Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Future of Coaching

At the beginning of December I attended the annual international conference of the International Coach Federation (ICF). It was a marvelous event with inspirational keynotes and workshops. Peter Block was right on target with what he had to say about leadership while Getrude Matshe, a native of Zimbabwe who now lives in New Zealand, lived up to her billing as "a vibrant bundle of African energy whose zest and passion for life inspires everyone she meets." You can learn more about her work and life story by going to http://www.bornonthecontinent.com/.

While at the ICF Conference I had the opportunity to meet many people and speak about the future of coaching from the vantage point of the coaching association that I will serve as President of starting in January: the International Association of Coaching (IAC). In some respects, the IAC is similar to the ICF in that we are both concerned about the integrity and viability of the coaching profession. We want people who call themselves "coaches" to abide by high ethical standards and to practice coaching at the highest levels of coaching mastery. That is why both organizations seek to recognize, celebrate, and certify coaching excellence.

In other respects, however, the two organizations are different. The IAC has a more open understanding and architecture when it comes to coach training and life experience. We recognize that people come to coaching mastery through many paths, so we do not require a particular path of development for those seeking IAC certification. Instead, we simply require an agreement as to ethical standards, an online evaluation of knowledge and awareness as to coaching proficiencies and standards, and a demonstration of coaching mastery through the submission of recorded coaching sessions. We find the process works well, encouraging diversity, innovation, and professionalism in coaching.

For the first time, in my experience, the ICF Conference was being covered by a dedicated reporter, Mark Joyella, who published "breaking news" style reports on http://www.coachingcommons.org/ (a clearing house for all things having to do with coaching and coaching research). Although the tone of Mark's report regarding the IAC and our presence at the Conference was a bit surprising -- who knew that cooperation could be so scandalous -- I appreciated the opportunity to get the word out as to what the IAC stands for and is working on in the year ahead.

To read the story and to watch a short, 3-minute video featuring yours truly, visit the http://coachingcommons.org/featured/the-iac-at-the-icf-conference-more-collaboration-is-key-for-coaching. To learn more about the IAC, to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, the IAC VOICE, and / or to join the Association, visit the IAC online at http://www.certifiedcoach.org./

Coaching Inquiries: What does coaching mean to you? How do you see coaching contributing to your own personal growth and development? What contribution does coaching make in our world today? What's keeping you from finding a coach right now?

If you would like to learn more about our Coaching Programs and to arrange for a complementary coaching session, Click Here or Email Us.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Charter of Compassion TED Talk

This past summer I had the opportunity to hear and visit with Karen Armstrong at the Chautauqua Institution. Karen, for those who don't know, was once a Roman Catholic nun. It was a hard and difficult road, but she eventually left that calling to join the secular world and follow a different path in 1969. Since that time, however, she has distinguished herself as one of the world's foremost authorities on world religions. Her many books include:
One of Karen's recent passions has been the Charter for Compassion, and that was what she was talking about at Chautauqua. The Charter asserts that: "The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect."

So it "calls upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings -- even those regarded as enemies."

In other words, the Charter calls upon to live by the Golden Rule. Her talk at Chautauqua was similar to a TED Talk she gave in Oxford, England in July 2009 titled "Let's Revive the Golden Rule." It's only 19 minutes long and I encourage you to give it a listen.

Coaching Inquiries: What does your religion, tradition, or culture have to say about the Golden Rule? How do you incorporate that into your own life? Who do you associate with that could support you on the journey? How could the Golden Rule -- the Empathy Rule -- become more a part of our world today?

If you would like to learn more about our Coaching Programs and to arrange for a complementary coaching session, Click Here or Email Us.