A Warm Welcome to the Coaching Commons

As the idea for the Coaching Commons was born, we dreamed of a "big tent" filled with coaches visiting from every corner of the world, having intriguing conversations from every time zone.

This "big tent" would include:

We've raised the tent - come on in!

"What Are We NOT Looking @?"

A Note from our Founder Ruth Ann Harnisch

When I earned my living as a journalist, this was a mantra. Now that I am a coach and a foundation executive, that question is still vital in my work.

What are we not looking at in coaching?

Academic researchers all over the world are beginning to look for and look at those previously unobserved and unrecorded subjects, identifying areas of study which will become the foundation of a recognized profession.

Without peer-reviewed academic research creating a believable underpinning for an accepted set of practices, it will be impossible for the field of coaching to take its place with other recognized disciplines. That's why I'm pioneering the philanthropic initiatives offering grants for academic research. http://www.thefoundationofcoaching.org/.

What else aren't we looking at in coaching?

Each other. We're not looking closely enough, or often enough, or deeply enough, or long enough.  That's why I'm funding the Coaching Commons where coaches and interested others engage in amazing conversations, regardless of schooling, credentials, nation, faith, or any other drawn boundary.

And what else aren't we looking at in coaching?

We're not looking at what coaches are giving.

When I first started meeting coaches, I couldn't help noticing that they were, almost to a person, givers. (Most would give a free session to practically anybody who wanted one.)

I noticed that coaches gave seemingly countless hours to volunteer organizations for their profession, like the International Association of Coaching, the International Coach Federation and so many others. The presidents were CEOs who not only didn't get paid, but their paying work suffered. The same for every volunteering coach - you work for free and you lose time you could be making money.

And coaches were also likely to be volunteering in other ways, from planting trees to sitting with the dying.

I believe the world ought to be looking at the impact these gifts are having. Coaches are changing - and in some cases, saving - lives. Coaches are helping to save the planet in many ways.

Attention should be paid.

So we are launching a website to do just that.

What are we not looking at?

It's a good question, one we can ask ourselves, our clients, and the institutions we serve. Today's technology allows us to share our answers and help open each other's eyes to those things we need to see - and do. 

Leave your comment here.

NOTE: Reprinted with permission from Choice Magazine.

Join an Uncommon Conversation via Telephone Conference Line

Hundreds of coaches have already joined the lively Coaching Commons discussions.

You are welcome to add your voice to one or all of the following topics now taking registrations. Click the link to listen live or hear the recording.

July 17            Host Lynn Kindler with Author Brian Kurth

Brian Kurth, the founder of VocationVacations started visualizing his dream during his daily, two-to-three hour, round-trip commutes on the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago. His corporate career was going quite well, but he was continually struck by a certain emptiness about his overall lifestyle. It was then that he started fantasizing about the dream and when planning for an upcoming vacation decided to test the waters in one of his own dream jobs. It's been VocationVacations® ever since!

August 1          Host Gordon Clark and Guest Shirley Anderson

Unrehearsed, unpredictable and unabashed, these two master coaches are famous for being as surprised as their listeners by the directions their conversations open up. The intention of this one hour monthly conversation is to explore what is relevant and thought provoking in the world of coaching. Listener participation is invited and encouraged.

Become a Guest Contributor:

Help Us "Cook Up" What Matters To You!

What are the burning topics you want to talk about? What's in the bubbling pot you cannot keep a lid on? Tell us what you want to talk about!

Our guest contributors are volunteer conversation-leaders and spend approximately two hours or more each week, posting blogs, commenting on other blogs and generally stirring the coaching conversation. Every guest contributor is a critical part of The Coaching Commons.

Our mission is to explore and pursue radical opportunities for coaching, so we ask our guest contributors to pose the right questions, make key suggestions, and generally lead the way, so that the community becomes engaged.

For more information about posting a topic near and dear to your coaching-heart, email team@coachingcommons.org.

Either Linda or Elizabeth will be pleased to get back to you. 
 

Take This Home!

Make Your Coaching Business Thrive

On the Coaching Commons, our coaches/readers developed a Top Ten List of fresh ideas to help coaches attract droves of clients. We couldn't choose just ten!

1. Network, network, network 

2. Speak to groups, small and/or large

3. Write blogs, and comment on other people's blogs 

4. Volunteer - for a cause you believe in 

5. Utilize all areas of communication 

6. Offer pro-bono coaching hours 

7. Find your market focus 

8. Create your core marketing difference/niche

9. "Package" your coaching business 

10. Create strategic alliances 

11. Develop joint ventures 

12. And treat yourself like a successful business 

13. Use the Law of Attraction!

Read the entire thread of this handy conversation by clicking here. 

Coming Soon...The Gift of Coaching

                Donate Pro-Bono Coaching Hours at

The Gift of Coaching is designed to show the world the magnitude of the gifts coaches are giving, as well as to offer coaches the opportunity to choose their next place of service. We're creating a way to match the coach's powerful gifts of time and coaching skill with a grateful and eager client.

We hope The Gift of Coaching will encourage the already-vibrant spirit of giving within the coaching community. We know coaches are giving free sessions, volunteering for coaching organizations, helping other nonprofits and good causes every day. If you're already giving free sessions, why not add your service to the big total and help show the world how much coaches are contributing?

Coaching Research You Can Use TODAY

Hear researcher conversations hosted by Francine Campone, Docent of The Foundation of Coaching Research Repository, professional coach and consultant, and founder and CEO of F. Campone, Inc.

Listen: An Interview with Tom Krapu about Client Life Satisfaction Surveys

Listen: An Interview with Elizabeth Topp about Presence-Based Coaching

Listen: An Interview with Laura Crawshaw about Coaching Abrasive     Executives

Meet U @ the Commons!
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