July 2009

Dear Members of ICF Greater Richmond:

Our June program was quite a hit!  Gus Irullio (program director for our chapter) presented “How to Run Your Coaching Practice as a Business” sharing valuable insights between the distinctions of being ’self-employed’ versus a ‘business owner.’ He also explained the critical reasons why many small businesses fail within the first two years.  Thanks to Gus for helping us all learn from his practical experiences.

If you have not yet updated your Member Profile via our website, please take a few minutes to fill out our short questionnaire. Collecting data about our membership will help us plan and deliver programs and other services that will meet your needs.

Chris Pellegrino (one of our members who helped develop our website) sent me an article recently published in Harvard Business Review, January 2009.  In What Can Coaches Do For You the authors (Diane Coutu and Carol Kauffman) share the results from their survey of 140 leading coaches.  The article takes a hard look at why coaches are hired, what they do for clients and how to measure success.  The survey results suggest that “the industry is fraught with conflicts of interest, blurry lines between what is the province of coaches and what should be left to mental health professionals, and sketchy mechanisms for monitoring the effectiveness of a coaching engagement” (p. 1)  It’s a good read – check it out!

Congratulations go to two of our members who recently received an award from the National Associate of Women Business Owners (NAWBO.) Ann V. Deaton and Ellen “Plum” Cluverius were both named Members of the Year.  The NAWBO chapter said both women lead the chapter’s Executive Dialog Program, “which provided participants with tools for decision-making and served as a selling point for membership.”  What a great honor not only for these two members but also for our profession. Read more (link)

Members can begin to consider service on our board and committees in 2010.  Accredited coaches (ACC, MCC, PCC) may serve as president, treasurer, secretary or president-elect.  Any member may participate as a committee chair (membership, programs, outreach or communications) or as a member of these committees.  The board meets the second Friday of each month from 9:30am to 11:00am (right before our membership program meeting.)  If you would like to learn more about opportunities for becoming involved in your local profession organization, please contact me at denise.kasper@capitalone.com.

We look forward to learning more about you as members and how we can best serve your development and networking needs.

Denise