Dear Co-Active Coaches,

Happy New Year! To kick off the year, I invited CTI's CEO Shirzad Chamine to share his thoughts and vision with all of you. Read his message under CTI News.

As I look forward to 2005, I am excited about the possibilities ahead. CTI continues to grow globally. We recently held our first exams in Norway and our latest community on the Co-Active Network is the Dutch Co-Active Club. In coming months, we'll continue to update you on the spread of Co-Active coaching throughout the world.

We also recently announced an addition to our Co-Active Leadership Program. A new retreat—Retreat 5: Leadership Mastery—will be piloted twice this year, first March 15-20 and again July 12-17. Graduates of the Co-Active Leadership Program are eligible to participate and have received details of the program in a separate email. If you have questions about Retreat 5: Leadership Mastery or about the Leadership Program in general, contact the Co-Active Leadership office at 707-829-1110 or email Eloise@thecoaches.com.

Our topic this month is the power and impact of Co-Activity. I'm thrilled to have three great articles from powerful coaches in our community on this topic. Judith Cohen, CPCC, MCC; Wendy Gutin, CPCC; and Elizabeth Carrington-House, PCC, Paige Stirling Fox, and Ann-Michelle Burton share their perspectives. Different voices, different perspectives, each a wonderful read. Check them out under Articles.

Also in this issue, 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,
Kathy Curry, CPCC
Director of Marketing

Coach as Leader—A Message from the CEO
When was the last time you viewed yourself as a world leader? If it hasn't been lately, you might want to look again.

The year 2004 was a challenging one for many in our community, worried about the state of world affairs and about a perceived lack of inspired world leadership. I assert, however, that 2004 was an extremely positive year if we are willing to re-examine what we mean by world leadership. I believe the coaching profession is offering some of the most influential world leaders of this new century. Indeed you may be one yourself

I define world leadership as "having a lasting positive impact on the world on a large scale." Based on this definition, you will begin to see that we in the coaching profession are collectively offering more world leadership than any existing political system or elected official in the world today. Political actions, rooted in political considerations, are uprooted by different political winds of the next administration. True societal and world change is taking place elsewhere.

The work of a coach is rooted in something far more lasting. We work with people's dreams and aspirations; we inspire people to become better leaders, parents and teachers; we help people to see and manifest their own divine possibility. The fire that we start with each person is one that spreads from leader to employees, from father to children, from teacher to students, and from citizen to community. What we impact grows, because it is rooted in what the human soul is longing for. We tap into the vast reservoir of what is universally true, resonant and whole. Our influence multiplies rather than diminishes with time.

The coaching profession is quietly, but surely, transforming the world from within, one individual at a time, and, increasingly, one institution at a time. As an industry in its infancy, we all get to be its pioneers, pathfinders and leaders-world leaders. With this perspective, I hope you can sustain yourself through the inevitable ups and downs and challenges that any leader and pioneer faces. It is all worth the effort. The future of our world depends on it.

With respect and gratitude,
Shirzad Chamine

Co-Active Network
The Co-Active Network continues to grow with nearly 3,300 members, the Main Community and over 40 niche and geographic communities. A new geographic niche started just this month is the Dutch Co-Active Club for Dutch-speaking Co-Active coaches and Co-Active coaches living in the Netherlands.

The purpose of the network is to support every member in achieving his/her greatest vision for Co-Active coaching and leadership in the world. Each community has resources, discussions and community events. Check the full calendar on the Co-Active Network. Also, many of the events held on the Main Community have been recorded on audio podium. The list of recorded sessions is available under the "Resources" section of the Main Community. Look for the topic "Audio Podiums from Network Main Event Sessions" for a full list.

The Power and Impact of Co-Activity
Judith Cohen, CPCC, MCC, LCSW, well-known for her monthly column "Ask Judith" found in the Co-Active Network News, makes a welcome appearance here at The Inquiry this month! Her article on the power and impact of Co-Activity says that "Co-Activity is about falling in love with the magnificence of humanity in all of our diversity. Each one of us yearns to be seen as special. Each one of us yearns to make our unique imprint on this world. Co-Activity honors just that: our individual and collective contributions to this divine enterprise that we call life." To find out what else Judith has to say about Co-Activity, read the article.

Bringing Co-Activity Alive in Israel—and Beyond
Imagine a room filled with 22 people. Half of them are Arabs and the other half Israelis. All of them live in Israel, and most of them have been taught since they were babies to distrust, and even sometimes to hate, the other. It appears that they have no common language, and seemingly no desire to find one. They each blame the other for the situation in which they find themselves, and they communicate only in harmful and unproductive ways, if at all. Or, imagine what might happen if Co-Activity were introduced…

Wendy Gutin, CPCC, has started a mentoring program that matches Israeli students of CTI courses with CPCCs here in the U.S. It has been tremendously successful to date. Read her article about the power and impact of Co-Activity as it spreads to the Middle East for further inspiration.

Co-Activity and the Magnificence of Inspired Creation
Paige Stirling Fox, Elizabeth Carrington-House and Ann-Michelle Burton are the co-founders of Women Circling the Earth and co-creators of the Wise Woman Journey. They share a commitment to inspiring, empowering and connecting women around the globe through programs, writing and coaching. Together, they share decades of experience in coaching, facilitating, program design and educational process. They originally came together in the spirit of Co-Activity; through this, the concept of inspired creation was born. To find out more about what they Co-Actively generated, read the article.

Would you like to share your insight with fellow coaches?
The Inquiry focuses on a specific topic each month. Topics for the next few months are:

February—Synchronicity and your coaching business: What synchronistic events have happened that resulted in a turning point in your business? When have "coincidences" pointed your business in a new direction?

March—Coaching vs. therapy: What's your view of the differences between coaching and therapy? How do you determine whether a client would be better served by a therapist? How do you know when your coaching is sliding into non-coaching territory?

April—Emotional Intelligence: What is it? How have you seen coaching have an impact on emotional intelligence? How has an understanding of emotional intelligence affected your coaching?

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.

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!

December
Diana Atkins, Wynn Burkett, Sharon Coleman, Tracey Delfs, Vincent Deslauriers, Ben Dooley, Agnethe Ellingsen, Andrea Henning, Nick Kanieff, Colleen Kolars, Kris Laroche, Kaja Magnussen, Marie Ratchup, Line Rebbestad, Lene Ronning-Arnesen, Shekinah Shephard, Lisa Shield, Deb Siverson, Susan Swim, Devin Wilson.