IAC VOICE, Volume 4, Issue 9, December 2006, Circulation: 10,049



Barbra

From the Editor


In keeping with the season, our theme for this month's
VOICE is gratitude. This is especially poignant for me,
and I'll tell you why in a moment.


But first, I'd like to draw your attention to the article
by Jean Gran, IAC-CC on why you should consider becoming a
paid member of the IAC. As our Treasurer, Jean is perhaps
more aware than anyone of the need for the IAC to generate
revenue to cover financial costs. And it's more than that.
As Jean wisely points out:


As a prosperity coach working with individuals, I have
noticed that people's relationship with money is often a
reflection of their relationship with themselves. Have you
noticed how hard it can be to ask others to pay us for the
benefits we offer if we don't value ourselves? The same
can be said for the IAC as an organization. The time has
come for the IAC to recognize the value it provides and to
ask members for dues in return.


What value does being an IAC member bring to you? Are you
taking advantage of all your
membership benefits? Are you clear on why we
will be charging dues starting in 2007? Please let us know
what you’re thinking.


On another note, Janice Hunter's
Coaching Moments column
is back this month. You won't want to miss her
reflections on the holiday season, especially her coach's
version of "The 12 Days of Christmas". Janice invites you
to "sing along with a smile before you tackle the rest of
your email inbox!"


I mentioned above that this month's VOICE is a poignant
one for me. That's because this is my last issue as
Editor.


When I accepted the Editorship nine months ago, my goal
was to re-establish the VOICE as a reliable and respected
means of communication with IAC members. With the help of
a wonderful team – most particularly
Natalie Tucker Miller, IAC-CC and Angela Spaxman – I feel
I have accomplished that goal.


Now it's time to pass the torch so that I have time for
some
new projects that are calling me.
And of course, I'll be staying involved with the IAC as an
active member and Certifier.


Angela


 
The good news is that Angela Spaxman will be the new Editor starting in January. Angela
is the Board of Directors liaison for communications, and
as an organized, hard-working and well-informed Board
member she is perfectly suited to be VOICE Editor. 
 


It has been an honor to be your Editor, and I am grateful.
Thank you.

Warmly,

Barbra Sundquist, IAC-CC
Editor, IAC Voice
Email: 

voice@certifiedcoach.org

Web:   www.becomeacertifiedcoach.com
Web:  

www.homebusinesswiz.com





Natalie

Answers
from the President

president@certifiedcoach.org

Greetings of
the season and the approaching new year! 2007 takes the
International Association of Coaching to new heights as we
implement important changes. Over the years the IAC has
heard your suggestions and feedback and the upcoming
enhancements are in response to member's indications of what
would make the IAC a powerful, sustainable, professional
organization.

This month, we
also offer a preview of our upcoming certification measures,
the IAC Coaching Masteries. Take a look here:

http://www.certifiedcoach.org/learningguide/masteries.htm
 

The Masteries were created by international teams of
coaches, consisting of three separate phases of creation and
review. We're extremely proud of the work this task force
completed, and are excited to move on to the next function
for completion: the written exam and the online learning
guides.

As our
services increase, you'll find resources which support your
coaching endeavors while providing a central meeting place
for all who wish to dissertate with other coaching
professionals. Next month we'll introduce our first
Community Outreach Group (COG), lead by coach Tara Robinson.

Our new
searchable directory is also in the works, with added fields
for members. There will be several criteria by which someone
seeking coaching will be able to search, including location,
expertise and certification status.

We're excited
to be able to offer continued upgrades , and look forward to
your additional input. Please direct all suggestions and
comments to

Comments@coachingcredentials.com
.

And now, I'd
like to introduce you to Jean Gran who has served as our
incredibly efficient and talented treasurer since January
2006. The work she has completed this year has been nothing
short of visionary, and her wisdom and warm disposition have
been outstanding assets to the IAC.



A
Thanksgiving Reflection


by Jean Gran,
IAC-CC


This Thanksgiving I had much to be grateful for including my involvement with the IAC. As a retired CPA,
newly certified coach, and treasurer of the IAC since January 2006 it has been inspiring to serve an
organization filled with amazingly talented volunteers dedicated to advancing coaching worldwide. This is a
vibrant and exciting time in the life of the IAC.


Just like individuals, organizations need sustenance, creativity, vision, and energy to grow and mature.
Officially the IAC is organized as a 501 (c) (6) non-profit business league but without the nourishing
energy from its many members, volunteers, board members, committee chairs, and collaborators it would be
just a dry legal shell. On Thanksgiving I found myself especially grateful to the many dedicated people who
give of their time and talent to sustain this organization that has provided me the opportunity for a rich
community and meaningful professional growth.


While the IAC has grown and accomplished amazing things since its formation in February of 2003, it is now
clear that without a steady and reliable stream of income it won't be able to sustain itself for the
long haul and provide expanded services and benefits to its members around the world. Just like our coaching
businesses, the IAC needs a source of income to fuel its day to day activities, implement new initiatives,
and fulfill its vision. As a result, as announced in the November Voice, the IAC will begin charging annual
membership dues of $129 starting January 1, 2007.


How did we arrive at an annual membership fee of $129? The Finance Committee, Board of Governors, and
committee chairpersons spent several months working on a budget that takes into consideration the needs of
IAC members for tangible benefits, the needs of the organization for fuel to run on, and the need to keep the
fee affordable and consistent with similar organizations. As you can see creating a financially healthy
organization that can serve its membership both now and in the future is a balancing act. Like planning a
road trip you must look at your starting point, your destination, your vehicle requirements, and your purpose
in order to figure out how much gas you'll need. After all, you don't want to get half way there and
run out of gas money.


The implementation of dues is an opportunity for all of us as members, whether we have the time to volunteer
or not, to pool our resources in order to nourish and sustain the IAC. We serve the IAC and it serves us.
Check out the

October Voice

for a reminder of the expanding services provided to coaches by the
IAC. While volunteers will remain the heart, head, and soul of the IAC,
it needs a healthy and steady flow of energy in order to thrive,
mature, and grow.


As a prosperity coach working with individuals, I have noticed that people's relationship with money is
often a reflection of their relationship with themselves. Have you noticed how hard it can be to ask others
to pay us for the benefits we offer if we don't value ourselves? The same can be said for the IAC as an
organization. The time has come for the IAC to recognize the value it provides and to ask members for dues
in return. I hope you will join me in expressing gratitude for the present and future benefits offered by
the IAC and become a paying member in this outstanding international organization.


 Jean Gran, IAC-CC
Treasurer, International Association of Coaching
Prosperity Coach
jgran@crocker.com




Members Speak Out


IAC certification is one of the most rigorous and thorough
testing in the coaching industry. As a founding member I am
honored to be one of the first coaches to be certified by
the International Association of Coaching. I highly recommend
membership and certification through the IAC. I have
received many benefits including liability insurance at a
reasonable rate.


Nanci Biddle CEC, CV-CC, IAC-CC
www.YourCoachingPartner.com

 


As
an active coach since 1998, long associated with the International
Coach Federation, I recognize the great diversity in coaching styles,
methods, and perspectives. The perspective of the IAC, which focuses on
coaching proficiency and excellence regardless of coach-specific
training, makes a valuable contribution to our profession. The
important question is not, "Were you trained?" The important question
is, "Can you coach?" The IAC credential answers that important
question. Proficiency-based, the credential evokes greatness in
coaching.


Bob Tschannen-Moran
LifeTrek Coaching International
www.LifeTrekCoaching.com
Coach@LifeTrekCoaching.com



Coaching Moments

"Coaching Moments" takes a
thoughtful, and sometimes lighthearted, look at how coaching
can be interwoven into our daily lives. 

'tis the
season to be coaching…

by Janice Hunter

There are two
ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that
reflects it.      Edith Wharton


Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa
– rituals of love, faith and gratitude that bring light and
warmth, celebration and festive fun into the weariest
corners of our winter hearts. But for me, if ever there was
a coaching season, a time for coaches to really shine and
co-create miracles, this would be it.


Winter can be cold and dreary here in Scotland. We're
sometimes lucky enough to get a crisp, white Christmas, but
most of the time we trudge our way through damp, dreich
days, biting winds and a cold that cuts through to the
bones. But wherever you live, whether you're in the north,
surrounded by people snowed under by stress or in the south
where families are frazzled by the heat and preparations for
family feasts and festivities, this is when we as coaches
can truly thrive and come into our own.


Our common aim is to help people remember what their hearts
already know.


By being authentic and generous, we can fan each spark of
human kindness into a flame that warms whole communities; we
can help our families and friends to pause and take a
breath; we can share a smile with the strangers we meet
every day. In the brightly lit streets, crowded shopping
centres and bustling department stores filled with the sound
of carols and holiday favourites, we can still cherish the
spirit and wonder of childhood and use it to fuel our fight
against the soul destroying consumerism that threatens to
wipe out our world.


If we can share the precious gift of our time, gladden the
heart of a single child, make a homeless person warmer, a
vulnerable person feel a little safer, a hungry person
nourished, an older person feel like a cherished treasure
trove of wisdom, experience and memories – then it adds a
new perspective to our anxieties about how our internet
marketing is doing, how many e-books we've sold today, how
many email addresses we've garnered, how many teleclasses
and phone clients are on our books and whether or not we've
been certified by strangers.


What better time to listen carefully to the voice inside us
that first led us into coaching and other caring
professions.


What better time to share our gifts.


We've been lucky enough to learn the skills of knowing how
to love without judgement, how to bring out the greatness in
everyone we touch, how to get to the heart of what's
important. We know how to help people focus, to get centred
in the present, to build glorious futures on the foundations
of past achievements. We know how to help people discover
their authenticity and contribute their unique gifts to the
world. We know the power of serene moments of silence, of
gratitude for the single breath that means our soul still
has a human home. If we only have time to say one prayer for
the joys that have been revealed to as coaches, let it be
"Thank you!"


I thought I'd be tempted to write this December column about
homely rituals that make my simple life seem rich and
abundant, like my special winter mulled fruit juice for kids
and drivers – apple, blueberry and orange juice spiced with
cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.


I thought maybe I'd wax lyrical about creativity, making our
own crackers and Christmas cards or that I'd describe in
detail every glittery gold, green and red treasured bauble
in my home.


I half wrote an article about my favourite heartwarming
holiday films, tales of childhood faith, second chances and
integrity like It's a Wonderful Life, Groundhog Day, Prancer,
Scrooged and If You Believe.


I thought of sharing the story of how my nine year old son
finally asked for the truth about Santa last month; there
was no consolation for him in my explanation of Santa being
the holy spirit of love in our hearts that makes every day
feel like Christmas.


I thought I'd share my musings on the innkeeper's wife (did she bring
snacks and blankets?) and my curiosity about what was going on in the
minds of the mystical Magi as they travelled with trust towards strange
lands and the promise of a new life filled with hope.


Instead, I found myself remembering a serious wee Scottish
girl wearing the cowgirl outfit Santa had brought her,
chewing on a brand new pen and dreaming of being a writer
some day. She would like to say thank you to every single
one of you for reading this far. Every word you read creates
a miracle and breathes life into her childhood dream of
touching people with her words.


My thanks go to all of you who've sent emails and
overwhelmed a forty-seven year old mother of two with your
kindness and appreciation. Thank you to those who've
volunteered to be recorded clients for me and given me the
chance to serve you until some day I stay silent long enough
to stumble across those two frustratingly elusive passing
sessions I need to become a certified coach.


I mentioned two passing sessions to a friend in an email the
other day and found myself humming it to the tune of The
Twelve Days of Christmas – you know the one, five gOlden
RINGS! (….and a partridge in a pear tree!) So here's my gift
to all of you coaches going for two passing sessions, hoping
to make this the year your certification dreams come true.
Sing along with a smile before you tackle the rest of your
email inbox!


In my last days of taping, I'll give the IAC…
curious exploring
honing in and sharing
relishing the silence
questions bold and daring
fun and provocation
love, support and caring
feeling what is perfect
5's for most things!
team work design
perfect time
not a single '3'
and a pass that's agenda free!!


Wishing you what you'd wish for yourself this coaching
season – Janice


 
Janice
Hunter lives with her family in Scotland and is currently
working towards IAC certification. She particularly enjoys
supporting other coaches through her writing and can be
contacted at
ezinenewsletters@aol.com
.
 

 

  

 


© 2006. All
rights reserved. International Association of Coaching

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