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Reprinted with permission from Newfield News
By Renee Freedman, PCC, and Ruth Ann Harnisch of The Harnisch Foundation
Almost eight years ago, Renee Freedman began coaching Ruth Ann Harnisch, founder and president of The Harnisch Foundation, a coaching relationship that continues to this day. Ruth Ann is a patron and regular attendee of the annual TED Conference, and The Harnisch Foundation is one of the founding sponsors of the new TED Fellows program. Renee attended TED2009 and immediately fell in love with the brilliance of the speakers and other attendees. Ruth Ann and Renee recognized that professional coaching could go a long way to support each TED Fellow to use their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the greatest possible impact in the world.
A question we coaches are asked frequently is: “Why do you coach?” Most likely, somewhere in the cache of answers we provide, is one that may equate to coaching being your way to make a difference and contribute to positive, visible change in the world. We often come into the profession with high ideals and visions of working with dynamic people who are making big differences in their community, organizations, and society. Soon enough, the realities of getting and keeping paying clients become a primary focus. You spend your time and energy building a thriving business, yet you cannot help hoping that the next person who asks about your services is that special person with the superstar qualities you always dreamed about coaching.
What if you could use all your experience and skills to support the journey of a person who is already changing the coherence of the world?
What if you could coach a visionary who has been honored with one of the most coveted fellowships in the world?
TED is an organization that brings together accomplished, brilliant visionaries for five days of conversation, presentations, and dreaming. Its motto, “Ideas Worth Spreading,” is its vision and mission. Its participants are entertained, inspired, provoked, shocked, educated, tweaked, and nourished. If you’ve never had the opportunity to watch one of the hundreds of TED Talks that are posted online, you are in for a treat.
In order to create a venue for legacy and to support the newer generation of generative leaders, TED created the TED Fellows program. You can read about them here. Profile after profile will introduce you to younger adults who are jaw-droppingly accomplished. Many of them have taken on their world-changing projects while still in their teens or twenties—yet a few of the Fellows are considerably older. All of them, however, are thought by the TED community to be on the verge of the next big step in taking their work forward, whether that’s saving a rainforest or starring in a Broadway play.
We created SupporTED, the TED Fellows coaching venue, to fill the gap between conference attendance support and real world obstacles, realities, and outcomes. We were already working on a number of pro bono coaching projects together, and it was only natural for us to notice a client base in desperate need of world-class coaching.
Because Ruth Ann is such an enthusiastic supporter of TED and its vision of “ideas worth spreading,” she was asked to become a founding funder of the Fellows program as it was being created. The first TED Fellows began asking for coaches as soon as they heard about the coaching initiative, even before there was any formal coaching system in place. Renee began introducing TED Fellows to coaches, and the first match was made for a TED Fellow with a Newfield-trained certified coach. SupporTED launched before it had a name, protocols, or any other hallmarks of a well-organized professional entity. We created the criteria for the coaching relationships.
We were rigorous when it came to our requirements for participating volunteer coaches. Coaches must have at least five years of continuous professional coaching experience, along with coach-specific training or a credential from a coach-certifying organization.
Why are we so selective when the coaches are being asked to donate 10 sessions? Because the TED Fellows are ambitious people who have already taken big actions, the coaches entrusted with these clients must have enough education, skill, and experience to support people whose lives are filled with extraordinary challenges. The TED Fellowship presents these people with unprecedented opportunities.
When we told the TED organizers that we would be able to offer support to all of the TED Fellows, including the 100 new TED India Fellows, they found it hard to believe that we could find that many coaches willing to donate their services. Indeed, our experience is that almost 100% of coaches who hear about SupporTED express interest. Not every coach will be accepted, and not every coach who is accepted will be matched with a fellow—we’re trying to make ideal matches, not simply take turns.
Are you interested? Do you meet the criteria?
If so, please go to the SupporTED page and fill out the application, submit your bio, and read all about SupporTED.
Note: The Coaching Commons is a project of The Harnisch Foundation.
