The Chronicle of Coaching

Compiled and edited by Ruth Ann Harnisch, Christine Heinrichs, and Linda Ballew.

The Chronicle of Coaching provides a snapshot of what’s happening in the coaching profession, and is updated weekly.

In this week’s Chronicle: Business coaching gets attention in the first weeks of the new year, from advice for improved workplace communication to a seminar for African-American women executives. Microsoft coaches students to solve real-world problems in a global competition. Personal coaching helps a finance coach lose weight and reminds vacationers to leave work at the office.

COACHING NEWS – Current events where coaching is having an impact

From Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research (Washington, DC, USA)
An Agenda for Coaching-Related Research: A Challenge for Researchers
This peer-reviewed paper by John Bennett, assistant professor and chair of the communications department at Queens University (Charlotte, NC), analyzes the content of literature presented at the 2002 International Coach Federation research Symposium for directions on how research can support the development of coaching into a profession. He reviews the current literature for definitions of coaching and criteria for determining status as a profession.
http://content.apa.org/journals/cpb
Note: Must be an APA member to access full article.
Disclosure: John Bennett is a member of the Research Advisory Panel of The Foundation of Coaching.

CULTURE WATCH – Where coaches and coaching are showing up in the popular culture

From Future-Making Serious Games (Texas, USA)
Microsoft, BT Coach Technology Students to Apply Technology to Life
The 2007 Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator competition brings top college students together in teams to apply their technology ideas to solving real-world problems. Teams receive coaching to help them. From more than 65,000 students in 100 countries, 181 students in 72 teams representing 42 countries are selected to design software applicable to this year's theme, "Imagine a world where technology enables us to live healthier lives."
http://tinyurl.com/2shpfp

From Independent Catholic News (London, UK)
Catholic Church Offers Spiritual Coaching
The Catholic Enquiry Office has set up a Web site with advice and exercises to help seekers overcome negative feelings. Visitors can enter a drawing to win a session with a spiritual life coach and a contest to win an inspirational book.
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/janbue436.html

From FemaleFirst.co.uk (England, UK)
Tour Company Offers Coaching to Resist Work Obsession
One of the UK's largest holiday planners hired a life coach to create a series of six short downloadable films to help vacationers disconnect from the job. A survey indicated that many bring work along, contact the office and check work emails, making work the culprit in holiday break-ups.
http://tinyurl.com/2mwrm7

From ABC-TV Good Morning America (New York, NY)
Coach Advises on Post-Divorce Friends and Dates
Start by deciding what the people you want for friends and dates would be like and set about to meet them, advises life coach Cheryl Richardson in an interview. Decide what would be a deal-breaker, write it down and be willing to take risks for love.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TurningPoints/story?id=2805413&page=2

From National 9 News (New South Wales, Australia)
Online Radio Station Coaches Boomers
The new station, set to launch January 19, will offer programs on wealth creation, retirement planning and new enterprise for mature age businesses. A spokesman for the company says this is a growth market, evidenced by investor inquiries that have inundated them prior to formal launch. The Web site will offer free business coaching.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=178167

From The Dallas Morning News (Texas, USA)
Nonprofit Brings Executive Coaching to Black Women
The intensive leadership training, three sessions of up to five days each in the next six months, aims to teach African-American women who show executive promise how to be more dynamic players.
http://tinyurl.com/2cpg7z

From Area Developer (California, USA)
North American Coaching Company Expands to Saudi Arabia
The career and business coaching business made an agreement with a Saudi investment company to bring its franchises to the Gulf region. A representative expressed the hope that Saudi women especially will be able to visit the home-based coaching offices and become entrepreneurs who will start their own businesses.
http://tinyurl.com/24nmwt

COACH INK – Coaches and coaching getting media attention

From Quesnel Cariboo Observer (British Columbia, Canada)
Coach Offers Programs for Self-Mastery, Self- Discovery
The newspaper describes her intensive and meditation courses for personal transformation and a separate course for men only. She also offers business coaching and management consulting.
http://tinyurl.com/32pehj

From The Daily Iowan (Iowa, USA)
Student Newspaper Explains Life Coaching
Two local life coaches, both former professors, discuss their backgrounds and work.
http://tinyurl.com/yomldv

From NewsBlaze (California, USA)
Coach's Five Steps to Sustainable Business
Businesses that value staff and take civic responsibility are more likely to succeed, according to a business coach who is the founder of a large coaching organization and author of a book on the subject. Sustainable business leaders create financial success by gaining loyalty among employees, their clients and the community rather than by focusing on profits, she says.
http://tinyurl.com/2jjfn2

COLUMNS AND COMMENTARY
Opinions expressed are those of the writers and not The Foundation of Coaching, which does not express editorial opinion.

From Success.com (Michigan, USA)
Coaches Have Questions, Not Answers
By formulating the right question, a coach helps her client discover the answers within, this life coach writes. Not knowing the answer can be the step that leads to research and discovery.
http://www.success.com/articles/968/i_dont_know

From Business (North Carolina, USA)
Business Coach Explains His Work on a Blog
A licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, he compares business coaching to sports coaching and differentiates between coaching and consulting.
http://tinyurl.com/2nmh5b

From Embody (England, UK)
Life Coach Blogs on Five Elements of Personal Growth
Using the metaphor of seeds from which the full growth of the plant can be attained, he cites confidence, wisdom, beauty, kindness and love.
http://www.embody.co.uk/index.php/five-small-seeds-to-change-the-world

From Get Rich Slowly (USA)
Financial Blogger Loses Weight on Free Coaching
A life coach volunteered a month of free coaching to reciprocate for enjoying his blog. He testifies that her coaching helped him lose weight and feel better.
http://tinyurl.com/3cbgfn

From Blogcritics Magazine (Ohio, USA)
Coach Blogs Ten Indicators of a Failing Relationship
From her experience in relationships both personal and professional, this life coach identifies ten warning signs that a relationship may fail. In responding to published reports that fewer than half of American women are now living with a spouse, she rejects the idea that good marriages are an urban myth despite fewer positive models of working relationships.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/01/17/191150.php

From Business and Management Articles (Scotland, UK)
Coaching Does More than Reduce Poor Performance
This business coach lists additional benefits beyond changing poor employee behavior.
Employees get a clear understanding of what is expected, develop internal motivation, see their manager as supportive and become a happier and more motivated team. That means the manager needs to warn employees about poor behavior less frequently.
http://performance-management.bestmanagementarticles.com/Article.aspx?id=1884

From Deserve Money Blog (British Columbia, Canada)
Many Names for Success Coaching
This marketing advisor describes the coaching process and how it can lead to increased income. Making money is his main interest and goal.
http://www.deservemoney.com/blog/2007/01/make-money-using-success-coach.html

From Transitions Life Coaching Blog (England, UK)
Motivational Quotes
This life coach posts an inspirational quote each Monday.
http://tinyurl.com/2w5bty

BOOKS and PRODUCTS
Books and products are listed for your information. The Foundation of Coaching does not review or recommend books or products

From Beliefnet.com (New York, USA)
The Michelangelo Method
Kenneth Schuman and Ronald Paxton
An excerpt from this book, written by two life and career coaches, is posted in the Inspiration section this spiritual information Web site. The book uses Michelangelo's life and his work as a sculptor as metaphors for finding the masterpiece within us. The excerpt tells the story of how a client changed her thinking about her life.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/207/story_20783_1.html

PUBLICITY RELEASES – Information from commercial sources

From Emediawire (California, USA)
Happiness Coach Posts Free Tools
Quiz and introductory materials lead into a promotion for his coaching program.
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2007/1/emw497580.htm

From Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (USA)
Business Coaching Association Schedules Conference
The WABC will hold its 10th annual conference in Vancouver, BC May 19-20, 2007. Registration prior to March 16 gets a price break.
www.wabccoaches.com/events_education_training/events/conferences.htm

From the Coaching Archives: Historical facts from the evolution of coaching
By Vikki G. Brock

Following last week’s historical fact, we look to African primitive cultures for the philosophical roots that support coaching. Here we find intuition and imagination regarded as values, a healthy mind-body-spirit connection, a deep respect for the cycle of life, and a view of mankind as a part of a harmonious whole. Sounds like coaching is a return to the simpler philosophy of “primitive cultures.”
Next week we look at the New Age link with coaching.

From The Foundation of Coaching

Help Wanted: History and Archive Advisory Panel members
Do you have a passion for the history of coaching? The History and Archive Division of The Foundation of Coaching is looking for enthusiastic, curious, detail-oriented seekers of the past. There are no restrictions as to your field of coaching, your culture, or your home country. You’ll help us write the history of coaching, in collaboration with Vikki G. Brock, author of “Who’s Who in Coaching: Who Shaped it, Who’s Shaping It.”

If you have a bit of archeologist in you, come help us dig up the past!

We are actively seeking partners in this work.
If you are interested in volunteering or making a donation, please contact us.

info@thefoundationofcoaching.org

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