International Association of Coaching Blog

From the President

by Susan R. Meyer, MMC president@certifiedcoach.org May is a wonderful month for growth and renewal. In this brief period between the hustle and bustle of ending my current business cycle and arranging some summer fun before moving into the next cycle, I find myself focused on learning opportunities. And there are so many available! One focus for me will be to complete my Learning Agreement. As I continue to explore the links between the Masteries and leadership, I’m creating a series of ten articles describing how the Masteries inform management development. I’ve completed three – here’s the first one – and will have finished the series by the end of June. It’s also conference season and I’m looking forward to three amazing opportunities to expand my thinking. By the time the VOICE comes out, I will be in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for the seventh Conversation Among Masters event. I’ve been to all six previous events, each year learning something new. Year one, I was fortunate to be selected to join George Leonard for lunch and to hear him discuss Mastery. I’ve included a link in case you don’t know him and would like to find out more about this amazing man. I’ve heard Dan Ariely speak about predictable irrationality. I’ve learned from futurist David Zach and comic Yakof Smirnoff, who is now teaching about happiness as well as continuing to perform. This year, we will spend an entire day sharing ideas with each other in a World Café format. June will be a busy month. The IAC is delighted to be co-sponsoring ISEC’s Leadership Mantras for the Modern Age in Bangalore, India. The conference has been created by IAC Vice President Krishna Kumar. The keynote speaker is Sir John Whitmore and speakers active in the IAC include Krishna Kumar, M. Shanmugam (Shan), Teo Jin Lee, Bonnie Chan, and Nigel Cumberland. We are also once again participating in WBECS. Natalie Tucker Miller, Aileen Gibb, Krishna and I are presenting a discussion of the IAC Masteries and Leadership. I’m looking forward to hearing Daniel Pink, John C. Maxwell and Frances Hesselbein, and to participating in a Chapter-level discussion group. You don’t even need to leave home to find learning opportunities. My brother has been taking courses as diverse as Python (apparently a programming language) and Song Writing on Coursera. I was intrigued. It’s free and they issue certificates of completion, so now I’m working my way through an MIT course conducted by Dan Ariely. Learning is not, of course, limited to academics. I plan to expand my musical horizons at Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival, with performers as diverse as Buffy St. Marie, David Amram and the Klezmatics. I may also expand my knowledge of crafts (ok – jewelry!), especially since Natalie Tucker Miller volunteers as Vendor Coordinator. I will probably expand my learning to include some interesting new food finds and take a refresher course in the wonders of Jane’s ice cream…. Everything we learn contributes to our skill as coaches. I hope that your May is full of wonderful opportunities to expand your pathway to coaching mastery. With warm wishes for your success, Susan R. Meyer   Susan R. Meyer, MMC 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.

From the President

by Susan R. Meyer, MMC president@certifiedcoach.org What Can You Do? This month, I’m thinking about volunteers. As coaches centering our work around coaching practices, we are committed to making a difference. We hope to help people improve their lives and businesses, and in doing so, create a better world. As members of the IAC, we are committed to a specific set of beliefs described in our vision and mission statements: The IAC enVISIONs a world where: Coaching professionals commit to continuously learning, growing, collaborating and holding themselves accountable; Coaching recipients are inspired to achieve their desired outcomes; and The world benefits in many surprising, life-giving ways. The IAC is on a MISSION to provide a highly accountable learning, certification, and ethical framework for aspiring and experienced coaches. Their mastery of coaching is valued and contributes to evolving human potential worldwide. Many of you have experienced the joys of reaching out to help someone. You understand that, as a volunteer, you get more than you give. You also change the world. Without hundreds of volunteers over the past decade, the Masteries™ would not exist. There would be no articles in our archives, no Master Coach Series calls, no Member Chats, no Chapters. Without our volunteer Board and volunteer committee chairs and members, there would be no IAC at all. In my years as Secretary, Vice President, and now President of the IAC, I have learned many lessons about organizational function. I’ve learned a lot about leadership and even more about myself. Yes, there have been days – even weeks – I have simply wanted to run screaming from the room. And those have been times when I have learned the most. Volunteer Coaches Wanted This month, I want to share a unique volunteer opportunity available to all experienced IAC coaches. The Coach Initiative was announced at the first Conversation Among Masters gathering and creates opportunities for leaders and members of non-profit Boards to receive pro bono coaching. I have had the privilege of serving on the Board and Outreach Committee of TCI and am providing nine coaching sessions to Caitlin Kelly, founder of Africa Volunteer Corps. Her organization “unites passionate, qualified African volunteers with African NGOs to deepen their impact and empower Africans to play a vital role in shaping Africa’s future.” I am in awe of her energy and drive and leave every coaching session feeling excited and empowered. The Coach Initiative has been a wonderful experience for me and one I’m delighted to share with you. They are about to launch several new projects. Come along – you’ll never regret it! Here’s a letter of invitation from the TCI President: March 2013 Dear Coaches: The Coach Initiative (a 501c3) is a provider of pro bono coaching to not for profit organizations. Several not for profits that are doing important work in the world have received coaching through The Coach Initiative. You can see a partial list at http://coachinitiative.org/ As more not for profits learn about our work, our requests have increased, and along with that the need for more experienced coaches to step forward and offer their expertise. The Coach Initiative wants you! We are pleased to invite experienced IAC coaches to volunteer to work with The Coach Initiative. We appreciate the mission of the IAC and request that experienced coaches who would like to support our work and coach these valued leaders, please apply at http://coachinitiative.org/for_coache/volunteer-to-coach/. Coaches must provide two references, preferably from current or previous clients. Coaches who need coaching hours for credit are not eligible. This is for experienced coaches only. Coaches who volunteer are matched with one client with whom they work in a formal coaching arrangement for a three month period. (3x per month - 45min to 1 hour sessions). Time zones, unique areas of interest, and language differences are also carefully considered when our matching process is done. Please feel free to email any questions you may have about this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you. Donna Steinhorn, President The Coach Initiative president@coachinitiative.org admin@coachinitiative.org www.coachinitiative.org What’s new? Before I move away from the subject of volunteers, I would be remiss if I did not remind you that we also have many wonderful opportunities within the IAC. These include chairing our volunteer committee! We are looking for more members of the Membership, Chapters and Licensing committees and a few people with research backgrounds to help us get the Research Forum fully functional. You can contact secretary@certifiedcoach.org to express your interest. On April 24th, I will have a Master Coach interview with Natalie Tucker Miller, Past President and Lead Certifier. Register here. In May, I will be speaking with past Board member, licensee and virtual chapter founder Dr. Doris Helge. Register here. Finally, our wonderfully ambitious Asian colleagues have created a conference, chaired by Vice President Krishna Kumar, in Bangalore, India LEADERSHIP MASTERIES - THE NEW MANTRAS: Coaching Sutras for Enlightened Leadership will be held on June 6 & 7, 2013. Sir John Whitmore will be the keynote speaker. With warm wishes for your success, Susan R. Meyer   Susan R. Meyer, MMC 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.

From the President

by Susan R. Meyer, MMC president@certifiedcoach.org Let the Celebration Begin! It’s March. There are signs that, in my part of the world, winter will be ending soon. It’s also prime college basketball season and many in the US will be glued to their televisions watching March Madness. I hope that all of you around the world will be glued to the IAC VOICE, blog site, LinkedIn and Facebook pages as we begin a year-long celebration of our 10th anniversary. Looking Back The IAC® was the brainchild of Thomas J. Leonard, who is often credited as the founder of the modern coaching profession. It began with research conducted by Michael “Coop” Cooper in the spring of 2002. The original Board, created in the summer of 2002, consisted of Thomas, Coop, Laura Hendershot and Susan Austin Lawler. The organization was launched as the International Association of Certified Coaches. Initially, membership was free and the entire CoachVille community automatically became members. By 2003 the organization, under President Michael “Coop,” was renamed The International Association of Coaches. It was established on March 11, 2003 as a nonprofit organization incorporated under the New Mexico Nonprofit Corporation Act. At this time, Coop stepped down as President, a role assumed by Barbara Mark. Shirley Anderson chaired the Board of Governors. It had taken Thomas over a year to develop the first international standards for coaching certification. This was based on the 15 Proficiencies, a result of reviewing 20 years worth of best coaching practices. Susan Austin Lawler was a prime force in the creation of this document. The result was a rigorous certification process that goes beyond just academic or vocational qualifications. The certification embraces universal guidelines, principles, proficiencies, standards and behaviors that make a coach a great coach, regardless of profession or geography. The standards continue to evolve in response to client requirements and expectations of the industry. After Thomas’ untimely death, the IAC negotiated with Dave Buck, new owner of CoachVille and was granted the rights to the Proficiencies. In 2005, president Barbara Mark and the IAC began the lengthy process of developing its own intellectual property, creating the multi-national process that led to the development of the IAC Masteries™. Beginning in 2006, president Natalie Tucker Miller saw the project through its completion. The team that developed the new IAC Coaching Masteries™ worked diligently for over 24 months to provide a model of coaching skill that embodied universal sensibilities as well as an evolving understanding of coaching. These were released in 2007 and formally adopted as the IAC’s sole standards in 2008. As more people come to realize that great coaching can make a significant difference in their lives, the marketplace has responded with more coaches from all walks of life and more professionals incorporating coaching skills into their work. Academic and vocational training for coaches has also become a growing field. To better reflect the influence of coaching skills throughout many professions, in 2007, the IAC changed its name to International Association of Coaching. In 2008, President Angela Spaxman’s efforts included creating a process for licensing schools teaching the Masteries™. Angela also spearheaded a strategic planning process that reinforced our mission, strengthened the infrastructure and set the groundwork for increased learning opportunities. Bob Tschannen-Moran became the IAC’s fifth President in 2010 and was tasked with implementing the strategic plan. During his tenure, in response to our desire to document lifelong learning, we created the Learning Agreement Process and developed a research initiative. With the help of a strong Board of Governors during my own term, which began in 2012, we have been able to fully implement the Learning Agreement process, and have reexamined our certification process to create a second level of certification To date, more than 13,000 coaches in over 80 countries have subscribed to our newsletter and we have more than 800 active members worldwide. Due to its simplicity, flexibility and very high quality standards, an increasing number of coaches aspire to IAC certification. Looking Forward Under the editorship of Beth Ann Miller, the VOICE will have a new look, a new feel, and expanded content. Let us know what you think. We’re also expanding our webinars. In late February, Kim Ades launched a monthly webinar series about IAC member benefits. These are educational webinars in response to frequent messages from members who don’t know what benefits we offer or don’t understand how to take the best advantage of a benefit. They will be archived in the member benefits area of the website so that you can access them at any time. Although the presenter will give their contact information, these are pitch-free. In March, we will be continuing the series of interviews with successful IAC coaches. Ed Britton interviewed several of our Asian coaches last year and these are available on the website. In March, I will kick off the North American series with an interview with Aileen Gibb. This will be followed by interviews with Natalie Tucker Miller and Doris Helge. We’re planning on at least one interview a month for the next year. Members of the IAC Board of Governors will continue to facilitate two calls a month – one exclusively for IAC members and one open to members and non-members. By the end of March, we will also have a members’ forum on the website. Please drop in to a call or log in to the forum to maintain contact with other members, raise concerns, share ideas and get advice. Lifetime Membership Last month I promised to reveal the mystery of multiple lifetime memberships. In our first year, Natalie Tucker Miller, Anna Dargitz Hodge, Shirley Anderson, Susan Austin Lawler, Angela Spaxman and Ruth Ann Harnish showed their faith in the IAC by becoming lifetime members for $1,000. This means that Anna, as one of the first people to have continuous membership is now a double lifetime member and Natalie, who was also part of that first group and is a past President, technically has three. I can’t guarantee you thee lifetimes or even three lifetime memberships, but, the IAC would like to offer you one lifetime membership. From March 2013 through March 2014, if you would like to demonstrate your support of all we are doing and help the IAC grow, you can become a lifetime member for $1,200. We’ll issue you a special certificate and display your name proudly on the website. And, Finally, Because You asked … As you know, we recently changed our coach designations to Master Masteries Coach, Certified Masteries Coach and Masteries Practitioner. In response to a reminder from one of our members, we will get new banners and logos as well as revised certificate out to you this month. Some of you have asked for more information on practice building. There are many fine articles in the archives, and, to save you from a lot of hunting, we’ve created an ebook that will be available to all members by the end of March. Our Canadian members have been asking for liability insurance and for years we’ve been unsuccessful in finding a provider. We finally have found one! Check the Member Benefits section for details. Finally, some of you are experiencing email overload. I want to assure you that the IAC will never send you promotional materials. We don’t have affiliate relationships with any of our benefit providers. We do, however, want to be sure that you are aware of opportunities and events. Whenever possible, we’ll be combining events into one email. I hope that this reduces clutter for all of you. I’m looking forward to finding more ways to help each of you move along the path to coaching master. Please continue to let me know what the IAC can do for you. With warm wishes for your success, Susan R. Meyer   Susan R. Meyer, MMC 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.

From the President

by Susan R. Meyer, MMC
president@certifiedcoach.org

Change, Change, Change

It seems as if the world is always changing. In January, the US inaugurated Barack Obama for a second term as President. In the Netherlands, Queen Beatrix stepped down and passed the monarchy on to her son, Willem-Alexander. In my area, politicians are already preparing for the next mayoral race. I’m sure each of you has your own list of significant changes, local and global, large and small.

Change involves three phases – an ending, a middle and a beginning. Over the past several years, The IAC has been involved in continuous change growing out of a strategic planning process that was open to our members. We have let go of a number of things that simply didn’t work any more, gone through periods of turmoil and chaos as we experimented with changes, and finally, are settling into a new beginning.

From the President

by Susan R. Meyer, MMC
president@certifiedcoach.org

Welcome, 2013–Renewal, Retooling and Re-Visioning at the IAC

The new year is a time for reflection, taking stock, strengthening the good things, and possibly discarding things that are no longer working. In my part of the world, it’s also been a time for recovering and rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy and trying to rebound from yet another senseless killing spree. Wherever you live, I know that the past year has been full of both personal and national great highs and great lows and I hope that each of you is able to move into 2013 with hope and a renewed sense of purpose.

The IAC moves into its 10th anniversary year having faced a long struggle with an unmanageable website platform that created difficulties for people hoping to join or renew their memberships. We recently discovered that 300 people were never informed that their membership had lapsed and we have extended their memberships to create the opportunity for them to renew and be counted as continuing members. Despite these glitches, we’ve had many wonderful new members join us along the path to coaching mastery. We’re especially proud to have created student memberships. Two of those student members are so eager to move along the path to certification that they are becoming full members so that they can immediately take the Step 1 exam.

New Designations

I was recently contacted by the ICF in relation to our use of the MCC designation. When the BOG adopted this designation, we were unaware that the ICF held a trademark on it. We have decided, therefore, to change our designations to better reflect the central focus of the IAC—the IAC Masteries™. These are the new official designations:

Master Masteries Coach—can be abbreviated as MMC

Certified Masteries Coach—can be abbreviated as CMC

Masteries Practitioner—should not be abbreviated.

Please change your personal information to reflect these changes as soon as you can. We expect to make the changes on the website and issue new certificates by the end of February.

Board of Governor Changes

We are delighted to be adding two new members to the Board of Governors in January. Penni Wild has been a long-time IAC member and M. Shanmugam (Shan) co-created last year’s conference in Kuala Lumpur. We are still looking for additional BOG members and some wonderful volunteers, especially to support membership, chapters and communication activities. If you’re interested, please email president@certifiedcoach.org or presidentelect@certifiedcoach.org.

Webinars, Webinars, Webinars (and Member Calls)

By February, we will have rolled out two webinar series. One will be hosted by Ed Britton, Kristi Arndt and Susan Meyer and will feature leading IAC coaches talking about best practices. The second will be hosted by Kim Ades and will feature a different member benefit each month.

Of course, the call recordings will be available to you in the members-only area of the website if you can’t be on the line. We are planning to move to a new platform so that you will both be able to see the presentation and participate in large and small group discussions.

We will also continue to have member chats and will open a few of these to everyone who is interested in the IAC. One has been scheduled for January 10, 2013 from 7:00–8:00 a.m. Eastern, and a second will be from 7:00–8:00 a.m. Eastern on January 24, 2013.

Focusing on Our Licensees, Chapters and Scholars

The IAC licensees do a wonderful job of teaching the Masteries? and helping their students prepare for certification, and we want to do everything we can to support them. In January, we will be sending out our new Licensees Handbook as well as supporting documents including information on how to best evaluate practice coaching sessions. In addition, we’re creating a special section of the website exclusively for licensees that will include a forum for them to connect with each other.

We already have space on the website for our chapters and hope that all Chapter Heads are taking advantage of this opportunity for potential members to find them. In addition, starting this month, all chapters should submit upcoming activities to secretary@certifiedcoach.org for inclusion in the VOICE and posting on the website.

Finally, we will be working to make our research area more accessible and invite anyone who is doing research or has an interest in research related to coaching using the IAC Masteries? to use this resource.

Sneak Peek

Next month, look for an announcement about how we are honoring all our Past Presidents and a few members who have been with us from the beginning. We’ll be planning surprises all year, all designed to make your IAC membership even more valuable.

Looking forward to an exiting, productive 2013!

With warm wishes for your success,
Susan R. Meyer

 
Susan R. Meyer, MMC 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.