Promoting other Coaches and Their Blogs

I recently posted on a listserve a few blogs by coaches that I am aware of that are related to coaching in general. Of course, I missed many and some of you have pointed this out to me. I will be collecting more over the next week and posting them here.

Also, as I come across items related to coaching to post here, I want to give credit to who let me know about the item. So make a comment or send then to me and I will be sure to post it along with your blog or web site.

Thanks Roberta

Do you Need a Coach? Inc. Article

From: Inc. Magazine, April 2006 Page: 86
By: Alison Stein Wellner

More entrepreneurs are turning to business coaches for that extra edge. Here's how to find the right coach--and what you can expect once you do. this article is more aobut coaches as entrepreneurs thatn about the coaching industry and it does an excellent job as such. There are also two tip boxes (Get the Right Coach and What Kind of Coach Do You Need?) that provide some guidance.


Thanks for this information goes to: Elizabeth Tull
http://www.agapelegacycoach.com/

Coaching Innovation to Close May 1st

What is happening in the Coaching World these days? Things seem to come and go - often with some sort of mysterious circumstances.

As reported by Pat Gundy in COACHTALK-L automatic digest system:
"I don't know if there will be some official announcement from Coaching Innovation's owners on May 1, or if that's just when some part of it shuts down. "

Pat suggests that if you're want to request a refund from Coaching Innovation of your mycoachinghome.com membership fee, email David Goldsmith at dgoldsmith@thegoldsmithgroup.com with your request. He is one of the owners.

Susan Austin, the original face behind the organization, now has no connection to Coaching Innovation. Speaking of faces, one of the great ideas that they had was the "Faces of Coaching" Check it out before it disappears and see if you recognize your colleagues . . . then scroll over to see the name.

The Coaching Innovation is not to be mistaken with The Coaching Insider Newsletter, which also seems to be on hiatus these days.

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The good news is that there are other newsletters and lists out there that help to keep us informed on coaching. Many have been mentioned here before in a previous post but I want to give a nod to the following neutral organizations:

• Peer Resources
• Association for Coaching Excellence (Julia and Donna are working hard on this but really need to get the web site out more in their correspondence AND promote an easier way to sign up for the newsletter.)
  
• COACHTALK-L automatic digest system
• The New Coach Connection
• EuroCoachList

Others you might wish to consider that have newsletters and information about their own services that I subscribe to are:

• Worldwide Association of Business Coaches
• International Association of Coaches VOICE (voicesub@certifiedcoach.org)
  
• International Coach Federation
• 247coaching
  

TV Program Confuses Viewers about True Life Coaching

By: Bill Dueease and Christy Donner

The daytime television program called Starting Over has been on the air for about three years. It is a scripted, Hollywood-style, reality TV-show, featuring women with many different life problems, who have been sequestered in a house under controlled conditions. The show is an entertaining drama as the women are followed around 24/7 with cameras recording their struggles to overcome their problems.

The show provides at least two people they call "Life Coaches" and at least one consulting psychologist to help the women on the show overcome their problems. The show also provides other resources including makeup artists, hair stylists, and even Jenny Craig to help the women improve their appearance and lose weight as part of their path to overcome their problems.

To get a better understanding of the coaching clients who appear on the show and the problems they bring with them, here are brief biographies of the participants:

* A woman over 40 who lives at home and is still being supported by her parents.
* A woman facing cancer and struggling to survive and get on with her life.
* A woman whose mother was killed in one of the 9-11 airplane crashes and struggles to deal with the grief and life thereafter.
* An Olympic hopeful gymnast who missed her chance to make the team and is struggling with the guilt and depression of letting her family down.
* A young woman who suffered a sudden onset of blindness and struggling to cope and adjust.
* A young pregnant woman who is single, does not know the father of her child, and struggling to cope with motherhood alone.
* A woman who suffered physical and sexual abuse from her family and struggling to have a normal life.
* A woman who had a severe weight loss due to gastric bypass surgery and struggling to adjust to her new size and shape.

The show broadcasts edited video of taped interactions between two "Life Ccaches" who appear to do whatever they can to change the women as a means of overcoming their problems. The Life Coaches apparently have considerable power over these women to toss them from the show, if the women participants do not do what they are told to do. The women are mainly confined to the house and are subjected to cameras taping almost their every move, especially their interactions with the Life Coaches, therapists, makeup artists and weight loss guru's.

We are happy that Starting Over alerts the general public about the life coaching process by showing how their two "Life Coaches" interact with these women with problems. Unfortunately, the producers and writers of the show are portraying the life coaching process and how life coaches help people in a very inaccurate and even sometimes negative way. Viewers are led to believe that true life coaches do what the supposed "Life Coaches" on Starting Over do to these women when they are experiencing typical life situations.

We believe it is important to point out how true life coaching differs from the Hollywood version shown on Starting Over. The reason we feel compelled to do this is because we receive more and more calls from Starting Over viewers everyday who want The Coach Connection (TCC) and TCC Member Coaches to do what the Starting Over "Life Coaches" do. But Starting Over "Life Coaches" are not providing life coaching or anything like it.

Here are the differences between the "Life Coaches" portrayed on Starting Over and true life coaches.

• Starting Over women (clients) come to the program with problems, most often dramatic ones.
  Coaching clients come with a desire to improve their lives by achieving "Coachable Goals," which are future places they want to be that require them to grow and improve as a person to achieve them. They are not escaping or fixing problems.
  
• Starting Over women are housed in controlled environments where the "Life Coaches" judge the women to decide who stays, who is told to leave, and who graduates from the show. The women know it and respond to the authoritarian position of the "Life Coaches." Coaching clients are free to come and go as they please. True coaches do not judge or evaluate clients, and have no control over what their clients do.
  
• Starting Over "Life Coaches" act as their "clients" all-knowing superiors and come across as arrogant. True life coaches are equal partners and not the superiors of their clients.
• Starting Over "Life Coaches" constantly tell the women what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. True life coaches do not tell clients what to do or give advice.
• Starting Over "Life Coaches" seem to demand the spotlight and take as much credit as possible for any changes. They are the stars of the show. They are paid to be the center of attention. True life coaches focus all of their energies on their clients, who become the true center of their attention. Life coaches concentrate on assisting their clients to achieve their goals, receive their rewards, and celebrate as they see fit, without the involvement of their life coaches, who remain behind the scene.
  
• Starting Over coaching is performed in the open public and the "Life Coaches" do not care about the privacy or confidentiality of their relationships with the women on the show.
  True life coaches are bound by strict confidentiality ethics and protect the privacy and secrecy of what transpires between them and their clients at all costs.
  

As you can see the differences are many and very substantial between the "Life Coaches" on Starting Over and true life coaching. These differences are so glaring that it can create very confusing and frustrating situations when Starting Over viewers seek their own "Life Coaches" to be in the same mold as portrayed by the "Life Coaches" on Starting Over. At TCC we have had some interesting conversations trying to explain that true life coaches will not perform the same activities as the "Life Coaches" on Starting Over.

We are not saying that the "Life Coaches" on Starting Over are good, bad, better, or worse, than true life coaching. That is not our place to judge. We are only saying that the writers and producers are mislabeling their star characters as "Life Coaches." Based upon our contact with the show and our understanding how and why it was formed, we believe that they purposefully mislabeled their stars as "Life Coaches" at the beginning to take advantage of the credibility and legitimacy of the true life coaching process. It worked for them. Yet, the power of their Hollywood show has created a very false and inaccurate picture of life coaching.

Unfortunately, the Starting Over TV-show has a much larger viewing public and far greater penetration into the hearts and minds of millions of viewers (and sponsors) than TCC and the entire coaching profession. We can only attempt to broadcast the truth from our little blog and through any other means we can find.

We hope that more viewers of the Starting Over show and other TV shows that feature supposed "Life Coaches" will be inspired to consider using life coaches to improve their lives. We also hope that these viewers will be able to learn the differences between what true life coaches can do for them and what they see on Starting Over. Once they learn about what true life coaches do, they will undoubtedly give life coaching much greater respect and consideration as a means to creating the future they really want.

About the Authors:

Bill Dueease is the President and Co-Founder of The Coach Connection (TCC), a service rated as the best in business for bringing coaches and clients together. TCC has matched over 700 clients with their ideal coaches in the last 3.5 years. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama, a former Chapter Host for the International Coach Federation, and currently lives with his wife and two of their four children in Fort Myers, Florida.

Christy Donner is the Vice-President of The Coach Connection and specializes in helping clients with career transitions. She has an MBA, and is a CoachU and Career Coach Institute graduate. She is an active member of the International Coach Federation and currently lives in Cape Coral, Florida with her husband and one of their two children.

The Coach Connection (http://www.findyourcoach.com) can be contacted at (800) 887-7214 or (239) 415-1777. A paper comparing TCC to other "referral" services can be found at: http://www.peer.ca/coachingnews.html#topfive

This article first appeared in COACHING NEWS, ISSN 1708-9026, April 19, 2006 Back issues of The Coaching News are available online at http://www.peer.ca/thecoachingnews.html. To subscribe or unsubscribe send an email to info@peer.ca.

Next issue of choice - The Magazine of Professional Coaching due out in June

This special summer issue will mail June 16, 2006. Thier advertising deadline is May 17, 2006. The next issue of choice Magazine will be their Second Annual Coach Training Roundup and This will be the first issue to be available on newsstands in the U.S. and Canada

Upcoming Coaching Events as announced by Peer Resources

The Coaching News is a copyrighted publication of Peer Resources, a non-profit corporation, located at 1052 Davie Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8S 4E3 Canada. All articles are written by Rey Carr unless otherwise indicated. Back issues of The Coaching News are available online. As mentioned in a previous post and on my site, I strongly recommend subscribing to see access some terrific articles and resources. To subscribe send an email to info@peer.ca with Subscribe in the subject.

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

Mentoring System and Coaching Skills for Managers
April 21, 2006
Courtyard by Marriott, Jersey City, New Jersey
www.perrone-ambrose.com
(800) 648-0543 extension 551
ngorman@paamentoring.com

Life and Wellness Coaching: A New Powerful Profession
April 21, 2006
Franconia Heritage Center, Franconia, Pennsylvania
www.talktherapynetwork.com
(215) 703-3743

The Effective Coach
April 24-25, 2006
The Regency Hotel, South Kensington, London (UK)
www.mast.co.uk
01628 504919
simon.oak@mast.co.uk

Essential Coaching Skills
April 27-28, 2006
Atlanta, Georgia
www.linkageinc.com
(781) 402-5555
training-consulting@linkageinc.com

Advanced Coaching Leaders Workshop
May 1-2, 2006
New York, New York
www.linkageinc.com
(781) 402-5555
training-consulting@linkageinc.com

Coaching: A Strategic Tool for Leadership
May 1-3, 2006
150 York Street, Toronto, Ontario
www.cmctraining.org
(877) 262-2560
cmcinfo@cmctraining.org

College of Executive Coaching Intensive Training Institute
May 1-6, 2006
Indianapolis, Indiana
www.executivecoachcollege.com/calendar.htm
(888) 764-8844
training@executivecoachcollege.com

Power Coaching Fundamentals
May 2-4, 2006
Victoria, British Columbia
www.coachingandleadership.com
(250) 652-5390 or (866) 254-4357

5th Annual CoachVille Conference
May 9-13, 2006
Crown Plaza Chicago O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois
www.cvcommunity.com
(847) 928-3722
maria@coachville.com

Coaching: A Strategic Tool for Leadership
May 15-17, 2006
Canadian Management Centre, Calgary, Alberta
www.cmctraining.org
(877) 262-2560
cmcinfo@cmctraining.org

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

Body-Centered Coaching (Retreat) with Marlena Field
May 23-25, 2006
Bend of Ivy Lodge, Asheville, North Carolina
www.BodyMindSpiritCoaching.com
Tel: (250) 656-5212 or Toll-Free: (877) 778-2349

Mentoring System and Coaching Skills for Managers
June 7, 2006
Perrone-Ambrose, 161 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois
www.perrone-ambrose.com
(800) 648-0543 extension 551
ngorman@paamentoring.com

Body-Centered Coaching with Marlena Field
June 9-14, 2006
Hollyhock Retreat Centre, Cortes Island, British Columbia
www.BodyMindSpiritCoaching.com
Tel: (250) 656-5212 or Toll-Free: (877) 778-2349

Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring 8th Annual Conference
June 14-15, 2006
Oxford Hotel, Oxford, United Kingdom
www.oscm.co.uk/conference/summary.html

Coaching Skills for the Human Resources Professional
June 21-22, 2006
Perrone-Ambrose, 161 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois
www.perrone-ambrose.com
(800) 648-0543 extension 551
ngorman@paamentoring.com

Introduction to Life Coach Training
June 25-27, 2006
Sonoma Valley Inn, Sonoma, California
www.fallingawake.com
(605) 390-2275 or (866) 325-5292
JoAnne@FallingAwake.com

Executive Coaching MasterClass
July 25-27, 2006
Singapore
www.linkageinc.com
(781) 402-5555
training-consulting@linkageinc.com

The Effective Coach
August 3-4, 2006
The Regency Hotel, South Kensington, London (UK)
www.mast.co.uk
01628 504919
simon.oak@mast.co.uk

Essential Coaching Skills
August 3-4, 2006
New York, New York
www.linkageinc.com
(781) 402-5555
training-consulting@linkageinc.com

College of Executive Coaching Intensive Training Institute
August 13-19, 2006
Santa Barbara, California
www.executivecoachcollege.com/calendar.htm
(888) 764-8844
training@executivecoachcollege.com

2nd National Congress on Coaching
October, 2006
Madrid, Spain
www.congresonacionalcoaching.com/

The Art of Mindful Coaching
October 16-18, 2006
Bend of Ivy Lodge, Asheville, North Carolina
septetcoaching.com/retreats.html
(828) 254-2021
silsbee@septetcoaching.com

College of Executive Coaching Intensive Training Institute
October 16-22, 2006
Santa Barbara, California
www.executivecoachcollege.com/calendar.htm
(888) 764-8844
training@executivecoachcollege.com

International Coach Federation Conference
November 1-4, 2006
Renaissance Grand Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri
www.coachfederation.org
(Call for contributions to the November 1 Research Symposium
Deadling for submission: April 3, 2006)

European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Conference
November 1-3, 2006
Cologne, Germany
www.emccouncil.org

The Effective Coach
November 20-21, 2006
The Regency Hotel, South Kensington, London (UK)
www.mast.co.uk
01628 504919
simon.oak@mast.co.uk

College of Executive Coaching Intensive Training Institute
December 4-9, 2006
Las Vegas, Nevada
www.executivecoachcollege.com/calendar.htm
(888) 764-8844
training@executivecoachcollege.com

College of Executive Coaching Intensive Training Institute
January 22-27, 2007
Boca Raton, Florida
www.executivecoachcollege.com/calendar.htm
(888) 764-8844
training@executivecoachcollege.com

Worldwide Association of Business Coaching (WABC) Business Coaching Conference
May 18-19, 2007
Marriott Pinnacle Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia
www.wabccoaches.com
info@wabccoaches.com

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

Mike Jay's New Book: CPR For The Soul: Creating Personal Resilience By Design

This is a VERY time sensitive post. You may be wondering why I am including such a blatant advertising for Mike Jay's new book. Here are three reasons:

1. The Book CPR For The Soul contains valuable information for coaches. It also includes an excellent assessment called the Reiss Profile.
2. I have trained with Mike on this content, the Reiss Profileand other coach training and I think he is one of the best in the business.
3. I am proud to be a joint venture partner with Mike and be offering my own bonuses related to assessments and coaching in general.

Happy Easter, Blessed Passover and Warm Bunnies to all of you onthis long weekend,

Roberta

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When You Purchase This Book Today, You Will Receive Mike's HardCover,Autographed Version of the Book and Our Exclusive 24 HourBonus Package. If there is no way you can purchase Mike's book now,but you want to join the CPR Design Marathon where each week MikeInterviews all of his bonus partners in a teleconference call whichyou can join live by clicking here.http://www.cprforthesoul.net/cmd.php?af=167270

Remember, when you purchase this book today and today only, you getinclusive access to these bonuses for a complete year. So, if you don't have time to collect or use these bonuses within a few weeks,they will be waiting for you when you need them!NOTE: These bonuses are available with a book purchase today and will NOT be available unless you purchase today.

Purchase CPR Now: http://www.cprforthesoul.net/cmd.php?af=167270

Feel free to email me with questions at my coach (at) leadwise.comaddress and I'll promptly return your email.To all of those of you who purchase the book, I thank you for your support and I look forward to sharing the CPR Future with you.

Thanks,

Mike R. Jay, FounderLeadership University

The Coaching Debates

A number of people have been asking Nancy Morris and myself if we plan on "resurrecting" our very popular Coaching Debates series via teleclasses. I met with Nancy this week, on my travels back to Canada and we decided that the time was right starting this fall. Both of us had major commitments this past year but we miss the wonderful interactions.

Today there was a discussion on “reach out Wednesdays” with the New Coach Connection Yahoo Group about: "Coaching: Is it a profession or a tool?" We had our own debate about whether or not coaching is a profession but I like the idea of coaching as merely a tool. Maybe that is the one we will kick off with in the fall!

Here is how we describe the Coaching Debates:

"Same old, same old." How many times have you sat through a teleclass and thought those very words to yourself? Or maybe you wanted to share a differing opinion but couldn’t find a gap to jump in on. Or you thought someone might say you are "wrong"! These teleclasses will be wide open, tell-it-like-it is discussions where everyone is free to share their thoughts, opinions, expressions, ideas with a view to evolving as individuals and as a community. They are moderated and a safe environment is guaranteed.

Here is what Stephen Fairley, author of "Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching" had to say about the Debates:

"Thanks to the both of you for the lively debate today on ‘do we need new leaders in coaching.” I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it both insightful and provocative. I would welcome the opportunity to continue the dialogue."

Send us your ideas through the comments.

The Big Picture: View a video from the Center of Creative Leadership

Sharon Ting, co-editor of the new book, The CCL Handbook of Coaching: A Guide for the Leader Coach, speaks about executive coaching. The book uses a coaching framework to give a compass to leaders who are called to coach as a means of building sustainability and boosting performance in their organizations.

The Center for Creative Leadership was founded in 1970 and is definately a leader in the understanding, practice and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. They serve as a great resource in this area but also continue to be on the leading edge of coaching issues.

April's issue of their newsletter is devoted to New Views On Coaching.

Fantastic Training Resources for Coaches

Des Fitzgerald, Managing Director announced April 1st a new Completely Free Training Resource section at Oak Training which you will be interested in accessing:

http://www.oaktraining.com/All-Training-Content.html

Here you will find free training games, icebreakers and guides that you can use
without charge or restrictions.

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This comes a month after Tom Heck opened his paid membership site for free:

http://www.teachmeteamwork.com/

I had been a paid member for two years and foundt the site filled with video, audio, and much more.

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Life Coach Segment On The Today Show

April 6: The "Today" show's Al Roker talks with Laura Berman Fortgang, a veteran life coach, and Anne Sedler, one of her clients, about how counseling can help people reach their goals.