What is your ideal coaching client?  If your answer is someone who is highly motivated for change, has the financial resources, will make and preserve the necessary time, will honor his/her commitments, and has external support? Then join the club. We all want clients like this.

I was asked this question recently during an interview and while sharing my answer I had an "aha" moment.  After describing my ideal client I went on to share some of the other characteristics that contribute towards an ideal coaching client for every coach, such as those listed above.  However, I also added something that I now see as the number one generic difference between successful client outcomes and less than par outcomes.

The ideal client is the client who takes ownership of her coaching experience.  The client does this by showing up with an agenda, taking initiative in the coaching to direct or redirect the conversation, asks for what she needs, and not only follows through on homework but comes back to the next call with how she expanded the assignment based on her learning.  This client uses the relationship and the coaching structure to drive her own growth and development rather than act as a passive recipient of the coaching.

Have you ever felt like you were working harder than the client?  If so, then it's likely that you have co-created with your client an expectation that it is up to you to change your client, rather than it being up to your client to use your support to change himself.  It may be time to revisit the coaching relationship.  In addition to asking, "What can I, as your coach, do to make this experience more powerful," you may want to also ask, "What can you (client) do to make this experience more powerful?"

Want to see coaching by highly skilled, experienced coaches?  In addition to the talented line up of speakers and presenters, we will be showcasing live coaching at our upcoming November 11th Regional Coaching Conference at Penn State Great Valley (that's about 35 minutes outside of Philadelphia).  The conference is only days away, so if you have not already done so, please go to the website and register (http://www.philadelphiacoaches.org/coachingconference.html).  Also, please pass on the information to other coaches and professionals who can benefit.

There are two more important messages I want to share:

1. The 2012 International Coaching Week (ICW) is February 5-11.  You'll hear more about this but begin to think about creative ways you can showcase coaching to the public;  
2. ICF Branding initiative. At the December dinner meeting we'll be handing out wallet-size cards displaying the ICF brand.  You'll be hearing more about this over the next several months.

Please note that we will not be having a November dinner meeting due to our November 11th Regional Coaching Conference.  I very much look forward to seeing you at the conference and at the December dinner meeting, which will be my last dinner meeting as your President. We've had a great year together and I hope you will join me for a great finish with these last two events.

With gratitude and respect,

Consider all the benefits

Benefits of attending the ICF Philadelphia Regional Coaching Conference at Penn State Great Valley on November 11!  

• Opportunity to earn approximately 6 CCEUs 

• Local, national and international speakers
• Keynote with Dr. Annie McKee
• Business building, coaching tools & techniques, and leading edge science on coaching
• Lunchtime panel discussion on mental, spiritual, emotional, physical and technical aspects of coaching
• Excellent opportunity to network with leaders in coaching and fellow colleagues
• Observe Veterans Day with like minded people (and remember to bring your Toys for tots)

No Dinner Meeting in November!

The Conference on Nov. 11 replaces our dinner meeting this month.  

Mark your calendars for our next monthly dinner meeting on Dec. 15. See you at the conference!

Counting Down! 

By Marjorie Johnson, LCSW, ACC
ICF President-Elect & Conference Co-Chair

Believe it or not; there are only ten more days to register for the 11-11-11 Coaching Conference!

Don't miss this full day opportunity at Penn State's Great Valley campus to learn, network and strengthen your coaching skills.  As a local ICF chapter, ICF Philadelphia is committed to "advancing the art, science and practice of professional coaching."  Our conference "Coaching Excellence: Foundations and Frontiers, " has been carefully designed by the conference committee to deepen your learning about coaching skills, contextual  and group coaching, emotional intelligence and the brain, and proven ways to attract and keep clients!  

We need YOU our members and friends to come and support this exciting regional conference.   Come and earn up to 6 CCEU's in one fun and convenient event.  Come volunteer as a host and/or registration helper.  If you've already registered, help us pack the hours by inviting 5 of your friends to register and attend.  What a great way to introduce a potential client organization to the powerful impact of the coaching conversation!

Finally come and help me show our appreciation to members of the conference committee who have worked hard throughout the past year to design and deliver this quality educational event to benefit the coaching professional. We are fortunate to live in a region with such a strong ICF chapter. Come share in what is sure to be a spectacular event.

I look forward to seeing you on November 11^th.

Marjorie

The 2011 Susan Race Volunteer of the Year Award

A Word from our Conference Sponsor...

Dear Philly-area Coaching Community:

We look forward to seeing you soon! StyleMatters is honored to be a continuing supporter of ICF Philadelphia as this year's Event Sponsor for the Conference on Coaching. The conference is packed full of fantastic speakers and events, and we are thrilled to be a part of bringing together our region's best coaching minds.

We look forward to reconnecting with old friends and making many new ones. For those of you not familiar with our services or seeking to learn more about them, we're offering several unique opportunities to engage with us at the conference that will help take your book, online platform or marketing strategy to the next level.

First, Suzanne and I would like to invite you to join us for a complimentary publishing, internet marketing, or general branding consultation during the day of the conference. To sign up, simply email us [mailto:robert.murray@style-matters.com] your preferred time. We'll apply our expertise to your ideas in any or all of these areas as you see fit. Simply bring your vision-and let's talk strategy.

Second, we're offering conference attendees the opportunity to join our new affiliate network, which just launched in the spring of 2011. This network has proven to be an excellent source of passive income for our affiliates in a short period of time, and it also enables them to readily offer professional publishing and online marketing support to their clients. Look for information packets at our conference booth, where we can explain the specifics of the program-which can pay well into the thousands of dollars.

Third, as a literary agent, I am always on the lookout for exciting new coaching-related manuscripts to represent to publishers. If you have a book proposal you'd like us to consider or simply review for feedback, please flag me down at the conference or email me to set up a time to talk.

Finally, anyone who drops their card at our booth will be eligible to win $500 in StyleMatters content development services of their choice-ghostwriting, web development, newsletter set-up, book consulting and more. We'll be announcing the winner during the conference, so come say hello!

We believe in the power of language and design to transform minds, and we look forward to combining our passion and expertise with your vision and drive to take your platform to the next level. In the meantime, feel free to contact Suzanne or myself with any questions, comments or ideas.

Looking forward to seeing you at the conference !

Warm regards,

Robert Murray

ATTN: Corporate Coaches

Don't Miss the Nov.11th ICF Philadelphia Conference in Malvern

By Yoon Cannon, Corporate SIG Leader  

As corporate coaches it is so important to our practices, now more than ever, to invest in our professional growth through participating in ongoing learning and education.  It's important to be continually adding to our toolbox of skills and increased understanding not only to stay competitive, but also to ensure that we will be able to exceed ROI for each of our client engagements.

Wow! And, what a line up we have on Friday, November 11th. Thirty renown international and local speakers will be presenting at the Penn State Great Valley Conference Center for a truly power packed 1-day conference event. There are so many useful topics to choose from, but here are five picks that I thought were especially relevant to us as corporate coaches:  

1. Trends in Talent Management and Their Impact on Executive Coaching Services will be presented by a panel of experts.
2. Contextual Coaching: bringing social identity, organizational culture, and individual meaning-making into the coaching relationship
3. Key Strategies for Transforming Technical Experts into Leaders
4. Bob Dunham's Coaching Excellence in Organizations, "C.E.O"
5. Using the MBTI® for Coaching Breakthroughs in Executive and Leadership Development by Cindy Paris

Renown author, Ann McKee will be kicking off as the keynote speaker. Plus, Theresa Kienast and our own, Ginger Jarrett will be facilitating an interactive "Networking to the Max" session mid-day.

I want to encourage you to get registered for this signature event.  Then, join us on our monthly Corporate SIG calls where we will be helping one another maximize and leverage those new discoveries we made at the conference.

You know, we are in the business of helping others achieve game changing break-throughs. Here's a perfect environment for us coaches to experience some of our own game changing break-throughs. What a great way to springboard into making 2012 our best year ever.

Highlights from Las Vegas: The Global ICF Conference  

By Colleen Bracken, PCC

Last month, the 2011 Global ICF Conference attracted nearly 1000 coaches from around the world to rowdy, glitzy Las Vegas, Nevada! Truth be told, it was an odd place to hold the conference since few of us coaching types are big partiers and gamblers, preferring more wholesome activities most of the time.  But we value flexibility and dancing in the moment, so The Strip was hopping with coaches at the black jack tables, the slots, dance floors, restaurants and iconic shows like Cirque de Soleil and Celine Dion.   And we all agreed that this town offers some of the best "people watching" to be found anywhere, so there was never a dull moment. 

And oh yes, there was a conference too!  Michael Gelb kicked things off with a brilliant and inspiring opening keynote that combined the genius of Leonardo daVinci, accompanied by angelic singing, poetry, wine and chocolate.  It was spectacular and the audience gave him a well-deserved standing ovation.   His books and CDs on the topic are worth a look.  www.michaelgelb.com

The breakout session topics covered every aspect of coaching one can think of, from scientific research to energy to assessments to spiritual marketing.  The conference planning committee (which included our very own chapter member Lisa Kramer, PCC) vetted the presenters thoroughly so sessions were well-organized and highly interactive.  CCE units were granted for all educational sessions, which was a nice bonus to the valuable learning.

On Day Two of the conference, Sir Ken Robinson charmed us with his wit and heart as he spoke on the topic of creativity and innovation. (If you haven't seen his viral YouTube clip about what's needed to transform public education, then you must. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

So much happens in the four days of the conference that there isn't enough room in this newsletter to cover it, but a few more highlights worth mentioning are:

• Leaders from our 120 worldwide chapters gathered for a full day before the conference started.  Chapter awards were granted, new information was presented and discussed, ideas were traded, and new friends were made.  
• The Global Board held an all-member business meeting.  There was a deep sense of pride in our solid financial status was outlined, our growth in membership, and our maturing structure and operations. We are officially thriving!
• Several organizations made the trip to Las Vegas to receive their prestigious Prism Award.  This prize is awarded by the ICF to organizations who have done an outstanding job integrating coaching philosophy and practice into the way they work.  To learn more: www.prismaward.org 

As always, the best thing about the conference is meeting, talking with, learning from, and HUGGING so many exceptional people from all over the globe, who are committed to the art, science and practice of coaching.  There is nothing like this conference to inspire your spirit and boost your energy.  Hope to see you in London next year! 

Our Newest Members

Member Profile: Stephanie Vincent  

By Patricia Weeks, ACC, RTTP

One of our newest coaches is Stephanie Vincent (Radicalhateloss.com).  She found her way to coaching as a result of the process she went through because of her own coaching journey with ICFP coach Rosy Elliot (and probably started that journey at age 14 when President Jeff Kaplan became her lifelong mentor).  

Stephanie struggled with obesity her entire life and eventually weighted more than 400 lbs.  She had gastric bypass surgery, lost significant weight but then years later found she began gaining it back. That weight gain was like hitting rock bottom.  She knew the answer was not another diet.  What she found was through presence, she could finally love and accept herself.  That love and acceptance lead to healthy behaviors that came with joy and ease. 

What was once Stephanie's biggest struggle was the door to her life's work, inspiring radical transformations in women's relationships with their bodies.  It started with a her blog aptly named Radical Hateloss (in contrast to conventional weight loss) and has led to completing CTI training, a blossoming coaching practice, as well as workshops and group coaching in the works.  

Women come to Stephanie frustrated that a few pounds on the scale ruins their day (when they get that it shouldn't.)  They are angry and frustrated that their experience and what they know in their most authentic selves is true are out of alignment.  Stephanie says, "YES!, the more dissonance the better.  It is the growing uncomfortableness of that dissonance that makes transformation possible!"  And in Stephanie's experience that transformation begins with presence; saying YES to all that is, moving through emotions rather than escaping them, connecting to our authentic selves.

Stephanie loves helping women with body image, health and wellness issues but it's her secret path on a much larger mission.  She sees working with her niche as the crack in the wall that leads to fulfillment in all areas of her clients' lives.   "Whatever stands in the way is the way."  She knows firsthand, once you move through your core issue, the possibilities truly open in your life.

Stephanie is excited to join the ICFP community, to network, to learn and to strengthen her commitment to the coaching profession.  She is excited to be a volunteer at the ICFP coaching conference in November and is sure it's the first of many ways she will be involved in the community.

International Coaching Week 

by Rosy Elliott, VP of Membership

International Coaching Week (ICW) is a weeklong global celebration of the coaching profession held annually, during the first full week in February. It will beheld February 5-11 in 2012.

Originally founded in 1999 by ICF member Jerri N. Udelson, MCC, ICW is a designated time each year for coaches and clients to educate the general public about the value of working with a professional coach and to acknowledge the results and progress made through the coaching process.  

During this extended commemoration, coaches around the world offer a variety of activities and pro-bono services in their local communities to share what coaching has the ability to do.

ICF Philadelphia is proud to be part of The International Coach Federation which sponsors ICW and encourages coaches all over the globe to participate by holding special events during the designated International Coaching Week. 

How will you celebrate ICW? We, as coaches, know the huge impact great coaching has on our clients. Great coaching is trans-formative and transformation costs. I maintain that part of owning your impact as a coach is giving it away to someone who can't afford it.

In honor of International Coaching Week I invite you to share with the ICF Philadelphia community how you pay it forward.  Take a moment to share and inspire. Post  your way of paying it forward to the ICF Philadelphia Yahoo Group. And if you don't already do so take some time to explore how you can offer probono coaching. Here are a few questions to help you focus on ICW:  

• Where do you want to have an impact?
• Who could really use your expertise?
• Are there people in your niche who just can't afford your services?

 Advertise with ICF Philadelphia!

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