September 2009 President’s Message
Dear ICF Greater Richmond Members and Friends
As I sit here enjoying the tease of fall weather on this first morning of September, I am thinking about how much I enjoy the start of the school year. I worked in university settings for much of my career, and I felt fortunate to celebrate another ‘new year’ in August with the start of the academic cycle. Having kids in school also affords one the opportunity to start anew before January 1st to experience the mental mindset and energy to start new routines.
As a newly anointed ‘empty nester,’ I am even more hopeful that I can sustain some new habits. Already in the first week my husband and I have done without ice cream or cookies in the house as well as exercised twice as much as we did the whole month of August. Maybe there’s hope yet!
I am also rethinking how I approach my coaching. I have to admit sometimes I get into a routine, which may not maximize the value for each individual client. This month I will engage with four new executives at Capital One. With fresh clients, a fresh month and more deliberateness about customized approaches I hope to break some old habits about my own coaching style. In a session yesterday with a current client, I immediately went to exploring the emotional triggers for some self-limiting behaviors he is exhibiting. Since I coach a number of analytical-types, the emotion domain is something I often approach with caution. This time I jumped right in, and to my delight, he did too. We probably made more progress in this session than we had in the previous two.
And, so I put this out to the membership: how can you leverage this ‘new year’ to break old habits and start new practices that will help your clients with faster breakthroughs? How are you limiting yourself because you are stuck in routine coaching approaches? What stories are in your head about your regular clients and how can you let those stories go and start anew again?
Three other points before I close. A few weeks ago Plum Cluverius, PCC sent an email out to the membership inviting us to volunteer pro bono coaching to the job seekers group sponsored by St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Please consider participating. Many of the job seekers have been unemployed for months and really need this support. Learn more about this chapter service project. And, thanks to Plum for heading this up.
As the past president of our chapter, Bob Scudder, PCC, heads up the nominating committee for our officers and directors. Please consider becoming more involved in our chapter. We want to expand our volunteer base and do succession planning for future leaders. There’s a place for anyone who is interested, no matter how much time and effort you have to share. Please contact Bob to learn more about how to help our organization.
Lastly, the Wall Street Journal recently published an article titled Staying in the Game With Help on the Sidelines – Demand for Coaches Is Steady as Executives Try to Hone Skills in Recession. It shared several client perspectives about the benefits of coaching, quoted going hourly rates and made the case for clients taking the time to research the coach’s credentials, training and fit. Well worth the two-minute read.
Our Presence-Based Coaching workshop on September 28th is sold out. If I don’t see you there, I’ll look forward to seeing you at our regularly scheduled meeting on Friday, October 9th. Have a great month — and start something new!
