Tomorrow’s
Life Coach
Volume 4 Issue 2 - February/March 2005
In This Issue: Growing Your Coaching
Business
Tomorrow's Life Coach is a professional
monthly online journal of the Institute for Life Coach
Training that nourishes the intellect, intuition and
inspiration of the personal/business coaching community.
TLC continues to gain in popularity among diverse
coaches and is highly recommended by Peer
Resources:
"One of the best free newsletters,
Tomorrow's Life Coach consists of well-researched,
informative articles on a variety of key topics for
coaches. While a publication of the Institute for
Life Coach Training, many of the articles are written
by other well-known coaches."
Upcoming
Classes at ILCT
Foundational Courses
Coaching Tools and Skills
Coaching Applications/Specialties
Additional classes, details and online
registration at our course
section. Some schedules may change; check listing
or contact Edwina Adams, Administration/Registration,
at edwina@lifecoachtraining.com.
Pat's
Ponderings
Can a Workshop Make You
a Coach?
I start with the assumption that all
of us who read this newsletter are either practicing
professional coaches, participants in coach training
programs, or people who want to remain informed about
coaching for personal or vocational reasons. This column
is for all of the above.
Coaching has evolved rapidly in the last 12 years to become a global,
visible and powerful new profession, with standards, ethics and
certification processes. But not all who call themselves coaches
are well trained. Nor are most coaches certified.
Any profession that wants to be recognized by the public as credible
and ethical needs to have those who "belong" to the profession participate
in that profession's specific training. As people enter our profession,
many think that taking a one-day workshop or reading a book makes
them a professional coach. But ask yourself: Does taking a first-aid
course or learning CPR make you an emergency medical
technician? Of course not. Many people can learn some coaching methodology
in a quick manner, but that does not make them professional coaches.
Every profession worth being recognized also has continuing education
as a requirement. Those who call themselves coaches owe it to themselves
and the profession to avail themselves continually and frequently
of opportunities to learn new skills, and to refine and update old
ones. This is the way we "sharpen our saw," as Stephen Covey has
stated.
I have been coaching since 1990, and was a full-time coach from
1996 to 1999. Even though I now own and run a coach training school,
I still attend training sessions, and I still coach six to 10 clients
to keep my skills sharp. It is how I embrace excellence in my profession.
A small but growing number of coaches have been certified by the
ICF. As I write this, there are 1,316 ICF-certified coaches (457
MCC's; 666 PCC's; and 193 ACC's) in 23 countries. This number will
expand exponentially in the next few years, as coaches complete
their accreditation requirements. In addition, there are currently
28 Accredited Coach Training Programs, 10 of these outside the U.S.,
and about 24 more programs in the application process.
It takes time, money and commitment to complete the training hours
and provide the coaching hours required for ICF accreditation. Other
certificates abound, as is often the case in unlicensed, unregulated
professions in their early days. Many coaches have achieved "certification" from
coaching schools or weekend trainings, all of which bestow different
titles. But ICF accreditations are increasingly recognized as the
industry standard, and serious coaches need to align themselves
with our organization and start moving toward ICF accreditation
if they have not already done so.
These views may be seen as controversial by many readers. But again,
ask yourself: Why would you not want a professional association
that stands for you, and that has created accepted, high standards
for coaching? An association that gives you, as an individual coach,
increased credibility, confidence and community?
As you meet people who call themselves coaches, I ask that you be
curious about where they were trained. If they have little or no
training, please encourage them to both get coach-specific training
and to join the ICF. We need one organization that stands for the
entire profession. Other organizations that support specializations
such as executive, business or relationship coaching will also thrive.
But all coaches should be trained in similar foundational skills
and be members of a global association, which is what the ICF is.
One last thought: I have noticed that as I get more training and
more experience working with clients, my "beingness" and spirit
as a coach change. Mastery is more about who you are than what you
do or say. What new skill, technique or personal mastery would you
like to learn? Where could you use some training? Go get it. We
all will benefit.
(Originally published in Coaching
World, Issue 123, 2/2005, www.coachfederation.com.
Reprinted with permission of Beth Barry, Editor.)
Pat
Patrick Williams Ed.D., MCC
Chief Energizing Officer, ILCT
Department Chair, Professional Coaching
International University of Professional Studies: "Get
a PhD in professional coaching from a reputable university without
walls. Go to www.iups.edu...the
quickest and least expensive way to achieve a PhD in professional
coaching."
Editor's
Pen
If you missed the conference call
about the exciting alliance between ILCT and the UK
College of Life Coaching, here's how you can hear a
recording of the call: 405-244-4000 mailbox #584. If
this is the first encounter you've had with this breaking
story, you will be pleasantly shocked at what Pat has
in the works for the expansion of ILCT! Our April issue
will have more details about the "Global Expansion
of ILCT."
Thanks go to our contributors for
supporting our readers with three tasty and nutritious
articles on "Growing Your Coaching Business." Each
has a different area of expertise that they so graciously
shared. Enjoy!
Grow your business healthy!
Annette
Annette A. Miller, MBA
Editor, Tomorrow's Life Coach
Graduate, ILCT
Member, ICF, IAC, CCN
President & Executive Coach, LifeSync Coaching®
Authorized Affiliate, Extended DISC® - the world's fastest growing
assessment system
Certified Birkman® Consultant - providing deeper insight into
your being
amiller@lifesync.com
www.lifesync.com
In a time of drastic
change it is the learners who inherit the future.
Eric Hoffer
Are
You Building Leverage into Your Business Model?
In The Apprentice, Donald
Trump talks about his large real estate and development
projects, including the new billion-dollar Trump Tower
in Chicago.
Is he using his own money? Not a chance; his projects are built
with other people’s money.
What about the design? Is he using other people’s experience,
expertise, and ideas to fulfill his project objectives? Of course.
Who will build this tower? It will be the work of other people.
The Donald’s projects are impossible without leverage.
By going it alone, we are without leverage. We must rely on our
own time, contacts, experience, expertise, money, and other resources.
That painfully slow way to proceed limits, hinders, and reduces
success.
The cost of not utilizing leverage in our personal life and business
strategy is huge. We need to get intentional and strategic in
the use of leverage in every part of our lives.
The key to leverage is to be aware, strategic, and intentional in
its use. The greater the leverage—if done correctly and soundly—the
greater the speed to achievement.
Each of us has experienced, used, or witnessed leverage, but we
are not all aware of the importance and the incredible power of
leverage in everything that we do―especially our coaching
practice.
Coaching as an action, one-on-one, has very little leverage unless
you choose to implement leverage strategies.
Being coached is leverage―an individual is using someone else’s
expertise or counsel to accelerate (leverage) his or her progress
on some issues.
When you embrace leverage as a foundational strategy, you feel release
and freedom because you no longer must be everything to everybody,
all the time, all by yourself.
What started out for me as a one-on-one coaching business has lead
to seminars (50 individuals per session), to teleseminars (hundreds
of people), to a training company and ezine (thousands), and a Website
with Licensed Associates (millions).
Action Steps
Leverage
1. Review your life and business. Determine where you are using
leverage and where you are not.
2. Identify where you can intentionally implement more leverage.
a. Money
b. Experience
c. Ideas
d. Work
e. Time
f. Contacts
g. Resources
3. Connect with someone who is already a master at leverage; get
his or her feedback/coaching on how to expand the concept in your
life. That strategy is leverage.
4. To maximize the strategy of leverage, you must relinquish your
ego. If you have to be the center of attention and the creator,
the process will be less successful for you.
5. Be intentional about creating Strategic Alliances and Joint Ventures.
JV with individuals or organizations with values similar to yours.
(Use the CRG Online Values Preference Indicator as a starting
point.)
6. Continuously be on the look-out for enhancements and opportunities
to increase your leverage. Focus on all the relationships and processes
that will help you achieve your goal.
7. Stop doing alone what can be done together and by and with others.
Ken Keis, MBA, has conducted nearly 2000 presentations over the
past 16 years. He is President of Consulting Resource Group, a global
resource center that offers a leverageable business model for coaches,
consultants, and training professionals. CRG is an official partner
with ICF and its resources and 3-Day Train-the-Trainer program are
certified with ICF. Contact: 604-852-0566, www.crgleader.com, info@crgleader.com.
How up to date are you with the latest
scoop on the coaching profession? Coaching is rapidly
growing and evolving. Unique and different ways of coaching
are happening all around the globe. Stay plugged in
to the news that matters to your coaching business.
Introducing the premiere issue of the coaching newsmagazine
that will strip away the spin and sugarcoating to reveal
the true strength, integrity, direction and future of
the coaching profession. Independent. Watchdog. Professional.
Unblinking journalism. And Free. Coaching Insider...the
way coaching news should be. Visit www.coachinginsider.com to
sign up.
What
a Difference a Group Makes: An Extraordinary Group
Coaching Success Story
Coaching in Groups is an extraordinary
opportunity for coaches to leverage their time
and increase revenue. Groups make coaching more
affordable for group members, and add variety,
spice and energy to a coach’s day. They
also add a valuable menu item to a coach’s
offerings to companies and to ideal clients.
In a discussion of group coaching benefits, one thing that is often
not articulated is the amazing results individual group members’ experience.
Amy’s story, told in her own words, gives us a chance to get
a short glimpse at what a difference her coaching group made in
her life and in her business. She was part of a pilot group coaching
project I started seven years ago with a international financial
company as part of their initiative to retain and increase the production
of their women financial representatives.
April 8
Hi Ginger, Every day and every week I have to resist the urge to
quit this profession. It's excruciatingly difficult. I am hopeful
the work with you and our group will keep me going on. I'll fax
my homework tomorrow, Amy
June 10
Hello everyone, just putting a few systems in place and adding a
part time assistant is helping. Thanks to all of you for supporting
me in these important steps. Amy
August 26
Ginger, you're right when you told the group once the flow gets
started it's self-perpetuating. I've gotten some nice referrals,
good appointments, and sold some nice cases in the past two weeks.
I'm visualizing myself as the mountain goat at the top of that peak.
I can feel the cool breeze of freedom on my face. Amy
September 25
Throughout our months together, I have found by attending the sessions
and doing the homework that I have benefited ENORMOUSLY and feel
so much more confident! I have achieved a new level of production.
I am now working with better prospects and selling bigger premium
cases. This is a huge deal for me. Amy
October 6
Hi Group, Today we had our monthly "sales builder" meeting where
we review our month's activity. This is the first month ever that
I commended myself on my month. No one could believe it was the
same me. Thanks for everything. Love, Amy
January 20
Twice in one day, other agents from the agency commented on my shift
in attitude. I shared my coaching homework with him and he asked
for copies. Love, Amy
February 6
Hi Ginger - Isn't it a wonder, the stream of my progress? We had
our annual agency recognition dinner last weekend, and I qualified
with my production…When I put up my numbers on the board,
one guy asked me if I had been in the business 3 or 4 years? I said, "not
even two.'' It was fun blowing them away. Love, Amy
March 12
Yes, I AM singing. I just returned from San Diego where we held
our Regional Meeting, and I sang in the choir at the opening session.
It was a high being up there, and I am so grateful to all of you
for encouraging, challenging and shoving me out there. Talk to you
soon. Love, Amy
Isn’t the power of a group amazing? In less than a year, Amy
went from describing her profession as “excruciatingly difficult” to
being honored at her agencies Annual Agency Recognition Dinner for
outstanding productivity! Amy says frequently that she would not
be in the financial services business if it weren’t for her
coaching group. Most of all, she is singing and swimming and flourishing.
Ginger Cockerham (www.coachginger.com)
specializes in coaching groups of exception people to achieve specific
and measurable results. She is a member of the International Coach
Federation Board of Directors, a Master Certified Coach with ICF,
an instructor in the Executive and Professional Coaching Program
at the University of Texas at Dallas, and the Visionary for the
CoachVille The Power of Groups Community.
Editor's Note: Our next Chat with
Pat will be held on April 6th at 6:00 PM Eastern (5:00
PM Central, 4:00 PM Mountain, 3:00 PM Pacific) and
will feature Pat interviewing Ginger Cockerham, MCC
and ICF Board Member regarding Group Coaching. She
also mentors coaches in the art of coaching groups,
and her CD series "Creating, Collecting and Marketing
Coaching Groups" is a best-seller in the coaching
industry. To RSVP and obtain the bridge number, email Edwina@LifeCoachTraining.com.
Total
Life Coaching: 50+ Life Lessons, Skills, &Techniques
to Enhance Your Practice . . . and Your Life!
A New Book by Patrick Williams
and Lloyd J. Thomas
Life coaching is more than a collection of techniques and skills.
It is more than something you do. Life coaching reflects who you
are-it is your authentic being in action. Readers of Pat Williams'
and Deborah Davis' book, Therapist as Life Coach, know Pat to be
a gifted life coach and passionate teacher. Here Pat and psychologist/colleague
and writer of more than 1600 newspaper columns, Lloyd J. Thomas,
build on this earlier book and share a unique insight into the coaching
process, which shows you precisely how to enhance your professional
practices through practical and effective life coaching. It also
empowers you to change your own lives through use of the practical
information and philosophy presented here.
Total Life Coaching is organized into a series of 52 life lessons,
and is designed to be either read cover-to-cover or dipped into,
as needed, for assistance when conducting a coaching session. Keeping
life's processes on the "message and lesson" level makes living
and life coaching much easier and more enjoyable. Total Life Coaching
guides you step-by-step through the complex process of learning
and coaching these fifty important lessons. The lessons are organized
into
8 sections: Creating a Personal Identity; Coaching Spirituality
and Life Purpose; Coaching Communication Skills; Living Life with
Integrity; Success: Clients Achieving their Potential; Coaching
Cognitive Skills; Creating High-Quality Relationships; Understanding
Your Past to Create a Desired Future.
Total Life Coaching by Pat and Lloyd is more than just a book. It
is an interactive experience in which you will find recipes for
living your life more authentically, as well as master time-honored
lessons that you can bring to your coaching clients [or can incorporate
in your own life]. Regardless of the personal coaching techniques
or skills you may have learned, you may still not be the most effective
coach you can become. This book will help you move closer to that
goal.
Advance Acclaim
"All too often Life Coaching is seen as new-age wishful thinking.
In fact our research at the University of Sydney has shown that well-conducted,
evidence-based Life Coaching has the potential to be a terrifically
powerful methodology for personal and organizational change. Good
Life Coaching can help people set and reach their goals, can enhance
their sense of well-being and personal development, and can even increase
aspects of emotional intelligence. Pat William's and
Lloyd Thomas's Total Life Coaching is refreshing and welcome change
from much of the over-hyped Life Coaching material. This is a well-grounded
journey through easily-applied positive psychology, with 52 key
lessons that everyone will benefit from. Easy to read, intelligent
and detailed enough for practicing life coaches, this book is a
must-have for the personal development bookshelf. Enjoy!"
---Anthony M. Grant Ph.D., Coaching Psychologist , Director: Coaching
Psychology Unit, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, NSW
2006, Australia
"This comprehensive book is filled with thousands of useful tips for
coaches and their clients. It is a book that you don't just read.
You use it as a continual resource. Each chapter's insightful questions
demand that you think and apply what you have read."
---Dave Ellis, author of Falling Awake: Creating the Life of Your
Dreams and Life Coaching: A New Career for Helping Professionals
"Total Life Coaching is a veritable encyclopedia of valuable coaching
insights and information. Human effectiveness in vital areas such
as relationships, leadership, and creative thinking can be enhanced
by reference to the wisdom that is shared so generously and accessibly
in this splendid book."
---Pam Richardson, Principal of The UK College of Life Coaching
"Total Life Coaching offers practical step-by-step guidance that will
prove useful to coaches, counselors and managers, as well as to anyone
interested in creating the outcomes they most desire."
---Debbie Ford, author of The Dark Side of the Light Chasers and
The Best Year of Your Life
To
purchase from Amazon, click here.
Accelerate
your coaching skills and business growth
through ILCT's courses for professional coaches
Why
You REALLY Need a Blog for Your Coaching Business--Confessions
of a Techno-Weenie
If you get emails about
internet marketing, you’ve probably heard about
web logs, or blogs as they are called for short. Everybody
seems to be on the blog bandwagon.
What the heck’s a blog and why should you care?
Even if you are just starting to market your coaching practice online,
pay attention to blogs - especially if you are new to the coaching
field. What I have to share can save you a lot of money.
Ready? Sit up straight and listen to this:
A blog is a neat online service that allows you to set up and design
your own website without many tech skills. You can create, design,
and post articles to your blog through a hosted blog account for
as little as $5-$15/month. (Some services are free, and all provide
a free 30-day trial period).
A blog is nothing more than a frequently updated website that is
search engine friendly and allows you to post articles as often
as you wish. Your readers can respond directly onto the blog, creating
dialogue and a community of ongoing relationships.
Do you realize what this means for you and your business? You can
skip hiring a web designer. You don't have to pay for a website
that you can’t update without incurring more fees.
You can also skip setting up a delivery system for your newsletters.
You can use your blog to deliver your message and articles.
Of course, like any website, you have to drive traffic to it. There
are a number of features in blog software and techniques to help
you build traffic. You can put a subscription form on your blog
(again, with no tech skills) and your readers will get an email
notifying them whenever you post a new article.
If you already have a website and an email newsletter, should you
ignore setting up a blog? No! Here is my personal experience with
blogs. Perhaps my story will help you decide.
I was intrigued by all the hype about blogging. So, last summer
I investigated some of the marketing messages I was reading. As
a challenge to myself (I have been called names much worse than “techno-weenie”),I
decided to find out what all the blog ruckus was about.
In less than four hours, I had my first blog post up on the web.
Along with my picture, my professional information, sidebars with
my favorite books, and many other customized features.
The odd side effect has been that without really promoting it, traffic
to my website has doubled since then, and my business has expanded
at least 30 percent.
Is this because of my blog? Don’t know. But it’s like
having more fishing poles in the world wide fishing pond; the more
lines you have in the water, the more fish you will catch.
Most coach training schools tell you how important it is to have
an online web presence with a website and an email newsletter.
That work just got easier and less expensive with the advent of
blogs and their super-easy software for non-techies.
Coaches must create an attractive online presence in order to capture
the hearts and minds of potential clients. Even when you are networking
face-to-face, potential clients like to see your website. A blog
easily serves that purpose.
Clients aren’t going to hire you until they know you and like
you. Blog writing is informal and allows you to show your personality.
Blogging creates the possibility of dialogue with clients. You have
the opportunity to show who you are and what you care about in a
way you can’t with your website or newsletter.
P.S. For a free trial, I recommend www.typepad.com,
as it is user-friendly.
© 2005 Patsi
Krakoff, Psy. D. Patsi Krakoff was trained and licensed
as a psychologist. She has expanded her interests
and talents into writing newsletters for life and
business coaches, and consultants. She provides ezine
services through her website, CustomizedNewsletters.com.
Patsi has teamed up with Denise Wakeman and has written
several ‘how-to’ guides for setting up
your blog, including an ebook, The Build a Better
Blog System, available through www.buildabetterblogsystem.com.
Visit Patsi's blogs at www.coachezines.com, www.bizbooknuggets.com and http://buildabetterblog.com
Tomorrow's
Life Coach™
Patrick Williams, Ed.D., Publisher
Annette Miller, Editor, annette@lifesync.com
© 2004 Institute for Life Coach Training
www.lifecoachtraining.com
Phone: 888-267-1206
info@lifecoachtraining.com
If you wish to use any of our
content in a newsletter, magazine or other media
(whether public or internal), please request permission
from the editor.
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