The Coaching Commons

ICF's D'Alessio: Restoring Trust Is Top Priority
By Mark Joyella

The ICF's message to its member coaches: we hear you--all of you. "I've received incredibly good feedback," said Giovanna D'Alessio, the ICF's president. "It was a really good gift for us."

The gift--delivered in person and in blunt fashion at the ICF's annual conference in Orlando last December--involved not just the hugely discussed proposal to change the ICF's credentialing system, but also the structure of the ICF association itself.

"There is a lot of energy and passion and vibrancy in our community and this is really healthy," said D'Alessio, who conceded the December convention forced the ICF Board to re-think its priorities.

"The challenges we've received about governance, leadership and these other areas made us realize we really need to take care about maintaining trust," she said. "When the trust is broken, it's very difficult to get it back." Read more.

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IAC Hosts First of its Kind Coaching Conference in China
By Mark Joyella

At first, the pitch--an "excellent opportunity for you to meet about 100 attendees...for innovative and collaborative exchange and learning"--doesn't exactly jump off the page.

But the title--and the location--does.

Next month, coaches will gather for a noteworthy event, the "2010 Shanghai Coaching Conference: the Centre of Coaching in China--Advancing to International Excellence."

"I think it's quite significant," said Charlie Lang, managing partner, executive coach and trainer at Progress-U in Hong Kong. Lang says it's the first time the International Association of Coaching (IAC) has held a conference in China. "The IAC seems (to be trying) to fill the vacuum that was left by the China Coaching Association," a group which was created by the coaching company Top Human--at the time the largest in the country--which collapsed with the arrest of its leader, Eva Wong.

Wong's arrest led some Western coaches and companies to consider China a risky place to do business. But that perception may be changing, and some coaches believe China may be among the biggest coaching markets in the world within a decade. Read story.

February Quote

"Love is a four letter word for eternity."

Thomas Leonard

Who is Thomas Leonard?

Coaching Associations: Collaborate, Cooperate, or Compete in 2010?
By Mark Joyella

Coaching is on the move--growing and expanding--and, increasingly, the world's dominant coaching associations are working together to ensure that growth continues.

"There is an increasing recognition that coaching is the most personalized and effective tool to develop human potential," wrote the ICF's president Giovanna D'Alessio and president-elect Ed Modell. "In five to ten years' time, the coaching arena as we know it today may completely change its shape."

So, what will coaching look like in five years? Or ten?

Will the coaching associations--the ICF, the IAC, the WABC and others--remain as independent entities? Or will they unite, evolve, or even attempt to run one another out of business? For now, coaching's dominant voices sound optimistic and energized. Read more.

Coaching History: 1996 Book - Coaching for Teamwork
by Vikki Brock

Football great Vince Lombardi wrote Coaching for Teamwork - Winning Concepts for Business in the Twenty-First Century based on lessons from sports. Presenting insights for a winning coach and a winning team, Lombardi captures the essence of the modern workplace and workforce.

According to Lombardi, coaches know they belong on the sidelines - that they can't play the game, and that they see that things get done - they don't do things.

What the coach does is influence and build belief, which directly impacts performance, which produces results, which provides the coach another opportunity to influence and build belief. Read more.

February Coaching Question of 2010: From Tugba

"If you knew that people would follow you, where would you lead them?"

Sticking Your Neck Out: Discover the Top 7 Ways to Reach Your Peak Performance
by Nikki Stone

As a motivational speaker for Fortune 500 companies and an Olympic gold medalist, I have seen what makes an individual most successful in the boardroom and on the slopes.

Over the last five years, I have researched the similarities of forty different highly-successful individuals -- including the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Prince Albert of Monaco, Dr. Stephen Covey, Shaun White and many more. And no matter the field or endeavor, I have found The Turtle Effect philosophy at the core of everyone's success.

This philosophy was taught to me by my mother, who told me that I could achieve anything I wanted. I always held it close and adapted it to every situation I encountered. I'd like to help people breathe in this confidence and share the secrets that are common to those at the top of their given field. Read story.

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