enhance the quality of their own services and delivery systems. Be watching for those announcements! The commitment to quality lives on at the IAC and will always set the IAC apart in the sea of professional coaching organizations. Ask yourself: How would you describe your own commitment to quality? In what ways does your involvement with the IAC enhance the quality of your coaching? How could you strengthen that commitment and enhance that quality? What part might the IAC Learning Agreements play in your overall growth and development as a coach? May you be filled with goodness, peace and joy,
The Two Most Common Mistakes Coaches Make The two most common mistakes that experienced and new coaches make are that they (1) try to sell coaching and (2) they try to sell coaching to everyone. They try to be all things, to all people. Not a good idea! Whilst you may love waxing eloquently about coaching, the truth is … most people couldn’t care less! What people want most is to solve their problems, to satisfy their desires and to realize their aspirations. If you can identify a particular group of people that you’d love to work with and identify their biggest unmet needs and their highest aspirations, then you can create clear marketing materials that describe specific services that your ideal clients will be motivated enough to pay you for. To kick-start this process it’s positively essential to get clear on two things: your speciality or What you are best able to help your clients with, and your niche or Who is most suited and likely to hire you for your speciality. Passion, experience and strength are 3 ingredients that will help you begin to shape your speciality:
And here are two crucial questions to help you get clear on your niche(s):
Answers may emerge straight away or you may need to spend a little time inquiring into them, but once you have your speciality and your niche(s) it is time for the next step. Identify where you can find your ideal clients and engage them with curiosity as to what moves them, what is holding them back and how you could help them move forward. Create your coaching services and marketing around this and you have a much higher likelihood of creating a living doing what you love and having the impact you desire! Yours in service,
Laurens van Aarle and Joel Monk are the founders of Coaches Rising, an organization dedicated to empowering the world’s coaches so that they can have greater positive impact. One of the ways they do this is by bringing high-quality learning experiences to your doorstep. Visit the website www.coachesrising.com/iac to find out more. IAC members get a $30 discount on the $127 Thrive! Mastery program (http://www.coachesrising.com/iac/). New IAC Coaching Masteries® licensed schools and mentors
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