President’s Award recipient honored

Business and Executive Coach, Dora Hegedus, ACC, was awarded with the International Coach Federation (ICF) President’s Award during the 2012 ICF International Conference in London, UK. Each year, the president of the ICF presents an individual or organization with the ICF President's Award, in recognition of the work he or she is doing to promote coaching in a humanitarian capacity.

“This year's ICF President's Award winner inspired me through her word and deed as a role model for the values of ICF that we all hold sacred; integrity, excellence, respect and collaboration.” ICF President Janet Harvey, MCC, explained, “Her inspired invitation to initiate a coaching chapter in Hungary was followed by consistent influence and inspiration for community outreach that built high awareness about the positive impact of coaching and a commitment to bring unity and alignment with ethical conduct and practice for all coaches in the country.”

Dora Hegedus

ICF Hungary was founded in 2008. Having only 12 members in 2010, growth became the major goal, and a little more than a year they became chartered chapter. Today they have over 100 members and the highest retention rate in the world. The focus is now on promoting coach credentials. This year the chapter received the I Care For Award for a project that offered free coaching services to 50 people who were left unemployed after MALEV Hungarian Airlines went bankrupt. The Chapter gained national media attention and multiplied their membership. The total initiative provided 700 hours of coaching at an estimated $100,000.

“Looking back on the last five years as a founding board member at ICF Hungary, the work and our results seem simple, though it was not easy,” says Dora. “To find the right cause, dedicate energy with pure intent and full responsibility, have faith in yourself and others, and be able to motivate team members without finances is challenging. But this creates such a centripetal force by which people, potentials and possibilities are drawn to. ICF is an amazing professional and human community, it’s a pride and joy to belong to and work for. I feel touched and more than honored with the award.”

Beside her leadership role at ICF Hungary, Dora leads the roundtable of the largest Hungarian coach associations. Together they accepted and signed the ICF-EMCC Code of Conduct last November, each making it the professional standard for all their members in Hungary. Unique in the world, these associations have decided to cooperate for the sake of the profession, with the aim to promote coaching and to become the point of reference for coaches and clients.

How to Sell Your Services – Without Selling Your Soul

Coaches are passionate people, and each one of us feels like we have a personal mission to make a difference for others. We are attracted to coaching because we love to work with people – but when it comes to “selling” our services, many of us get a bit uncomfortable.

And yet, we need to be paid for the value we provide. So what’s an up-and-coming coach to do?

It’s simple! Make a mental shift, from “selling your services” to “enrolling people” in the courage, confidence, commitment to getting what they want in life. (That feels better already, doesn’t it?)

Here’s the difference: Selling implies an attempt to influence someone to buy a product. Enrollment is building a relationship with a prospective client and inviting them to work with you. Put another way, it’s the difference between: will they hire me? and how can I serve them?

Here’s how to put this strategy into motion:

• Use the complimentary session to focus on authentically connecting with your prospective clients, being of service to them, and building your relationship with them.
• Support them in getting clear about what they really want.
• Ask if they are ready to commit to breaking through and getting to the other side.
• Make the call all about them. Forget about landing a new client; just stay focused on moving this person forward.
• If they indicate they are ready to take action, simply ask the magic question: “Would you like me to be your coach?”

Once they indicate their interest in your services, the financial commitment conversation follows naturally.

The beautiful part of this process is that it gives your prospect an opportunity to connect with you and experience what it’s like to have your full attention and support. In the end, people buy people – so the easiest way to sell your services is to give people an experience of talking with you.

GET INTO ACTION!

Try this process on and see how it feels for you. Does this shift from selling to enrolling make it easier to engage with your prospects? Do you feel better about discussing a financial commitment after you’ve empowered your prospects to take action? Does it feel less like a sales job and more like a partnership?

Teresia LaRocque MCC

Teresia LaRocque MCC, is Director of Entrepreneurship and Business Building Mentor for the Erickson Business Center –  www.ericksonbusinesscenter.com at Erickson College International www.erickson.edu. Teresia is a pioneer in the booming profession of personal coaching, the first recipient of the International Coach Federation’s Master Coach Credential in Canada and cofounder for the Vancouver International Coach Federation chapter.  Teresia is committed to supporting coaches to take their talent and passion for coaching and make their entrepreneurial dreams come true.

Teresia is the founder and facilitator of the Passion into Profit Program, a customized business building program offered through the Erickson Business Center. For free business building tips and advice, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EricksonBusinessCenter.

Is Coaching a Cost Effective Solution to Retain Employees?

While it would seem that coaching might be an effective way to retain employees, the question remains: is it cost effective? That's what researchers set out to discover in a recent study utilizing coaching to retain employees (Edwards and Lounsberry, 2007).

In this study, a global organization was experiencing 30 percent turnover of its new employees who chose to end their employment prior to their first-year anniversary and costing the company $116,928 per employee. An analysis of exit interviews determined that the primary cause of turnover was the chaos and disorganization created by the rapid pace of change experienced by the organization as a result of industry turmoil. Various solutions to improving the chaos and disorganization were identified, however the most practical solution to support new hires through this period of upheaval was a coaching program provided by an internal coach.

Solution
The coaching solution included four team coaching sessions for new hires and up to eight individual coaching sessions for each new hire who participated in the coaching program, provided by an internal coach. The program lasted through the employee's first-year anniversary. Participants were not told that the purpose of the program was to retain them through their first-year anniversary.

Results
Using historical trend data and isolating for the effect of the coaching program, turnover was reduced. This resulted in a 251 percent return-on-investment after all costs - including overhead and indirect costs-were captured. Moreover, employee engagement was improved by 11 percent.

This study demonstrated that coaching, provided by an internal coach, can be a cost-effective solution to retain employees.

Edwards, Lisa Ann and Lounsberry, C. (2007). Coaching for New Employees: Global Media Company in Managing Talent Retention: An ROI Approach. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Phillips, Jack J. and Edwards, L. (2009). Managing Talent Retention: An ROI Approach. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Lisa Ann Edwards, M.S., ACC

Lisa Ann Edwards, M.S., ACC, is a partner of Bloom Coaching Institute, an organization that advances coaching effectiveness through research, tools, training and consultation on ROI of Coaching. Lisa's coaching work has demonstrated as much as a 251% return-on-investment and has been shown to lift employee engagement nearly 20%. As head of Talent Management for Corbis, a Bill Gates' privately owned global media company, Lisa was responsible for designing and implementing effective talent development solutions including leadership development and coaching programs. Lisa is a frequent contributing author to trade publications and has authored or contributed to many books including: Measuring the Success of Coaching: A Step-by-Step Guide to Measuring Impact and Calculating ROI (ASTD Press, 2012). Contact Lisa at: Lisa@BloomCoachingInstitute.com.

How will you share the good news?

International Coaching Week (ICW): a time dedicated to educating the global public about the value of working with a professional coach. Historically, ICW has annually taken place during the first full week of February.

But, after numerous coaches and ICF Chapters have suggested that another time during the year would work better, ICW is experiencing a date change in 2013. ICW will take place May 20-26, 2013. The date may be different, but the concept is still the same: find ways to show coaching to your community. Though we are more than six months away from ICW 2013, it is never too early to brainstorm how you will commemorate this special week.

In the past, coaches have chosen to celebrate in a number of fashions, from writing press releases to offering pro bono coaching locally or by volunteering services at local charities or programs. Likewise, ICF Chapters often opt to combine forces and hold special events, including conferences, workshops, etc.

Gather your thoughts now and begin working toward ICW 2013. We cannot wait to see how creative you get when it comes to spreading the good news about coaching!

Share your ideas for ICW 2013 below or tell us about them on Facebook or Twitter!

Turbulent Times

What a week, what a storm. 

As I type this, I automatically wrote, what a story, and realized that 'Storm' and 'Story' only differ by one letter…..

I'm reminded of August 1992, I was working on cruise ships in the Caribbean and my contract was just finishing.  As we were sailing back towards Miami and I was due to disembark for the very last time, we starting hearing the news flashes about the hurricane.

At first I was delighted!  A hurricane, what fun!  I could take great pictures and what great stories I could tell.  And then I began to listen more closely. 

The first thing I realized was that there was no escaping.  The airports were sending out their last flights, the roads were completely blocked by people fleeing the storm and anyway I didn't have anywhere to go.

A friend offered that the few of us from the crew due to fly home that day would hang out at his house.  We began the preparations. 

We were all very cheerful, it was a great adventure, but I remember the news broadcaster's voices becoming more and more stressed as the storm came closer. There were projections and assumptions, there were estimates and forecasts. And then there was just plain old panic.

It got late; we decided to grab some sleep while we could. We were sleeping on mattresses on the floor in an upstairs bedroom. 

I awoke to the sound of the screaming wind and thudding against the side of the house, Hurricane Andrew had arrived. Rain water was pouring through the closed windows, the trees were bent in half and then there was a huge crash as a ceiling fan smashed to the floor.

We ran downstairs to the tiny space at the bottom and surrounded ourselves with mattresses. The walls were shaking, the dog howling and we were sure the house was about to collapse. There was nothing to do but to wait, listen to the crackling radio signal that came and went, and pray.

We were very lucky. It was a devastating storm, the statistics of which have become legend.  When it was finally over, the electricity was out, water cut off and there were no phone lines. The best thing about that was that we didn't have to hear the frightening news anymore!

It was a truly awesome experience. You understand instantaneously that you can do nothing other than submit to the powers of nature. You have no defense and this is a reality that allows you simply be present.

I remember the email I received from my friend Fiona, in Christchurch New Zealand, just a few days after the massive earthquake that they experienced. She wrote ' such a turbulent time we live in...the Earth is surely giving us an impactful message...so much energy needs to be released. Love is being shown by everyone...so uplifting'.

It seems to me that we stand naked and alone in the face of a storm. But still we have the choice to trust in the inherent goodness of reality and have faith that all outcomes are what they should be. Our experience, beliefs and presence clothe and nurture us throughout the storm.

Lisa Bloom, PCC

With very best wishes to all those that have been affected by Hurricane Sandy, strength, love and faith in these challenging times.

Lisa Bloom, PCC is founder of Story Coach Inc. and the Certified Story Coach Program.  Download her ebook ‘Using Stories to Get Great Clients’ at http://www.story-coach.com.