Sustainability
The IAC is committed to global sustainability and equipping our members to coach in areas related to ESG – Environmental, Social, and Governance to address the needs represented within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainability can be defined as goals, actions, and practices that support the long-term viability of the earth to sustain life, allowing all living beings to thrive. It includes both the ecological needs to sustain physical existence, and the supportive economic and social measures that create equity and inclusion, providing opportunities for all people to flourish.
Coaching is the universal language for learning, for transformation, and for change, which is at the heart of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are emerging needs in the world and coaching can have a tremendous impact today and into the future.
The IAC is dedicated to creating a space for learning and innovation to advance the profession of coaching and its beneficial impact.
Sustainability and the IAC
Many members of the IAC around the world engage in sustainability efforts through their coaching practice, and the IAC Sustainability Team supports our members who work in this space through providing opportunities to develop deeper understanding and increase capabilities.
The IAC Values and Code of Ethics are a strong foundation for coaches who work in the Sustainability landscape, and The Coaching Masteries can serve as a guide in the coaching engagement.
1. Establishing and maintaining a relationship of trust;
2. Perceiving, affirming and expanding the client’s potential;
3. Engaged listening;
4. Processing in the present;
5. Expressing;
6. Clarifying;
7. Helping the client set and keep clear intentions;
8. Inviting possibility;
9. Helping the client create and use supportive systems and structures;
IAC Sustainability Team Formation
The IAC Sustainability Team was formed to provide members with resources and information to build the skills to support those who work in the area of sustainability. The team also looks internally at our IAC operations to ensure that our processes and procedures are as sustainable as possible.
During the formation of the IAC Sustainability Team, a conscious decision was made to focus on supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). These 17 goals were adopted in 2015 by the United Nations Member States to serve the global needs of the earth and all life on the earth through focusing on the 5-P’s of People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development outlines specific items to strive to accomplish by the year 2030 for each of the 17 goals.
The SDGs are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. These ambitious goals are designed to address the world’s biggest challenges faced by humanity. The intent is to create a sustainable and inclusive future for all living beings on the planet, as exemplified in the motto “Leaving No One Behind”.
The IAC supports our members who work in the sustainability landscape and strives to provide tools and resources to support this important effort.
Our Climate Coaching Commitment
While the IAC Sustainability Team is a new effort started in 2023, the IAC has been involved for many years in working to address the Climate Change crisis (which is goal 13 in the UN SDGs). Our IAC journey into formalized sustainability work began in 2020 when we joined as a member of the JGSG – Joint Global Statement Group on Climate Change. This is a unique collaboration of eleven of the leading coaching, coaching psychology, mentoring and supervision professional bodies that signed the Joint Global Statement on Climate Change, committing the members to collaborative action and serving as a collective voice on the climate and biodiversity crisis.
Given our role as coaches in developing individuals, and in creating social value, we committed to work together to play our part in addressing the climate emergency. We recognize that no one body will have sufficient impact, but together we have a collective voice that can reach around the world.
We support the JGSG through meeting quarterly with the other members to plan future efforts to help address the needs of the climate crisis. We also collaborate to provide webinar panel-discussions to inform our collective members and provide tools and resources that can be shared amongst members from all eleven groups.
Raising awareness and knowledge with our members and providing a safe and challenging space for them to reflect on and reconsider their role and their practice are central. The JGSG regularly reviews and revises the shared commitments and active promises in light of the shifting landscape and we will continue to pool resources and model collective leadership.
Learn More
To discover more about the IAC Sustainability Team efforts and our commitment to supporting our members, you may view these videos of past webinars.
View the August 16 IAC Learning Circle webinar where the IAC Sustainability Team shares the IAC’s commitment to global sustainability and equipping our members who coach in the space:
- These topics were covered during the session:
- What is sustainability and how can coaching support sustainability work.
- The significance of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- The IAC’s work with the JGSG (Joint Global Statement Group) and Climate Coaching Alliance.
- How The Coaching Masteries can be used as a framework for supporting sustainability coaching.
Resourcing Coaches Globally To Engage In Climate Coaching: Creating the IAC Sustainability Team
IAC Sustainability Committee Panel Discussion at the Climate Coaching Alliance 2023 Conference held on 29 March, 2023:
Hear from the core members of the IAC Sustainability Team as they discuss the importance of carefully guiding beginners on the needed steps in the journey towards sustainability/climate action initiatives. Learn about practices and tools that can help coaches move past traditional coaching to eco-active coaching. And discover the IAC’s role and intent as a coach certification body in the sustainability landscape.
The Role of Coaches in Climate Action
A JGSG (Joint Global Statement Group on Climate Change) Roundtable Discussion held on 11 November, 2022:
This JGSG session was co-hosted by the IAC and APECS (the Association for Professional Executive Coaching & Supervision), and featured presentations by Professor Peter Hawkins and Eve Turner from APECS, and Gonzalo de le Canal from the IAC as they shared about the role of coaches, supervisors, mentors and coaching psychologists in addressing climate change.
Getting Involved
To become involved in Sustainability Coaching, our members are invited to participate in upcoming webinars and discover the tools being provided. If you are a member, and wish to contribute to the Sustainability Team, reach out to volunteer@certifiedcoach.org.
