Hearts and minds
The report of the ICF European conference in Madrid (vol 6, issue 4) conjures up a highly charged atmosphere in which the keynote speakers’ words finally got the response they were advocating, although perhaps not in the way they were intending. As I read the report, I had a sense of the audience connecting in a united voice, stimulated by one delegate’s expression of frustration. I’d like to have been in the audience.
Reflecting on the editor’s invitation in her Talking Point to consider how we as coaches might shape our responses to the ‘New Normal’, I’ve been picturing what that might look like and how, following the conference theme, we might ‘reinvent ourselves’ to get there.
I suggest that any fundamental human transformation derives from our greatest gifts: our heart and our mind. We alone are empowered to master these and, when we do, we experience a greater sense of interior calm, openness and compassion. This resonates to people around us and we notice that our exterior world – people, places and objects – starts to look and feel different. People respond differently to us, or is it the other way round?
By engaging in genuine inner enquiry, we can start to shift our interior world and observe it integrating with our exterior world. In this state we can make a meaningful contribution to a gradual shift in global consciousness.
Sally-Anne Airey sallyanne.airey@btinternet.com
What glass ceiling?
I read the article by Helen Pitcher (‘Viewpoint’, vol 6, issue 4) with great interest. As a female in the corporate world I have experienced many of the challenges Helen refers to. I started a family when I was extremely young, worked very hard to balance the demands of building a career together with raising a family, and studying in my ‘spare time’ to gain university qualifications.
In 2008, I set up Jungle HR, which enables me, as a professional executive coach, to work with leadership teams (including women) to enhance their skills and achieve their aspirations.
My story is not unique; there are many successful women performing this daily balancing act. However through hard work and sheer determination to be the best, I have recently attained one of only 50 roles within the UK as a female entrepreneurship ambassador.
The Ambassador programme is run by Enterprising Women, Women’s Business Centre, Forward Ladies and the IOD, and is part of The European Network of Female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors, which consists of 22 countries and around 250 female entrepreneurs across Europe.
The programme enables me to share my work and life experiences to inspire and promote female entrepreneurship among women.
I passionately believe that coaching provides a unique platform to build confidence, articulate aspirations and develop clear plans to enable goals to be achieved and barriers to be overcome – including the glass ceiling!
Teresa Boughey, Managing Director, Jungle HR Ltd
What you’re saying online
Why isn’t there a single professional body for coaching?
This discussion, posted by Ian Day, is currently one of the most popular. Day wrote that someone made the sign of the cross as if he were a vampire when Day named the professional coaching body he belonged to. Many of you, including Anna Sheather and Liz Ford, think one body would be beneficial, but as yet unlikely; others don’t think it would be a good thing.
Linda Aspey: “… However, as coaching has evolved, and we practitioners have become more mature in our thinking about who we are and what our values are, I have seen a shift towards people being with just one coaching organisation rather than several. I do think also that having a variety of coaching organisations to choose from is reflective of our diversity as coaching professionals.
And I, too, agree with Stephen (Palmer): If we were all merged into one coaching body then someone, somewhere, would break away and start a new tribe. Maybe that’s just human nature.”
Other threads include:
Sandro da Silva’s Coach or counsellor or mentor or consultant or therapist? Do you sometimes find it difficult to make clear what you do – and don’t do – as a coach?
Jason Stevens’ very popular thread: Are GROWTH Targets better than SMART Objectives?
Join us on: www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2274910
Coaching at Work, Volume 6, Issue 6