ICFCTAS: Questions Answered, But “The Work Goes On”
By Mark Joyella

The grassroots group ICF Coaches Take a Stand is not standing down—and while its original objective has been resolved, major questions remain.

“The work goes on,” reads a message on the group’s website. “Our passion for excellence endures.”

“We have actually been holding the ICF accountable,” said David Matthew Prior, referring to the questions outlined in the ICFCTAS’ original seven-question petition to the ICF Board. The ICF’s responded to each question, and now, Prior said, “We’ve completed what the letter’s mission was.”

“So now, the question is who will hold that role? Who will be taking a stand from now?”

It’s been nearly five months since ICFCTAS members wore buttons and handed out literature at the International Coach Federation’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida. The objective at that time was an open airing of questions about the ICF’s intended transition to a single credential.

In September 2009, the ICFCTAS issued a detailed list of requests to the ICF Board, including tabling the decision to move away from a three-tiered credentialing system—a request that was honored in January, when ICF president Giovanna D’Alessio announced any further moves toward a single credential would be tabled until 2012.

Does that mean mission accomplished and close up shop for ICFCTAS?

Not quite. The issue of credentialing in particular, the group believes, isn’t over – but is reaching a tipping point. Read story.

April Quote

“There is no way to peace, peace is the way.”

- A.J. Muste

Who is A. J. Muste?

Good News! Get Paid To Write For The Coaching Commons
By Linda Ballew

Coaching News – Past

In 2006, I began researching coaching news stories for The Chronicle of Coaching, a weekly global news roundup offered on the (now retired) Foundation of Coaching website.

Back then, it was a challenge to find credible news stories about professional coaching.

In 2009, when The Foundation of Coaching transitioned to The Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School Affiliate, news and feature stories about coaching were not only easy to find – combing through the daily feeds became time consuming, tedious – AND very exciting.

When The Chronicle of Coaching was archived and the Coaching Commons took over reporting the news to our readers, a new challenge was born - there were SO MANY coaching stories, that reporting only once each week created a long and exhausting document for our readers to view.

Coaching News – Present

We updated the reporting format and the Commons now gathers and prints the latest global coaching news every day – 7 days a week.

Also in 2009, the Coaching Commons hired its own Coach Reporter, the first journalist to exclusively cover the “coaching beat,” writing original news and feature stories for the Coaching Commons audience.

And we appreciate our many readers, coaches and researchers who have volunteered their coaching blogs and stories to the Coaching Commons as guest contributors. (Applause to Vikki Brock, who volunteers snapshots of Coaching History each week.)

New News

The thrilling next step is an invitation to our community of coaches/writers (and to freelance journalists and reporters) to pitch stories to our Editorial Team, and if the story is accepted, write for the Coaching Commons and get paid! Read how.

What’s the Media Saying about Professional Coaching?
Read the Daily News @ the Coaching Commons

ACTO and the New Era of “Coopetition” in Coaching
By Mark Joyella

You’ve heard about 2010 as the year of cooperation and collaboration in coaching worldwide. Now get ready for the next phase: coopetition.

Yes, coopetition—a word that dates back a hundred years or so, and in current parlance refers to companies deciding to work with their usual competitors in areas that benefit both.

The word crops up in advance materials for the upcoming Seattle conference of the Association of Coach Training Organizations, which has given its four-day event the theme: “The Spirit and Power of Coopetition.”

ACTO president Patrick Williams says the word refers to cooperation between coaching schools, whose bottom lines have been battered by falling enrollment. “It also applies to the ICF and others,” Williams adds. “As witnessed by the IAC being at the (ICF’s) Orlando conference.”

And, as in Orlando, coaching groups that might be considered competitors will come together. In fact, ACTO is dedicating four entire days of the conference (April 22-25) to its relationship with the ICF, with Thursday, April 22 set aside for “ACTO/ICF Co-Creating Strategic Partnership,” and Friday, April 23 branded a day for “ACTO/ICF Collectively Seeding the Evolution of Coaching and Coach Training.” Read story.

Coaching History: Laura Berman Fortgang
by Vikki Brock

Laura Berman-Fortgang was an actor and student of A Course in Miracles who came to coaching in 1990, after having first been a client. Sandy Vilas remembers her being “in the first Coach U class in September 1992.”

Jay Perry, owner of Actor’s Information Project, was Laura’s first coach. She explained that “I hired him and I was his client for two years before it even occurred to me that I want to do what he was doing. So with my coach’s help, I did start a training company helping professionals in corporate settings to better presentations and interviews using acting skills. This was late ‘80’s early ‘90’s.” Read more.

April Coaching Question: From Peter Cobbe

“If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?”

Read more of our reader list of brilliant coaching questions. (And please submit your own!)

Bad Client Behavior
by Lin Grensing-Pophal

In a tough economy with increasing competition, the idea of confronting bad behavior head-on and potentially losing a client – or in some cases, actually terminating a client relationship, may seem like the last thing a coach would want to do.

Yet, those with experience say that is exactly what they have done and what they advise others, who find themselves dealing with bad client behavior, to do.

The first and possibly most important piece of advice is – coaches do not have to put up with bad client behavior. The angst and effort is simply not worth the potential reward.

“It took me a while before I had the self-confidence to push back on clients,” says Simma Lieberman, an executive coach with Simma Lieberman Associates in Albany, Calif. “At first, I would try to appease them, or react in a passive aggressive, indirect manner which only hurt my ability to be a great coach. Once I was willing to not take their actions personally and was willing to walk away, I became more successful and my self-esteem grew dramatically.”

That may seem counter-intuitive, but her experience mirrors that of other successful coaches. In addition to walking away, there are other steps that you can take to avoid, minimize or address these situations. Read more.

Effectively Coaching Older People
by Robert Moskowitz

With the graying of America, the ability to coach older people is definitely becoming a required arrow in your quiver.

While this is a very complex area full of details to master, it’s most important for coaches to understand that older people are likely to be different from younger ones with ostensibly the same skills and aspirations. Read story.

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