Dear Co-Active Coaches,

Hello, and welcome to the July edition of The Inquiry! I’m delighted to introduce this month’s newsletter and myself to you. My name is Chrystine Langille. I’ve just started working with CTI at our corporate headquarters in the role of VP-Marketing. As a passionate marketer and CTI-trained coach who’s committed to full expression in the world, working with CTI is a dream come true. This month, we also welcome Paul Byrne, a master business builder and CTI-trained coach who has just joined CTI as VP-Corporate Development. Both of our arrivals are part of CTI’s vision and plan for the future. In CTI News, Shirzad Chamine, our CEO, introduces us both to you.

Here’s a snapshot of what else you’ll find in the newsletter this month. In the Community section, we

introduce you to the one-and-only Joyce Wong, CTI’s Customer Service and Operations Administrator. Joyce is often the first person new students talk to when they call CTI. The words that come to mind when I think of Joyce are capable, compassionate, creative and lots of fun! As a native San Franciscan, she also gives wonderful tips and directions to newbies in town, like me. Read more about Joyce and how she came to join us at CTI.

Our topic for Articles this month is Challenges and Triumphs in Credentialing. Why? How? When? What did you learn? What advice do you have for others? These questions and more are addressed in five articles written from five different perspectives by Lisa Lauffer, CPCC-to-be, Pat Barone, CPCC/PCC, and MCCs Keri Kuerbis, Jeff Staggs and Juhree Zimmerman. As I read these articles, I was struck by the richness of the experiences and insights, and how many of them ring true for me. Once again, we invite you to review the topics planned for upcoming issues and contact us at newsletter@thecoaches.com if you’d like to submit an article.

Last but not least, please join us in celebrating the latest CPCC graduates in their achievement of this magnificent milestone.

I so look forward to our journey together, and to receiving your comments and feedback any time at newsletter@thecoaches.com!

My best to you, Chrystine

CTI News

Announcement From the CEO
It is with great excitement that I announce the hiring of two critical new members to our staff. Both surpass even our highest expectations when we began our search. Both come from our own community of graduates and are CPCCs, have had Co-Activity deeply transform their lives, and are joining CTI to help do the same for others.

Chrystine Langille will be our new VP-Marketing. She brings an extensive background of 11 years in increasingly senior roles in marketing and general management at Procter & Gamble (a multibillion-dollar global company), seven years providing strategic consulting to senior business leaders internationally, five years as Executive VP at an international wine company, and five years as an executive coach and strategic business development consultant. Chrystine combines head and heart like no one’s business. She is Canadian born, the mother of two university-aged children, and has just joined us from Toronto.

Paul Byrne will be heading our effort to take Co-Activity into corporations and organizations as our new VP-Corporate Development. Paul brings 15 years of senior-level experience building and managing public companies, as well as personally advising many of the world’s leading executives on issues ranging from HR strategy to marketing and sales operations. Prior to becoming a CPCC, Paul served as the European Managing Director for the Corporate Executive Board, a $400 million corporate best-practice consulting and executive education firm. Prior to that, Paul held various sales and general management roles at Forrester Research. Paul has built and managed the international operations for two “Business Week Hot Growth Companies.” Paul grew up in Boston, is married to a Dutch citizen and is father of two precious little ones.

It is very exciting to me that after an extensive and broad search of world-class talent in these positions, we found the very best talent within our own community of graduates. I am increasingly awed by the quality of our growing community of graduates and by what that makes possible in spreading Co-Activity around the world. Please join me in welcoming Paul and Chrystine to their exciting new adventure.

With gratitude and excitement,
Shirzad

Community

Introducing CTI Staff Member Joyce Wong
Joyce Wong is CTI’s Customer Service/Operations Administrator…say that 10 times in a row real fast! Her lovely voice greets many a new student, and her behind the scenes work keeps our whole office running smoothly. In her own words (and revealing her passion for cooking), Joyce says, “If CTI were a meatloaf, I’d be the breadcrumbs.”  She holds us all together, not only in her sub-role of CTI mother, but in her Operations role as well. Let’s take a closer look at who she is and how she came to join us at CTI. Click here to read more.

Co-Active Network
The Co-Active Network now has more than 7,000 members in the main community! The conversations continue to be vibrant, alive and informative. There are more than 40 niche and geographic communities to check out as well. Come join the fun!

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. There is an amazing array of exciting events. 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.

Would you like to share your insight with fellow coaches?
We love to learn from our community, and sharing your thoughts with your fellow coaches is a great way to let us know what’s happening in your world. The Inquiry focuses on a specific topic each month. Topics for the next few months are:

August—Staying Motivated as a Solopreneur: What challenges have you faced as a solopreneur? How do you stay motivated when working alone? How do you recover when/if you become discouraged?

September—What Can’t You Be With in Your Coaching? How does it get in the way? What are the issues that challenge your self-management? How do you recover?

October—Coaching Rites of Passage:  What are the rites of passage that your clients have experienced? How have you supported them through these transitions? How have you celebrated/acknowledged these milestones?

We invite you to submit articles and share your insights in The Inquiry. It’s a wonderful way to increase your visibility in the coaching profession. What’s next if you’re interested? Read the detailed submission guidelines, and then send us a quick note at newsletter@thecoaches.com briefly outlining the theme and approach of your submission. We’ll connect with you from there. Deadlines for emails communicating your interest are: July 15 for the August 2006 topic, August 15 for the September 2006 topic and September 15 for the October 2006 topic. Completed articles are requested for submission no later than the first of the month in which the newsletter is to be published.

Articles

Getting Coaching Credentials—What Does it Matter?
“The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines “credential” as evidence of a person’s achievements or trustworthiness, usually in the form of certificates, references, etc. The word credential comes from the root “credence” which means belief. It is derived from the medieval Latin word “to believe.” What do we believe about ourselves as coaches? Are we trustworthy? Do we want to have our achievements recognized? What is important about all this?” Join MCC and CPCC Juhree Zimmerman as she answers these important questions in this article.

Certification: A Critical Path
Jeff Staggs is an MCC and CPCC with more than 20 years of coaching experience. In this article, he shares his wisdom on why becoming credentialed is a good idea. He says, “Over the years, one of the most frequent questions I have heard from coaches is, ‘Should I get certified?’ A close second is, ‘I’m certified already, why do I need to jump through the ICF hoops?’ These are legitimate questions and deserve thoughtful answers—ones that I will share with you based on two decades of coaching experience.”

Why You Should Bother With the Bother of Getting a Coaching Credential
“I fell in love with coaching in my first coaching course at CTI. I remember there were some coaches sitting in the back of the room who, we were told, were in the ‘certification process.’ Wow, I thought, maybe that’s what makes you a masterful coach. All I knew was that I wanted this certification,” says Keri Kuerbis, MCC and CPCC. She shares much about her experience and her journey in becoming credentialed. Read more about her insights by clicking here.

Challenges and Triumphs in Credentialing: My Rocky Road (Not the Ice Cream Variety)
“My desire to be a coach and to be credentialed were born simultaneously, but the road that took me to the land of credentials was anything but straight and narrow. In 2000, I attended a seminar with coaching pioneer Cheryl Richardson. Her advice? “If you are going to be a coach and a serious business owner, be a professional and get credentialed.”  So, I went looking for a training program that was accredited by ICF because I planned on being a PCC some day,” says Pat Barone, PCC and CPCC. Read more about her rocky road!

On Being a CPCC, by a CPCC-to-Be
In this article, we hear the refreshing voice of Lisa Lauffer, a coach awaiting her credential. She says, “I am certifiable. My friends would say that has always been true, but now that I stand on the brink of my CPCC certification, I state it with pride. I’ve completed my CTI courses and certification pod calls, survived supervisions and coached clients for more than 100 hours. All I have to do is take—and pass—The Exam, and I will be Lisa Lauffer, CPCC.”  Read more!

Celebration

Please join the CTI team in congratulating all of the Certified Professional Co-Active Coaches who have finished the rigorous certification program and passed their exams!

Lorraine Anderson, Floss Barber, Susan Bedsow-Horgan, Deborah Bergeron, Gordon Borer, Denise Bouchard, Jennifer Brooks, Gil Davidson, Amy Egenberger, Denise Findlay, Justi Hansen, Tom Hanson, Annekathrin K. Harrington, Glenda Hatfield, Annelie Hirschfeld, Barbara Hoese, Synnove Holte, Mike Holt, Sarah Jackson, Anne Keeton, Ted Kneidl, Clare Lee, Sharon Lewis, Terri Lupoli, Judy Lyne, Mary Ann Masur, Tamar Milstein, Kristen Minardos, Morgan, Andre Morin, Lawrence Mortenson, Phyllis Mufson, Karen Newquist, Erica Ober, Harry Parkes, Marie Pralutsky, Rebecca Pronchick, Lorilee Rainey, Holly Rasmussen, Leonard Sas Jr, Lin Scheib, Prema Sheerin, Karen Sigalas, Marion Solkvint, Margaret Tilney, Dan Tisch and Rick Valdiserri.