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Dear Co-Active Coaches, Welcome to the September issue of The Inquiry. Our topic this month is coaching as a catalyst for social change. The two questions posed in describing this topic were: "What is possible from the perspective of co-activity?" and "How has coaching changed your belief in your ability to have impact in the world?" Jim Patterson, CPCC, MCC, speaks to the first of those questions as he writes about "What would it be to live in a co-active world?" in CTI News. Tarra Christoff addresses the second question in her article "How to Be a Co-Active Activist." |
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Also in this issue, read about how CTI co-founder Henry Kimsey-House and partner Gwen Gordon are "Playing with Coaching" and join us in celebrating our newest CPCCs. Check out the topics for future issues and think about sharing your insight with your fellow coaches by submitting an article. Enjoy! Warmly, |
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What Would It Be to Live in a Co-Active World? That's one heck of an inquiry, isn't it? By its very nature, the question throws me to a rather inspiring and awesome place of possibility. And right there with me are all the gremlins and circumstances that want to argue the possibility, stand in the way; all the dark and scary places of inadequacy and unknown and "not the way we have always done stuff." And, still, the inquiry has a life of its own and asks to be entertained. There is a sense of ease that comes with being "on purpose." CTI continues to give its full attention to developing the opportunities within North America, responding to the eagerness and interest from individuals and organizations for co-active coaching programs in all the communities in which we have been working for more than a decade. The material is vital and current, the leader body is stronger than ever, and the systems for supporting that work and those communities continue to grow and expand. Our role in the For more than a few years, we also have been working with entrepreneurs in London, Oslo and Tokyo who have experienced our work and knew they wanted to create businesses to bring that experience to their home communities and to build a local community of professional coaches. Those intrepid individuals certainly have been and continue to be models for what is possible. Businesses and individuals around the world are noticing. And inquiring. Many of the CTI-trained coaches, as well as the leaders who have attended coaching conferences around the world, have inspired others to pursue a co-active experience through our programs. The Co-Active Coaching book continues to give depth and breadth to the understanding of coaching. The Internet search engines easily support research and data selection. And from all of that, there are a growing number of email and telephone contacts—inspired and curious and eager professionals reaching out. We are reaching back now. In what has become a global experiment in co-activity, CTI's International Development Team is providing direct support to entrepreneurs who are marketing and setting up local businesses that will provide the core co-active coaching curriculum—at the same level of quality-led, experiential learning that is our hallmark in our existing communities. In the last year, we have begun offering the curriculum in Tel Aviv, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Istanbul. And just as we have seen from Tokyo, Oslo and London, program participants from these new ventures have chosen US-based certification and leadership as part of their personal and professional journeys. In the very near future, we will be dancing with participants in Sydney and Melbourne, Barcelona and Munich. The invitations to dance are coming from communities in South Korea, China, New Zealand, Italy, Russia, Poland, Singapore and South Africa. Each day's email seems to bring a gift (and surprise) of more interest and heart-felt appreciation. It seems to far outweigh the spam these days! Co-active coaching is growing. Share the news, will you? Let friends and family in other countries know what might be possible. And if you know someone specifically in Istanbul, Tel-Aviv, Stockholm, Barcelona, Copenhagen or Munich, tell them co-activity is happening near them now. I have a hunch that they are already picking it up..."Level 3," you know. Jim Patterson, CPCC, MCC, is a senior course leader at CTI. He and Lori Shook, CPCC, MCC, comprise CTIıs International Development Team. Jim can be reached at Jim@thecoaches.com and Lori at Lori@thecoaches.com.
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Playing with Coaching "No, you don't understand Gwen, it changed my life." I listened to the words in disbelief as I talked with one of the participants in Henry (Kimsey House's) and my recent workshop, "Come Alive! The Artful Play of Coaching." It was a pilot, after all, a test run for some new ideas we were developing about the connection between play and coaching mastery. The most I'd hoped for was a sign of promise, some honest feedback and a pat on the back. But when I got, "It shifted my whole way of being, not just in coaching, but in my life," I started taking this coaching and play business a lot more seriously. Uh oh. The truth is, I've been taking play seriously for quite a while, by exploring its power in all kinds of arenas. After all, at its heart, deep, spontaneous, full-on, connected play is our true nature. I've seen it sparkling in the eyes and dancing in the creative expression of every one of my greatest teachers. When we are fully ourselves—in the current of our deepest life's work, So it makes sense that we, as coaches, are here to liberate our own inherently playful natures and the full play of our clients. It also makes sense that we can actually play our way to having that level of mastery as coaches. In "Come Alive!" Henry and I offer wide and wildly extravagant opportunities to explore the conditions that make play possible, how to play with the blocks to play and how to invite play when it's absent. In my own five-year exploration writing about, teaching and studying play, what has become clear to me is that we play to the extent that we feel safe, held and cared for. Play just naturally arises in the baby if the mother/caregiver nurtures it well. So, as coaches, to liberate play, we also cultivate the capacity to hold ourselves and our clients. This can mean providing practical structures, deep empathy and compassion, or just spacious presence. Once the client feels held they can begin to take themselves lightly and enjoy their dilemma of the month, experiment wildly and get off their spots. The other possibility of coaching as play is the mastery and ease, the delight and spontaneity that gets liberated in the coach. Play is a way to stop being so significant as coaches and to feel held in our own capacity and the wisdom of the universe enough to bring the delight of play into our practices. Henry and I are thrilled to have discovered ways of building the playground for this experiment. We are excited by its possibilities and eager to keep sharing. Gwen Gordon, MA, is a graduate of the Co-Active Leadership program and teaches play at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology and the California Institute of Integral Studies. Henry Kimsey-House, co-founder of CTI, is the main designer of the coaching course curriculum, including the Co-Active Leadership program. Today, Henry continues to develop and refine the CTI coaching curriculum, leveraging his creative insights and experience as an actor. He is also co-author of the industry best-seller Co-Active Coaching. Gwen and Henry playfully invite you to join them as they again offer their workshop: Come Alive! The Artful Play of Coaching Think of coaching at its best. You're in an intimate dance with your client, your timing is perfect, creativity sparks and insight flows effortlessly. A sense of joy, delight and ease pervades the session as you both come more and more fully alive. Masterful coaching is pure intoxicating play. This workshop is for coaches who want to tap into the joyful power of play in their lives and practice. Cost: $525 This is not a CTI offering at this point. Co-Active Network
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How to Be a Co-Active Activist Would you like to share your insight with fellow coaches? October—Coaching as a catalyst for learning about one's self: How has your self-awareness changed as a result of coach training, coaching or being coached? November—Coaching as a business: What are the key things to know in treating your coaching practice as a business? Did you always see it as a business or has it been a transition? As the year comes to an end, what kind of business planning are you doing for the new year? December—Community: How do you define community? How do you create it? What is the power of community? What is the impact of coaching and/or co-activity on community? We invite you to submit articles and share your insight in The Inquiry. It is a fantastic way to increase your visibility in the coaching profession. Please send articles and business tips to newsletter@thecoaches.com. Read the detailed submission guidelines.
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Please join the CTI team in congratulating all of the Certified Professional Co-Active Coaches that have finished the rigorous certification program and passed their exams! August |
development of the coaching profession is well regarded; our graduates are well respected and in demand. Life is good.
