First Step to a Chapter

From: Coach Bonnie [mailto:bonnie@coachlite.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 1:21 AM
To: kerri@thecoachingweb.com
Subject: IAC Local Chapter

Hi Kerri,
I am Bonnie Chan, an IAC-CC from Hong Kong. I am glad to learn of your Local Chapter topic in VOICE Mar Issue. I would have interest to follow your footprint to extend our experience sharing with my local coaching buddies. To let you know more about me, I answered your listed questions as below.
Cheers, bonnie email: bonnie@coachlite.com


· Why do you want to start a chapter?
Bonnie>> I found the factual information and experience sharing about IAC certification are not clear and insufficient in this part of the world. Thus, un-clarity creates fear and hesitation. Moreover, the language barrier defeats many passionate attempts. Being the first IAC-CC in Hong Kong and China areas who spent her lonely journey for 8 months wants to share the HOPE to those interest and serious players in IAC certification.

· What is your motivation?
Bonnie>> My motivation is to fan the flame. I am a small potato but I am growing so as to attract those who want to grow in this remarkable coaching profession.

· What would be the benefits to chapter members?
Bonnie>> I dare not to say what benefit I could provide for the chapter members at this moment. Yet, I believe a Chinese saying that “Path is built by people who walked it through.” I believe my open sharing and supportive encouragement would be one of the environmental supports for coaches here. And usually coaches are life learners and creative leaders, I believe they will create their own dreams. I just am the starter who is lucky to have a lighting match in hand. Or as a bottom line, I need them to around me too in order to sustain.

· What would be the defining characteristics of your local chapter?
Bonnie>> My local chapter will be a chapter which shares coaching as a life style in both profession and private life. As a professional coach, we are willing to challenge the masterful standard of IAC for personal growth and assurance to our clients.

History in the Making - The First Local IAC Chapter Launch by Kerri Laryea, IAC-CC

My IAC certification journey provided a rich, distinctive texture to the fabric of my coaching and my life. If I hadn't worked so hard at mastering the proficiencies, I wouldn't have experienced the same level of personal growth and professional confidence. I might even have missed out on friendships I expect will last a lifetime. I've noticed that when coaches on this certification journey get together, exchange stories and celebrate the moment, we embroider beautiful accents into our "coaching" fabric. My inspiration for starting the first IAC local chapter was to weave an even richer brocade of connections into my life.

This month we launched the first ever IAC sanctioned chapter meeting here in Phoenix, Arizona. Invitations were sent out to all Arizona coaches in the IAC database. I looked forward to many eager coaching souls from every part of the state flocking to a function that promised, above all, face-to-face connections, fun and celebration.

We were a smaller group than I'd hoped for, but those who did attend brought with them the excitement, enthusiasm and energy so often found when people connect in meaningful, soulful ways. We shared visions for local collaboration and ways of promoting excellence in coaching; we traded stories about our coaching professions and we basked in the pleasure of each other's company.

Here's what Pat Beck of Phoenix, Arizona commented: "It is so nice to make face-to-face connections with coaches who are really serious about our profession. I'm looking forward to the next meeting!"

For those of you IAC members interested in starting your own local chapter, I'd like to support you. Let's work together to strengthen our membership on a local level, connect on an international level, and support the IAC's mission to inspire the on-going evolution and application of universal coaching standards. If you think you're ready to start a chapter, ask yourself these questions (questions asked of me by my coach in Scotland):

Why do you want to start a chapter?
What is your motivation?
What would be the benefits to chapter members?
What would be the defining characteristics of your local chapter?

Please let me know how I can support you.
Kerri Laryea, MPA, IAC-CChttp://www.thecoachingweb.com/, kerri@thecoachingweb.com.
Kerri is a coach, mentor, wife and mother living in Scottsdale, AZ. Her passion is spinning a web of connections - threads that connect clients to coaches, employers to employees, collaborators to projects, and resources to seekers.

source: IAC VOICE March 2007 issue