President's Letter for April 2014: Time for Renewal

Time for Renewal

ICF Membership Renewal: In what ways do you intentionally renew your professional life and work? I remember the first time I attended an ICF Chicago chapter meeting. I was a new coach and desperate to meet other coaches and see people face-to-face after starting a coaching practice based mostly on virtual clients. My first ICFC meeting I put my name in the hat to volunteer to be on the ICFC board…I love being behind the scenes and part of what makes a great organization work.

It’s interesting that membership is an annual commitment. An annual opportunity to renew our commitment to our profession, our professional development, and an organization that provides resources to help me succeed as a professional coach.

Betty Terrell, ICFC Director of Membership, points out the following benefits of an ICF Membership:

• Professional development: Enhance your coaching abilities and grow your confidence and competence as a coach. 
• Collegiality: Know and become known among Chicagoland coaches. 
• Credentialing: Grow your credibility and professionalism with an ICF credential. 

The ICF has a wide spectrum of offerings for coaches at every level of growth. Individual coaches are free to customize their membership by selecting which membership benefits to enjoy.  Now it's finally April, after the most challenging winter in decades.  Our membership team invites you to our next Chapter Meeting on April 14th; we will celebrate spring's arrival and the start of the 2014 membership renewal period.

For more on Member Benefits, click here or email Betty at membership@icf-chicago.org.

*When you renew, don’t forget to click the “Chicago” box to indicate that Chicago is your local chapter.

Personal Renewal: An author and speaker who has inspired me to be more intentional about integrating renewal as a daily practice and way of life is Tony Schwartz. Hi article “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time” speaks to distinct ways to integrate renewal as a regular practice to sustain energy, build capacity, and increase productivity.

How do you renew? Check out this 31 minute talk by Tony Schwartz and start building a lifestyle of renewal today.

April Core Competency: Creating Awareness!
What direct communication do you need to bring as a coach to your clients this month? This year?

Job Posting!
Check out our LinkedIn group “International Coach Federation Chicago Charter Chapter” for Chicago based job opportunities.

With Joy,
Wendy Balman, CPCC, ACC
ICFC President