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TOPICS
1. Government Intervenes to Regulate Coaching
2. Coaching Conferences and Events
3. What's New from the Coaching Literature
GOVERNMENT INTERVENES TO REGULATE COACHING
A series of documents have been circulating amongst coaches that have raised alarm bells about current and impending regulation of coaching in various jurisdictions in North America. At one extreme management consultants calling themselves executive coaches believe regulation will not pertain to them. At the other end of the spectrum highly trained and experienced coaches are calling for an extensive effort to fund a lobbying strategy to prevent, thwart, or revise impending or current statutes.
What are some of the factors that have led government departments towards regulation of coaches and coaching?
1. Too little proactive education of government officials by major coaching organizations and schools;
2. Ignorance of public officials regarding distinctions between coaching and other helping interventions;
3. Envy of and worry by currently regulated or licensed practitioners about the growth and revenue capacity of coaching;
4. The never-ending quest of new sources of revenue generation by government licensing fee departments;
5. Improper negative generalizations made about coaches and coaching made in popular literature by members of a particular profession that were unfounded and left unchallenged;
6. Public mis-statements by coaches about coaching methods, aims, and procedures;
7. Ambiguous and confusing statements made by coaches about distinctions between terms such as personal coaching, life coaching, corporate coaching, business coaching, and executive coaching;
8. Practitioners of a variety of other clinical interventions suddenly calling themselves coaches and easily adding coaching to their list of activities;
9. Coaches engaging in methods typically used by psychologists and psychotherapists such as assessment, diagnosis, and emotional healing; and
10. Coaches and coaching associations encouraging coaches to apply coaching to a multiplicity of problems related to stress, trauma, and problem-solving.
What are some of the options recommended by coaches for dealing with regulation?
1. Build a Stronger Fallout Shelter. Effective coaches are unlikely to have a client who will complain about the coaching received. Virtually all complaints about licensed (regulated) practitioners of any kind are initiated by a client with a grievance. Resolution in states or provinces that have licensing is often the responsibility of a government agency, but action, including review, fines, or punishment can normally only take place if initiated by a client's complaint. Coaches who stay within the boundaries of coaching are not likely going to be brought to the attention of a regulating body. Therefore, some observers are recommending strengthening practice effectiveness and ignoring regulation trends.
2. Become Your Own Spin Doctor. The tide is turning. No amount of lobbying or rational argument will persuade legislators or state/provincial administrators that they are making a mistake. Fee payments for regulation are minimal. Pay the fee as a nuisance or as one of many annoying costs of doing business. Virtually all businesses have to pay such fees to operate. Instead of accepting the demeaning title provided by paying the fee (such as "unlicensed therapist"), some coaching experts recommend using the payment as an opportunity to place the following statement on coach public documents: "Authorized by the State of Colorado (or your jurisdiction) to provide coaching services."
3. Just Because You're Paranoid Doesn't Mean There Isn't Someone Out to Get You. Of the sixty-one legislative jurisdictions in North America only four are considering or have established some legislation or regulation that pertains to coaching. Consumer complaint and danger to consumers remain the primary concerns of legislators and administrators associated with regulation. The criticism that one profession has aired regarding coaches and coaching will have little impact on key decision makers in the public service. Some coach observers believe the worry about the spread of regulation of coaching across North America has been blown out of proportion.
4. Use the Bureaucracy Against Itself. While states and provinces may have statutes on their books regulating or licensing various clinical practices, recent trends in cutting staff at all government levels has resulted in too few people available to monitor and manage practitioners. Workers in the regulation departments are extremely overloaded and overworked. Some observers have commented that the chance of a coach actually being reviewed or monitored (for not being licensed) are so low and the consequences of being caught (as unregistered) so minor, that it would be ludicrous to register.
5. Take a Stand. Many states and provinces do not need to pass new legislation to include coaches or coaching in their statutes. Although four states have already indicated that existing legislation covers coaches and coaching, these statutes have been on their books for some time. Coaches, coach organizations, and coaching schools have been urged to lobby for separate legislation that reflects the unique elements of coaching and provides coaches with a quality practice standard. One group has already proposed alternative legislation that recognizes the integrity and advances of the coaching field. While coaching associations and schools as well as individual coaches may be too late to play a proactive role, coach observers recommend that they take a strong educational role and let key decision makers in government settings know about the purpose, value, and evidence associated with effective coaching.
For more information about the ICF position visit: www.coachfederation.org and read the"Board of Directors Vote on CO Resolution - Passes." Additional information from the ICF is available to members only. For additional documents regarding regulation contact Peer Resources.
COACHING CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
Accelerate the Future - The 2003 Chicago Business Success Conference presented by the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC), October 23-25, 2003 at the Renaissance Hotel in Northbrook, Illinois. Business leaders, owners, and managers are invited to join some of the best business coaches in the world to attend Business Success Workshops, a Keynote Lunch and Networking Events. Non-Member Coaches are invited to attend a WABC Open House (Saturday only) to enjoy a Six-figure Coach & Client Panel Discussion on: “How Coaching Works in Business” and to meet with keynoters and all presenters, panelists and the WABC President/CEO. For more information, a registration form and fee details, go to www.wabccoaches.com/conference.htm. (Probably too late if you are reading this online.)
The 8th Annual International Conference of the International Coach Federation (ICF) - A Model of Excellence - will take place November 13-15, 2003 in Denver, Colorado at the Adam's Mark Hotel. Keynote speakers include Dr. Paul Pearsall, Bob Schmetterer, and Kathy Buckley. Pre-conference events include ICF Coaching Research Symposium, Coaching for the Good of All, Get on the Publishing Fast Track, and Six Figure Practice. The conference is organized into six tracks: Executive Coaching, Life Coaching, Organizational / Corporate Coach, Small Business / Professional, Specialty Coaching, and Beyond Mastery. Conference questions or comments can be emailed to: DenverConference@coachfederation.org.
Tenth Annual European Mentoring and Coaching Conference to be held November 18-20, 2003 at the Robinson Executive Coach Centre, St. Noets, near Cambridge, England. For more information about the conference contact: David Megginson, Co-Chair European Mentoring and Coaching Council, Professor of HRD, Mentoring and Coaching Research Group, School of Business and Finance, Sheffield Hallam University, Stoddart Building, Howard Street, SHEFFIELD, S1 1WB; Telephone: +44 (0)114 225 5210; Fax: +44 (0)114 289 5268; email: d.f.megginson@shu.ac.uk.
A coaching forum, From Industry to Profession, will be held in Melbourne, Australia at the Rydges Hotel in Richmond, November 21-22, 2003. This two-day forum is designed to introduce, discuss and further develop a draft "Conceptual Coaching Framework" developed by the Australasian Institute of Professional Coaches Inc (AIPC), a group of concerned coaches and coach training schools recently established as a non-profit body to promote minimum professional coaching standards, particularly for coaches operating in organizational contexts. For more information, or to register, contact Bill Gale, President AIPC Inc. at billgale@egointernational.com.
WHAT'S NEW FROM COACHING LITERATURE
Peer Resources continually scans the professional and popular published literature to find articles of interest to coaches. A recent addition to the searchable, <www.peer.ca/SearchB.html>annotated bibliography includes:
CompassPoint Nonprofit Services (2003). Executive coaching project: Evaluation of findings. Retrieved from www4.compasspoint.org/cpDir/files/documents/docs_research_evals/exec_coaching.pdf.
