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The Coaching News
ISSN 1708-9026

(November 7, 2005)
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TOPICS:

  1. Finding the Passion in Goal Setting
  2. Attend Any of Twelve Coaching Conferences or Events
  3. Seven Studies to Guide Coaching Practice
  4. What's New in Coaching Schools
  5. Subscribing and Unsubscribing to The Coaching News


FINDING THE PASSION IN GOAL SETTING

Over the last few weeks I was in Penticton, British Columbia and the experiences I had while I was there have reinforced for me some important lessons about goal setting in coaching.

The city of Penticton is in the center of the Okanagan Valley of Canada and is known for its vineyards and orchards that produce peaches, cherries, nectarines, grapes, plums, apples and apricots. Penticton is also home to the yearly Ironman Canada (www.ironman.ca/), where just a few weeks ago more than 2400 competitors swam 2.4 miles (3.86 kilometers), cycled 112 miles (180.2 kilometers), and ran 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) to join a group of elite athletes from around the world who have accomplished this remarkable feat.

My cycling exercise program brought me into contact with many of these athletes during their training workouts. For short periods of time I would actually be able to cycle along with them. We would have conversations about cycling, technique and equipment, but while I was catching my breath in between questions, they would eventually pull ahead with little effort. It was very inspiring to be in the presence of so many great competitors, but it didn't take me long to realize that their training regimen and fitness level were beyond anything I could accomplish.

At first I rationalized that their superior fitness must be the result of an age difference. Most of the athletes were in their 20's and 30's. But then one of the finishers was a 75-year-old woman who had competed in many of these events. There was also a 60-65 year-old age category that included many competitors who crossed the finish line.

While I came up with a new rationalization every day as to why it wouldn't be appropriate for me to participate in an Ironman event (including simple ones like "I don't like swimming" and "I don't like running") what it really came down to was that the goal just seemed impossible to me. I could imagine myself crossing the finish line, hands raised in the air as I snapped the tape, but I couldn't imagine doing what it takes to ready myself for such a competition.

What became apparent to me was that setting a goal was relatively easy. However, articulating why that goal was important, what value it had, what yearning it satisfied, and what ache it filled, was much more difficult and at the same time much more important to goal achievement. I needed to know what passion would sustain me through the adversity associated with trying to reach my goal. I needed to know what voltage would propel me toward a goal that would be rife with barriers, twists, and possible wrong turns. I needed to know what reserves I could draw upon to meet the unexpected and unanticipated events that I would encounter along the way.

One of competitors I met, Mike, was a few hundred meters from finishing the cycling portion of the Ironman (which occurs after the swim and before the run) when a bee flew into his helmet. In trying to rid his headgear of the bee, he lost his balance, fell to the road and separated his shoulder. He got back on the bike, cycled to the transition area where he changed his gear, and after starting the run realized every step he took resulted in excruciating pain in his arm and shoulder. He dropped out of the race. Other competitors needed seventeen hours to finish an event won by the first place man (Chris Leito) in 8.5 hours and first place woman (Karen Holloway) in just under 10 hours. Two hundred and fifty competitors were unable to finish.

When I saw Mike a couple of days later with his shoulder bandaged and arm in a sling, he was jubilant about how well he did. Although disappointed that he didn't finish, his enthusiasm for the next competition remained undaunted. In the brief chat we had about the Ironman his eyes sparkled, he was passionate about his upcoming training routine, and his spirit voiced his resilience.

A key element of goal setting is the connection the goal has to the heart. That is why one of the steps in the Five-Minute Mentor Activity requires a mentor and partner to discuss the perceived and experienced importance of any goal established in their relationship. This step is often missing when a mentor or coach engages in goal setting with a partner.

But simply asking, "What's important about goal X?" or "Where's the bliss?" or "What feelings do you experience when talking about goal X?" may not be enough. Importance is somewhat like the layers of an onion, it can be continually peeled away and another layer takes its place. Therefore, asking the question three or more times as suggested in a "Whack on the Side of the Head" by Roger von Oech (1998), might be necessary to understand the depth and breadth of any individual's goal statement.

The answers provided through a repetition of this question can help a person assess the passion or voltage of the goal through a variety of non-verbal and verbal cues that reveal themselves during the discussion. Such cues will lend considerable weight as to the degree to which an individual will likely be able to manage the setbacks and unexpected events along the way. By connecting with the passion or the heart of the goal, achievement becomes much more of a reality.

References:
von Oech, R. (1998). A whack on the side of the head. New York: Warner Books. (Available from: Amazon.ca. Find the lowest price at Fetch Books.)

"Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it."

~ Charles Swindoll ~
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ATTEND A TOP LEVEL COACHING EVENT

Several coaching conferences and training events are scheduled over the next few months. A selection of those events from the Peer Resources website include:

International Coach Federation Annual Conference
November 9-12, 2005
McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California
www.coachfederation.org

European Mentoring & Coaching Conference
November 30-December 2, 2005
Zurich, Switzerland
0114 225 5210
www.emccouncil.org

Peer Coaching in the Workplace
December 2, 2005
Victoria, British Columbia
Tel: 1.800.567.3700
info@peer.ca
www.peer.ca/trng.html

Powerful Mentoring and Coaching Culture
December 6, 2005
Waldorf Hilton, London, United Kingdom
www.mtcoachingconference.com
0208267 4185
conferences@haynet.com

Advanced Coaching Leaders Workshop with Phil Harkins and Marshall Goldsmith
December 14-15, 2005
Atlanta, Georgia
www.linkageinc.com
(781) 402-5555
jhising@linkageinc.com

2nd National Coaching Psychology Conference
December 19-20, 2005
United Kingdom
www.coachingpsychologyforum.org.uk

Registered Corporate Coach Training
January 19-20, 2006
Napa, California
www.advantagecoaching.com
(630) 293-0210 or (800) 657-5904
info@advantagecoaching.com

Registered Corporate Coach Training
March 21-22, 2006
Villa Petrea, Bucine (Tuscany Region), Italy
www.advantagecoaching.com
(630) 293-0210 or (800) 657-5904
info@advantagecoaching.com

Association for Coaching International Conference
March 24, 2006
Victoria Park Plaza, London (UK)
www.associationforcoaching.com
+44(0)1932 886570
ShereeITOcoach@aol.com

Psychology for Coaches Course
March 28-29, 2006 and April 5-6, 2006 (4 days)
Imperial College, University of London, UK
www.meylercampbell.com/psychology4coaches.html
+44(0)20 8460 4790
info@meylercampbell.com

ICF European Coaching Conference
May 18-20, 2006
Brussels, Belgium
www.icf-ecc.org
Call for Papers
Marleen@ithaka.be

Coachville Conference (?)
May 8-13, 2006
New Orleans, Louisiana

Dream Coach University
July 31 to August 6, 2006
Corte Madera, California (near San Francisco)
www.dreamcoach.com
(205) 664-7605

For additional coaching events, go to http://www.peer.ca/coaching.html. To add an event, contact Rey Carr at rcarr@peer.ca.

"The answer to having a better life is not about getting a better life, it's just about changing how we see the one we have right now."

~ Angel Kyodo Williams ~
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SEVEN STUDIES TO GUIDE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Peer Resources continually scans the professional and popular literature for articles, books, videos and other useful reference materials. They provide a brief synopsis of the latest work as well as citation details and summaries on their website at http://www.peer.ca/coaching.html. They also provide a searchable format on their site at http://www.peer.ca/SearchB.html. Here are some recent additions:

Khan, O. (July, 2005). Put me in, coach. Across the Board, 42, 4 , 21.

An entire leadership team may decide to embark on a leadership-culture initiative, creating a set of accountabilities for the senior team, and bring aboard a personal coach to work with everyone, individually and as a team. Some contracts with coaches are time-based; some are relationship-based over a set period of time; and others are outcome-based. Some coaches engage in generative coaching, which depends on first building a relationship and then helping the person not only grapple with problems but imagine and move toward a future one wants to actualize.

Immen, W. (September 14, 2005). The new game plan: Top-to-bottom coaching. Globe and Mail, Section C, C1+.

This article documents the increase in the organization-wide use of coaching and the power such coaching has for senior and middle managers as well as employees. Job satisfaction increased, sharing across departments improved, staff turnover was virtually eliminated, complaints from clients served by the coached company decreased, and sales hit a record high. The article includes the names of the companies involved as well as the coaches and coach training organization that provided the basis to introduce system-wide coaching.

Carr, R. (2005). Membership changes at the ICF: Blessing or blunder? Victoria, BC: Peer Systems Consulting Group, Inc.

A change in membership requirements announced by the International Coach Federation in July, 2005 will have profound implications for coaching. This article examines the details of the proposed changes and analyzes them in terms of how they will impact the current role and influence of the ICF, how such changes illustrate challenges faced in the coaching field in general, and the relationship of the changes to key trends and issues in coaching. (This article is available in the Peer Resources' Coaching Directory.)

Grant, A. (2005). Workplace and executive coaching: An annotated bibliography from the peer-reviewed business literature. Unpublished paper, Coaching Psychology Unit, University of Sydney, Australia.

A compilation of 417 articles about the use of coaching in workplace or organization settings. A brief summary of each study is provided. Trend analysis shows that the majority of papers were published after 1996. While the author of this compilation claims that only "peer-reviewed" articles were selected for inclusion, many of the articles are not peer-reviewed.

Heah, M. (2003). When coaching can be a sheer waste of time. HRD Gateway Newsletter, No. 16.

The author stresses the necessity of ensuring that a client is committed to the coaching relationship. Several "mental blocks" can reduce readiness for coaching and it is the coach's responsibility to determine whether a potential client may be experiencing any of these difficulties. The blocks include: third party referrals, unrealistic expectations, limited honesty and openness, passive responding to action planning, fear of self-disclosure, diverting focus to safe issues, and unwillingness to solicit feedback from others.

Carr, R. (2005). Coaching statistics, facts, guesses, conventional wisdom and the state of the industry. Peer Resources: Victoria, British Columbia. (Available only to members of the Peer Resources Network.)

Gathering information about the value, the size of the industry, scope, fiscal practices, and research findings associated with coaching can be a daunting and time-consuming task. In addition, many of the sources of information are either unreliable or inaccurate. In this up-to-date compendium, a coaching industry expert combines his academic research skills, long-term engagement with coaching, and some detective work to compile virtually everything that is known about whether coaching provides a return on investment, the size, scope, and breadth of coaching around the world, the fees associated with coaching, and concrete figures about other areas. (Peer Resources Network members can download a copy of this document from the PRN password protected area.)

Aquilina, E. (August, 2005). An internal model of coaching. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching, 3, 1, [Online] (Retrieved October 6, 2005 from http://www.emccouncil.org/frames/journalframe.htm)

A case study of the internal coaching work within the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The research considers executive coaching and evaluates the appropriateness of the Kilburg Model of Coaching Effectiveness when applied to the internal coaching process.

"Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands."

~ Clint Eastwood ~
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WHAT'S NEW IN COACHING SCHOOLS

The number of coaching schools listed in the Peer Resources' Coaching Directory currently stands at 190. Here are a few of the latest entries. (For school contact details, go the Peer Resources' Coaching Directory.)

The Centre for Coach Training is an organization provides a "professional coach certification course" that is delivered in two phases: a required, three-day intensive, in-person seminar (typically held in Portland, Oregon) and a five module sequence delivered over a four-month period that includes three-day intensives, a weekly telecourse meeting, and an experiential learning practicum. Requirements also include supervised peer and client coaching and the completion of written case studies and book reviews. Class size is limited to 16 participants and instruction is delivered by "certified professional coaches" that facilitate "self-discovery" and participants finding their own "distinctive voice." A competency review is also required to attain certification.

Fielding Graduate University offers a 12-month certificate program emphasizing evidence based coaching and is designed for coaches, counselors, managers, human resources personnel, training professionals and consultants who are interested in enhancing their skills. It is also available to qualified individuals interested in becoming coaches. The focus is on current coaching techniques, online and distance coaching facilitation, evidence based theory and practice. The curriculum is taught in seven modules in various cities and dates in 2006. Tuition is variable depending on current status as a student, professional or alumni of Fielding. This course sequence counts towards academic credit for an M.A. or Ph.D. and qualifications for certification by the International Coach Federation. Fielding Graduate University was one of the pioneers in networked education and is an accredited university.

The Coaching Academy of North America, Inc., founded by Mackenzie Pearce, offers a self-study and teleclass program leading to a variety of certifications in life coaching, weight loss coaching, spiritual coaching, divorce recovery coaching, relationship coaching, Christian coaching, or executive coaching and consulting, business coaching and consulting (small businesses and large companies), and corporate consulting. Their programs are accredited by the Progressive International Coaching Bureau (PICB). The Coaching Academy offers a 100% money back guarantee and their website states that they "offer more training, resources, benefits and experience to our students then any other coach training program in the world." Tuition is $1147.00; however, tuition is only charged for participants who desire certification.

International University of Professional Studies is an unaccredited university in Maui, Hawaii that offers an M.A. and Ph.D. in professional coaching and human development. The organization provides several ways for participants to obtain the necessary credits for the degree including: (1) taking course work at other universities or training programs; (2) designing their own curriculum; or (3) attending the Institute for Life Coach Studies. Applicants must pay a non-refundable education assessment fee of $100.00 and submit a personal portfolio. Tuition for the master's degree program is $5,800; for the Ph.D. program is $7,300; and for a combined M.A./Ph.D. program is $10,200. A reduction in fee is available depending on prior professional and educational experience, and the assessment fee is applied to tuition costs.

Transformational Leadership Coaching (TLC) is an organization that provides a 40-week training program through in-person and telephone based coaching to attain certification as a transformational leadership coach. The curriculum is divided into three tracks: (1) formation, which focuses on change tools, core coaching values, and building coaching relationships; (2) a choice between life focus, which examines destiny, discovery and goal setting; or gift-based ministry, which focuses on applying gifting concepts to coaching, conflict, communication and team building; and (3) implementation, which deals with actual coaching sessions. Participants work with peer mentors and a personal coach. Participants must attend three in-person weekend workshops. Tuition is $2475.00.

Life Coaching Group offers individualized attention, flexibility, a unique teaching style and supervised experiential learning within a 36-hour program. Participants learn how to coach in a step-by-step fashion rather than through compartmentalized learning. Lessons are taught through stories, metaphors, and experiential learning. There is a built-in weekly supervised practice and application of skills with a small group consisting of varying coaching levels. The full cost is $1000.

"Sometimes one must travel far to discover what is near."

~ Uri Shulevitz ~
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The Coaching News is a copyrighted publication of Peer Resources, 1052 Davie Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8S 4E3 Canada. All articles are written by Rey Carr unless otherwise indicated. Back issues are available online at http://www.peer.ca/thecoachingnews.html. To subscribe or unsubscribe send an email to info@peer.ca.