Got five minutes? You can refresh your member profile.

You are only a few minutes away from an up-to-date member profile at Coachfederation.org. To begin, you will need to be logged into Coachfederation.org. Forgot your password? No worries; have us send it to you.

Update my profile today.

This task can be done in five easy steps:

1. Add a photo. If you do not have a photo included in your profile, this is one of the biggest (and easiest) changes you can make! Or perhaps you have a photo but it hasn’t been updated in a while. Whatever the case, a new photo can refresh the look of your profile.
2. Add or change your privacy settings. You can select how much (or how little) of your personal information is displayed in member searches. Choose from full profile listing, contact listing, geographical listing or unlisted.
3. Update your coaching information. There are drop boxes where you can select your years of experience, your coach training and your leading coaching specialty. Keep these up-to-date so potential clients perusing the website may have your most current coaching experience and specialty in mind.
4. Update your personal and contact information. Here you can add a prefix to your name, list non-ICF Credentials, add your business name, address, email address, telephone number, fax number and website url. Keeping this information current is vital!

Other profile items you may choose to update include:

• Chapter affiliation: Belong to a local ICF Chapter? Add your affiliation.
• Coaching types: You can select from career, corporate, personal life, small business or wellness.
• Language preference: The ICF is currently translating select member communications into French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. To receive these translated versions, your language preference must be selected. Even if your language is not one currently translated, selecting your language preference is a great way to make your preference heard!

These items may be updated from the main membership profile page.

QR Codes Demystified

QR codes (or quick response codes) are popping up all over marketing campaigns—and chances are, you’ve seen them on the packaging of your favorite foods in the grocery, on pages of the magazines you read or even on the back of a peer’s business card.

These simple codes may prove to be the next technological wave of marketing future.

The basis of a QR code is to capture the intended audience at the peak of interest. They are basically two-dimensional bar codes, similar to what you would find on a clothing tag at the department store.

QR codes can be scanned using a scanner or reader on your smartphone—and they instantly take you online (be it a Twitter page, YouTube video, website, profile, etc.—anything with a dotcom address.)

If you own a smartphone and haven’t yet downloaded an app to read QR codes, do so today! There are numerous free options; simply search for “qr code reader.”

So how can you use a QR code to market your small business? There are three basic concepts you will need to think about to use these codes effectively to connect and engage your audience.

1. Content. Where will the QR code take your audience? How will it be used? What is your customer call to action?
2. Position. Where will the QR code be placed? Where will it be used?
3. Share. Don’t just wait for people to stumble upon your code—find a way to share it! (Perhaps via email or social media.)

When it comes to actually creating your QR code(s), there are plenty of free options available online. Simply search “qr code creator” in your favorite search engine.

If you are looking for creative ways to use QR codes, check out this article by Fast Company.

Are you currently using QR codes in your marketing ventures? If yes, what ways have you found most effective? If you aren’t, how would you be able to incorporate a QR code in your marketing plan?

Are you fit for the job?

You will have experienced that moment - a silence when your question landed and then…. a light bulb sparks, a Damascene flash, when your client gets a life changing insight. They come in many forms - it may be one that lifts a fog and something suddenly makes sense; or it may be about a destructive pattern of behaviour and they realise what they have been doing to themselves. The personal power that insight gives them is the real magic of coaching and the one that can get me so excited I can’t sleep afterwards! (OK, yes, maybe I should get out more!)

So my question is how do you keep yourself ‘fit for the job’? Make sure that you are not ‘infected’ by your coaching – be it the excitement of discovery, dark things that have been shared with you, your clumsy handling of a situation or something uninvited triggered in you. How do you keep or get all this out of your head and your heart and get on with life, without losing your humanity and capability with future coachees?

Here are some of the things which help me:

• Journaling – what happened and why, how did I think, feel and behave, what have I learned, how will I take that forward.
• CBT – examine my thoughts, feelings and behaviour triggered and find more helpful and positive ones.
• Mentally celebrate if it’s been a positive experience.
• Do something afterwards with a different energy – exercise, lunch with a friend – something else I love!
• Supervision – discussing what happened with a fellow professional is very reassuring and affirming.

What are your tips for keeping ‘fit for the job’? Share them with us at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.



Caroline Talbott



Caroline Talbott coaches and develops leaders, especially those who have had success in a profession (eg lawyers, chartered surveyors, engineers, HR specialists) and then moved into a leadership role.

Professionals in Leadership blog

Caroline Talbott - catalyst for change

Twitter: @CaroCatalyst

ICF Strategic Plan: 101

The ICF is constantly working to advance the coaching profession by setting high standards, providing independent certification and building a worldwide network of credentialed coaches. But do you really understand the reasoning behind everything the ICF does?

Most associations work according to a strong strategic plan. Without one, it would be very easy to get wrapped up in work that may or may not have anything to do with the goals the association hopes to achieve. In fact, they may not even know what their goals are or how to get to where they want to be.

By having a strong strategic plan in place, the ICF remains focused and prepared to work toward the goals members have identified as important. Rather than pursuing a lot of good work, the ICF Board is making sure the association is clear on what activities will produce the best value for members.

The ICF Strategic Plan is set up as a living document [meaning that it will constantly be reviewed and measured against] that assists in the guiding efforts of association staff and volunteers. In other words, it is the ICF’s road map. It keeps us on the path we want to be on as an association, ensuring that we reach the goals we have identified as important.

Our long-term strategic plan was first prepared in 2006 and faced its first five-year evaluation last month at the ICF global Board of Director’s meeting. During this meeting, an updated strategic plan was approved.

The approved strategic plan includes:

Vision statement: In service of humanity flourishing, we choose to…

Core purpose: Lead global advancement of the coaching profession

Key strategies:

• Create attractive credible presence and voice for professional coaching; and
• Create global strategic alliances.

Three initiatives (or areas of focus for the next 18 months):

• Construct global standards system;
• Build high performance organization; and
• Become preferred resource for business community.

These strategies and focus areas will be supported and accomplished through various efforts and projects. To see a complete outline of the updated ICF Strategic Plan, please visit Coachfederation.org.

Get a handle on your to-do list

Seems like most people these days have to-do lists that never shrink. Aside from those items that are routinely added on a daily basis, there are those items that remain on your list, no matter how much time passes.

Perhaps these never-crossed-off items seem too intimidating or time consuming to begin right away. Or maybe your never-crossed-off items get shoved to the bottom of your priorities for the simple reason that they do not seem pressing enough.

Whatever your list looks like, here are three simple tips to keep in mind when it comes to keeping your to-do list manageable:

• Chop your list into easier to handle lists. If your to-do list is so overwhelmingly long that you cannot even look at it without breakout out in a case of hives, you should begin by first categorizing and then breaking down your list. You might decide you want to rank your items by priority. Or maybe you would rather group like items together. Once you determine which way works best for you, create lists with no more than five items per list. Though you may have numerous lists, having fewer items per list will make it easier for you to work through your projects.
  
• Tackle tough projects early. Before your day gets too busy, devote the early part of your day to working on a larger or more difficult project. The morning is best for these kinds of projects as you start a new day with renewed energy and spirit. Likewise, plan to take on easier projects later in the day when your energy levels begin to drop.
  
• When you are working, focus on work. It is very easy to let your mind wander to non-pressing matters when more urgent items call for your complete attention. To ensure focus during your work hours, create time in the course of your day to take mini breaks when you can think about your evening plans, your grocery list or your next home improvement project. By taking frequent breaks, you will allow your mind time to focus on work when it is time to work.

One additional tip: no matter how many hours you choose to work in a day, stick to it! Having a balanced work-life schedule is key to keeping things fresh and your list manageable.

If you need help organizing your to-do list, many smart phone app stores have to-do list and time management applications that may help you. Simply search “to do list” or “time management” in your phone’s app store to find an app that works for you. Also, if you would rather create lists on your computer, simply search “to do list” in Google for resources to assist you.