Thursday, November 20, 2008

Professional Coaching: A tribe in chaos...

Leading the industry or not?

Recently, as I began to search for details regarding the recent International Coach Federation Global Conference (i.e., ICF Conference) I came to realize how little their community of members shared with the world this coaching industry event.

What does this mean? I'm not sure that I really could say...I just know that it is a great disappointment to see so very little information being shared with the world given that the ICF's core purpose is said to be "To advance the art, science and practice of professional coaching."

Over 15,000 members...

ICF has more than 15,000 members in nearly 90 countries and more than 160 chapters in over 50 countries.

A Tremendous Surprise...

Anyways, back to why I'm creating this post...

As I began to dig around the ICF 2008 Conference page I found and amazing give away. A prize, a gift for my curiosity and desire to find out more, I'll share more in a second. The give away sparked a question in me that I wan't to share those who are professional coaches (i.e., Life Coaches, Executive Coaches, Spiritual Coaches, Personal Coaches, Business Coaches etc.) and looking for a way be a part of the bigger picture, a way to collaborate and play other like minded entrepreneurs.

If you are such a coach here's my question...

In the audio version of the book "Tribal Leadership", by Dan Logan, John King, Halee Fischer-Wright, King talks about stage four organizations and compares the work of George Washington to such. I find myself potentially seeing our community of coaches as an organization in chaos a community locked in stage two or three. A community not eagerly embracing all of it's members and supporting those who are wanting to add their contribution to the mix.

A community without leadership!

How many leaders do we have within the community speaking the language of stage four?

I truly feel Thomas Leonard created a stage four community within coaching. A community eager to collaborate and encourage one another. A community with a voice. Even years after his passing I was able to easily find information relating to coaching, Leonard and Coachville via Google. It was everywhere!

Not only was he prolific, the community he stirred and touched "his tribe" was prolific!

Still, with his passing at least at first glance it seems to me that the tribe that once called Leonard their leader is today fragmented and perhaps even loss or missing the tribe.

Has profit become the voice of current leadership?

Intellectual property a bigger concern than collaboration or even the potential sharing of creative thought.

There are many professional coaches today feeling and dealing with isolation and wanting to be a part of a tribe, a stage four tribe. Still, they may not even realize that is what they are missing.

Can the coaching community once again be joined in a creative and collaborative frenzy of hope and expectation...that is the question?

Without the critical mass of a stage four community the hope changing the world as a whole may not have as much potential or may take so much longer than what some of the few thought leaders are anticipating.

As professional coaches we must find our voice and be willing to share it loudly with the world, no longer is a side conversation at a tea party enough!

Your voice matters and you can start by listening to this audio...

It's time for a change!

James (Mr. Possible)

Possibility is not an accident, it's a choice!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Entrepreneur: Global Entrepreneurship Week

56 Nations in all!

Mentoring is big piece of building a sustainable future for innovation and creativity.

This November from the 17th through the 23rd young entrepreneur minds will be asked to innovate with imagination and creativity during the Global Entrepreneurship Week competition.

Find out more...Global Entrepreneurship.

Potential is not for the faint of heart...

Learning to hear, to embrace and to act on what we know intuitively is a key part of being an innovator. Global Entrepreneurship Week has been created to encourage young entrepreneur minds to do just that; to innovate in a competitive and supportive environment.

"The future belongs to those who dare. " - Unknown

Imagine only six days and a pack of Post-it notes...

What would you create?
What could you imagine?

How far would you be willing to go with your creativity?

During the first competition the participants where able to take a pack of Post-It notes and create...

- Music
- Raise and donate money
- Educate children

...and much more.

Be inspiring! Be creative! Be the change you want for the world!

Find out more...Global Entrepreneurship.

To your success,

James (Mr. Possible)

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Business Mindset: The Man and the Butterfly!

Today I'm going to share a writing that was inspired by a very similar piece. A piece without a known author and far to many variations. So, rather than spending my time sorting out which variation I like most I chose to rewrite the piece in my voice and word. Enjoy...

The Trapped Butterfly!

One day a man found a butterfly cocoon. Wanting to watch the butterfly emerge from the cocoon the man took the cocoon home.

Several days later the man noticed a small opening in the cocoon. Curious, he decided to watch. After several hours of watching the butterfly struggle to squeeze it's body through the tiny opening the man noticed the butterfly's progress had come to a stop. It seemed as if the butterfly could go no further.

The butterfly was trapped!

Deciding to help the butterfly, the man took a pair of scissors and snipped away the remaining cocoon. Eventually setting the butterfly free.

As the man eagerly watched the butterfly, with it's swollen body and small, shriveled wings, he could not help to wonder how long it would take for the butterfly to spread it's wings and to fly away.

After an hour or two of watching the swollen butterfly crawl around on the ground the man decided he could wait no longer. His curiosity had faded and his frustration grown as he began to realize the butterfly was not going to fly with such small and shriveled wings.

What happened, the man wondered?

In his hurry to free the butterfly the man did not stop to consider what he did not know: the cocoon and it's small opening where designed to make the butterfly struggle. Without the struggle the fluids from the butterfly's body would not be forced into it's wings. Without the fluids being forced into the wings the butterfly would not fly.

Like the butterfly sometimes the struggle is what helps us to reach our potential!

- What is the biggest challenge you are facing right now?
- What is the benefit of facing your biggest challenge?
- What will it take for you to face your challenge?

To your success,

James (Mr. Possible)