 President's Message
In 1998, as a new coach, one of the first things I did was join the ICF. My reason for joining the ICF was very simple - I wanted to be a respected and successful coach. In my way of thinking, the quickest and smartest way to achieve my goal was to surround myself with the best coaches from around the world. My ICF membership was the key that opened the door to a global community of great coaches. As a new coach, my ICF colleagues gave me the support and wisdom I needed to grow. Now, nine years later, the ICF community of great coaches continues to inspire, support and challenge me to be my absolute best as a coach and as a human being. My ICF membership has been one of the wisest investments I have ever made.
Why Join ICF?
As I have the opportunity to talk to coaches from around the world, they sometimes ask, "Why should I become an ICF member? What's in it for me?" I think those are valid questions and ones that every ICF member should easily be able to answer.
I could give a whole list of member benefits, although I don't think that's the answer these coaches are looking for. I believe the larger question is what makes the ICF an organization worth joining?
Background
First, a little background - the ICF was founded in 1995 by pioneering coach, Thomas Leonard. He and a handful of other coaches believed in this profession so much that they saw the importance of establishing an independent, nonprofit professional body and laid a rich foundation for our organization. This handful of passionate coaches has now grown to a membership of over 11,500 coaches in 80 countries. For nearly a year now, the ICF has consistently grown at a rate of 200-400 new members each month.
The ICF of Today
Today, the ICF is recognized globally for:
• its coaching core competencies.
• connecting members to a global coaching community.
• establishing a professional code of ethics.
• developing the only internationally recognized credentialing programs.
• facilitating networking opportunities through local ICF Chapters.
• conducting and dispensing coaching research.
• establishing guidelines for coach-training programs.
• providing focused discussion through Special Interest Groups.
• conducting regional and international conferences.
• partnering with strategic and resource partners to benefit members.
Sharp Focus for the Future
In addition, ICF has sharpened its focus through the new strategic plan and, with your help, has identified the following purpose, values, envisioned future and strategic goals:
Core Purpose
To advance the art, science and practice of professional coaching.
ICF's Core Values
• Integrity: We uphold the highest standards both for the coaching profession and our organization.
• Excellence: We set and demonstrate standards of excellence for professional coach quality, qualification and competence.
• Collaboration: We value the social connection and community building that occurs through collaborative partnership and co-created achievement.
• Respect: We are inclusive and value the diversity and richness of our global stakeholders. We put people first, without compromising standards, policies and quality.
Envisioned Future
Coaching is an integral part of society and ICF members represent the highest quality in professional coaching.
Goals:
• Value and Benefit of ICF Membership
All members will derive value from joining and participating in the ICF.
• Professional Standards
ICF standards will be the benchmark for professional coaches in theory and practice.
• Research and Body of Knowledge
ICF will be increasingly considered the source of the most credible and trusted industry information for members, the profession and the public.
• Image and Awareness of Coaches and Coaching
The public will view ICF credentialed coaches as the coach of choice in the market.
• Image and Awareness of ICF Brand
ICF will be recognized for advancing the art, science and practice of professional coaching.
Join Me!
This month ICF members will receive notice that it's time to renew your membership. After reviewing the items above, I know exactly why I continue to be a proud ICF member and why I will renew my membership. I hope you'll join me as we continue to grow a global community of great coaches.
Warmly,
Kay Cannon, MCC
2007 ICF President
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Executive Director's Message
 In a January Member Update, ICF President Kay Cannon, MCC, briefly mentioned a new member benefit and resource that was under development – the ICF Online Community. At this moment, a testing group comprised of ICF members is busy reviewing the platform. When the final alterations are complete, a notice will be sent to members along with guidelines and instructions on how to maximize the community’s various utilities.
Members have requested more chances to network with one another and through the ICF Online Community, you will have a greater opportunity to share, learn and grow with other members around the world.
What will the new ICF Online Community offer you? The ability to:
• Personalize the first page you see when you login so that you can easily track what is happening in areas you select to be included in.
• Offer feedback through quick polls (single question surveys). Results to quick polls are shared in real time, meaning that you will see the results of all votes collected for that poll as soon as you answer the question.
• Read the latest ICF news and search for news items by topic/category.
• Join discussion forums to follow topics of interest. The forum section provides both e-mail listserv functionality and online posts and replies.
• View event information and other announcements for various groups, such as ICF Chapters and SIG groups, in one place.
• Share and download files organized by groups.
• Easily locate other members with similar coaching interests.
From this brief overview, I hope you begin to see how the ICF Online Community will not only assist with communication between ICF Headquarters and members, but also simplify communication between members. I think you will be just as excited about this new resource as I am once you have had the chance to personalize it to fit your interests. Please watch for future announcements as the work on the ICF Online Community nears completion.
Warm regards,
Lisa Simon
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ICF Resource Partner Spotlight - AudioAcrobat
A Special ICF Resource Partner Teleforum
ICF is pleased to announce a special teleforum on Monday, March 19 entitled "Interested in Learning How to Use Audio and Video to Build Your Coaching Success?” ICF has made arrangements with ICF Resource Partner AudioAcrobat to help members discover the facts about using audio and video to promote their coaching business.
In this ICF exclusive teleforum, you’ll learn:
• Steps to add audio and video to a personal Web site and e-mail.
• The types of audio/video productions that work best for coaching professionals.
• How to sell audio/video productions to make money.
• How audio/video can increase visibility on the Internet, and much more.
When: Monday, March 19: 2 p.m. (New York), 7 p.m. (Paris); Tuesday, March 20: 2 a.m. (Hong Kong)
Bridge line: +1.620.635.9555, Pin: 321
Presenter: David Barrett, Global Communications Manager, AudioAcrobat
Cost: Free to ICF members - as a special member benefit
Members who are interested in participating in the call can request a reminder e-mail be sent to them by sending an e-mail with AudioAcrobat in the subject line to icfsales@coachfederation.org.
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Welcome ICF's New Director of Credentialing and Program Accreditation
 Please welcome ICF’s new Director of Credentialing and Program Accreditation, George Rogers. George joined the ICF Headquarters team early this year. Many members have already had the opportunity to work with George and have found him to be well prepared for the opportunities ahead as the ICF credential continues to gain in popularity.
George comes to ICF with a background in public education, having served as a classroom teacher, school principal, and, most recently, as the Director of Human Resources for a school district of over 6,500 employees and 34,000 students.
In his role as HR Director, George was responsible for the development and implementation of a wide variety of policies and procedures, including those dealing with the certification of administrators, teachers and support staff. George has experience with applying the use of various technologies as tools to streamline processes and improve customer service.
As ICF’s Director of Credentialing and Program Accreditation, George will be working to enhance both the credentialing and program accreditation processes to ensure that ICF is delivering high quality services to all coaches and partners.
“I am greatly enjoying my work at ICF. I’ve already had the pleasure of speaking with many dedicated coaches who are interested in advancing the profession of coaching, and I look forward to meeting many more,” said George Rogers.
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Coaching in the News
During December 2006, ICF Headquarters collected media coverage from: Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, South Africa and the United States. ICF was specifically cited in 115 of 147 articles gathered. The remaining articles covered coaching in general. Based on available circulation figures, more than 70 million people were potentially exposed to coaching (over 64 million were potentially exposed to the ICF). View a more detailed report.
In order to better track media coverage, the ICF requests that members alert us when they see ICF mentioned in the media. This is particularly important to better track coverage outside of North America, in consumer magazines and TV coverage. Please send information of ICF coverage to icfpr@coachfederation.org.
In addition to coverage reported in the ICF media report, ICF was also mentioned on the Today Show, a nationally broadcasted morning show in the United States, and on Careerbuilder.com.
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It's Official - ICF Global Coaching Study News
You Are Part of a $1.5 billion (USD) Profession
The initial results of the ICF Global Coaching Study were released this month during International Coaching Week. The study, commissioned by ICF, was conducted by the highly respected global firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
From September to December 2006, nearly 6,000 coaches (both ICF members and non-members) in 74 countries were surveyed on their coaching practice and client demographic information, as well as revenue details. The survey was made available in seven languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish).
The highlights of the survey findings include:
• The approximate annual worldwide revenue produced by coaching is $1.5 billion (USD).
• Full-time coaches earn an average of $82,671 (USD) per year, and part-time coaches earn an average of $26,150 (USD) per year.
• 69% percent of coaches are female.
• The average coach is 46-55 years old, has coached for 5-10 years, and 53 percent of coaches have acquired an advanced level of education (i.e., Master's Degree or PhD).
• The majority of coaches maintain 11 active clients at any given time.
• Coaching clients tend to be 56 percent female/44 percent male, and between 38 and 45 years of age.
In addition to the global coaching statistics, regional specific information is available for Africa, Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, North America and South America. Country specific information is available for Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. To see more details from the study, go to the "In the Spotlight" section on the ICF Web site.
“Society is increasingly recognizing that a coaching relationship is worth both the commitment of time and the financial investment,” said ICF President Kay Cannon, MCC. “This is clearly illustrated by the revenue generated worldwide from the coaching profession.”
Next Steps
The Executive Summary is currently being distributed to coaches who took part in the study. They were promised first access to the information as a "thank you" for their participation. In two weeks, the Executive Summary will be available to others through the ICF Web site.
This is only the beginning of the information available to the coaching profession through this massive study. Additional modules are being written by PricewaterhouseCoopers that will highlight the various areas of the study. These modules will be available for purchase. See below for the specific module names and when they will be released.
• Module 1: Profile of Coaching Industry will be released on March 30, 2007. This module will include detailed information on coaching demographics, differences between ICF credentialed and non-credentialed coaches, coaching specialties, methods of coaching, regional/country-specific information, overall revenue, training/education information, money spent on professional development, listings of top professional organizations coaches belong to, and ICF member and non-member differences.
• Module 2: Coaching Revenue will be released on May 1, 2007. This module will include revenue information compared with level of education, ICF member and non-member differences, overall earnings, earnings by specialty, full/part-time earnings, revenue differences by region/country, pro bono/barter offered, ICF credential and non-credentialed differences, industry revenue expectations, revenue differences by methods of coaching (phone/in-person, etc.), revenue differences compared to money spent on training/development, and compared to coach training and level of education received.
• Module 3: Client Profile will be released on July 1, 2007. This is client information gathered from coaches who participated in the study. This will include client demographic information, client demographic information for country/regions, any client differences by coaching category, client data from ICF credentialed and non-credentialed coaches, methods of coaching used with clients, client differences between ICF members and non-members, and client-specific sections of the industry trends.
• Module 4: Industry Issues and Trends will be released on September 1, 2007. This module will include information gathered on current issues and trends relating to the coaching profession and will note any differences in thought among the following groups: ICF member and non-member, ICF credentialed and non-credentialed, and region/country-specific issues.
• Full Report will be released on September 15, 2007. The full report will include all of the above, along with an ending section written by PricewaterhouseCoopers on any overall wrap-up conclusions, including greatest opportunities and challenges for coaches going forward.
In addition, ICF is reviewing all of the information to provide members with key points that may be useful in local marketing, promotion and business development.
If you have any questions regarding the study or would like to order one of the modules, please e-mail your request to icfheadquarters@coachfederation.org, or call +1.859.219.3580.
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2007 ICF International Conference News
October 31 – November 3
The 2007 ICF International Conference will be held in Long Beach, California, U.S. Registration through the ICF Web site will open in early May. To learn more about the Long Beach area, visit the Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Web site.
Call for Breakout Session Speakers – Speaker Request for Proposal
Coaches who are interested in presenting a breakout session at this year’s conference should look for the ICF speaker request for proposal (RFP) to be posted on the ICF Web site in early March. The deadline for submissions will be March 31. This will be an automated process meaning that paper proposals and/or sales presentations will not be accepted. Please watch for more details, including instructions on submitting a proposal, to be posted on ICF's Web site in the Conference & Events section around March 5. In addition, a link to the ICF Speaker RFP will be added to the “In The Spotlight” section of the ICF Web site home page.
Introducing ICF's Honorary Conference Chair
 This year Julio Olalla will be serving as Honorary Conference Chair and will also be the opening keynote speaker. Julio is founder and president of the Newfield Network, an international education, coaching and consulting company.
Julio is a master at generating learning environments that establish the trust, safety, respect and well-being that accelerate learning potential. He has trained over 50,000 individuals worldwide and worked with more than 300 organizations to develop increased integration, productivity, strength and well-being of individuals, teams and leaders.
A masterful keynote speaker, Julio has addressed large audiences in the UK, Argentina, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States on the topics of leadership, organizational learning, education, and coaching. His message inspires audiences to re-evaluate not only the content of what they are thinking, but also their approach to learning. They often discover it is essential to redefine both what it means “to know” and “to learn” if they are to address the unique new concerns of the emerging global community.
Introducing ICF's Conference Education Steering Committee
The ICF Conference Education Steering Committee has been tasked with building and creating conference education programs which dramatically forward the knowledge and wisdom base of the profession, forward the impactful journal of the profession in the world and support ICF’s Strategic Plan.
This committee will oversee education sub-committees that have been challenged to build new and outstanding conference education opportunities. A list of sub-committee members will be shared shortly. The 2007 ICF International Conference Education Steering Committee includes the following individuals:
• Steering Committee Chair, Margaret Krigbaum, MCC, United States – Bio
• John Annesley, PCC, Australia – Bio
• Linda Page, Canada – Bio
• Terrie Lupberger, MCC, United States – Bio
• Sonia Sinisterra, PCC, Colombia – Bio
• Sabine Henrichfreise, MCC, France – Bio
• Cynder Niemela, MCC, United States – Bio
Conference Education Tracks
In support of the Education Steering Committee's goals and objectives, nine educational areas of programming will be offered at conference. The following is a list of these areas of programming along with the Education Steering Committee member who will be leading the sub-committee in each area:
• Coaching Personal and Life Issues – Sabine Henrichfreise, MCC
• Coaching Executives and Leaders – Sonia Sinisterra, PCC
• Coaching Business Issues – John Annesley, PCC
• Coaching Internally in Corporations – Cynder Niemela, MCC
• New Learning for Master Coaches – Terrie Lupberger, MCC
• Research Supporting Coaching Knowledge and Results– Linda Page
The following educational tracks will also be included in the conference:
• Wisdom Circles - Mastering the Core Competencies
• Wisdom Circles - Practice Building
• Specialized Areas of Coaching
More details, including remaining keynote speakers and pre-conference workshop information, will be announced shortly!
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Virtual Community Calls
Program 1 - Bridge line +1.620.635.9555 - Pin 197#
Date/Time: March 12: 6:30 p.m. (New York), 11:30 p.m. (Paris); Tuesday, March 13: 6:30 a.m. (Hong Kong)
Title: Emotional Intelligence
Presenter: Joseph Liberti
Credits: 1.0 CCEU Core Competencies
Join Joseph for a stimulating discussion of coaching challenges and opportunities:
• Explore emotional agendas that impact coaching outcomes.
• Review seven common issues and insights gained from listening to recorded coaching sessions.
• Identify seven core emotional skills that make coaching more powerful.
• Hear examples of overcoming corporate coaching challenges with emotional intelligence quotient (EQ).
• Learn how to develop your own EQ skill.
Program 2 - Bridge line +1.620.635.9555 - Pin 197#
Date/Time: March 15: 2:30 p.m. (New York), 7:30 p.m. (Paris); Tuesday, March 16: 2:30 a.m. (Hong Kong)
Title: Demystifying the Business Plan – Creating Your Own Heart-based Creative Business Guide for Success
Presenter: Laura Howard West
Credits: 1.0 CCEU Business Development
Coaches (solo-preneurs) will be shown how to create a heart-based creative business guide for success. This will provide inspiration, connect you to your vision, and help to align your daily actions to the success you really want in your business.
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ICF Regional Updates
UK Coach Honored by Queen at Valentine’s Day Event
 Samantha Collins, founder of the coaching company Aspire, took her place alongside prominent female leaders at Buckingham Palace during a reception honoring the Top 200 Women in UK Business. Samantha, representing the profession of coaching, was among women who have made a significant contribution to business and industry in the United Kingdom. Honorees were nominated as being the most outstanding in UK business today by a variety of sources, including Government and Professional bodies and Buckingham Palace itself. Samantha’s achievement demonstrates that the profession of coaching has gained a serious amount of respect over the years and is now firmly established alongside other leading professions.
During this Valentine’s Day event, over two hundred high-profile names were in attendance at the state apartments of the Queen of England’s official London residence. All senior female members of the Royal Family, including the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal and the Countess of Wessex, were present. Guests at the reception represented a cross section of business sectors, including financial services, manufacturing and construction, design, retail, publishing and recruitment.
“What’s particularly exciting is that for me this marks the coming of age of the coaching profession, which over the years I have seen spark transformation on so many levels – individual, business and community, “ said Collins. “Now I really feel I’m flying the flag for coaching – only this time it’s a royal one!”
ICF European Leaders Meet to Discuss the Future of Coaching
The ICF Netherlands Chapter will be hosting an ICF European Leaders meeting to discuss the future of the over $1.1 billion EUR yearly grossing coaching profession1 on March 1 – 3, 2007, in Utrecht, Netherlands. The meeting is expected to draw representatives from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, the Nordic region, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“Coaching is rapidly growing throughout the world,” said ICF President Elect Diane Brennan, MCC. “Europe is the second largest contributor to the total global revenue produced by the coaching profession, with 27 percent. During this meeting, ICF coaching leaders throughout Europe will meet with each other and representatives from other coaching associations to discuss how everyone can work together to raise public awareness of the benefits of coaching for individuals and organizations.”
Globally, the ICF has over 11,500 members located in over 80 countries. In 1995, when the ICF was founded, members were predominantly located in North America. Today, there are over 2,600 members located throughout Europe, representing 23 percent of the ICF membership.
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ICF Chapter Events
New England Chapter Events
Monday, March 19
The New England Chapter (ICFNE) is conducting a teleclass with Winston and Barb Connor, entitled “The ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of using Assessments to add Velocity to your Coaching Business.” The cost is $25 (USD) for ICFNE members and $30 (USD) for non-members. More information/ to register.
Saturday, May 12
The New England Chapter is hosting its first full-day regional coaching conference. This is an opportunity to learn from and mingle with nationally-recognized experts and colleagues from throughout New England and beyond. The event will be held at the Center at Waltham Woods in Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S. Early bird registration is available until March 12. More information/register.
ICF UK
Thursday, March 22
ICF UK will be offering a credentialing workshop on March 22. The workshop is designed to assist credentialing applicants to understand the credentialing application process and the role of the core competencies. Participants will have an opportunity to coach as well as have their coaching be observed. More information.
ICF Nordic
June 7-9
Licence to Coach European Coaching Conference
The Finnish Coach Federation (FCF), in co-operation with ICF Nordic, is hosting the Licence to Coach European Coaching Conference in Helsinki, Finland, June 7-9. Take advantage of early registration fee until March 1. More information.
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