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Looking for a way to learn and grow alongside another coach? Consider participating as a new or experienced member in the chapter Ambassador Program, a mentorship designed that invites reciprocal learning opportunities.

The Ambassador Program was designed to:

• support onboarding and the development of new coaches

• increase and improve member engagement

• build a stronger culture of communication, knowledge sharing, and skills building

What are the benefits for new members? 

• gain skills and insights based on your needs and coaching practice

• develop a relationship with a “critical chapter friend”

• better understand the benefits of  ICF global and local chapter membership 

• cultivate a larger professional network

What are the benefits for experienced members? 

• gain a new perspective in your coaching specialty by interacting with new members 

• give back to the profession by supporting and engaging with mentees in the work

• enhance your mentoring and/or coaching skills

• broaden your existing professional network

Participation in the Ambassador Pilot Program requires a six month commitment from November to March 2022. The nature of the mentorship relationship will be determined by the two participating members based on the needs of the new member with an expectation of regular connection. In April, participants will be invited to provide feedback which will be used to shape the Ambassador Program for the future. 

It has been an honour and delight to be a partner in the Ambassador Program over the past few months. Initially I signed up to give back to a community I am proud to be a part of, and there has been such joy and learning for me personally along this journey. Together we have stretched, challenged and grown as executive coaches. I find myself looking forward to each of the sessions and believe this will be a life-long relationship I will cherish. I would recommend this program to any coach who is feeling somewhat complacent in their role and wanting to push their own boundaries.   It is truly a win-win of a delicious nature.  - Linda Maul

If you are an ICF chapter member with two or more years of membership and are interested in mentoring a new member, we invite you to submit an Expression of Interest by clicking here. 

If you are a new ICF chapter member with less than two years membership and are interested in partnering with an experienced member, we invite you to submit an Expression of Interest by clicking here. 

The deadline for submitting your Expression of Interest is October 23rd. Interested participants will be matched by the Ambassador sub-committee based on the experienced members’ areas of expertise and new member needs. 

For further information or questions, please contact laurie@fenskecoaching.com, charlene.kushner@gmail.com, or contact@joannebergos.com. 

Considering Adding Board Member To Your Resume? Check Out These 5 Affordable Board Training Resources

As professional coaches, we know in our marrow that there’s nothing better than offering your head, heart and hands in meaningful service as a volunteer.

Not only does volunteering get us out of our daily grind, expand our horizons and social or professional circles, but it can challenge us to build skills and competencies that stretch us. And all of this has a reciprocal and positive effect in knowing we are needed in and appreciated by our communities, professions and areas of passion.

What better way to amplify that volunteer spirit and make a real impact on the coaching profession than to run for a board position?

But wait! Perhaps, like many, you feel ill equipped about how boards operate and you’re concerned that it’s perhaps too complex to learn.

Well, when it comes to learning the ropes of board operations, you’re in luck. There are several resources out there designed to help you gain an inside track on building your board leadership know-how.

Below are a handful of easily accessible resources to get you acclimated to board operations and help you make that next step in adding a board position to your résumé.  

Board Training in Alberta

DirectHer Network - This non-profit network hosts a live Board Basics session two - three times yearly. The next session is slated for September and is a pay-what-you-can offering. In alignment w/ DirectHer’s commitment to increase board gender diversity by demystifying the boardroom, this women-led, not-for-profit has a Board Basics session that’s both informative and interactive. During this live, hands-on session that includes a mock board meeting, participants will learn about the following using a real non-profit Board as an example:

• Why Gender Diversity on Boards Matters

• What’s a Board and Why is it Formed?

• The Hierarchy of Documents Critical to a Board

• Common Board Language & Process

• Duties & Liabilities

• Basic Financial Literacy

Volunteer Alberta - This non-profit organization supports volunteerism throughout the province. While there are many on-offer webinars and live events individuals and volunteer organizations alike can attend listed on their site, VA has a wealth of reading material related to boards and associated duties you won’t want to miss. Interested in finance? Check out the self-guided workbook on the Financial Responsibilities of Not-for-Profit Boards. This workbook, like others on the site, is complete with reporting examples and a handy financial management checklist, to name but two tools. VA has several free, downloadable workbooks to support key board positions like governance, finance and board chair.

Board Development Program - BDP is an Alberta government unit dedicated to improving the governance of non-profit organizations through curriculum-based training, presentations and consultation services. Their Community Development event series is particularly interesting with sessions like The Role of the Board Chair, Committees & Meetings, and So, you are the Board secretary? Now what?!. Follow them on EventBrite to receive notifications about free, online board development events in the near future.

Do you prefer something readable? Have a look at these options.

• The Little Book of Boards: A board member’s handbook for small (and very small) nonprofits (2014) by Erik Hanberg is a quick way to prepare your mind and heart to the rewarding world of nonprofit boards in a digestible, sampling manner. 

• Roberts Rules of Orders cheat sheet is a handy little tool created by forsmallnonprofits.com. Just in case you thought “Roberts” didn’t actually write it down.

Board Opportunities with ICF Edmonton 

Are you interested in joining the ICF Edmonton Charter Chapter Board? 

Learn more about the available positions and election process on the Board Election page. 

IGNITE is an initiative of the ICF Foundation.  Through IGNITE we leverage the power of coaching in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Many of you will remember our Chapter's IGNITE work last year. Through pro bono coaching we helped the leadership of the Red Deer Public School District and Inclusion Alberta to become better at what they do: moving us closer to UN Sustainable Development Goal #4 (Education).

Changes for IGNITE 2021:

• any coach holding an ICF credential can participate as a pro bono coach
• coaching can be related to any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
• coaches can provide up to 10 pro bono hours per client - increasing the potential impact of our work.

Would you be interested in being a part of a committed team of coaches out to help to make our city, our province, our world a better place?  Do you hold an ICF credential?  Are you willing to volunteer up to 10 pro bono hours between now and 31 Dec 2021?  If so, please contact our IGNITE Project Manager, James Greengrass, using james@fortfico.ca, to sign up!

In addition, if you know of any organizations which have a mandate aligned with any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals that may be interested in this initiative, please provide James with their information again, using james@fortifico.ca.

Your board is excited to announce a new opportunity for experienced and new members to participate in a collaborative mentorship in 2021. 

The goals of this newly created Ambassador Pilot Program are designed to:

• support onboarding and the development of new coaches
• increase and improve member engagement
• build a stronger culture of communication, knowledge sharing, and skills building
• provide reciprocal learning opportunities for experienced and new members/coaches

These goals are aligned with the Edmonton ICF Chapter’s mission to operate a thriving, credible, influential Charter Chapter of ICF and be a leading voice/source of professional coaching in Edmonton  and Chapter’s vision of growing and serving as professional coaches through connection, collaboration and community.

What are the benefits for new members? 

• gain skills and insights based on your needs and coaching practice
• develop a relationship with a “critical chapter friend”
• better understand the benefits of  ICF global and local chapter membership 
• cultivate a larger professional network

What are the benefits for experienced members? 

• gain a new perspective in your coaching specialty by interacting with new members 
• give back to the profession by supporting and engaging with mentees in the work
• enhance your mentoring and/or coaching skills
• broaden your existing professional network

Commitment

Participation in the Ambassador Pilot Program requires a six-month commitment from May to October. The nature of the mentorship relationship will be determined by the two participating members based on the needs of the new member with an expectation of regular connection. In November, participants will be invited to provide feedback which will be used to shape the Ambassador Program for the following year. 

Interested in Participating? Here's how to apply!

If you are an ICF chapter member with two or more years of membership and are interested in mentoring a new member, we invite you to submit an Expression of Interest by clicking here. 

If you are a new ICF chapter member with less than two years membership and are interested in partnering with an experienced member, we invite you to submit an Expression of Interest by clicking here. 

The deadline for submitting your Expression of Interest is April 23rd. Interested participants will be matched by the Ambassador sub-committee based on the experienced members’ areas of expertise and new member needs. Both parties will be notified by email by May 7th.

For further information or questions, please contact one of the members of the organizing committee: laurie@fenskecoaching.com, charlene.kushner@gmail.com, or contact@joannebergos.com. 

Thank you to all who attended our Annual General Meeting (AGM). We had a great turnout and a very meaningful presentation from Sara Smith, ICF Global, Past President.

This blog post includes the ByLaw Voting Outcome and the Meeting Minutes.

ByLaw Voting Outcome

One of our orders of business was to vote on a bylaws amendment detailing quorum for our general members' meetings. We are excited to report back that we had 73 members vote on the amendment, which represents 42% of our membership. 

2 comments were included 

Comment 1

Just a query -- is the reduced quorum related to reduced participation in the monthly meetings? Do we know why the participation is reduced? Covid certainly is a contributor and likely more 'webinar-based' time added into the evenings also is a deterrent as we are on webinars all day. These are challenging times, I know. Thank you for the work you are doing on our behalf!

The rationale for amending quorum was to put us in line with industry standards for quorum and ICF Global. This does not mean we won't continue to strive for a turn out beyond quorum and better attendance to our meetings and events.  The rationale for amending the bylaws was explored in greater detail in one of our past blog posts, you can read more about it here http://edmontoncoaches.com/are-you-a-clutterbug/ 

Comment 2

Good work on all of this. Very good communication.

Thank you to both our commenters for recognizing and appreciating the work of the Board. 

Meeting Minutes

ICF Edmonton Charter Chapter's meeting minutes can be reviewed in the PDF. Also, the meeting was recorded, so if you'd like to watch it, please email Sarah at past.president@edmontoncoaches.com to get the link.

2021-ICF-Edmonton-AGM-Minutes.pdf

As professional coaches we are convinced of the transformative power of good coaching and  share an enthusiasm for using our expertise to make a positive difference in people’s lives and the  world at large. The ICF Edmonton Charter Chapter has a history of looking for ways to give back to our  community by providing pro bono coac

hing services to community organizations. In 2019/20 the  Chapter took this to a new level as part of the ICF Foundation’s IGNITE initative.

IGNITE uses pro bonocoaching to harness the collective power of ICF Chapters to accelerate the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Our Chapter focused on Goal #4 – Quality  Education.

In 2019-2020, two organizations partnered with us: the Red Deer Public School District (9 clients) and  Inclusion Alberta (8 clients). Nine credentialled coaches, seven from the Edmonton Chapter and two  from the Calgary Chapter, donated a total of 85 hours of coaching. The response from the sponsors and the clients was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, at least one client has chosen to set aside funding for professional coaching in their budget so they can make it available to their entire team. Truly a win/win! 

Edmonton Chapter is looking forward to launching a new IGNITE initiative this coming year. If you hold an ICF credential at any level you are eligible to participate. Stay tuned for more information, and I hope to see you on our team as we seek to IGNITE Something Special in 2021!

ICF 2020 Advance is a three-week virtual conference. The theme this year explores how the world is changing coaching, how coaching is changing for the client, and how coaching is changing the world. Host Ann Betz, CPCC, PCC, kicked off the conference by providing a "bell curve" adoption and evolution of the coaching profession starting from the Late Majority and worked her way toward the Innovators.

While ICF has been in existence for 25 years, the coaching profession is closer to 35-40 years old.  As evidenced by the Late Majority, 84% of the population will say they have heard of coaching.  They may not know exactly what it is, but they do know it is not sports coaching.  I think that is progress if you think about how long you have been trying to explain coaching!

As we move into the Early Majority and Adopter’s space, corporate coaching strategies are aligning with development vs performance/punitive, more managers are using coaching skills and neuroscience proves legitimacy in organizational space.  There is a focus on trauma and toxicity present in relationships and organizations, the overlap that can be addressed in either coaching and therapy and out-of-box strategies like equine-assisted coaching and technology (AI, bots).

Finally, in the Innovators space is coaching infusing other professions. Imagine lawyers, doctors, teachers using coaching skills. 

I think Ann said it best when she told a story about being asked a question 10 years ago about what she saw as the future of coaching. Her response: A world without coaches…

Imagine a world where everyone listens with curiosity and without judgment, champions others and believes in the potential of his or her fellow beings.

That is a world I want to live in. I’ll see you there. 

Lisa Shepert, PCC, CPCC
ICF ECC Secretary