Choice, The Magazine of Professional Coaching
Choice, The Magazine of Professional Coaching
Choice, The Magazine of Professional Coaching
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Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
NICHE COACHING • DIFFERENTIATING • NONPROFIT COACHING & CONSULTING • ETHICS EDUCATION<br />
$11.50 US<br />
Coach or<br />
Consultant?<br />
Blending <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
& Consulting<br />
<strong>The</strong> Value <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Trusted Advisor<br />
Coach As Consultant<br />
Finding common<br />
ground and<br />
opportunities<br />
between two<br />
different yet<br />
complementary<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essions<br />
VOLUME 8 • NUMBER 2<br />
JUNE 2010<br />
WWW.CHOICE-ONLINE.COM<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
22<br />
columns<br />
entrepreneur coach 19<br />
Dig Deeper<br />
When it comes to differentiating<br />
your coaching business, the<br />
deeper you dig, the better (and<br />
more authentically) you build<br />
your business<br />
by Michel Neray<br />
perspective 39<br />
Coach As Consultant<br />
Is your coaching really consulting?<br />
Maybe if it was, you’d be making<br />
a six-figure income!<br />
by Suzi Pomerantz<br />
corporate leadership 41<br />
Coach, Consultant, Trainer<br />
Wearing multiple hats for teams<br />
by Phillip Sandahl<br />
cover story<br />
41<br />
choice magazine<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> & Consulting<br />
Meeting client expectations with an artful blend <strong>of</strong> these<br />
two synergistic disciplines<br />
by Madeleine Homan Blanchard and Dr. Linda J. Miller<br />
27 Wholeness Matters<br />
Be consultant AND coach<br />
by Janet Harvey<br />
31 <strong>The</strong> Value <strong>of</strong> the Trusted Advisor<br />
How clients are moving from consulting to coaching<br />
By Pauline Fleming<br />
35 Meeting in the Middle<br />
Niche coaching blends the best <strong>of</strong> coaching and<br />
consulting<br />
by Gail Barker<br />
19<br />
39<br />
43 impact<br />
Meaningful Impact<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> & consulting in<br />
the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector<br />
by Miguel Bonilla<br />
and Bobbi Hahn<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
43<br />
3<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
departments<br />
4<br />
13<br />
15<br />
13 choice books<br />
Change Agent<br />
Managing change in the<br />
personal, organizational,<br />
societal or spiritual areas<br />
<strong>of</strong> life<br />
by Kat Knecht<br />
14 coaching tools<br />
Products Reviewed:<br />
• Coming Out <strong>of</strong> Hiding,<br />
by Suzanne Falter-Barns<br />
• Money Habitudes A Guide<br />
for Pr<strong>of</strong>essionals Working<br />
with Money Related<br />
Issues 190<br />
• Effective Group <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
by Jennifer J. Britton<br />
• Joy Cards • Releasing Blocks to Action,<br />
by Ann Weiser Cornell<br />
by Marcy Nelson-Garrison<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
upfront<br />
5 choice thoughts<br />
8 choice feedback<br />
10 contributors<br />
17 sticky situations<br />
Issue:<br />
Helping a client overcome the<br />
“pleaser” mentality<br />
by Carol Adrienne, Craig Carr<br />
& Victoria Trabosh<br />
46 choice inspiration<br />
47 industry news<br />
Credentialing<br />
ICF continues work on<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional standards<br />
by Ed Modell<br />
48 industry news<br />
Ethics Education<br />
In coaching, ignorance<br />
is definitely not bliss<br />
by Liora Rosen<br />
50 final say<br />
Dream Big<br />
12 ways to be a 21st<br />
Century Visionary<br />
by Marcia Wieder<br />
14<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
Garry T. Schleifer, PCC<br />
MANAGING EDITOR<br />
Janet Lees<br />
ART DIRECTOR<br />
Michele Singh<br />
EDITORIAL BOARD<br />
Carol Adrienne<br />
Teri-E Belf<br />
Laura Berman Fortgang<br />
Rich Fettke<br />
Debbie Ford<br />
C.J. Hayden<br />
Dorcas Kelley<br />
Pamela Richarde<br />
Phil Sandahl<br />
Iyanla Vanzant<br />
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT<br />
DIRECTOR<br />
Garry T. Schleifer<br />
PUBLISHING<br />
AND BUSINESS COACH<br />
Brad Stauffer<br />
OPERATIONS AND<br />
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER<br />
Monica Lambert, CPC<br />
CUSTOMER SERVICE<br />
Amber Duffield<br />
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR<br />
Joan Braunstein<br />
PRODUCTION MANAGER<br />
Joleen O'Brien<br />
PROOFREADER<br />
Ally Gaynor<br />
WEBMASTER<br />
Dorothy Puma<br />
Canadian Office:<br />
2285 Lakeshore Blvd. West,<br />
Suite 807<br />
Toronto, ON, Canada M8V 3X9<br />
Telephone: (416) 925-6643<br />
Fax: 1-866-731-8429<br />
US Office:<br />
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Bodfish, CA 93205<br />
Telephone: (310) 941-7249<br />
Fax: 1-866-731-8429<br />
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<strong>The</strong> views presented in this magazine are not necessarily<br />
those <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong> Inc. Copyright<br />
©2010.All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole<br />
or in part without written permission is prohibited.<br />
Printed in the USA • June 2010 Issue.<br />
choice (ISSN 1708-6116) is published quarterly<br />
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Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
choice thoughts<br />
From <strong>The</strong> Publisher<br />
O<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Over the last few months<br />
I have been in a financial business planning<br />
group, which met weekly for 12<br />
weeks to create and complete a business<br />
plan with action items for our respective<br />
companies. Of course mine was choice.<br />
My participation in this group gave me<br />
the opportunity to review and revise all<br />
<strong>of</strong> the information I have accumulated,<br />
learned and used over the years. One <strong>of</strong><br />
the biggest learnings came in conjunction<br />
with Marcy Nelson-Garrison’s article<br />
from our last issue, “<strong>The</strong> Coach’s<br />
Toolbox” (March 2010, page 41).<br />
<strong>The</strong> article outlined the three stages <strong>of</strong><br />
business growth, which really resonated<br />
with me. I translated those who are at<br />
each <strong>of</strong> the stages into “Initiators”<br />
(someone just starting with coach training<br />
and perhaps a business), “Imitators”<br />
(those who emulate the leaders ahead <strong>of</strong><br />
them in business and methodology) and<br />
“Independents” (those who are established<br />
successful coaches and contributing<br />
thought leaders).<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is a clear parallel to the stages <strong>of</strong><br />
business represented by our choice readership.<br />
Our content in the magazine, our<br />
Expert Series and our tele-calls swing<br />
between serving these distinct groups.<br />
So as we move forward with choice<br />
<strong>Magazine</strong> and choice Village, we now have<br />
a clear plan <strong>of</strong> engagement for all three<br />
groups <strong>of</strong> coaches – the Initiators, the<br />
Imitators and the Independents – as well<br />
as one additional group, which I call the<br />
“Interested” – those currently on the<br />
outside looking in who have yet to dip<br />
their toes into the water <strong>of</strong> this amazing<br />
and transformational pr<strong>of</strong>ession.<br />
As we continue to design and deliver<br />
information and services to our readers,<br />
we will continue to serve you in ways<br />
tobuild your business, such as the<br />
choiceVillage (currently in production<br />
with Phase I) while providing the<br />
opportunity to contribute with<br />
articles, learning and community.<br />
My heartfelt thanks to Marcy for her<br />
continued support <strong>of</strong> choice through her<br />
“coaching tools” columns, through her<br />
company www.coachingtoys.com, and<br />
now through her insightful article which<br />
has given me a framework for continuing<br />
to serve our pr<strong>of</strong>ession.<br />
Garry T. Schleifer, PCC<br />
Publisher<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
5<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
If your<br />
clients<br />
are not<br />
journaling<br />
with you,<br />
you are<br />
coaching<br />
without<br />
insight.<br />
JournalEngine <br />
makes<br />
it easy.<br />
www.journalengine.com<br />
407-719-5117<br />
6 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
choice thoughts<br />
From <strong>The</strong> Managing Editor<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is no growth without<br />
change, and sometimes stepping<br />
outside your comfort zone can take<br />
you to new levels <strong>of</strong> success. That’s<br />
the message I got from this issue <strong>of</strong><br />
choice. By combining the best <strong>of</strong><br />
coaching and consulting, you can<br />
differentiate yourself and add value<br />
to your clients.<br />
Our experts have weighed in on<br />
the many ways coaching and consulting<br />
can work to take your business to<br />
the next level. In our opening cover<br />
story, Madeleine Homan Blanchard<br />
and Dr. Linda Miller outline how to<br />
meet client expectations by artfully<br />
blending the strengths <strong>of</strong> “close<br />
cousins” coaching and consulting.<br />
Next up, Janet Harvey looks at<br />
coaching and consulting through the<br />
lens <strong>of</strong> wholeness and uncovers a<br />
synergistic, win-win-win formula.<br />
Pauline Fleming explains why clients<br />
are seeking a coach-consultant<br />
hybrid who will support them<br />
through a variety <strong>of</strong> challenges. And<br />
in our final feature, Gail Barker outlines<br />
how niche coaching integrates<br />
the best <strong>of</strong> coaching and consulting.<br />
Our columns also pick up the<br />
theme <strong>of</strong> coaching and consulting,<br />
with Suzi Pomerantz giving her<br />
“perspective” that marketing yourself<br />
as a consultant can increase your<br />
revenue. Phillip Sandahl in “corporate<br />
leadership” lays the groundwork<br />
for wearing the multiple hats <strong>of</strong><br />
coach, consultant and trainer when<br />
working with teams. And in our<br />
“impact” column, Miguel Bonilla<br />
and Bobbi Hahn demonstrate how<br />
coaching and consulting can help<br />
the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector improve its<br />
effectiveness. In our “entrepreneur<br />
coach” column, Michel Neray<br />
explains how you can build your business<br />
by digging deeper into the elements<br />
that differentiate you from the<br />
rest. And <strong>of</strong> course this issue is also<br />
chock full <strong>of</strong> the tips, tools and experiential<br />
learning you’ve come to<br />
expect from choice.<br />
In short, this issue is about setting<br />
yourself apart by taking the best <strong>of</strong><br />
coaching and consulting, combining<br />
them with the best you have to <strong>of</strong>fer,<br />
and providing the very best value<br />
and impact to your clients.<br />
Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it<br />
best: “Without continual growth<br />
and progress, such words as<br />
improvement, achievement and<br />
success have no meaning.” •<br />
Janet Lees, B.Journ.<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
choice feedback<br />
OUR READERS GIVE FEEDBACK, PERSPECTIVES, CRITICISM & KUDOS<br />
I always read choice from cover<br />
to cover, and the issue on Positive<br />
Psychology was no exception. <strong>The</strong><br />
magazine continues to bring forward<br />
issues and topics that are <strong>of</strong> special<br />
interest to the coaching community<br />
and help all <strong>of</strong> us make the kind <strong>of</strong><br />
difference we want to make in the<br />
world. I was especially impressed to<br />
read that the ‘sticky situations’ section<br />
is being used as part <strong>of</strong> coaching<br />
training. Well deserved, well done.<br />
Michel Neray<br />
Chief Differentiation Officer<br />
<strong>The</strong> Essential Message<br />
Beautiful job on my article and<br />
love the title you gave it and the art –<br />
WOW! Thanks!<br />
Marcy Nelson-Garrison<br />
Great issue this month. I loved it<br />
… and I have received several emails<br />
already about my article.<br />
Patrick Williams<br />
8 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
I have been waiting for years for<br />
choice to do the eco-friendly thing and<br />
go back to sending your magazine in<br />
paper bags, not the polluting, fossilfuel-wasting<br />
plastic bags that are<br />
used now. I addressed this in a Letter<br />
to the Editor some years ago, got a<br />
favorable response, and that was the<br />
last I have heard <strong>of</strong> this matter.<br />
Laurie Rockwell<br />
Response from Customer Service:<br />
In the U.S., our magazines are mailed<br />
“naked;” just the issue with a postal<br />
mailing label on it.<br />
For our Canadian and international<br />
subscriptions we ship via DHL, and<br />
DHL bags the magazine in what they<br />
consider a durable covering, to protect<br />
them as they travel far and wide.<br />
We’ve asked DHL in the past if there<br />
was an alternative to plastic and were<br />
told there was not. Our production<br />
manager will once again look into<br />
alternatives to plastic with DHL and<br />
we will provide an update on this<br />
issue. Thank you for your diligence<br />
and the reminder. In the meantime,<br />
the plastic bags are recyclable. And<br />
there’s always our environmentally<br />
friendly digital edition which requires<br />
no paper or plastic, and causes no<br />
pollution in transit.<br />
Monica Lambert, CPC<br />
US Operations and Customer<br />
Service Manager<br />
choice, the magazine <strong>of</strong><br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional coaching<br />
SEND YOUR FEEDBACK TO: LETTERS@CHOICE-ONLINE.COM<br />
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Do you<br />
have a<br />
GROWTH<br />
plan?<br />
CLIENT BASE<br />
INCOME<br />
IMPACT<br />
Compass knows how hard it is to<br />
build a coaching practice. We have<br />
developed a complete business<br />
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income, impact, efficiency, and results.<br />
Find your Compass at www.mylifecompass.com<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Departments<br />
10 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
Carol Adrienne, PhD, is an internationally-known<br />
author, intuitive counselor and life coach whose<br />
books have been translated into over 15 languages.<br />
As a master numerologist, workshop leader and life<br />
coach, she has helped thousands <strong>of</strong> people eliminate<br />
negative patterns, providing them with life-long tools<br />
for creating the life they want to live.<br />
carol22@sonic.net • www.caroladrienne.com<br />
Craig Carr, PCC, CPCC, has been a therapist, a Doctor<br />
<strong>of</strong> Chinese Medicine, and a senior faculty member<br />
with the Coaches Training Institute. He has co-written<br />
two programs for coaches and coaching clients, Life<br />
Lives Through You – Revealing the Code <strong>of</strong> Personal<br />
Change, and Danger, Sex, Magic – Living Beyond the<br />
Forbidden and Taboo, both delivered through his company,<br />
Soul-Force, Inc. Although his practice and facilitation<br />
varies widely, his current interest is with<br />
entrepreneurs, investors and executives rebounding in<br />
the current economy and in the process <strong>of</strong> re-building<br />
their life’s work.<br />
Craigcoach@sbcglobal.net<br />
www.soulforceinc.com<br />
Kat Knecht is a love, dating and relationship coach<br />
who teaches and coaches using her unique Art and<br />
Science <strong>of</strong> Romance course. She is also a leader for<br />
the Coaches Training Institute’s certification program.<br />
Along with her husband Curtis she is the co-owner <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Relationship <strong>Coaching</strong> Company.<br />
connect@relationshipcoaching.com<br />
www.relationshipcoaching.com<br />
Ed Modell, PCC, is a certified executive and life<br />
coach specializing in working with government, small<br />
businesses and nonpr<strong>of</strong>it executives and pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
service providers. He has held a number <strong>of</strong> roles with<br />
the ICF, including 2010 global ICF president-elect,<br />
past president <strong>of</strong> the Metro DC Chapter <strong>of</strong> ICF, chair <strong>of</strong><br />
the global ICF Regulatory Committee for two years<br />
and co-founder <strong>of</strong> the ICF Conflict <strong>Coaching</strong> SIG. Prior<br />
to coaching, Modell practiced law for over 28 years at<br />
several major law firms in Washington, DC., specializing<br />
in civil litigation <strong>of</strong> large, complex cases.<br />
Ed@coachfederation.org<br />
www.coachfederation.org<br />
Marcy Nelson-Garrison, MA, LP, CPCC, is a product<br />
mentor and founder <strong>of</strong> www.coachingtoys.com, an<br />
online store featuring creative toys and tools for personal<br />
development. As a veteran traveler in the land<br />
<strong>of</strong> products, Marcy helps coaches, counselors and<br />
consultants leverage their own creativity for greater<br />
impact and pr<strong>of</strong>it. Her products include: Q? Basics,<br />
Open-Ended Questions for <strong>Coaching</strong> Mastery; <strong>The</strong><br />
ProductPlanner and the Passion to Product home<br />
study program.<br />
marcy@coachingtoys.com<br />
www.ProductMentor<strong>Coaching</strong>.com<br />
Liora Rosen, MS, MA, founder <strong>of</strong> Proactive <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
Solutions, is an executive and leadership coach partnering<br />
with clients to accelerate the process <strong>of</strong> their<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional growth. She is a member <strong>of</strong> the ICF<br />
Ethics Committee, chair <strong>of</strong> the Ethics Education subcommittee<br />
and member <strong>of</strong> PCAM. Liora is the creator<br />
and trainer <strong>of</strong> “<strong>The</strong> ICF Code <strong>of</strong> Ethics – Your GPS for<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong>” global ethics-education program, presenter<br />
at the ICF 2009 conference and is a frequent contributor<br />
to <strong>Coaching</strong> World.<br />
Victoria Trabosh, CDC®, is an international speaker,<br />
trainer and facilitator with 30 years <strong>of</strong> large corporate<br />
and start-up business experience, in addition to<br />
coaching top executives worldwide. As president <strong>of</strong><br />
the Itafari Foundation, a foundation for the people <strong>of</strong><br />
Rwanda, she works tirelessly in helping all people<br />
become their personal best so that they can change<br />
the world.<br />
vicky@victoriatrabosh.com<br />
www.victoriatrabosh.com<br />
Marcia Wieder is CEO and founder <strong>of</strong> Dream University®.<br />
With 20 years’ coaching, training and speaking,<br />
Marcia is leading a “dream movement.” Author <strong>of</strong> 14<br />
books, she is the personal dream coach to Jack Canfield,<br />
stars in Beyond the Secret, and is a member <strong>of</strong><br />
the Transformational Leadership Council. As past<br />
president <strong>of</strong> the National Association <strong>of</strong> Women Business<br />
Owners she was <strong>of</strong>ten in the White House. As a<br />
columnist for <strong>The</strong> San Francisco Chronicle, she urged<br />
readers to take “<strong>The</strong> Great Dream Challenge.” Dream<br />
University® events include: the Dream Coach® Certification,<br />
Inspiring Speaker Workshop, and Create Your<br />
Future Now workshops.<br />
www.DreamUniversity.com/gift<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Columns Features<br />
Gail Barker, BA, CPCC, is principal <strong>of</strong> Stellar <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
& Consulting, a certified pr<strong>of</strong>essional life coach<br />
and an inspirational speaker. Since 2003, Gail has<br />
inspired her clients to live lives <strong>of</strong> ease and authenticity,<br />
based on the premise that “life is meant to be<br />
challenging, never burdensome.” Considered to be the<br />
“go-to expert on life balance for women leaders,” she<br />
is also co-author <strong>of</strong> <strong>The</strong> Control Freak’s Guide to Living<br />
Lightly: Manifesting a Life <strong>of</strong> Total Trust.<br />
gail@stellarcc.com • www.stellarcc.com<br />
Madeleine Homan Blanchard, BA, CMC, MCC, is a<br />
pioneer in the coaching pr<strong>of</strong>ession and a leader in the<br />
coaching business for <strong>The</strong> Ken Blanchard Companies<br />
since 2000. With Linda Miller, she co-authored <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
in Organizations (Wiley, 2008), <strong>Coaching</strong> Essentials for<br />
Leaders, a coaching skills program taught globally and a<br />
coaching chapter in <strong>The</strong> Ken Blanchard Companies’<br />
Leading at a Higher Level. She also co-authored Leverage<br />
Your Best with Scott Blanchard.<br />
Madeleine.blanchard@kenblanchard.com<br />
www.coaching.com<br />
Pauline Fleming, MA, BEd, MCC, has facilitated the<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional growth and development <strong>of</strong> leaders for<br />
over 15 years. She is considered a Trusted Advisor to<br />
businesses that want to grow their leaders, and leaders<br />
who want to grow their business.<br />
coach@ProActiveBusinessLeadership.com<br />
www.ProActiveBusinessLeadership.com<br />
Janet Harvey, MCC, is CEO <strong>of</strong> inviteCHANGE, a company<br />
created for those in search <strong>of</strong> meaningful<br />
processes for generating wholeness through coaching<br />
approach training programs and coaching services.<br />
Janet’s career spans 30 years. She embraces transformative<br />
coaching as a discovery process that invites<br />
and enlivens clients to choose beliefs and behaviors<br />
that generate a magnificent life experience, a consistent<br />
expression <strong>of</strong> a person’s core and essential self<br />
and a life <strong>of</strong> wholeness.<br />
Janet.harvey@invitechange.com<br />
www.invitechange.com<br />
Linda J. Miller, BA, MA, MCC, DHL, is a pioneer in the<br />
coaching pr<strong>of</strong>ession and a leader in the coaching business<br />
for <strong>The</strong> Ken Blanchard Companies since 2000. With<br />
Madeleine Homan Blanchard, she co-authored <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
in Organizations (Wiley, 2008), <strong>Coaching</strong> Essentials for<br />
Leaders, a coaching skills program taught globally and a<br />
coaching chapter in <strong>The</strong> Ken Blanchard Companies’<br />
Leading at a Higher Level (FT press, 2009). Dr. Miller coauthored<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> for Christian Leaders: A Practical Guide<br />
(Chalice Press, 2007).<br />
Linda.miller@kenblanchard.com<br />
www.coaching.com<br />
Miguel Bonilla, MS, MA, CC, has worked in the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
sector for over 15 years, mostly in microenterprise program<br />
development, advocacy and social marketing. He is<br />
director <strong>of</strong> United Way <strong>of</strong> New York City’s Strengthening<br />
New York City Nonpr<strong>of</strong>its, and has led several investments<br />
focused on building the capacity <strong>of</strong> nonpr<strong>of</strong>its to pursue<br />
their mission. <strong>The</strong>se programs include service grants for<br />
customized consulting, training and technology to develop<br />
the management systems <strong>of</strong> nonpr<strong>of</strong>its aligned with the<br />
United Way <strong>of</strong> New York City’s goals. Miguel is a certified<br />
coach and is on the board <strong>of</strong> the Organization Development<br />
Network <strong>of</strong> Greater New York and most recently<br />
launched its first-ever OD Pro Bono Initiative.<br />
Bobbi Hahn, MPA, CC, is director <strong>of</strong> operations at National<br />
Urban Fellows, a national nonpr<strong>of</strong>it based in New York<br />
City that provides fellowships to women and people <strong>of</strong><br />
color seeking a Masters in Public Administration and a<br />
passion for social justice and equity in the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it and<br />
government sectors. She has been working in the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
sector for 10 years and is passionate about building leadership<br />
to strengthen the sector.<br />
Michel Neray, BSc, MBA, is chief differentiation <strong>of</strong>ficer <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong> Essential Message®, which helps companies and individuals<br />
to discover their true differentiation and to communicate<br />
it in the most compelling way. Michel certifies<br />
other coaches, consultants and copywriters in the Essential<br />
Message approach. <strong>The</strong>re are now more than 17 certified<br />
Essential Message ‘consoachants’ in 6 countries.<br />
www.essentialmessage.com<br />
Suzi Pomerantz, BA, MA, MCC, is CEO <strong>of</strong> Innovative Leadership<br />
International LLC, an award-winning executive coach,<br />
facilitator and author with 17 years’ experience coaching leaders<br />
and teams in 140 organizations internationally. She was<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the first executive coaches to receive the MCC from the<br />
ICF, teaches at several top coach training schools and programs,<br />
serves on two advisory boards in the coaching industry,<br />
and authored 25 publications about coaching, ethics, and<br />
business development, including Seal the Deal. She founded<br />
the Leading Coaches’ Center and co-founded the Library <strong>of</strong><br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essional <strong>Coaching</strong>.<br />
Suzi@LeadingCoachesCenter.com<br />
www.SuziPomerantz.com<br />
Phillip Sandahl, CPCC, MCC, is chief coaching <strong>of</strong>ficer and<br />
a co-founder <strong>of</strong> Team <strong>Coaching</strong> International, a global<br />
company with a presence in more than 20 countries,<br />
delivering results with a proven methodology that creates<br />
high performing, sustainable, inspired teams. Phil is also<br />
co-author <strong>of</strong> Co-Active <strong>Coaching</strong>. He has been coaching<br />
since 1996 and working primarily with teams since 2004.<br />
phillip@teamcoachinginternational.com<br />
www.teamcoachinginternational.com<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
11<br />
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choice books<br />
By Kat Knecht, PCC<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Change Agent<br />
Managing change in the personal, organizational,<br />
societal or spiritual areas <strong>of</strong> life<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> and consulting are<br />
different processes from<br />
both the client and the pr<strong>of</strong>essional’s<br />
point <strong>of</strong> view. What they<br />
share at the core, though, are clients<br />
who want to make a change and pr<strong>of</strong>essionals<br />
ready to facilitate that<br />
change. Change is the bottom line.<br />
Change is what has potential clients<br />
picking up the phone.<br />
I have chosen to review a book that<br />
gives us a framework for understanding<br />
and enacting change, which is<br />
incredibly useful for both coach and<br />
consultant. <strong>The</strong> book, SWITCH: How To<br />
Change Things When Change Is Hard<br />
by brothers Chip and Dan Heath, uses<br />
the metaphor <strong>of</strong> riding an elephant<br />
down a path to illustrate their discoveries<br />
<strong>of</strong> what is involved when we<br />
want to make a change.<br />
This is a very clear and easy-tograsp<br />
metaphor around which the<br />
Heath brothers build a compelling<br />
and enlightening structure for managing<br />
change in the personal, organizational,<br />
societal or spiritual areas<br />
<strong>of</strong> our lives. <strong>The</strong>ir basic concept:<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Rider” is our rational self: a<br />
few pounds <strong>of</strong> creativity, vision, selfdiscipline<br />
and mental clarity whose<br />
role is to direct the elephant down the<br />
desired path to a new destination.<br />
Surprise: what looks like resistance is<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten a lack <strong>of</strong> clarity, revealing the<br />
importance <strong>of</strong> crystal-clear directions.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Elephant” is our emotional<br />
self: six tons <strong>of</strong> energy and inspiration<br />
that drives every change, though<br />
not necessarily in the direction the<br />
rider atop the elephant wants it to go.<br />
Surprise: what looks like laziness is<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten exhaustion – the rider’s control<br />
is precarious because the elephant is<br />
so powerful. Thus it’s essential we<br />
engage the elephant to carry us down<br />
the right path cooperatively.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> Path” is the situation and<br />
greater environment in which the<br />
desired change must happen in<br />
order to get the results both coach<br />
and consultant are hired by the<br />
client to get. Surprise: what looks<br />
like a people problem is <strong>of</strong>ten a situation<br />
problem; sometimes remarkably<br />
easy to solve.<br />
<strong>The</strong> alignment and integration <strong>of</strong><br />
these three forces is the heart and<br />
soul <strong>of</strong> change. When we direct the<br />
Rider, motivate the Elephant and<br />
shape the Path, the change that may<br />
have seemed impossible becomes<br />
not only possible but also inevitable.<br />
<strong>The</strong> authors have done their homework<br />
and relate a mountain <strong>of</strong> evi-<br />
dence to support their theory. <strong>The</strong><br />
evidence is delivered mostly in<br />
delightful stories <strong>of</strong> real-life situations<br />
all <strong>of</strong> us can identify with.<br />
One such story that gave me some<br />
insight is found early in the book,<br />
about an experiment in which a group<br />
<strong>of</strong> people were given bad-tasting stale<br />
popcorn free <strong>of</strong> charge before watching<br />
a movie. Some were given large<br />
containers, some small. At the end <strong>of</strong><br />
the movie, all agreed that the popcorn<br />
tasted awful. <strong>The</strong>y all reported that<br />
they had only eaten a small portion<br />
due to the taste. <strong>The</strong> truth, however,<br />
was that the people who had the large<br />
containers ate much more than the<br />
small container test group. It seems<br />
that having willpower and being com-<br />
BOOKS TO ENHANCE THE COACHING LIFESTYLE<br />
mitted to creating healthy habits can<br />
be greatly enhanced by making simple<br />
adjustments to our environment, like<br />
using smaller popcorn containers.<br />
Another story that piqued my interest<br />
highlighted a different aspect <strong>of</strong><br />
change using two groups. Both<br />
groups were put in a room with a<br />
table full <strong>of</strong> radishes and fresh<br />
baked chocolate cookies. One group<br />
was instructed to only eat radishes<br />
while the other was allowed to eat<br />
as many cookies as they wished.<br />
After that, both groups were given<br />
“Helping people bring about positive change<br />
is at the heart <strong>of</strong> coaching.”<br />
an impossible puzzle to solve. <strong>The</strong><br />
radish-eating group gave up very<br />
quickly while the chocolate chip<br />
cookie group stuck to the task for a<br />
significant amount <strong>of</strong> time.<br />
<strong>The</strong> authors contend that we<br />
humans only have a finite amount <strong>of</strong><br />
resistance, which the radish eaters<br />
had used up. It is this limited<br />
amount <strong>of</strong> discipline to change,<br />
rather than laziness or lack <strong>of</strong> commitment,<br />
that can block making<br />
much-desired change. This information<br />
is excellent for both coaches<br />
and consultants to know.<br />
Helping people bring about positive<br />
changes in their lives is at the heart<br />
<strong>of</strong> coaching. Bringing about change<br />
easily is at the heart <strong>of</strong> this book. •<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
13<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
coaching tools<br />
CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO ENLIVEN AND REFRESH YOUR COACHING BUSINESS<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Money Habitudes A Guide for Pr<strong>of</strong>essionals<br />
Working with Money Related Issues 190<br />
Money impacts everything, especially with the current economy.<br />
Having a way to address the beliefs our clients have around<br />
money can make a big difference in their success. Money<br />
Habitudes by Syble Solomon helps you have effective and powerful<br />
coaching conversations on this touchy topic. <strong>The</strong> card sort<br />
process gets to core money habits and attitudes and the workbook<br />
provides step by step guidance, worksheets and exercises<br />
to deepen your clients’ awareness and create specific goals.<br />
<strong>The</strong> six core money habitudes are: Security, Status, Selfless,<br />
Free Spirit, Targeted Goals, and Spontaneous. Our habitudes<br />
are a reflection <strong>of</strong> our personality and our upbringing, and as<br />
you can guess, these core beliefs are likely to show up in<br />
other arenas besides money. Most people are not conscious <strong>of</strong><br />
their underlying money beliefs and this discovery process<br />
opens the door for very rich coaching conversations.<br />
<strong>The</strong> cards and workbook exercises can be used in individual<br />
work, couples coaching and workshops. <strong>The</strong> great thing about<br />
money habitudes is that it’s easy, hands-on, jargon-free, multisensory<br />
and appeals to both men and women.<br />
If you want to create money aha’s check out Money Habitudes!<br />
Effective Group <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
by Jennifer J. Britton<br />
Group coaching is really coming into its<br />
own as more and more coaches discover<br />
the benefits <strong>of</strong> adding a group to their<br />
business model. It’s good for clients and<br />
for the coach’s bottom line.<br />
If you want to add group coaching to<br />
your business <strong>of</strong>fering, Effective Group<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> by Jennifer Britton is a must. It<br />
reflects the new industry standard and is destined to become<br />
a classic. Grounded in current research and best practices<br />
from luminaries in the coaching industry, it covers everything<br />
you could possibly want to know about creating, launching and<br />
running effective groups. It defines group coaching, talks about<br />
ROI, covers adult learning, group development and dynamics,<br />
core skills, design, delivery, systems, logistics, marketing,<br />
trends and even practical exercises to use in your groups.<br />
While it is a lot <strong>of</strong> information, it is broken up into easily<br />
digestible pieces. <strong>The</strong>re are also lots <strong>of</strong> charts and worksheets<br />
as well as exercises you can use in your groups.<br />
An absolutely wonderful reference for both new and seasoned<br />
coaches.<br />
14 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
Coming Out <strong>of</strong> Hiding<br />
by Suzanne Falter-Barns<br />
Sometimes getting the kind <strong>of</strong> visibility that<br />
will leap a business forward is scary.<br />
Suzanne Falter-Barns’ two-CD set, Coming<br />
Out Of Hiding, addresses those fears and<br />
provides tools to stretch you beyond your<br />
current comfort zone.<br />
<strong>The</strong> instruction CD is from a live session in<br />
Barns’ Business Builders series. She talks<br />
about why we hide and the traps that keep us<br />
there. <strong>The</strong> guided meditation CD helps you<br />
get at the core rules you may have learned<br />
along the way that limit your success. <strong>The</strong><br />
meditation is followed by a series <strong>of</strong> powerful<br />
affirmations, which you can listen to regularly<br />
or adapt and record in your own voice.<br />
We all want our clients to step into their<br />
highest potential and as Marianne<br />
Williamson says in her <strong>of</strong>ten-quoted piece<br />
Our Deepest Fear: “Your playing small does<br />
not serve the world.” This CD set is perfect<br />
for clients who are hesitant about stepping<br />
into a bigger light and it will also give you<br />
great material for coaching. We can also<br />
serve our clients by doing our own work in<br />
this area. Again from Marianne Williamson:<br />
“As we are liberated from our own fear, our<br />
presence automatically liberates others.”<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Joy Cards <br />
I have a s<strong>of</strong>t spot in my heart for<br />
products that remind and inspire.<br />
This set <strong>of</strong> 30 Joy Cards from<br />
Lisa Allen is a delightful addition<br />
to that category. Each card has a<br />
photographic image on one side<br />
and a quote related to the image<br />
on the other. <strong>The</strong> images are artful<br />
and soothing, the quotes are fresh<br />
and interesting – not the familiar<br />
ones we see again and again.<br />
<strong>The</strong> cards have a spa feel to<br />
them and invite you to pause<br />
and breathe. Allen suggests<br />
choosing a card to carry with you<br />
for a day, propping one up on<br />
your keyboard or sending one <strong>of</strong>f<br />
Releasing Blocks to Action by Ann Weiser Cornell<br />
Releasing Blocks to Action is a five-CD<br />
course grounded in a technique called<br />
Focusing. Blocks to action happen<br />
because something in you wants to<br />
take the action and something in you<br />
in a note card to a friend or a<br />
client. Invite workshop participants<br />
to choose a card as a<br />
takeaway or use them at an<br />
doesn’t. We tend to side with one part<br />
over the other and like any conflict this<br />
creates resistance. Focusing is a deep<br />
listening process that tunes into body<br />
awareness, works with the “felt sense”<br />
and brings great gentleness and curiosity<br />
to the part that doesn’t want to take<br />
the action. <strong>The</strong> underlying assumption<br />
is that all parts or voices within have<br />
wisdom and information to share.<br />
Ann Weiser Cornell is a masterful<br />
guide in this process. <strong>The</strong> two guided<br />
exercises per CD <strong>of</strong>fer deeply<br />
intuitive, spacious, slowly unfolding<br />
experiences that can produce pr<strong>of</strong>ound<br />
shifts in awareness. <strong>The</strong><br />
By Marcy Nelson-Garrison, MA, LP, CPCC<br />
exhibit booth to invite a coaching<br />
conversation. Lots <strong>of</strong> ways to<br />
spread inspiration and joy with<br />
this sweet little deck.<br />
audio course covers relevant content<br />
about presence, qualities, myths and<br />
agency, and introduces four distinct<br />
patterns that show up: protection,<br />
rebellion, unfinished business and<br />
inner guidance.<br />
Although designed for individual<br />
work, the course <strong>of</strong>fers a clear example<br />
<strong>of</strong> how to use the process with<br />
clients. I guarantee that as you use it<br />
for yourself, you will want to use it<br />
with your clients. What a great companion<br />
piece to a group program that<br />
is focused on action and ‘how to’<br />
content. However you choose to use<br />
it, you won’t be disappointed! •<br />
Links to products reviewed above are available at www.coachingtoys.com<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
15<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
EXPERT GUIDANCE ON CRITICAL COACHING ISSUES<br />
Helping a client<br />
overcome the<br />
“pleaser”mentality<br />
the situation<br />
the experts weigh in<br />
By Carol Adrienne, PhD<br />
Your brief description <strong>of</strong> his internal situation seems<br />
to indicate a nature that has been locked into performing.<br />
If he is the type who believes that his survival<br />
depends on doing in order to prove his worthiness,<br />
then he must first become aware <strong>of</strong> such tendencies. No<br />
doubt he’ll continue to be active and busy, but the goal is to<br />
make choices that bring more happiness!<br />
Over-busyness could serve him by feeding that drive to<br />
perform, so that he can feel he is being there for everyone –<br />
except, <strong>of</strong> course, for himself. Our culture teaches us at an<br />
early age that we need to be better, try harder, and take on<br />
more and more, at the risk <strong>of</strong> ignoring parts <strong>of</strong> ourselves<br />
that other parts don’t approve <strong>of</strong>. As his coach, avoid giving<br />
the impression that he needs to fix anything, because then<br />
this becomes another thing on his “to-do” list.<br />
Get him to associate to his body and to his feelings in<br />
sessions and throughout his day. Awareness <strong>of</strong> the present<br />
is always the first step in transformation. <strong>The</strong> body is<br />
a master coach – it never lies.<br />
It’s also important for him to become aware <strong>of</strong> his inner<br />
dialogue. For example, is his identity based on such beliefs<br />
as, “I can’t afford to lose this job,” “I have to maintain a high<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ile in the community,” “People expect a lot from me,” or<br />
sticky<br />
situations<br />
“ My client is a successful business person with a demanding travel schedule, extensive<br />
family and community obligations, and a breakneck pace. He has a “pleaser” personality<br />
that has left him feeling overextended and out <strong>of</strong> control. He no longer feels he is doing<br />
his best in any situation. How can I help him discern which activities bring real joy and<br />
fulfillment, and develop the self-awareness and capacity to say ‘no’ to ones that don’t? ”<br />
Are you grappling with a sticky situation?<br />
You don’t have to go it alone. Let our senior coaches give you some different perspectives to consider.<br />
Email your situation to: editor@choice-online.com and put “sticky situations” in the subject line.<br />
“I can’t let anyone down”? Is his motivation to look good?<br />
Does he secretly feel that he will be sidelined if he doesn’t<br />
show constant enthusiasm and effort? Awareness sheds<br />
light on the underlying internal motivations at work when he<br />
is in the act <strong>of</strong> saying “yes” to something. Beliefs get locked<br />
in during childhood and continue to seem like reality.<br />
It’s fine to commit to something if it’s really important to<br />
you, but not all things are equally important. For example,<br />
spending a few hours with your child in activities that you<br />
both enjoy is more fulfilling than heading up the parent<br />
teacher association, no matter how worthy that activity.<br />
Your client needs to begin to discover and accept who he<br />
is, and let go <strong>of</strong> those activities that don’t give a sense <strong>of</strong><br />
authentic purpose and enjoyment. Priorities become<br />
apparent and change happens almost effortlessly.<br />
Sitting quietly for two to five minutes each morning or<br />
evening could help begin to bring his life into focus. Written<br />
to-do lists keep us on track, and allow us to be flexible<br />
when necessary. Suggest that he re-think multi-tasking.<br />
Studies show that trying to do more than one thing at a<br />
time is actually counter-productive.<br />
I’d also have him practice saying no whenever possible<br />
over the next few days or weeks. Suggest that he say no<br />
honestly, without making up phony excuses. Saying no<br />
when we want to say no is healthy, stress-relieving, and<br />
liberating. It may even help us live longer!<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
17<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
sticky<br />
situations<br />
By Victoria Trabosh, CDC®<br />
<strong>The</strong> Power <strong>of</strong> NO! One <strong>of</strong> my favorite speech and<br />
client topics. I believe you’ve really identified the<br />
issue <strong>of</strong> what is at the base <strong>of</strong> his problems.<br />
Learning to say no is more powerful than almost anything<br />
we do as business people.<br />
<strong>The</strong> issue <strong>of</strong> doing too much is a universal issue. It may<br />
look different in other parts <strong>of</strong> the world, but we’re all the<br />
same. Whether this issue comes up in Rwanda with<br />
women who are struggling to make ends meet with a<br />
micr<strong>of</strong>inance loan and don’t know where to focus, or a<br />
business leader who is overwhelmed in the U.S., it comes<br />
down to the same point: you are always saying “no” to<br />
someone. If you’re overextended and out <strong>of</strong> passion for<br />
everything you’re doing, the “no” is too <strong>of</strong>ten to yourself.<br />
Your client is on fire; we learned in school that if<br />
you’re on fire you should do three things: STOP! DROP!<br />
AND ROLL!<br />
Let’s put the fire out!<br />
Step #1: STOP! With his permission, identify the goal<br />
<strong>of</strong> how he wants his life to look, what he values, and<br />
what activities he not only enjoys, but finds the most<br />
successful, pr<strong>of</strong>itable and emotionally fulfilling. Help him<br />
identify what he wants to STOP doing – with no material<br />
By Craig Carr, PCC<br />
This, I would argue, is a pattern that ranks high on<br />
the Top Five Most Personally Destructive Behaviors<br />
<strong>of</strong> All-Time List! It ranks high on a “Most<br />
Commonly Found” list, too!<br />
As a coach you will see forms <strong>of</strong> this behavior abounding<br />
because we work with people who are out there in<br />
the marketplace – they are making deals, making a living<br />
and building careers – and for better or worse it’s widely<br />
accepted that if you make someone feel good you will be<br />
liked and supported by them on the ladder <strong>of</strong> success.<br />
This is just one <strong>of</strong> the dynamics <strong>of</strong> social interaction<br />
that is part <strong>of</strong> a huge meta-process we all participate in.<br />
We play by the rules <strong>of</strong> the game but quickly forget the<br />
needs <strong>of</strong> the players. <strong>The</strong> problem for any individual player<br />
is the separation that occurs between what they do<br />
and “who they really are.”<br />
Briefly stated, when the joy someone else might feel<br />
from your action becomes more important than the joy you<br />
feel, the door opens for all sorts <strong>of</strong> unintended impact.<br />
In this case, the result is that your client has become<br />
over-extended and out <strong>of</strong> control. He still may think he can<br />
improve conditions by working harder and doing the same<br />
things he has always done. Because that is impossible, he<br />
18 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
effect on his overall goals.<br />
Step #2: DROP! Make a list <strong>of</strong> what he wants to DROP<br />
from his life. Shockingly, when he learns to say no to those<br />
things that don’t serve him, there will be no material effect<br />
on his life or business. <strong>The</strong> problem with ‘doing it all’ is that<br />
he’s not really showing up for everything he’s committed to;<br />
as a result, his credibility is actually lessened by being<br />
overextended. Dropping those extra activities for which he<br />
is not passionate and committed will get him back to where<br />
he wants to be personally and pr<strong>of</strong>essionally. He can then<br />
make time for what is really important to him.<br />
Step #3: ROLL! Can you imagine with him what life<br />
he’d truly like to design? “Let’s roll” is a statement<br />
that’s been used to say, with determination, we’re moving<br />
out – we’re going to reach our goals. Let’s ROLL will<br />
allow him to take what he’s learned and make the life he<br />
wants – one in which he is most successful, most productive<br />
and most passionate.<br />
In summary, your client is every client because we all<br />
have the capacity to do too much. Successful people <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
forget where their pause button lies. Taking stock and<br />
inventory <strong>of</strong> his life (on a regular basis) will allow him to<br />
continue to be successful. <strong>The</strong>n today’s success will lead<br />
to tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities. He must then<br />
continue that success by never forgetting the power <strong>of</strong> no.<br />
risks certain outcomes: low-grade resentment is likely, if not<br />
outright anger. Unless he is a saint he may exhibit passive<br />
aggressive behavior that could even become explosive. Or,<br />
he may be the type who takes on depression as a way out <strong>of</strong><br />
the pattern. Depression, after all, does not make others feel<br />
bad! It’s a perfect solution that is commonly chosen, and in<br />
the process he can martyr himself for the good <strong>of</strong> all!<br />
I may exaggerate what may become <strong>of</strong> this client, but<br />
<strong>of</strong>fer you this context in preface to my answer about<br />
“what to do.” This pattern is no joke.<br />
I agree it is essential that your client gain awareness<br />
<strong>of</strong> the flawed basis <strong>of</strong> his choices. <strong>The</strong>re are options,<br />
and as his coach I suggest you raise the perception <strong>of</strong><br />
what is at stake. A chunk <strong>of</strong> your job is to show him the<br />
insidious nature <strong>of</strong> this pattern. As “right” as it looks to<br />
the world, it leaves him the dregs <strong>of</strong> his efforts and in<br />
the end is a losing game on so many levels.<br />
Finally, a return to values that link to joy and fulfillment<br />
will certainly be useful, but you must also ground the concept<br />
<strong>of</strong> wholeness in a powerful way. Resolving separation<br />
from Self requires commitment to a “Self-first” practice.<br />
Establish recognition that he is swimming upstream and<br />
help him feel the futility <strong>of</strong> it. This might take awhile so you<br />
will have to stand firm in the vision <strong>of</strong> who he can be, as<br />
there is likely to be resistance to such “selfish” change.•<br />
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entrepreneur coach<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Dig Deeper<br />
When it comes to differentiating your coaching business, the deeper you<br />
dig, the better (and more authentically) you build your business<br />
By Michel Neray, BSc, MBA<br />
Imagine you are the first doctor to<br />
travel to a small, remote village.<br />
Obviously, when someone needs a<br />
doctor, they call you.<br />
Now imagine the village is increasing<br />
in population. With the promise <strong>of</strong><br />
a ready clientele, more and more doctors<br />
move into the area. Suddenly<br />
people begin to ask themselves,<br />
‘which doctor should I go to?’ Now<br />
you have competition – and the need<br />
to differentiate yourself from all <strong>of</strong><br />
the other doctors.<br />
As each specialty fills up with more<br />
people, it gets sliced and diced into<br />
finer and finer sub-specialties. That’s<br />
why we have doctors who specialize<br />
by part <strong>of</strong> the body. We have doctors<br />
who specialize by type <strong>of</strong> patient. We<br />
have doctors who focus on geographic<br />
regions. And we have doctors who<br />
work in small teams, in large corporations<br />
and as individual ‘freelancers.’<br />
Replace ‘doctor’ with ‘coach’ in the<br />
example above, and you’ll see this is<br />
where we are in the coaching industry<br />
today. <strong>The</strong> days are long gone when<br />
you could credibly say, ‘I can coach<br />
anyone through anything.’<br />
That’s why, if you are a life coach,<br />
you’re faced with the challenge <strong>of</strong> differentiating<br />
yourself against all the<br />
other life coaches. If you’re a business<br />
coach, you are faced with the challenge<br />
<strong>of</strong> differentiating yourself against<br />
all the other business coaches.<br />
Five Layers <strong>of</strong> Differentiation<br />
Archeologists define the different layers<br />
they uncover during an archeological<br />
dig. Each layer holds features that<br />
help us learn about the history <strong>of</strong> our<br />
civilization.<br />
Let me take you on a different kind<br />
“<strong>The</strong> days are long<br />
gone when you<br />
could credibly say,<br />
‘I can coach anyone<br />
through anything.’”<br />
<strong>of</strong> archeological dig. In this dig, you’ll<br />
discover five different layers <strong>of</strong> differentiation<br />
that are available to you.<br />
<strong>The</strong> deepest levels link directly to the<br />
core <strong>of</strong> who you are as a person, and<br />
they provide you with the greatest<br />
leverage as you build your business.<br />
Layer #1: What<br />
‘What’ differentiation can be best<br />
described by this very straight-forward<br />
question: Do you get better results<br />
than everyone else in your industry?<br />
What we’re looking for here are the<br />
generic, quantitative end results that<br />
everyone in your field would love to<br />
promise. It’s what your clients and customers<br />
want when all is said and done.<br />
Already, you can see how problematic<br />
this might be. Most <strong>of</strong> the work you<br />
do cannot be quantified, and even if it<br />
were quantifiable, statistics don’t readily<br />
exist that allow you to compare your<br />
performance with everyone else’s. Can<br />
you imagine making a claim like, ‘I<br />
bring my clients from a 2.4 on the happiness<br />
scale up to 9.8; more than any<br />
other coach in the world!’?<br />
Before you abandon this approach<br />
entirely, however, understand that it’s<br />
extremely helpful for you to identify<br />
what specific variables you would use<br />
HOW TO SUCCEED AT THE BUSINESS OF COACHING<br />
for ‘What’ differentiation if you could.<br />
Almost any communication you have<br />
with potential clients, either in verbal<br />
conversation or written on your home<br />
page, should relate to the end results<br />
your clients are paying their hardearned<br />
money for. Compelling testimonials<br />
have to be selected or<br />
coached out <strong>of</strong> clients with a clear<br />
idea <strong>of</strong> the end results you promise.<br />
Are you scattered all over the place<br />
or can you narrow down the end<br />
results to a few you can at least<br />
claim expertise in and success with?<br />
Once you can jot down three ‘what’<br />
variables that are directly related to<br />
the work you do, it’s time to grab<br />
your shovel.<br />
Layer #2: Who, Where, When<br />
<strong>The</strong> thinking behind Who, Where and<br />
When differentiation goes something<br />
like this: If you can’t legitimately and<br />
credibly claim that you are the best in<br />
your field, how can you narrow the<br />
definition <strong>of</strong> your field or highlight an<br />
aspect <strong>of</strong> your business so that you<br />
can be best or unique in something?<br />
<strong>The</strong> most common ways you can<br />
do this are by digging up your who,<br />
where and when variables: geography/location<br />
(the only life coach in<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
19<br />
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entrepreneur<br />
coach<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Pittsville); type <strong>of</strong> customer (the only<br />
coach for lawyers); and stage <strong>of</strong> life<br />
or business (the only coach for premenopausal<br />
women experiencing<br />
‘empty-nest’ syndrome).<br />
Finding compelling points <strong>of</strong> difference<br />
using this layer <strong>of</strong> differentiation<br />
depends on how relevant the<br />
narrower definition <strong>of</strong> your field is to<br />
your clients and customers, and on<br />
how obvious the connection is<br />
between your claim and the end<br />
results you pinpointed in ‘What’ differentiation.<br />
Can you narrow the definition <strong>of</strong><br />
what you do, where you do it, when<br />
you do it or who you do it for, that<br />
would enable you to claim a differentiating<br />
advantage?<br />
Layer #3: Upper Why<br />
‘Upper Why’ differentiation answers a<br />
key question always at the back <strong>of</strong><br />
potential clients’ minds: ‘Why should<br />
20 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
“Most clients tell me<br />
the way they work is<br />
intuitive – they just do<br />
it naturally. As a result<br />
they never look into<br />
their methodology<br />
with any depth.”<br />
I believe you have the capability to do<br />
what you say you can do?’<br />
Investment advisors, real estate<br />
agents, consultants, coaches and the<br />
full range <strong>of</strong> other independent pr<strong>of</strong>essionals<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten use years <strong>of</strong> experience,<br />
client list, or credentials, e.g.:<br />
• ‘Fred Smith, CPP, MBA, IRC, MS<br />
Gold Partner, Master Certified’;<br />
• ‘Senior partners have over a hundred<br />
years’ combined experience.’<br />
What do you tell your clients to<br />
give them more confidence that you<br />
can actually deliver the goods?<br />
Layer #4: How<br />
Do you have a unique approach in<br />
the work you do? Do you have a<br />
comprehensive system or discovery<br />
process? Is there one step <strong>of</strong> an<br />
established process that you do<br />
especially well? Or, is there a secret<br />
ingredient you add to a popular<br />
recipe that makes it even better?<br />
If you’re like most coaches (and<br />
indeed, like most people), the answer<br />
is a resounding, ‘I don’t know.’ In<br />
fact, most people tell me that the<br />
way they work is intuitive – they just<br />
do it naturally. As a result they never<br />
look into their own methodology with<br />
any depth.<br />
<strong>The</strong> thing is, ‘how’ you do what<br />
you do is as unique to you as who<br />
you are. No one is wired quite the<br />
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same way you are, and no one has<br />
the same set <strong>of</strong> formative experiences,<br />
perspective or DNA. Like it<br />
or not, you have a unique way <strong>of</strong><br />
viewing the world around you.<br />
Things that may seem obvious to<br />
you are totally ignored by others<br />
faced with the same challenge.<br />
You may pick up certain pieces <strong>of</strong><br />
the puzzle that other people leave<br />
on the floor.<br />
Even if you are applying a rigid<br />
methodology, the way you implement<br />
or apply it is influenced by<br />
who you are as an individual.<br />
Another way to look at it is this:<br />
your ‘how’ is different from everyone<br />
else’s ‘how’ in at least one significant<br />
way.<br />
Exploring your unique approach<br />
also helps you discover which specific<br />
aspect <strong>of</strong> the general service<br />
you excel at. You may find that you<br />
are so good in one particular area<br />
that you can create an entirely new<br />
niche within your general category.<br />
Can you define your uniqueness<br />
to the point where you can turn<br />
your ‘how’ into your ‘what’?<br />
Layer #5: Deeper Why<br />
Why do you do what you do?<br />
Now, before you spout <strong>of</strong>f the<br />
usual motherhood statements<br />
about wanting to help people,<br />
think carefully about the question.<br />
I am not asking why you decided<br />
to become a coach. I am asking:<br />
why you are so drawn to the specific<br />
challenge you discovered in<br />
the ‘How’ differentiation layer?<br />
If you’re like most <strong>of</strong> the coaches,<br />
speakers and other independent<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essionals I work with, your<br />
‘why’ can be traced back to a deep<br />
pain, challenge or shame you experienced<br />
in your personal life history.<br />
Perhaps the challenge you are<br />
driven to solve today is a challenge<br />
you faced yourself. Perhaps the<br />
thing you help other people overcome<br />
is the lesson you learned –<br />
the hard way. Perhaps the lesson<br />
you help other people learn is the<br />
same lesson you continue to learn<br />
over and over again. Perhaps you<br />
are driven by the shame and hurt<br />
that was passed down to you by<br />
your parents.<br />
<strong>The</strong> deepest layer <strong>of</strong> differentiation<br />
exposes the most vulnerable<br />
part <strong>of</strong> you. That’s what makes it<br />
authentic. That’s why it fuels your<br />
passion.<br />
So now, again, why do you do<br />
what you do?<br />
Look Up … Way Up!<br />
Now that you’ve dug your way to the<br />
bottom layer, look up through the<br />
layers above you.<br />
Can you redefine your what, who,<br />
where and when so that all the elements<br />
sit directly above your how<br />
and why? Throw away anything that<br />
doesn’t link directly to your core.<br />
You no longer need to do it all –<br />
you can focus on the piece that you<br />
do better than anyone else in the<br />
world.<br />
What makes you truly different is<br />
the basis <strong>of</strong> your self-confidence,<br />
your competitive advantage in your<br />
“<strong>The</strong> deepest layer <strong>of</strong> differentiation exposes<br />
the most vulnerable part <strong>of</strong> you. That’s<br />
what makes it authentic. That’s why it<br />
fuels your passion.”<br />
market, and ultimately, your success<br />
in life and business.<br />
You are now standing on the<br />
foundation <strong>of</strong> your authentic differentiation.<br />
You are standing in the<br />
place where you have the most passion,<br />
the most power and the greatest<br />
opportunity to make the change<br />
you are driven to make.<br />
Isn’t this what you want to be<br />
known for? •<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
21<br />
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<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
Meeting client expectations with an artful<br />
blend <strong>of</strong> these two synergistic disciplines<br />
What is the difference between consulting and<br />
coaching? Who does what and how? How does,<br />
and should, consulting work with coaching? Find<br />
some answers as we compare and contrast these<br />
two different and yet complementary pr<strong>of</strong>essions.<br />
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By Madeleine Homan Blanchard, BA, CMC, MCC<br />
and Dr. Linda J. Miller, BA, MA, MCC<br />
One <strong>of</strong> our mentors, Thomas Leonard, used to say, “All coaches are also<br />
consultants, but not all consultants are coaches.” Like many <strong>of</strong> his<br />
assertions, it made a lot <strong>of</strong> people mad. However, 15 years later, we<br />
agree that he had a good point.<br />
Drawing the distinction between coaching and consulting may seem like an<br />
academic exercise, but it has been critical in explaining the difference between<br />
the two disciplines to our clients who are working in organizations. <strong>The</strong>y expect<br />
coaching to be a little bit different from consulting, but they aren’t quite sure<br />
what that difference is. <strong>The</strong>y are hoping for more, even if they aren’t sure what<br />
form that might take. We have had to get extremely clear about the distinctions<br />
and the rules, so we can break them in ways that will be most useful for the client.<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> or Consulting?<br />
Several years ago the opportunity arose to do two coaching sessions, as a “taste<br />
test” for a potentially large contract, with a powerful decision maker in a Fortune<br />
500 company. <strong>The</strong> stakes were high. <strong>The</strong> experience had to be a home run. At the<br />
beginning <strong>of</strong> the first coaching call, the client asked about the differences<br />
between coaching and consulting. We explained. At the end <strong>of</strong> the first coaching<br />
session, we asked what he thought. He responded, “I think that was at least 80<br />
percent consulting!” Ouch, quite a blow to an MCC’s ego.<br />
At the beginning <strong>of</strong> the second call, we clearly stated that the client would<br />
experience coaching, not consulting, at least 80 percent <strong>of</strong> the time (he was dubi-<br />
“ Our corporate clients expect<br />
their coaches to know more than<br />
they do about leadership and<br />
management.”<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
Feature<br />
23<br />
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<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
PURE CONSULTING<br />
Focusing on “me”<br />
Telling<br />
Advising<br />
Solving<br />
Knowing what’s best<br />
Demonstrating subject matter<br />
expertise<br />
Promoting dependence<br />
ous based on his previous experience).<br />
At the end <strong>of</strong> the second session,<br />
we again asked what he<br />
thought. This time, he responded,<br />
“That was definitely different; definitely<br />
coaching at least 80 percent <strong>of</strong><br />
the time.” “Which did you prefer?”<br />
we asked. Without missing a beat, he<br />
replied, “I much preferred last<br />
week’s call. It was much easier for<br />
me. But if you were to ask me which<br />
call was most helpful, I have to say<br />
that today was because I came up<br />
with the answers myself.”<br />
We took note. This opinion is very<br />
much what we have experienced<br />
among our clients, all <strong>of</strong> whom are<br />
experts in their own field and respect<br />
expertise. <strong>Coaching</strong> is a partnering<br />
methodology that increases awareness<br />
and draws out ideas and options<br />
24 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
PURE COACHING<br />
Focusing on “you”<br />
Asking<br />
Drawing out<br />
Promoting Discovery<br />
Testing what’s best<br />
Demonstrating process<br />
expertise<br />
Promoting interdependence<br />
from the person being coached so<br />
that the person can move forward<br />
into intentional action. Consulting is<br />
a solution-based methodology that<br />
provides ideas, options and solutions,<br />
with the hope that the person,<br />
team or organization will implement<br />
them. Our clients, it turns out,<br />
require an artful blend <strong>of</strong> both.<br />
Expectations<br />
Setting expectations is important in<br />
both coaching and consulting. If the<br />
expectation is that the coach will listen,<br />
ask powerful questions, draw<br />
out ideas and options and encourage<br />
forward movement, the coach needs<br />
to stay in the role <strong>of</strong> behind-thescenes<br />
thought partner. In some<br />
cases, an experienced coach will<br />
know <strong>of</strong> research, a model or some<br />
“ Consultants who make their<br />
clients feel smart and valued<br />
will never want for work.”<br />
fact that they feel would be criminal<br />
to withhold from the client. If the<br />
coach switches hats when needed<br />
and becomes a consultant, <strong>of</strong>fering<br />
ideas, options and solutions, it is<br />
incumbent upon the coach to gain<br />
permission, point out what they are<br />
doing and to go back to coaching<br />
after the information is shared.<br />
Some ways to introduce an idea or<br />
something helpful might be:<br />
• “I have an idea that I’ve seen<br />
work for others in your situation.<br />
Would it be helpful to hear it?”<br />
• “<strong>The</strong>re are some options that<br />
might be appealing to you – what do<br />
you think?”<br />
• “May I share a model that might<br />
make it easier to analyze this situation?”<br />
• “<strong>The</strong>re is some research that may<br />
interest you as we deepen this<br />
inquiry, if you are interested?”<br />
Our corporate clients expect their<br />
coaches to know more than they do<br />
about leadership and management.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y expect to learn from their<br />
coaches. Although at <strong>The</strong> Ken<br />
Blanchard Companies, we vet our<br />
coaches very carefully to make sure<br />
they know the difference between<br />
coaching and consulting, we also<br />
expect them to have a broad and<br />
deep knowledge base to draw from.<br />
Clients love to hear about the latest<br />
research and make decisions based<br />
on the best available information<br />
and their own wisdom. If our coaches<br />
simply asked them what their<br />
ideas were and never added anything,<br />
their clients might not show<br />
up for another session.<br />
Regardless <strong>of</strong> the type <strong>of</strong> coaching,<br />
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it’s helpful to have expertise in the<br />
areas <strong>of</strong> human development, personality<br />
and temperament preference,<br />
cultural differences and universal<br />
laws. Coaches working in the<br />
business and corporate arenas must<br />
be well versed in organizational<br />
development, best management and<br />
leadership practices, and general<br />
business language. Although the primary<br />
job <strong>of</strong> the coach is to create an<br />
environment for growth and evoke<br />
the best from the client, a corporate<br />
coach may be in trouble if he does<br />
not add consistent value with relevant<br />
content.<br />
“ Consulting and coaching are<br />
close cousins, and at times the<br />
lines definitely get crossed.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> consultant who does consistently<br />
great work and is asked to<br />
return again and again is probably<br />
doing some coaching – partnering<br />
with the client to create an atmosphere<br />
where everyone is challenged<br />
to bring their best, drawing out<br />
knowledge and wisdom when appro-<br />
priate. Who doesn’t love feeling<br />
smarter? Consultants who make<br />
their clients feel smart and valued<br />
will never want for work.<br />
Distinctions<br />
Consulting and coaching are close<br />
cousins, and at times the lines defi-<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
25<br />
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Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
“ Both coaching and consulting<br />
have a place, as long as the<br />
coach can get back to coaching.”<br />
nitely get crossed. And ultimately<br />
who cares really? Why is this conversation<br />
even important? As coaches,<br />
we traffic in distinctions, and it is<br />
important to be accurate when<br />
describing what we do. For corporate<br />
and business coaches, it is<br />
important to understand the differ-<br />
26 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
ent competencies required for both.<br />
We know <strong>of</strong> many excellent coaches<br />
who have had trouble with their ICF<br />
credentialing exams because they use a<br />
blend <strong>of</strong> coaching and consulting.<br />
While this may be effective with<br />
clients, it is not helpful with the credentialing<br />
process. As coaches are<br />
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preparing for ICF exams, it’s important<br />
to demonstrate ‘pure’ coaching.<br />
When a coach has mastered ‘pure’<br />
coaching, then s/he can choose to utilize<br />
it, or a hybrid <strong>of</strong> coaching and consulting<br />
when the situation requires.<br />
Remember the man who was<br />
coached and who said that he gained<br />
more benefit from the coaching call<br />
that was 80 percent coaching? He<br />
added at the end <strong>of</strong> the call, “I think<br />
the coach approach is what I need, but<br />
I also think I have some things to learn<br />
from you.” Both coaching and consulting<br />
have a place, as long as the coach<br />
knows how to get back to coaching.<br />
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By Janet Harvey, MCC<br />
<strong>The</strong> Top 20 Best Companies<br />
for Leaders1 outperformed<br />
the Standard & Poor’s 500<br />
index over a five-year period by eight<br />
to one. Why? <strong>The</strong> leaders in these<br />
companies know a secret: what others<br />
perceive as “s<strong>of</strong>t” has very, very<br />
hard implications for performance.<br />
Wholeness matters.<br />
Galileo once said, “You cannot<br />
teach humans anything. You can<br />
only help them discover it within<br />
themselves.” Wise words that give<br />
us a clue about wholeness – that<br />
quality or state <strong>of</strong> being that is in us<br />
already, only we don’t choose to see,<br />
accept or honor it enough! When<br />
you, as a consultant or a coach, present<br />
your value proposition, what<br />
do you make most important?<br />
Consider these truths:<br />
• Organizations don’t buy consulting<br />
services. Consultant con-<br />
tracts are signed to gain access to<br />
ideas, knowledge and expertise<br />
which organizational leaders perceive<br />
will improve performance.<br />
Partnering and co-creation are critical<br />
in an increasingly complex and<br />
globally connected environment.<br />
• Organizations don’t buy coaching<br />
services. Coach contracts secure<br />
access to relationship competency<br />
that supports people in the organization<br />
to perform better, especially in<br />
terms <strong>of</strong> leadership, execution and<br />
strategic thinking.<br />
<strong>The</strong> bottom line for organizations,<br />
whether you are a consultant or a<br />
coach or both, is better performance.<br />
Specifically, your value proposition<br />
must deliver different results than<br />
organizational leaders already understand<br />
how to generate. Here are<br />
some ways each service delivers bottom<br />
line impact on performance.<br />
Consultants:<br />
• Contribute new knowledge and<br />
technical competence for creating<br />
organizational results;<br />
• Provide objective research and<br />
analytical assessment upon which to<br />
base relevant content recommendations<br />
for change;<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
Wholeness<br />
Matters<br />
Be consultant AND coach<br />
“ Focusing on<br />
the benefits<br />
<strong>of</strong> using<br />
consulting<br />
and coaching<br />
services is a<br />
synergistic,<br />
win-win-win<br />
formula.”<br />
27<br />
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Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
wholeness (n.) from Greek, holos; whole; the quality<br />
or state <strong>of</strong> being whole, entire, or sound; entireness;<br />
totality; completeness.<br />
1. An unreduced or unbroken completeness or<br />
totality [synonym: integrity, unity] 2. A state <strong>of</strong><br />
robust good health [synonym: haleness]<br />
human wholeness (n.) 1. A conscious state <strong>of</strong> integrating<br />
the mind, body and spirit. 2. A healthy love for<br />
the “self” and awareness <strong>of</strong> the choices to be and to<br />
become more.<br />
organizational wholeness (n.) 1. A capacity for cooperation<br />
and collaboration versus control and power.<br />
2. A mutual commitment between leadership and<br />
employees that enables people to contribute their<br />
whole selves to any experience. 3. A path to productivity,<br />
innovation and effectiveness created by an environment<br />
which fosters resilience, adaptability, acceptance<br />
<strong>of</strong> difference and unconditional curiosity.<br />
• Co-create answers and action<br />
plans for individuals and teams to<br />
create and manage knowledge as well<br />
as implement change.<br />
Coaches:<br />
• Focus attention on underlying<br />
motivation that compels people<br />
toward effective relationships through<br />
deep listening and acceptance <strong>of</strong><br />
wholeness;<br />
• Model and impart unconditional<br />
curiosity that creates awareness,<br />
accesses hidden strengths and generates<br />
clarity and alignment;<br />
• Partner with leaders to co-create<br />
an environment for direct communi-<br />
28 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
cation, powerful questions and teamwork<br />
that is the source <strong>of</strong> improved<br />
performance.<br />
Partnering to address key organizational<br />
issues by focusing on the<br />
benefits <strong>of</strong> using consulting and<br />
coaching services is a synergistic,<br />
win-win-win formula.<br />
Consulting competence attends to<br />
the process <strong>of</strong> change that is relevant<br />
to strategic business content and<br />
operational execution and productivity.<br />
<strong>The</strong> synergy between this service<br />
and effective pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
coaching is the opportunity to simultaneously<br />
address the human relationship<br />
with change. Ultimately,<br />
performance is about leadership and<br />
this is a central focus <strong>of</strong> consulting<br />
and coaching.<br />
Leaders Drive<br />
Performance<br />
<strong>The</strong> best leaders drive performance<br />
through the environment they create.<br />
Approaches that lasted for more<br />
than a century, focusing on control<br />
and causation, are quickly being recognized<br />
as illusions and a liability.<br />
What is replacing the tradition <strong>of</strong><br />
predictability and repeatability? A<br />
call for wholeness, not perfection.<br />
<strong>The</strong> lens <strong>of</strong> wholeness focuses on<br />
building long-term value rather than<br />
short-term cost efficiency. Effective<br />
consultants bring organizational<br />
leaders strategic awareness about<br />
essential knowledge within an indus-<br />
“ Ultimately, performance is<br />
about leadership and this is a<br />
central focus <strong>of</strong> consulting and<br />
coaching.”<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
try and across disciplines. This work<br />
supports holistic thinking, revelation<br />
about patterns <strong>of</strong> opportunity and<br />
identification <strong>of</strong> paths for leverage.<br />
Creating an environment <strong>of</strong> wholeness<br />
focuses upon developing the people<br />
who will sustain an organization in<br />
any economic or competitive landscape.<br />
Effective coaches facilitate<br />
leader awareness <strong>of</strong> blind spots and<br />
limiting beliefs that exhaust energy<br />
and hinder innate creativity.<br />
Performance Focus<br />
Consider how your contract for services<br />
transforms when you focus on<br />
the performance an organization<br />
delivers as a result <strong>of</strong> investing in<br />
your services. Here is an example to<br />
consider. Dick Brass, a vice president<br />
for Micros<strong>of</strong>t from 1997 to<br />
2004, wrote a New York Times op-ed<br />
piece on February 4, 2010, about<br />
internal competition. “When competition<br />
becomes uncontrolled and<br />
destructive it creates a dysfunctional<br />
corporate culture in which big established<br />
groups are allowed to prey<br />
upon emerging teams, belittle their<br />
efforts, compete unfairly against<br />
them for resources and over time<br />
hector them out <strong>of</strong> existence.”<br />
So many things are right at<br />
Micros<strong>of</strong>t and yet 10 years after the<br />
early prototypes they had in devel-<br />
opment were squashed, Apple and<br />
Amazon are the market makers for<br />
e-books and tablet computing.<br />
What if your value proposition<br />
delivered these benefits?<br />
• Eliminate paralyzing competitive<br />
conflict inside the organization<br />
by improving leadership clarity,<br />
engagement and strategic alignment.<br />
• Catalyze solution thinking and<br />
generate customer-responsive change<br />
by combining technical and emotional/interpersonal<br />
competence in leaders<br />
at every level.<br />
• Foster sustainable customer focus<br />
by creating cultural norms for high<br />
accountability and commitment to<br />
delivery customer results.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Internet shrinks geographic<br />
distance and social media technology<br />
is dissolving communication barriers.<br />
Combined, these two factors<br />
alone make “new ideas” almost<br />
impossible to safeguard from competitive<br />
forces. With effective consulting<br />
and coaching, organizational<br />
leaders adopt resilience for faster<br />
responsiveness, allowing for adaptation<br />
at the speed <strong>of</strong> change, and<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten initiating the pace.<br />
What people deliver makes the difference<br />
between successful performance<br />
and business failure. Workplace<br />
environments that reward impact and<br />
positive influence on an organization’s<br />
customers are winning in the market.<br />
<strong>The</strong> synergy <strong>of</strong> consulting and coaching<br />
services powerfully focused on<br />
what people deliver will generate<br />
game-changing results. Why?<br />
Performance = Energy<br />
<strong>The</strong> absolute belief in and full acceptance<br />
<strong>of</strong> each person’s unique whole-<br />
ness is an act <strong>of</strong> freedom. Consider<br />
for a moment how much energy individuals<br />
expend each day wondering<br />
how they compare, measure up or<br />
advance over another in a given relationship<br />
or situation. What is available<br />
when we free up that energy?<br />
Belief in, and acceptance <strong>of</strong>, each<br />
other’s human wholeness access idle<br />
energy and allow two important<br />
leadership alternatives:<br />
1. Confident expression <strong>of</strong> self, unencumbered<br />
by self-conscious censoring<br />
so that bold curiosity, imagination<br />
and creativity are available;<br />
2. Deep listening and complete<br />
presence with another so that connection<br />
and engagement is more complete.<br />
If we took wholeness seriously,<br />
“We’d include more <strong>of</strong> what was<br />
involved – and more <strong>of</strong> who was<br />
involved – in any situation we were<br />
dealing with. We’d try to consider<br />
anything that might be relevant, and<br />
we’d make sure all stakeholders were<br />
involved. Ideally, we’d include any-<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
“ <strong>The</strong> lens <strong>of</strong> wholeness focuses on building long-term<br />
value rather than short-term cost efficiency.”<br />
29<br />
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30 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
“ <strong>The</strong> synergy <strong>of</strong> consulting and<br />
coaching services powerfully<br />
focused on what people<br />
deliver will generate gamechanging<br />
results.”<br />
thing and anyone related to the situation<br />
– as much as we could tolerate. Of<br />
course we all have our limits, but we’d<br />
continually stretch our ability to embrace<br />
more and more reality – more and more<br />
viewpoints and approaches and diversity<br />
and nuance and complexity. We’d want to<br />
get a sense <strong>of</strong> the whole picture – or as<br />
close to it as we could get.” 2<br />
<strong>The</strong> old adage, “the whole is greater<br />
than the sum <strong>of</strong> the parts” applies inside<br />
organizations and has the potential to<br />
generate exponential improvement.<br />
Dan Pink’s latest book, Drive, <strong>The</strong><br />
Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,<br />
outlines three requirements in the organizational<br />
environment for intrinsic<br />
motivation to flourish. Employees must:<br />
1. Have choice about what they do<br />
and with whom they do it;<br />
2. Desire mastery <strong>of</strong> tasks and<br />
skills that matter to them;<br />
3. See the work as contributing to a<br />
greater purpose.<br />
As the research in this book points<br />
out, these factors are delivering<br />
results. Leaders who create environments<br />
with these elements will release<br />
the individual energy wasted on internal<br />
competition and self-interest, and<br />
bring more <strong>of</strong> each person into collaboration<br />
and team activities. Wholeness<br />
is another synergistic, win-win-win for-<br />
mula that consultants and coaches are<br />
well suited to support.<br />
Be Synergistic<br />
What do we learn from the Top 20 Best<br />
Companies for Leaders? <strong>The</strong> myriad <strong>of</strong><br />
factors that are driving a change in fundamental<br />
business performance principles<br />
create tremendous opportunities<br />
for the synergy <strong>of</strong> consulting and<br />
coaching. Here are the elements to<br />
consider as you refine your value<br />
proposition in the marketplace.<br />
Cultures inside the Top 20 Best<br />
Companies for Leaders are:<br />
• Big, complex and global; global issues<br />
are important and a pool <strong>of</strong> successors<br />
for mission critical roles is paramount.<br />
• Modern, fun, learning-oriented<br />
workplaces; moving between functions<br />
is extremely common; people are<br />
expected to lead regardless <strong>of</strong> position<br />
authority; emotions are openly discussed<br />
in the workplace.<br />
• Collaboration is the path to innovation;<br />
employees are encouraged to take<br />
new approaches to solving problems; if<br />
you see a problem or opportunity you<br />
are allowed to address it.<br />
Take wholeness seriously and win!<br />
1 Hay Group/Bloomberg Business Week 2009 Best<br />
Companies for Leadership Study<br />
2 <strong>The</strong> Co-Intelligence Institute; www.co-intelligence.org<br />
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Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
By Pauline Fleming, MCC<br />
When it comes to purchasing<br />
– from buying<br />
new s<strong>of</strong>tware to selecting<br />
the right executive coach – value<br />
has become the driving factor in corporate,<br />
business and consumer decision-making.<br />
Because managers and employees<br />
are expected to produce improved<br />
results with fewer resources, buyers<br />
are seeking cross-functionality, significant<br />
return-on-investment, flexibility,<br />
and reliability.<br />
Thus, the trend is that more and<br />
more clients want coaches to be “the<br />
source for resources.” For example, a<br />
key decision-maker mentions a challenge<br />
their organization is having in<br />
a regular conversation. You happen<br />
to have a special report that addresses<br />
this specific challenge. You ask if<br />
they would be interested in receiving<br />
this special report. <strong>The</strong>y are<br />
<strong>The</strong> Value<br />
<strong>of</strong> theTrusted<br />
Advisor<br />
How clients are moving from<br />
consulting to coaching<br />
grateful, and mention they have a<br />
meeting with the senior leadership<br />
team where they will speak about it.<br />
Your preparedness with contentrich<br />
resources pays <strong>of</strong>f.<br />
Another example <strong>of</strong> being the<br />
source for resources is when a decision-maker<br />
is in need <strong>of</strong> candidates for<br />
a vacant position and asks you if you<br />
know anyone. Remember to always<br />
share more than one option and this<br />
way the choice and outcomes remain<br />
the client’s (three is a solid number<br />
<strong>of</strong> choices when referring or sharing).<br />
By providing numerous products,<br />
resources, articles and contacts,<br />
the client’s relationship with you as a<br />
coach becomes less about bottom-line<br />
numbers and more about you being an<br />
invaluable source <strong>of</strong> expertise.<br />
Take a coach approach and ask,<br />
“What challenges might I be able to<br />
support you with outside <strong>of</strong> our regular<br />
coaching relationship?” <strong>The</strong>n<br />
watch what comes your way.<br />
Value = Many Hats<br />
A coach empowers clients to discover<br />
their own solutions and design a<br />
strategy, then helps the client manage<br />
accountability. A consultant typically<br />
is expected to provide specific recommendations<br />
for solutions, actively<br />
assist in the design and implementation<br />
<strong>of</strong> a strategy, and possibly produce<br />
the result on behalf <strong>of</strong> the<br />
client. More and more, clients are<br />
seeking a coach-consultant hybrid.<br />
In addition to the traditional oneon-one<br />
access, clients want access to<br />
one go-to person who will support<br />
them through a variety <strong>of</strong> challenges.<br />
At the same time, the client appreciates<br />
owning their solutions, having a<br />
sounding board, implementing the<br />
action plan themselves without the<br />
implementation success leaving with<br />
the expert. This incredible opportunity<br />
allows you, the coach, to honor<br />
your commitment to the coach<br />
approach, yet still grow long-term<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
31<br />
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Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
relationships with your favorite<br />
clients. Hear what the client is asking<br />
for (like a retreat, workshop,<br />
motivational day and so on), and<br />
then put a coaching framework<br />
around it by providing a process<br />
rather than an event.<br />
Value is the key factor for most<br />
buyers, and a coach with specific<br />
expertise may have an advantage<br />
32 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
today. Because <strong>of</strong> their expertise, the<br />
client may view them as a more<br />
viable resource. However, while<br />
background is important in fieldfocused<br />
coaching assignments, the<br />
“ More and more, clients are seeking a<br />
coach-consultant hybrid.”<br />
generalist can still compete. As you<br />
learn about your client’s challenges,<br />
identify the ones for which you feel a<br />
particular passion. Consider the<br />
solutions to these challenges and<br />
frame them in questions and action<br />
ideas. An excellent tactic is to use a<br />
case study format. This allows you to<br />
demonstrate your competency to go<br />
deep and wide with a client, while<br />
saving clients from the hassle <strong>of</strong> having<br />
to find multiple experts to help<br />
them navigate through their manylayered<br />
challenges.<br />
Rather than being known for only<br />
one service, you become a solution<br />
to multiple problems for the HR<br />
department. And, as you deliver<br />
results for the HR department, your<br />
name is then passed along to other<br />
managers as their coach <strong>of</strong> choice.<br />
Dedicated to my friend Kim George<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
Value = Trust<br />
Strong relationships are the new currency.<br />
People are buying from those<br />
they trust and they are moving away<br />
from solving things on their own.<br />
This means there is still business out<br />
there—decision makers are giving it<br />
to those who deliver value. Deliver<br />
on your promises and consider providing<br />
packages with “loyalty pricing”<br />
when they send you more than<br />
one client. This creates a deposit into<br />
their “trust bank account”. Research<br />
has shown that the best results come<br />
from a combination <strong>of</strong> internal and<br />
external coaching. Focus on your<br />
most important relationships and<br />
put emphasis on how you can support<br />
their internal mandates.<br />
<strong>The</strong> corporate environment is<br />
hungry to find someone who will<br />
truly listen! Polish your coaching<br />
competencies and you are on your<br />
way to being their trusted advisor.<br />
Something to remember is that your<br />
coaching skill-set is just one tool in<br />
your toolbox. During the course <strong>of</strong><br />
your business you may find yourself<br />
working with clients from numerous<br />
industries and fields, in addition to<br />
specializing in a specific area like<br />
sales, or employee recognition programs.<br />
As you accumulate these<br />
experiences, you gain a collection <strong>of</strong><br />
best practices. Turn this knowledge<br />
into tangible resources, coaching<br />
themes, tele-seminar programs, and<br />
downloadable resources. You will<br />
soon become known as the expert.<br />
You will be elevated from coach to<br />
trusted advisor because you have<br />
knowledge, wisdom and resources in<br />
the areas that are most important to<br />
your clients.<br />
Using your core coaching competencies<br />
as a foundation, carve out the<br />
niches in which you have experience<br />
and assets. While I don’t focus on a<br />
specific industry, the blending <strong>of</strong><br />
business boost camps, leadership<br />
communication, assessments and<br />
employee engagement practices<br />
“ Clients want access to one<br />
go-to person who will support<br />
them through a variety <strong>of</strong><br />
challenges.”<br />
have led to relationships that extend<br />
over many years. It’s to the point<br />
where one <strong>of</strong> my clients has written<br />
me into their business plan as both<br />
their coach and a member <strong>of</strong> their<br />
advisory board!<br />
What led to this role was the conscious<br />
choice to develop more tools<br />
than just coaching skills and applying<br />
a coach approach. Coupled with taking<br />
care <strong>of</strong> important relationships<br />
and being the “source for resources,”<br />
my clients have made me their go-to<br />
person. We’ve built significant trust<br />
and this is especially important in<br />
today’s business environment.<br />
(Special note: although clients may<br />
see you as their trusted advisor, it is<br />
not because you give them advice; it<br />
is because <strong>of</strong> the comfort you provide<br />
in helping them select and act<br />
on their own ideas).<br />
Value = Variety<br />
Leadership forums are the client’s<br />
new jargon for what is actually group<br />
coaching. Make sure you use your<br />
client’s language and <strong>of</strong>fer variety –<br />
individual and group coaching,<br />
workshop facilitation, speaking,<br />
product development, subject-specific<br />
coaching. Each one can be a<br />
door-opener. And once inside you’ll<br />
be able to educate the client on the<br />
value <strong>of</strong> using your other services,<br />
especially after documenting results<br />
from the initial activity.<br />
In re-casting your practice like this<br />
you may find that you’ll enjoy this<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ession even more. Client relationships<br />
transform into business<br />
friendships. Get clear on the qualities<br />
<strong>of</strong> your ideal clients and go create<br />
those trusted advisor relationships.<br />
And, by the way, I do all <strong>of</strong> this<br />
with a coaching business model that<br />
is <strong>of</strong>fered mainly over the phone,<br />
three days per week, three weeks per<br />
month. So, you don’t even need to be<br />
physically present to become a<br />
Trusted Advisor! Isn’t this a great<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ession?! Make sure you know<br />
your best business model and align<br />
your <strong>of</strong>ferings with this framework.<br />
You may soon discover that you have<br />
over 95 percent repeat and referral<br />
business.<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
33<br />
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By Gail Barker, BA, CPCC<br />
For as long as I have been a member<br />
<strong>of</strong> the coaching pr<strong>of</strong>ession<br />
– just over seven years now –<br />
and to my knowledge for many years<br />
preceding that, there has been a debate<br />
about how coaching and consulting<br />
can co-exist in the business world.<br />
Depending on who is behind the query,<br />
sometimes the question that arises is<br />
about the fundamental difference<br />
between these modalities. Sometimes,<br />
the question simply assumes an inherent<br />
difference and is therefore more about<br />
how they can co-exist as part <strong>of</strong> the cultural<br />
fabric known as “helping pr<strong>of</strong>essions.”<br />
Always, however, the overriding<br />
question is how coaching and consulting<br />
might support each other in the everyday<br />
world. Is there room for both?<br />
Looking at the coaching and consulting<br />
industries as they currently exist it would<br />
appear that the short answer is “yes.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> longer answer is not only can coach-<br />
Meeting in<br />
theMiddle<br />
Niche coaching blends the best <strong>of</strong><br />
coaching and consulting<br />
ing and consulting support each other,<br />
they absolutely do support each other.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Coach/Consultant<br />
Continuum<br />
In order to understand how coaching<br />
and consulting come together, it is<br />
important to first realize that these two<br />
service modalities exist as part <strong>of</strong> a continuum,<br />
with consulting at one end, and<br />
pure coaching at the other.<br />
Consulting, according to the definition<br />
provided by businessdictionary.com, is<br />
“the providing <strong>of</strong> expert knowledge to a<br />
third party for a fee.” In other words, in a<br />
consulting capacity, a pr<strong>of</strong>essional is<br />
being hired for a very specific area <strong>of</strong><br />
expertise, with the assumption and<br />
understanding that he or she will impart<br />
concrete tools and strategies based on<br />
this expertise, in order to fix or at least<br />
enhance already existing infrastructures.<br />
At the other end <strong>of</strong> the continuum,<br />
pure coaching <strong>of</strong>fers a different flavor<br />
<strong>of</strong> service to its clients. <strong>The</strong> International<br />
Coach Federation (coachfederation.org)<br />
defines coaching as “partnering with<br />
clients in a thought-provoking and creative<br />
process that inspires them to maximize<br />
their personal and pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
potential.” In other words, in its purest<br />
form, coaching does not require the service<br />
provider to have an area <strong>of</strong> expertise;<br />
if you look closely at the two definitions<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
“ A consultant is expected to do the<br />
work and share their expertise to<br />
solve an issue for the client.”<br />
35<br />
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36 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
“ For many clients, niche coaching<br />
provides the ideal blend <strong>of</strong> freedom<br />
to find their own answers<br />
within a framework <strong>of</strong> desired<br />
expertise.”<br />
you will see that the keywords <strong>of</strong> note are:<br />
• coaching focuses on “partnering,”<br />
as opposed to “expert” which is found<br />
in the consulting definition;<br />
• coaching strives to be “thought-provoking<br />
and creative” as opposed to structured<br />
and dictated which is implied by<br />
the words “providing … knowledge” in<br />
the consulting definition;<br />
• coaching seeks to “ inspire and maximize<br />
potential,” as opposed to the<br />
implied mandating which can be found<br />
in a consultative arrangement.<br />
Thus, a coach acts as a supportive<br />
partner, witness and champion, asking<br />
the questions that need to be asked in<br />
order for the client to reach his or her<br />
own answers and thereby create, on<br />
their own and <strong>of</strong> their own volition, the<br />
change they are looking for. A consultant,<br />
on the other hand, is expected to<br />
do the work and share their expertise<br />
to solve an issue for the client.<br />
Niche <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
We’ve established that consulting and<br />
pure coaching exist at either end <strong>of</strong> a continuum,<br />
so what is it that exists in the<br />
middle? If pure coaching is at one<br />
extreme, and consulting at the other,<br />
what emerges in the space between?<br />
Enter niche coaching. When a coach<br />
declares a niche, he or she essentially<br />
announces to the world that their coaching<br />
is based on some level <strong>of</strong> expertise in<br />
that specific area. Whether the expertise<br />
is life-based, the result <strong>of</strong> education or<br />
previous work-experience is irrelevant.<br />
Specialized coaches declare publicly that<br />
there is specific expertise which sets<br />
them apart from those who practice a<br />
more generalized approach to coaching.<br />
A “weight-loss coach” suggests to those<br />
who read those words that he or she has<br />
knowledge specifically related to weight<br />
loss that is <strong>of</strong> value. A “leadership coach”<br />
announces to the world that he or she has<br />
expertise to <strong>of</strong>fer to leaders who may<br />
choose to work with him or her. When<br />
you claim a niche, you must be prepared<br />
to provide the implied expertise – even if<br />
it’s within a coaching framework – to<br />
those clients who choose to hire you.<br />
In short, niche coaching is where the<br />
best <strong>of</strong> coaching and consulting come<br />
together.<br />
When a client enters into an agreement<br />
with a niche coach, as opposed to<br />
a consultant or a pure coach, they are<br />
definitely looking for a certain amount<br />
<strong>of</strong> expertise, and they are simultaneously<br />
looking for a less directive<br />
approach. <strong>The</strong>y are looking to access<br />
their own strategies and answers, and<br />
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<strong>Coaching</strong><br />
&Consulting<br />
yet they want to do so with the support<br />
<strong>of</strong> specific knowledge and insight. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
want to be able to pick the coach’s brain,<br />
to have access to their information, and<br />
at the same time they know they’ll have<br />
the freedom and latitude to modify that<br />
expertise so that it actually works for<br />
them as an individual. In other words,<br />
niche coaching clients can take the<br />
packaged strategy, pull it apart, and then<br />
put it back together in a way that feels<br />
right for them. While consulting isn’t<br />
necessarily in opposition to this sort <strong>of</strong><br />
tweaking, consulting clients can <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
feel a certain requirement to implement<br />
strategies as presented, given that<br />
they’re paying specifically for the expertise<br />
in question.<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> & Consulting<br />
When it comes right down to it, there is<br />
a place for both coaching and consulting<br />
in the business world. While in their<br />
purest forms these modalities exist at<br />
opposite ends <strong>of</strong> a continuum, there is a<br />
place where they come together, namely<br />
in the form <strong>of</strong> niche coaching. For many<br />
clients, niche coaching provides the<br />
ideal blend <strong>of</strong> freedom to find their own<br />
answers within a framework <strong>of</strong> desired<br />
expertise. While many love the notion<br />
that everyone has their own answers and<br />
needs to simply access them, having an<br />
expert answer provided as a starting<br />
point can jumpstart what can otherwise<br />
be an arduous and time-consuming<br />
process. For those who want to invest<br />
the time, pure coaching is a wonderful<br />
tool. For others who stand in a perspective<br />
where time is <strong>of</strong> the essence, cutting<br />
straight to consulting is the way to go.<br />
And for those who want the best <strong>of</strong> both<br />
worlds, niche coaching is where it’s at. •<br />
<strong>The</strong> choice<br />
Village<br />
is coming!<br />
Look for your<br />
invitation<br />
to visit soon!<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
37<br />
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A CHILD’S WISH IS WAITING. HELP IT TAKE FLIGHT.<br />
Every 40 minutes, the Make-A-Wish Foundation ® grants the wish <strong>of</strong> a child with a life-threatening<br />
medical condition. Last year, nearly 65 percent <strong>of</strong> all wishes granted involved travel — to visit family, go to an<br />
exotic destination or meet a hero. Give their wishes flight by donating<br />
your frequent flier miles and hotel reward points at wish.org/miles.<br />
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By Suzi Pomerantz, BA, MA, MCC<br />
Coach As<br />
Consultant<br />
Is your coaching really consulting? Maybe if it<br />
was, you’d be making a six-figure income!<br />
Check your contracts, coaches!<br />
Does your contract include language referencing the<br />
descriptors <strong>of</strong> a coach as “guide” or “trusted advisor,” or<br />
is the term “consultant” anywhere in your document? If<br />
so, you could be open to an ethics violation from the<br />
International Coach Federation (ICF).<br />
In an ethics ruling against a seasoned MCC within<br />
the last five years, the Independent Review Board <strong>of</strong><br />
the ICF’s Ethics Committee ruled a coaching agreement<br />
to be “unclear with reference to the nature <strong>of</strong><br />
coaching” when the coach in question had the following<br />
language in her contract: “Coach agrees to serve<br />
as guide, advisor, and consultant in the areas identified<br />
by the client.” <strong>The</strong> ICF ruled that such language<br />
in the coaching agreement, regardless <strong>of</strong> the fact that<br />
it was referencing services performed in an organizational<br />
context, “is not in alignment with the ICF definition<br />
<strong>of</strong> coaching or the ICF Core <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
Competencies.”<br />
“Consulting, in the big leagues<br />
anyway, is about excellence.”<br />
Bravo to the ICF for putting a stake in the ground around<br />
the differentiation between coaching and consulting.<br />
Beware to the coaches who want to make a living!<br />
Is <strong>Coaching</strong> Part <strong>of</strong> Consulting?<br />
When talking to executives and leaders, I <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
describe my work as “directive coaching” based on my<br />
philosophy that the corporations in which I coach<br />
leaders and teams don’t actually pay big bucks for me<br />
to come in only asking questions. <strong>The</strong> ICF and several<br />
coach training schools will have you think that pure<br />
coaching is when the coach only asks questions, and<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
perspective<br />
that anything other than asking questions constitutes<br />
consulting. This could be the biggest disservice perpetrated<br />
against new and under-utilized coaches by<br />
the industry into which they are attempting to grow<br />
their coaching businesses. If a coach is interested in<br />
breaking into or expanding his or her business into<br />
executive or leadership coaching, it will help tremendously<br />
in the sales process to hold coaching in the<br />
broader context <strong>of</strong> consulting.<br />
In my 17 years in the business, I’ve seen a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
efforts to distinguish between coaching and consulting.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was an article early on in a 2004 issue <strong>of</strong><br />
the International Journal <strong>of</strong> <strong>Coaching</strong> in Organizations<br />
(Volume 2, Number 3, p.8: “<strong>The</strong> Ethics <strong>of</strong> <strong>Coaching</strong>”)<br />
where authors Bergquist and Grenier did a wonderful<br />
job <strong>of</strong> comparing the three Cs <strong>of</strong> coaching, consulting<br />
and counseling. I understand the dangers <strong>of</strong><br />
co-mingling coaching and counseling, and there have<br />
been some legal cases in the U.S. accusing coaches <strong>of</strong><br />
practicing therapy without a license. I get that; psychology<br />
is a highly regulated pr<strong>of</strong>ession requiring<br />
serious training and coaches who tread on counseling<br />
space risk causing real harm to people with needs<br />
best addressed by therapy or medication. But why the<br />
big push to separate coaching from consulting?<br />
39<br />
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perspective<br />
Buyers & Business<br />
Development<br />
Not intending to be controversial, I<br />
define coaching as part <strong>of</strong> the larger<br />
umbrella <strong>of</strong> consulting, particularly<br />
when it is performed in an organizational<br />
context. As a coach whose<br />
subject matter domain is leadership<br />
and business development, I work<br />
primarily in organizations with<br />
leaders and teams. In that context,<br />
the buyers are familiar with consultants<br />
and the value <strong>of</strong> the results<br />
they produce for the company.<br />
When selling coaching services<br />
into organizations, the coach will be<br />
viewed by the buyer as a consultant.<br />
If it doesn’t matter to our buyers<br />
that there be a distinction between<br />
coaches and consultants, why do we<br />
care? Decision-makers in companies<br />
are comfortable with buying<br />
consulting. <strong>The</strong>re’s a precedent for<br />
buying consulting, and <strong>of</strong>ten when<br />
they buy coaching, the expense<br />
appears in their internal systems as<br />
consulting. It’s how they think <strong>of</strong> us<br />
anyway, so why do we need to assert<br />
our “non-consultant-ness”?<br />
On the other side <strong>of</strong> the equation,<br />
I am not advocating for coaches to<br />
become true consultants and<br />
advice-givers. That opens up the<br />
whole conversation about liability<br />
insurance. Consultants (especially<br />
those involved in finance, construction,<br />
legal matters, etc.) need liability<br />
insurance because their advice<br />
could cause their clients to experience<br />
financial losses, damage, etc.<br />
Consultants carry expensive Errors<br />
and Omissions insurance for that<br />
very reason. As coaches, we do not<br />
give advice; however, if we begin to<br />
40 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
think <strong>of</strong> ourselves under the larger<br />
umbrella <strong>of</strong> consulting, we may need<br />
to consider the same sort <strong>of</strong> protection<br />
for our businesses, especially if<br />
we engage in both coaching and consulting<br />
solutions for our clients.<br />
I’d argue that it is a benefit to<br />
those <strong>of</strong> us who coach in businesses<br />
to be lumped together with the<br />
broader consulting world, for the<br />
“Consultants are<br />
accountable to bring<br />
answers. Coaches<br />
bring questions.”<br />
sake <strong>of</strong> credibility. Consultants get<br />
results in an organizational context.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are smart problem solvers<br />
with subject matter expertise.<br />
Think McKinsey. Think Accenture.<br />
Think Deloitte. Consulting, in the<br />
big leagues anyway, is about excellence.<br />
<strong>The</strong> branding is powerful.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dollars are enormous. We, as<br />
coaches, could use that to our<br />
advantage in the sales process.<br />
Marketing Yourself<br />
As Consultant<br />
Many coaches are not comfortable<br />
being a consultant. Consultants are<br />
accountable to bring answers. Coaches<br />
bring questions. Consultants<br />
have to know and be subject matter<br />
experts. Coaches uncover more when<br />
they come from not knowing; from<br />
genuine curiosity and wondering.<br />
Consultants bring, for comparison’s<br />
sake, benchmarks <strong>of</strong> the<br />
solutions <strong>of</strong> other companies and<br />
leaders with similar problems.<br />
Coaches hold up a metaphorical mirror<br />
so that the companies and leaders<br />
can learn from their own successes<br />
and experiences. Consultants hunt<br />
for problems to solve. Coaches seek<br />
strengths to build on. We can keep<br />
going with the differences.<br />
But think about your business<br />
development efforts for a minute.<br />
Are you not a subject matter expert<br />
on the subject <strong>of</strong> coaching? Are you<br />
not seeking the problem or challenge<br />
your prospective buyer is facing to<br />
determine if coaching is an appropriate<br />
intervention? Are you not bringing<br />
“benchmarks” <strong>of</strong> results your<br />
coaching has created for others<br />
facing similar situations as your<br />
prospective buyer? Doesn’t that<br />
make you a consultant in the process<br />
<strong>of</strong> getting someone to buy your<br />
coaching services?<br />
If you’re not comfortable being a<br />
consultant in your coaching business,<br />
try it in your sales process. It<br />
will make all the difference in your<br />
revenue results. •<br />
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By Phillip Sandahl, CPCC, MCC<br />
Coach, Consultant, Trainer<br />
Wearing multiple hats for teams<br />
Here’s the scene. You’re there in<br />
a conference room with a team. You<br />
just noticed something. <strong>The</strong> team<br />
noticed that you noticed. Now the<br />
team is staring at you, waiting for a<br />
comment, a question, or a direction<br />
to follow. In that moment you have<br />
to decide what hat you’re wearing:<br />
coach, consultant or in some cases,<br />
trainer. <strong>The</strong> team doesn’t care. All<br />
they want are better results. You<br />
have that goal in mind <strong>of</strong> course.<br />
You were hired to help the team get<br />
better results. But you also have a<br />
broader context: a more resourceful<br />
team. It’s this underlying developmental<br />
objective that gives rise to<br />
the multiple hats and hat selection.<br />
At one level, all coaching includes<br />
self development: learning, change,<br />
growth. With teams it is especially<br />
acute because most team members<br />
lack a basic understanding <strong>of</strong> what<br />
is required for effective team performance.<br />
I say this based on my<br />
own experience working with teams<br />
over the last five years and a review<br />
<strong>of</strong> hundreds <strong>of</strong> team assessments.<br />
<strong>The</strong> data confirm the experience<br />
and it is not surprising. Even though<br />
organizations continue to put more<br />
emphasis on the team as the means<br />
for achieving work results, there<br />
is little focus on the development<br />
<strong>of</strong> team skills and competencies.<br />
Organizations have not yet made<br />
the shift from individual performer<br />
to team performance.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is a fundamental lack <strong>of</strong><br />
team know-how on teams. It starts<br />
with the basics. Here’s an example:<br />
“Teams are counting on you to have the<br />
means to get them where they want to go.”<br />
the need to have explicit team<br />
agreements. All teams have team<br />
agreements. Mostly they are unspoken<br />
agreements, un-negotiated, and<br />
“Selecting which<br />
hat to wear in the<br />
moment is art, not<br />
science.”<br />
embedded in the culture <strong>of</strong> the<br />
team or organization. You can see<br />
those unspoken agreements in the<br />
behavior <strong>of</strong> the team. Everyone<br />
abides by them.<br />
Coach Hat<br />
As a coach, I can share my observation,<br />
or as we might say, “articulate<br />
corporate leadership<br />
what’s going on,” and then ask the<br />
perfectly obvious coaching question,<br />
“How’s that working for you?”<br />
and the follow up, “If you wanted it<br />
to be different, what would that<br />
look like?”<br />
Consultant Hat<br />
Sometimes, as a team consultant I<br />
need to go a step farther. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />
certain ground conditions that need<br />
to be in place in order for teams to<br />
work together effectively. Some <strong>of</strong><br />
those ground conditions include<br />
clear team agreements, a process for<br />
updating or revising those agreements,<br />
and a back-up agreement for<br />
when the team doesn’t live up to its<br />
agreements, because that will surely<br />
happen.<br />
Trainer Hat<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are also times working with a<br />
team that we need to set aside time<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
41<br />
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42 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
corporate leadership<br />
to train the team in creating those<br />
team agreements. During that<br />
process it’s likely I will shift roles<br />
from trainer to coach to facilitator<br />
– all in a brief period <strong>of</strong> time. <strong>The</strong><br />
training is necessary in order for<br />
the team to get better results in<br />
the short term, and learn to be a<br />
more effective and more resourceful<br />
team for the future. <strong>The</strong>se are<br />
also skills and competencies the<br />
team then takes to every other<br />
team they are on.<br />
Distinctions<br />
<strong>The</strong> same hat sorting situations<br />
come up in relation to other team<br />
basics including alignment around<br />
team purpose, team accountability,<br />
communication, disagreement or<br />
conflict, and team diversity.<br />
It’s important to remember<br />
that teams are focused on results.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are under pressure to perform<br />
and have limited patience.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are counting on you to have<br />
the means to get them where they<br />
want to go. <strong>The</strong>y are not making<br />
the distinction between coaching,<br />
consulting and training. And yet it<br />
is useful for the team to know that<br />
I will be interacting with them in<br />
these different ways and the purpose<br />
<strong>of</strong> each. In the early process <strong>of</strong><br />
designing the relationship between<br />
myself and the team, I will cover<br />
these distinctions.<br />
“Choosing which<br />
hat to wear<br />
requires tuning<br />
into the entity that<br />
is the team.”<br />
• As a coach I help access the<br />
knowledge, wisdom and experience<br />
that already exist on the<br />
team.<br />
• As a team consultant I have<br />
expertise in the subject <strong>of</strong> team<br />
effectiveness.<br />
• As a trainer I am equipped<br />
with processes to assist teams in<br />
acquiring the skills to be more<br />
effective team members and create<br />
more effective teams.<br />
In my role I draw on all three<br />
areas, as needed, in service <strong>of</strong> the<br />
team.<br />
Which Hat?<br />
Selecting which hat to wear in the<br />
moment is art, not science. It<br />
requires tuning into the entity<br />
that is the team to help fulfill both<br />
the short-term needs <strong>of</strong> the team,<br />
and the developmental needs for<br />
this team and its members. •<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
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By Miguel Bonilla, MS, MA, CC and Bobbi Hahn, MPA, CC<br />
Meaningful<br />
Impact<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> & consulting in the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector<br />
Over the past several years, we’ve been working to<br />
provide coaching and consulting to local nonpr<strong>of</strong>its. At<br />
the same time, we became certified coaches ourselves<br />
and learned more about the coaching field. What has<br />
become clear is that consulting has a long history and<br />
presence in the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector, but a lot <strong>of</strong> evidence<br />
now supports the increased effectiveness <strong>of</strong> coaching to<br />
produce the desired results within the sector.<br />
In this article, we will show why coaches should consider<br />
the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector as a viable means <strong>of</strong> expanding<br />
their coaching clientele and how that differs from<br />
consulting in the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector. We’ll explain how<br />
these approaches differ, what some <strong>of</strong> the critical needs<br />
are, and how coaches can position themselves to have<br />
maximum impact.<br />
Why Nonpr<strong>of</strong>its?<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are over 1.5 million nonpr<strong>of</strong>its in the U.S. alone,<br />
accounting for over eight percent <strong>of</strong> all wages and salaries.<br />
In some cities, like New York, they account for 14 percent<br />
“A lot <strong>of</strong> evidence now supports<br />
the increased effectiveness<br />
<strong>of</strong> coaching to produce the<br />
desired results within the<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector.”<br />
<strong>of</strong> the labor force. Nonpr<strong>of</strong>its are seven percent <strong>of</strong> the<br />
GDP. This is significantly higher than the utilities industry<br />
at 2.3 percent, the construction industry at 5.1 percent<br />
and the financial industry including banks, insurance companies<br />
and financial services firms, at just 5.6 percent. 1<br />
As interest in social issues continues to rise, the number<br />
<strong>of</strong> nonpr<strong>of</strong>its has also increased. Between 1995 and 2005,<br />
the number <strong>of</strong> organizations registered with the IRS grew<br />
by more than 27 percent. More than one hundred new<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>it organizations file with the IRS every day. 2<br />
Although the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector constitutes a large<br />
portion <strong>of</strong> the labor market, nonpr<strong>of</strong>its have had a difficult<br />
time communicating what they do. Most people<br />
think the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector is made up <strong>of</strong> poorly paid,<br />
altruistic community organizers, folding flyers in a<br />
church basement. <strong>The</strong>se nonpr<strong>of</strong>its exist and provide<br />
critical services to needy communities, but the sector<br />
has also produced many organizations that are business<br />
savvy and complex. Most hospitals and universities, for<br />
example, are nonpr<strong>of</strong>its and function more like corporations.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y invest heavily in pr<strong>of</strong>essional development,<br />
they depend on fees for services for their income,<br />
and they have staff in the thousands. <strong>The</strong> majority <strong>of</strong><br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>its, however, are those in the middle: those that<br />
have been around for more than three years, have a staff<br />
<strong>of</strong> at least five people, are reasonably stable but have a<br />
need to strengthen their human capital.<br />
Private vs. Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
It is clear that the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector continues to grow,<br />
but similar to the the IT industry in the mid-’90s, there<br />
is little understanding <strong>of</strong> how nonpr<strong>of</strong>its actually function<br />
and the challenges they face. What is certain is that<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>its are battling fierce funding and political environments<br />
that would make Enron execs cry for mercy.<br />
Here are some leadership and organizational challenges<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>its face:<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
impact<br />
43<br />
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impact<br />
• Founder’s Syndrome. Nonpr<strong>of</strong>its<br />
are small businesses and<br />
share the same isolation and undercapitalization<br />
issues as other small<br />
businesses. Yet the lack <strong>of</strong> a pr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
motive keeps many leaders from<br />
letting go <strong>of</strong> familiar routines and<br />
relationships in favor <strong>of</strong> a clear<br />
strategy or vision.<br />
• Various Stakeholders. Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
leaders manage several complex<br />
and demanding relationships.<br />
Leaders must make sure their board<br />
is engaged, their funders know who<br />
they are, their staff is focused and<br />
producing and their vendors paid.<br />
Without a pr<strong>of</strong>it motive, relationships<br />
to stakeholders can be the<br />
source <strong>of</strong> great stress. Something as<br />
ridiculous as waiting three months<br />
to get board approval for a new fax<br />
machine may seem absurd and<br />
counterproductive in the private<br />
sector, but can be quite common in<br />
the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector.<br />
• Mission Creep. When leading<br />
a values-based business like a nonpr<strong>of</strong>it,<br />
leaders can stray away from<br />
the original purpose. <strong>The</strong> funding<br />
environment can be very lean and<br />
leaders may elect to expand their<br />
scope <strong>of</strong> work simply because the<br />
opportunity exists. Nonpr<strong>of</strong>its are<br />
driven to demonstrate impact and<br />
if they begin to work outside their<br />
core mission, they risk spreading<br />
themselves too thin and losing<br />
credibility with their funders and<br />
their constituents.<br />
• Inconsistent Funding. Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
funding is <strong>of</strong>ten made up <strong>of</strong><br />
many small grants; each funder<br />
creates its own unique funding<br />
categories, criteria, processes and<br />
payment schedule. Nonpr<strong>of</strong>its, on<br />
the other hand, must continue to<br />
operate with little confidence <strong>of</strong><br />
when and how much money may be<br />
coming into the organization – a<br />
cash flow challenge that plagues<br />
even the best nonpr<strong>of</strong>its. 3<br />
Identifying Needs<br />
A recent study on coaching and<br />
consulting revealed the following:<br />
✔ <strong>Coaching</strong> and consulting<br />
together is most effective. A consultant<br />
qualified to deliver both<br />
one-on-one executive coaching<br />
with organizational consulting is<br />
well positioned to effectively assist<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>its. Executive coaching is<br />
more useful when informed by a<br />
comprehensive understanding <strong>of</strong><br />
the needs and challenges <strong>of</strong> a particular<br />
organization. In addition, a<br />
consultant-coach may be better<br />
equipped to clarify the roles and<br />
expectations <strong>of</strong> the consultant,<br />
staff and the board.<br />
✔ Mid-sized organizations benefit<br />
most. Organizations that have moved<br />
beyond adolescence seem to be more<br />
ready to receive consulting or coaching<br />
intervention. Smaller organizations<br />
in an early lifecycle stage <strong>of</strong><br />
development tend to focus on basic<br />
management skills and do not achieve<br />
transformational change. Mid-sized<br />
organizations with senior leadership<br />
positions are better able to undertake<br />
organizational change, such as<br />
shifting the executive director’s role<br />
to a more external focus and establishing<br />
a structure <strong>of</strong> shared leadership<br />
with senior staff and the board.<br />
✔ <strong>Coaching</strong> can help founders <strong>of</strong><br />
mid-sized groups to let go. In organizations<br />
with fewer people, senior<br />
staff were <strong>of</strong>ten unavailable to<br />
assume some <strong>of</strong> the executive director’s<br />
day-to-day organizational opera-<br />
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tions and management responsibilities.<br />
Midcareer executive directors<br />
(with about 10 to 20 years <strong>of</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
nonpr<strong>of</strong>it experience) tended to<br />
embrace and experience change more<br />
easily than grantees later in their<br />
careers, especially those nearing retirement.<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> and consulting were<br />
particularly timely for first-time executive<br />
directors and those who were promoted<br />
to this position from within<br />
their organizations.<br />
✔ Coaches can help leaders make<br />
sense <strong>of</strong> a complex organizational situation.<br />
Coaches helped nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
leaders enhance their awareness <strong>of</strong><br />
assumptions and helped to separate<br />
what is within their control and<br />
responsibility, as well as what is<br />
innate in the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it system.<br />
choice services<br />
Center for Right Relationship<br />
phone: (866) 435-5939 USA<br />
email: info@centerforrightrelationship.com<br />
www.CenterForRightRelationship.com<br />
Frame <strong>of</strong> Mind <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
phone: (416) 747-6900 Canada<br />
www.frame<strong>of</strong>mindcoaching.com<br />
MHS Inc. – Emotional Intelligence<br />
phone: (800) 456-3003 Canada<br />
email: Leiki.luud@mhs.com<br />
www.mhs.com/ei<br />
inviteCHANGE (formerly ACT)<br />
phone: (425) 778-3505 USA<br />
email: bev@coachtraining.com<br />
www.coachtraining.com<br />
choice services provides resources and services<br />
from choice <strong>Magazine</strong> advertisers and sponsors.<br />
For a listing consideration, please submit your<br />
item to: advertising@choice-online.com and<br />
indicate “choice services” in the subject line.<br />
(Send corrections or updates to the same<br />
address.)<br />
Positioning To Nonpr<strong>of</strong>its<br />
Here is one approach if you are considering<br />
working within the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
sector:<br />
✔ Join a nonpr<strong>of</strong>it association or<br />
begin to network among nonpr<strong>of</strong>it<br />
leaders.<br />
✔ Offer a free training or <strong>of</strong>fer pro<br />
bono assistance.<br />
✔ When you secure an engagement,<br />
begin by consulting but introduce<br />
coaching by utilizing coaching<br />
language and methodology in your<br />
work.<br />
✔ Demonstrate the difference<br />
between traditional consulting and<br />
your unique approach by moving<br />
from an abstract plan to one more<br />
focused on the execution <strong>of</strong> change<br />
rather than a prescription for change.<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> Organizations<br />
International Coach Federation (ICF)<br />
phone: (888) 423-3131 USA<br />
email: icf<strong>of</strong>fice@coachfederation.org<br />
www.coachfederation.org<br />
Coach Training and Development<br />
Dream University<br />
phone: (415) 381-5564 USA<br />
www.dreamuniversity.com<br />
Resources and Services<br />
choice-coach<br />
phone: (416) 925-6643 Canada<br />
email: garry@choice-coach.com<br />
www.choice-coach.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> Coaches Console<br />
phone: (540) 314-8005 USA<br />
email: kate@coachesconsole.com<br />
www.CoachesConsole.com<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> Into Greatness<br />
<strong>The</strong> Abundance Intelligence Institute®<br />
phone: (413) 782-2394 USA<br />
email: kim@coachingintogreatness.com<br />
www.coachingintogreatness.com<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> Toys Inc.<br />
phone: (612) 822-8720 USA<br />
email: info@coachingtoys.com<br />
www.coachingtoys.com<br />
✔ Leave the engagement with a<br />
plan to return. Too <strong>of</strong>ten real change<br />
cannot occur because there is not an<br />
implementation plan over a longer<br />
period <strong>of</strong> time.<br />
Though the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it sector may<br />
present unique challenges, with<br />
preparation and persistence, helping<br />
the nonpr<strong>of</strong>it create a meaningful<br />
impact will be worth the time<br />
and effort. •<br />
1 Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it Contribution to GDP Enormous<br />
Released: 9/25/2007 5:40 PM EDT<br />
Source: Johns Hopkins University<br />
2 Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it Career Guide, Fieldstone<br />
Alliance, http://www.nonpr<strong>of</strong>itcareerguide.<br />
org/fact_sheet-scope.php<br />
3 Out <strong>of</strong> Philanthropy’s Funding Maze, June<br />
2008 REDF<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
impact<br />
<strong>The</strong> Comeback Coach<br />
email: info@comebackcoach.com<br />
Compass Life and Business Designs<br />
Phone: (866) 341-8618 USA<br />
Email: customerservice@mylifecompass.com<br />
www.mylifecompass.com/choice<br />
Points <strong>of</strong> You<br />
Phone: +972-9-7677476 Isreal<br />
Email: feel@thecoachingame.com<br />
www.thecoachingame.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> International Journal <strong>of</strong> <strong>Coaching</strong> in<br />
Organizations, a publication <strong>of</strong><br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essional <strong>Coaching</strong> Publications, Inc.<br />
phone: (708) 771-9176 USA<br />
email: john@ijco.info<br />
www.ijco.info, www.pcpionline.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> Library <strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essional <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
phone: (416) 925-6643 USA<br />
email:<br />
owners@thelibrary<strong>of</strong>pr<strong>of</strong>essionalcoaching.com<br />
www.LibraryOfPr<strong>of</strong>essional<strong>Coaching</strong>.com<br />
On the Mark Branding<br />
phone: (310) 274-5542 USA<br />
email: info@OntheMarkBranding.com<br />
www.OntheMarkBranding.com<br />
45<br />
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choice inspiration<br />
46 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
Go confidently in<br />
the direction <strong>of</strong><br />
your dreams!<br />
Live the life you’ve<br />
imagined.<br />
As you simplify<br />
your life, the laws<br />
<strong>of</strong> the universe will<br />
be simpler.<br />
Henry David Thoreau<br />
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industry<br />
news WHAT’S<br />
By Ed Modell, PCC<br />
2010 ICF President-Elect<br />
Credentialing<br />
ICF continues work on pr<strong>of</strong>essional standards<br />
If you’re like many coaches,<br />
you’ve been following the conversation<br />
around the International<br />
Coach Federation (ICF) Credentialing<br />
program that started late last year.<br />
Proposed changes to the system<br />
gathered a wide variety <strong>of</strong> comments<br />
from coaches around the world –<br />
ranging from joyful support to much<br />
less enthusiastic feedback. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
certainly wasn’t a lack <strong>of</strong> passion<br />
when it came to discussing proposed<br />
changes to a system that has been<br />
around for quite some time.<br />
<strong>The</strong> credentialing program has<br />
seen tremendous growth over the<br />
last few years. Over 6,000 coaches<br />
from around the world currently hold<br />
one <strong>of</strong> three ICF credentials, and<br />
incoming credential applications<br />
have increased by 12 percent from<br />
2007 to 2009. Certainly the ICF<br />
owes it to credential holders, coaches<br />
working towards a credential and<br />
the public-at-large to make sure the<br />
program continues to be highly credible<br />
and respected as the global standard<br />
for pr<strong>of</strong>essional coaching.<br />
Over 10 years ago, a group <strong>of</strong><br />
visionary coaches and educators<br />
came together to create the ICF Credentialing<br />
program. Since its inception,<br />
the program has provided<br />
coaches with a means <strong>of</strong> achieving<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional status and ensuring<br />
their ongoing education and commitment<br />
to staying current with knowledge<br />
and practice.<br />
Since 2007, the ICF has been<br />
involved in discussions and research<br />
around enhancing its individual credentialing<br />
program – building on the foun-<br />
GOING ON IN THE COACHING WORLD<br />
“Over 6,000 coaches<br />
from around the<br />
world currently<br />
hold one <strong>of</strong> three<br />
ICF credentials, and<br />
incoming credential<br />
applications have<br />
increased by 12<br />
percent.”<br />
dation that the system’s originators<br />
created – to ensure that ICF Credentials<br />
maintain their global consistency<br />
and fairness, and are administered in<br />
a timely fashion worldwide.<br />
Late last year, the ICF Board <strong>of</strong><br />
Directors presented to ICF members<br />
and credential holders, as well as<br />
other stakeholders, a proposed<br />
schema for the next stage <strong>of</strong> the ICF<br />
Credentialing program. This schema<br />
was developed with the assistance <strong>of</strong><br />
a committed group <strong>of</strong> ICF member volunteers,<br />
stakeholders, testing experts<br />
with nearly 50 years’ experience as<br />
providers <strong>of</strong> valid and legally-defensible<br />
certification examinations and ICF<br />
staff members. Additionally, the<br />
responses <strong>of</strong> over 2,000 coaches to a<br />
2008 survey supported this work.<br />
Following the sharing <strong>of</strong> proposed<br />
program changes, an open comment<br />
period commenced during which time<br />
stakeholders were encouraged to<br />
share their feedback and ask questions<br />
about the proposed schema.<br />
Based on the input received, the ICF<br />
Board elected to suspend the<br />
schema as presented and continue<br />
with the current system – allowing for<br />
more research and discussion to be<br />
conducted around potential changes<br />
to the program.<br />
During the Board’s January 2010<br />
meeting, the Board reaffirmed its<br />
commitment to shaping the future <strong>of</strong><br />
coaching credentialing by enhancing<br />
the current ICF system and took time<br />
to clarify the strategic purpose <strong>of</strong> the<br />
ICF Credentialing program.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Board agreed that the threefold<br />
purpose <strong>of</strong> the program was to:<br />
1) Protect and serve consumers <strong>of</strong><br />
coaching services,<br />
2) Measure and certify competence<br />
<strong>of</strong> individuals, and<br />
3) Inspire pursuit <strong>of</strong> continuous<br />
development.<br />
…continued on page 48<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
47<br />
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industry<br />
news<br />
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continued from page 47…<br />
Following this determination, the<br />
Board charged the global ICF Credentialing<br />
and Program Accreditation<br />
Committee with developing a plan <strong>of</strong><br />
action to be presented to the Board<br />
during its March 2010 meeting. This<br />
plan <strong>of</strong> action was to be aligned to<br />
the above three-fold program purpose<br />
and with the direction to include key<br />
stakeholders to ensure co-creation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Committee was tasked to<br />
make sure its plan touched on a<br />
number <strong>of</strong> areas, including:<br />
• <strong>The</strong> number <strong>of</strong> credentials the<br />
enhanced system should <strong>of</strong>fer;<br />
“<strong>The</strong> ICF Board has<br />
already committed<br />
to maintaining the<br />
existing three-tier<br />
credentialing system<br />
at least until<br />
January 2012.”<br />
• Methods used to differentiate<br />
between different levels should the<br />
ICF retain a three-tier credentialing<br />
system;<br />
• Qualifications <strong>of</strong> credential applicants<br />
(training and/or experience<br />
hours);<br />
• Written and oral exam requirements;<br />
and possible assessor compensation.<br />
I encourage readers to visit the ICF<br />
blog at Coachfederation.org/blog for<br />
more information around this request<br />
to the Committee.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Credentialing and Program<br />
Accreditation Committee worked diligently<br />
following the Board’s January<br />
meeting to prepare a detailed work<br />
plan that involved reviewing and<br />
48 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
researching a number <strong>of</strong> key areas as<br />
well as a timeframe with major milestones.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Board reviewed this plan<br />
during its March meeting and<br />
approved the work proposal.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Committee’s plan outlines a<br />
multitude <strong>of</strong> discrete tasks to be carried<br />
out, and currently the timeline<br />
for this work stretches out for the<br />
next few years. This timeline could,<br />
however, be compressed or expanded<br />
depending on various decisions<br />
made along the way.<br />
Regardless <strong>of</strong> how the timeline<br />
evolves during this project, the ICF<br />
Board has already committed to<br />
maintaining the existing three-tier<br />
credentialing system at least until<br />
January 2012. This does not mean<br />
that the three-tier system will disappear<br />
in January 2012 – only that anyone<br />
planning to apply for one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
existing credentials can rely on the<br />
stability <strong>of</strong> the existing system<br />
through that time.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Credentialing and Program<br />
Accreditation Committee will lead the<br />
efforts outlined in the project plan,<br />
but will also outreach and create several<br />
workgroups to include key stakeholders<br />
such as credentialed<br />
coaches, assessors, and others to<br />
carry out the work and ensure co-creation<br />
<strong>of</strong> potential system enhancements.<br />
To ensure diversity on<br />
workgroups, members will represent<br />
multiple geographic regions, credential<br />
levels, coaching experience, etc.<br />
<strong>The</strong> ICF looks forward to sharing<br />
more information as this work progresses.<br />
If you are interested in how<br />
the ICF Credentialing program continues<br />
to evolve, I encourage you to<br />
look for more updates around this<br />
work to be included in ICF member<br />
and credential holder communications,<br />
in the <strong>Coaching</strong> World newsletter<br />
and on the ICF blog.<br />
Ethics<br />
Education<br />
In coaching, ignorance is<br />
definitely not bliss<br />
By Liora Rosen, MS, MA<br />
“<strong>The</strong> ICF’s core values <strong>of</strong><br />
Integrity, Excellence, Collaboration<br />
and Respect all<br />
meld into one within the Code <strong>of</strong><br />
Ethics.” So starts the newly launched<br />
Ethics Education chapter training program.<br />
As coaches, we like to think we<br />
already have those four values covered:<br />
we behave with integrity, we<br />
encourage our clients to excel, we collaborate,<br />
we’re respectful. Our ethical<br />
bar is already high … we’re coaches!<br />
True as that may seem, there’s more<br />
to ethical coaching than acting with<br />
integrity; you also need to know what to<br />
do in a coaching dilemma, know your<br />
guidelines, parameters, etc. <strong>The</strong> ethics<br />
training program is intended to highlight<br />
things you may not realize you needed<br />
to know. It is intended to be your coaching<br />
GPS – your navigator for when you<br />
need it, so it helps if you know how it<br />
works. Have you rolled your eyes yet? I<br />
know, you’re probably thinking, ‘yeah<br />
right!’ Truth is, I’ve been cautioned that<br />
not everyone gets as excited about<br />
ethics as I do (been there, saw that),<br />
but hear me out and keep reading<br />
because the reaction to the training program<br />
has so far been the opposite to<br />
what you are probably expecting.<br />
As far as I know, it has always been<br />
the goal <strong>of</strong> the Ethics Education subcommittee<br />
to expand the knowledge <strong>of</strong><br />
ICF members regarding updates to the<br />
Code <strong>of</strong> Ethics – sometimes successfully,<br />
sometimes not (I get it! Not everyone<br />
gets tingly over this), and vying for<br />
your attention at the International Conference<br />
once a year really only goes so<br />
far. As a matter <strong>of</strong> fact, in an ICF survey<br />
coaches ranked ethics dead last<br />
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as their topic <strong>of</strong> interest.<br />
So why the crazy agenda to provide<br />
ethics training to all ICF members<br />
(almost 17,000 in case you’re wondering)?<br />
<strong>The</strong> answer has much to do with<br />
ICF’s past as it does with its future.<br />
Since it first came into existence in<br />
1995, ICF’s membership has grown<br />
exponentially. Original counts range<br />
from 50-200, then in year five there<br />
“<strong>The</strong> ethics training<br />
program is intended<br />
to highlight things<br />
you may not realize<br />
you needed to know.”<br />
were about 2,000 members, in year<br />
10 around 8,000 members and now in<br />
our 15th year there are almost 17,000<br />
members from 90 countries. Complaints<br />
started coming into the ICF in<br />
2001 as the process for the Ethical<br />
Conduct Review was being organized<br />
and finally approved by the Board in<br />
2002; we now stand at a total <strong>of</strong> 28<br />
complaints (a small number that takes<br />
up many volunteer hours).<br />
Most <strong>of</strong> the complaints have come<br />
from North America and whether that<br />
is because we are litigious by nature<br />
or just more aware <strong>of</strong> the ECR process<br />
is hard for me to say; it’s probably a<br />
combination <strong>of</strong> the two. Here’s what<br />
I’ve heard researching for this article:<br />
• More coaches are now aware <strong>of</strong><br />
their rights, responsibilities and possible<br />
courses <strong>of</strong> intervention, so coachto-coach<br />
complaints are on the rise.<br />
• Many people outside North America<br />
are not as familiar with the process<br />
“Building coaching partnerships that are<br />
based on integrity is a basic foundation <strong>of</strong><br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essionalism.”<br />
and so do not utilize it as <strong>of</strong>ten.<br />
• Coaches not fully aware <strong>of</strong> what<br />
they need to know in order to protect<br />
themselves now find themselves facing<br />
a complaint allegation.<br />
• Personally, I’d add the numbers factor.<br />
As membership grows globally, it is<br />
natural that people should reach out to<br />
our organization to intervene on their<br />
behalf and provide remedies; after all,<br />
we are a self-regulating pr<strong>of</strong>ession.<br />
All <strong>of</strong> these statements point me in<br />
the same direction: the number <strong>of</strong> complaints<br />
will continue to increase. That<br />
said, we should not just sit back and let<br />
the numbers dictate the direction we’re<br />
going in. We should be proactive in living<br />
to our aspirational goals <strong>of</strong> doing good<br />
and helping to create a better world;<br />
hence the ambitious agenda to provide<br />
training to all.<br />
Building coaching partnerships that<br />
are based on integrity is a basic foundation<br />
<strong>of</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essionalism. Ethics isn’t<br />
law; it’s a choice, but choice can only<br />
guide you in the realms you know. For<br />
the realms you don’t know, there’s the<br />
code. It guides you into unknown territory.<br />
For example, the code says you<br />
must have clear agreements with your<br />
clients and sponsors but never specifies<br />
that it has to be in writing; so is a<br />
verbal agreement good enough? Well,<br />
yes, until things go bad and then only<br />
what’s been written on paper can clarify<br />
a “he said, she said” scenario. So<br />
although the code doesn’t specify that<br />
agreements HAVE to be in writing, the<br />
training program will make that perfectly<br />
clear … for your protection, it should<br />
be in writing. <strong>The</strong>re are lots <strong>of</strong> other<br />
goodies in there for you to discover.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Ethics Education program is out<br />
there – for YOU! So you can be a better<br />
coach and help keep the number <strong>of</strong> com-<br />
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
industry<br />
news<br />
plaints down the right way. <strong>The</strong> program is<br />
packed with important information; it’s<br />
interactive, fun, and vital for your coaching.<br />
That’s it! That’s my pitch. Email your<br />
chapter leader and find out when training<br />
is coming your way; find out what<br />
you don’t know. I don’t just mean newbie<br />
coaches; I mean you experienced<br />
MCCs as well (yes, there really were<br />
some <strong>of</strong> you who didn’t know what you<br />
needed to know – that’s what the program<br />
is for). And if, after you’ve attended<br />
the training, you think it’s been<br />
worthless, call me. I want to hear your<br />
comments.<br />
As always, the Ethics committee values<br />
your feedback and welcomes any<br />
comments or questions you may have<br />
(email icfethics@coachfederation.org).<br />
For now, happy learning! •<br />
ICF Latin American<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> Conference 2010<br />
July 15-17, 2010<br />
Lima, Peru<br />
www.icfperu.org<br />
ICF Asia Pacific <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
Conference 2010<br />
September 1-3, 2010<br />
Singapore<br />
www.apcc2010.com<br />
2010 ICF Annual<br />
International Conference<br />
October 27-30, 2010<br />
Fort Worth Convention Center,<br />
Fort Worth, Texas, USA<br />
www.coachfederation.org<br />
2011 ICF Annual International<br />
Conference<br />
December 7-10, 2011<br />
Mandalay Bay,<br />
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA<br />
www.coachfederation.org<br />
49<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, Save <strong>The</strong>se Dates! www.choice-online.com
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com<br />
finalsay<br />
Dream Big<br />
12 ways to be a 21st Century Visionary<br />
By Marcia Wieder<br />
Over 20 years ago, when I<br />
began to write and speak<br />
about achieving our dreams,<br />
I had a big vision. It was (and still is)<br />
to change the way we think and<br />
speak about our dreams. Instead <strong>of</strong><br />
it being a nice idea that you might<br />
(someday) explore, a dream is something<br />
that matters to you and that<br />
you fully intend to achieve.<br />
As expected, life brought the unexpected<br />
and with it many challenges.<br />
We could justifiably look at the economy,<br />
the lack <strong>of</strong> heath care, war, education<br />
and many other areas and<br />
declare that this is no time to dream.<br />
Many would say it’s a time to focus<br />
more on what is, than on our dreams.<br />
And yet, without our dreams, and<br />
this new definition <strong>of</strong> dreams, nothing<br />
changes. Since living in unusual<br />
times requires that we think, act and<br />
are different, here is my call to action.<br />
I invite you step up and out as a<br />
21st Century Visionary. A visionary<br />
has a big dream, shares it, and<br />
inspires others to join them. Here are<br />
additional qualities for you to consider.<br />
You are a 21st Century Visionary if:<br />
1. You are comfortable with uncertainty,<br />
the place where true creation<br />
occurs. You know we were created to<br />
create and you allow the time and<br />
space for this to occur.<br />
2. You have extraordinary faith.<br />
You are able to act on what’s important<br />
to you even without assurance<br />
and guarantees. You can walk on<br />
faith without knowing the strategy or<br />
even clear next steps.<br />
3. You know that the secret to<br />
enlightenment is to relax. As we<br />
relax, our ego (with its agenda, fears<br />
50 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2<br />
SHARING THOUGHTS AND WISDOM TOWARD BETTER COACHING<br />
and doubts) can slip away and we<br />
are left with our essential self,<br />
essence or soul.<br />
4. You practice getting empty, so<br />
you can hear the voice <strong>of</strong> the Divine<br />
and/or feel this presence. You <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
create ritual and sacred space as a<br />
way to invite this in.<br />
5. You can consciously drop into a<br />
deeper place <strong>of</strong> wisdom, knowing<br />
and truth; you can ideate/dream<br />
and speak from this place.<br />
6. You are aware that miracles happen<br />
in their own time and you are able<br />
to wait rather than asserting your will<br />
or effort too soon. You trust the<br />
process enough to let it unfold.<br />
7. You are receptive and know that<br />
“give and take” is not the same as<br />
“give and receive” and that giving<br />
and receiving need to be done in balance.<br />
You practice restraint, allowing<br />
space for the space where true creation<br />
and original thought happen.<br />
8. You do not live primarily as a<br />
problem solver, but more as a creative<br />
force. You are aware that it is<br />
more powerful to move toward what<br />
you want than away from what you<br />
don’t want, yet you know that both<br />
creation and destruction serve.<br />
9. You have a conscious relationship<br />
with the silent witness; the part that<br />
can see many points <strong>of</strong> view, all sides<br />
and new perspectives. You are a big<br />
dreamer with great imagination and a<br />
willingness to traverse new terrain.<br />
10. You are collaborative rather<br />
than hierarchal. You have the<br />
courage, clarity and commitment to<br />
share dreams and ideas, empowering<br />
others to take ownership.<br />
11. You are crucial to the Dream<br />
Movement’s ultimate dream, which<br />
is to make the world a better place.<br />
You know that with one single highly<br />
intentional step, the world can and<br />
has changed.<br />
12. You have tremendous integrity.<br />
Beyond keeping your agreements<br />
with yourself and others, you answer<br />
to a higher Source. You have a purpose,<br />
mission, vision, calling and<br />
dreams in many areas <strong>of</strong> life.<br />
Here is my commitment to being a<br />
21st Century Visionary. My purpose<br />
is to believe. My mission is to help<br />
others believe in themselves and<br />
their dreams. My vision is to lead a<br />
Dream Movement in order to make<br />
the world a better place. My calling<br />
is to help us remember who we are<br />
and why we’re here.<br />
What’s your purpose, mission,<br />
vision and calling? How are you living<br />
as a 21st Century Visionary?<br />
What qualities or values would you<br />
add to this list? •<br />
Reproduced with the permission <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>Magazine</strong>, www.choice-online.com
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Here’s what we’re working on to keep<br />
YOU on the leading edge <strong>of</strong> what’s<br />
happening in the coaching world<br />
September 2010 (V8N3)<br />
Aligning Performance & Potential<br />
Why do people underperform to their potential? Why do corporations and organizations<br />
underperform to their potential? How does coaching help activate people and create<br />
environments where everyone in an organization can contribute all <strong>of</strong> who they are? Join<br />
us as we explore how to realize more <strong>of</strong> your personal and business potential.<br />
Article Deadline: June 14, 2010 • Ad Close: July 21, 2010 • Mails: September 2010<br />
December 2010 (V8N4)<br />
Success Stories:<br />
Efficacy and Impact <strong>of</strong> <strong>Coaching</strong><br />
Where have we made a difference in the world? How are we measuring impact? Where do<br />
we still have room to grow and explore? Come along as we move beyond ROI to measure,<br />
celebrate and share the results <strong>of</strong> coaching.<br />
Article Deadline: September 10, 2010 • Ad Close: October 19, 2010 • Mails: December 2010<br />
March 2011 (V9N1)<br />
<strong>Coaching</strong> DNA<br />
What forms the DNA <strong>of</strong> coaching? What are the pieces that knit it all together? Is it<br />
ontology? Psychology? NLP? Neuro-science? Appreciative inquiry? What is the body <strong>of</strong><br />
knowledge that makes coaching a pr<strong>of</strong>ession? Our experts make the case for what is at<br />
the heart <strong>of</strong> coaching.<br />
Article Deadline: December 15, 2010 • Ad Close: January 21, 2011 • Mails: March 2011<br />
Updated June 2010, Subject to Change<br />
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