January 2016 President's Letter

Dear Colleagues and Friends of ICF Chicago,

Happy New Year!!  We are off to a great start with a dynamic 2016 Board of Directors!  We are fortunate to have leaders who are willing to share their expertise and their time for the support of our chapter and our profession. Your 2016 board is no exception. Please click on the link HERE to learn more about your 2016 board members and the leadership roles they will assume this year.

It is a tremendous honor for me to serve as your president during 2016, and to continue working for the advancement of ICFC.  As a board, we will strive to build upon the strategic imperatives established by immediate past president Murray Mann for 18 months.  

As chair of Strategic Planning for 2015, I was pleased when we unanimously agreed to revise our mission, vision and values statement, making our 2016-2018Strategic Plan relevant and with a focus on the future.  My challenge to the strategic planning team was to find ways to “refresh” our chapter in ways that would benefit our members and the profession. Well, the team not only revised and refreshed, they developed four goals that help ensure a move to innovation and creativity. The goals outlined for 2016-2018 outlined by the Strategic Planning team are:

1. Membership Growth
2. Governance
3. Professional Development
4. Communications and Branding

In 2016, ICFC’s Committees and task forces are helping us provide relevant resources, professional development, networking opportunities, advocacy initiatives and governance to the organization which benefits each member. Many of these committees are still seeking new members. Visit the Call to Service link HERE to learn more about these volunteer opportunities.

As members, you continue to be one of our most important assets. Maximize your membership investment and plan to attend at least three Chapter events this year.

Highlights of January activity:

• January 6 - board of directors and committee chair orientation.
• January 6 - Core Competency Call - Active Listening
• January 11 - Monthly Program - LinkedIn and Facebook for Business
• January 14 - Coach Café - Schaumburg
• January 18 - Coach Café - Lincoln Park
• January 19 - Coach Café - Wilmette

           

On behalf of ICFC’s board of directors, we look forward to working with you in 2016, as we continue to deliver on the promise of our tagline — All Things Coaching!

           

Here’s to a “Refreshing” 2016!

Sincerely,

Cheryl I. Procter-Rogers, APR, ACC

2016 President

“A CALL TO SERVICE” 2016

Over the next few months, the board will be seeking volunteers to serve as members or leaders of various committees and task forces.  Not all committees will need new chair appointments, but all will need leaders!  The opportunities to take part and help shape the ICF Chicago Chapter and the profession are endless.  Here’s a partial list…

1. Finance Committee

The Finance Committee is a committee of the Board; the chapter’s Treasurer is the Chair of the Committee and a member of the Board of Directors.  The Committee’s purpose is to provide financial oversight and ensure the ICFC Board of Directors effectively fulfills its’ fiduciary duties, particularly relating to financial matters.  In addition to the on-going review and analysis of the monthly and quarterly financials, the Finance Committee will focus on initiatives determined by the team and Board.

2. Governance Committee

Help facilitate an effective, high functioning board that conducts the business of the Society and consistently reviews and refines the Chapter’s vision and purpose.  Manages the annual board nominating committee process.

3. Midwest Regional Advisory Council Conference

The conference is being held June 23-25, Indianapolis, IN.  If you are planning to attend, the Steering Committee is seeking volunteers for a variety of positions.

4. Marketing Committee

Reviews, solicits sponsorship opportunities; coordinates all advertising sales, creates and implements a marketing strategy for the chapter; communications chair-newsletter editor, blog writer, manages social media pages; photographer.

5. Membership Committee

Develops and manages a member recruitment, reactivation and retention strategy; engages members; serves as hospitality ambassadors at chapter events; implements new member orientation/program; develops and implements other strategies to support chapter growth.

6. Programs Committee

Secures regular programs to provide professional development, networking and CCEU opportunities.

7. 2016 Strategic Planning Committee

Reviews and evaluates progress toward goals for current plan.  Recommends 2017 tactic priorities and budgeting needs.  Chaired by president-elect.

Contact: 2016 President Cheryl Procter-Rogers to sign up! cheryl@icf-chicago.org

Strategic Plan Sets Course, Focus‎ on Member Needs

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The ICF Chicago Strategic Plan, 2016 - 2018 (download here) is the result of hard work and many meetings and drafts by the Strategic Planning Committee, subcommittees and input from you through our 2015 member survey.  The process began in June 2015 when the committees were formed and the member survey launched to inform all the work to come.  October 2 and 3, 2015, a retreat was held to review the survey results and review and discuss the work of the Mission, Vision, Values Statement subcommittee (Elizabeth-Anne Stewart [chair], Mary McGuiness, Kam Gupta), establish goals, strategic objectives and tactics.

I would like to thank the dedicated members who were able to attend the retreat: Board members Murray Mann, Evie Burke and Elizabeth Terrell; our loyal members Ben Dooley, Mary McGuiness, Cheri Neal, Elizabeth-Anne Stewart, and Joyce Wietrecki for their role in this process.

If you are interested in contributing to the work yet to be done with the plan’s tactics, please reach out to me with your interest at presidentelect@icf-chicago.org. or call me at 847-454-7400.

Cheryl I. Procter-Rogers, ACC

2015 President-Elect

Regional Awards Task Force - Volunteers Needed

MRAC is launching a special task force which will focus on the Midwest Regional Awards program.  Cheryl Procter-Rogers, the President-elect of the ICF Chicago chapter will lead the effort.  Here are the Awards Task Force objectives:

1. Evaluate the relevance and benefit of an individual awards programs—identify any trends, internal and external factors that may impact the program.
2. Identify best practices to ensure the successful execution of a relaunch of the awards program.
3. Identify opportunities for enhancing or redesigning the awards program.
4. Develop a comprehensive program plan to the advisory council by April 29, 2016.

The work of the committee will begin early November 2015. Estimated monthly time commitment is 8 hours for each member.

Cheryl is currently recruiting members from ICF Midwest Region chapters, who, as part of their employment or volunteer service, have led or been a member of a regional or national awards program. Because research and benchmarking will guide the work of the task force, the chair is also looking to have members who have conducted a SWOT analysis for their organization. If you have any of the stated expertise and are interested in working with this team, please send a short email message to Cheryl at presidentelect@icf-chicago.org by 10/30/15.

A Call for Nominations

Dear Members of ICF Chicago,

We have begun the annual process of recruiting the very best candidates for positions on the 2016 Board of Directors, and we need your help.

We are looking for talented, dedicated leaders – like you and other members you may know – who are willing to give their time and talent to make a real difference in our chapter and our profession.

The positions open for nomination this year are:

• Chair-elect
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Director, Programs
• Director, Membership
• Director, Marketing
• Director-at-Large

Candidates for officer or director positions must be ICF members in good standing.

To learn more about board service and have your questions answered, we will hold two 30-minute informational calls:  Friday, October 9, 11 a.m. CST and Wednesday, October 14, 6 p.m. CST.  Included on the call will be the current president and president-elect.  Call-in information:

Bridgeline: 218-862-3486 Pin: 6969#

The application, position descriptions and timeline will be posted on the website October 1.  You may send questions to nomcomm@icf-chicago.org.  Candidate applications are due on October 30, 2015 by 5 p.m.

Here  is the nominations timeline:

• October 30 - Deadline for applications. 
• November 6 - Nominating Committee presents slate of candidates to the board for review.
• November 10 - Ballots sent to members.
• November 24 - Voting Deadline.
• November 25 - 2016 officers and board announced.
• December 2 - Board installed during holiday reception.

Thank you for all you do for ICF Chicago.  We’re counting on your help once again to take us to the next level.

Sincerely,

Nominating Committee

ICFC Board Position Descriptions
ICF Board Application

A Call to Service - ICF Chicago Chapter Request

Dear Members and Friends of the ICF Chicago Chapter,

Strategic planning is a powerful management tool that is used by many nonprofit organizations to drive sustainable growth and align an organization's vision, mission and goals. We understand the value of this tool and want to create a three-year plan for our chapter. I am writing because I need your help.

I am extending a special invitation to current and past members to join us for two days to help examine our organization and answer questions such as, “Who are we? Who do we want to be?” And, ultimately, you will help us shape the strategies that will guide our chapter over the next three years. We have reserved our monthly meeting location at DePaul University in Rosemont for a two-day planning session. The sessions will be held Friday, October 2, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, October 3, 9 a.m. to noon.

As part of my role as 2015 president-elect, I will facilitate the strategic planning process, including the two-day sessions. I bring more than 35-years of experience as a public relations and communications professional and more than 20 years as an executive coach. In addition, I have chaired, served on and facilitated more than 25 strategic planning committees for major corporations and nonprofits during the course of my career.

To make the best use of our face-to-face time, I am currently organizing several pre-work subcommittees that will prepare reports and recommendations in advance of the meeting. It is our plan to hold a one-hour conference call for all participants September 23rd, 12 noon to 1 p.m. and September 24th, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., to review the process, highlights from the member survey, SWOT analyses, Statements Team and to get your feedback. Please mark your calendar to participate in only one call as the information will be repeated. Details for the calls will be shared closer to the date.

Please consider volunteering for one or more of the following:

1. Attend the Strategy Planning Sessions - October 2 and 3, 2015
2. Serve on or chair one of the prework subcommittees (estimated time commitment of 10 hours or less now til September 18, a bit more for the chair)
1. Internal SWOT Analysis Team: This is an opportunity to take a look at ICF-Chicago’s internal organizational assets resources, members, committees and their responsibilities, culture, systems, partnerships, advertisers, suppliers, etc. One can usually find the information or data needed for an internal environmental scan on our website, financial documents such as budgets, and interviewing current or former leaders. The goal is to collect as much relevant information as possible. The report should be no more than five pages and can include charts, diagrams, etc.
2. External SWOT Analysis Team: This is an opportunity to take a look at ICF-Chicago’s external marketplace realities, competition, social trends, technology, regulatory environment, economy, etc. We want to learn what factors are impacting the growth and brand recognition for our chapter. The report should be no more than five pages and can include charts, diagrams, etc.
3. Mission, Vision and Values Statements Team: This is an opportunity to help the ICF Chicago Strategic Planning committee get a jumpstart on a very important component of the strategic plan, the mission, vision and values statements. You can imagine that there are as many opinions on what it should say as there are coaches on the planet. Your role is to provide a draft of each that can be reviewed by the committee before the in-person meeting for feedback. You might consider providing three versions of each to stir discussion. It is entirely up to the team.

Please RSVP by September 25 to presidentelect@icf-chicago.org
 
I look forward to your cooperation and support as we launch this important work. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. See you there October 2nd and 3rd!

Yours in Coaching, 

Cheryl I. Procter-Rogers 
2015 ICF Chicago President-Elect
presidentelect@icf-chicago.org
847-454-7400

PS. We'd love to have you participate in our strategic planning meeting October 2nd and 3rd! Please RSVP by September 25 to presidentelect@icf-chicago.org
 

August 2015 Presidents Letter

Stand up and be counted! ICF Surveys, Building a Coaching Culture, Key Meeting Date Changes

The ICF Global Community works together daily to advance the coaching industry . . . we all share a collective goal: Transforming individuals, organizations and the world through professional coaching. ~ Excerpt from A Strategic ICF

To achieve this goal, I ask you to participate in the ICF Chicago and the ICF Global coaching surveys and read the 2014 Building a Coaching Culture Final Report.

ICF Chicago Chapter Survey has been extended for a very short time. Your input is key. ICF Chicago is YOUR organization. The overall results will be used to inform a 2-day strategic planning retreat. Your responses are confidential. You can link to the survey HERE.

2015 Global Coaching Survey. The survey will offer a wide-ranging look at the state of the coaching industry worldwide. This is a followup on research from 2007 and 2012. You can link to the survey by clicking www.coachingsurveyy2015.com.

Please also share the above links with your colleagues (both ICF and non-ICF coaches), so that we can generate the most comprehensive results possible.

The 2014 Building a Coaching Culture Final Report is available for free to ICF Members.

Important Dates to Remember

August – No Chapter Meeting

August 5 – ICF Core Competency Call with Ben Dooley, “The 12^th Competency” - 1 CCEU available

Throughout August – Community Coach Cafés 

September 10 (Thursday) – Chapter Meeting; note change of day

Wishing you a wonderful summer!

With gratitude,

Murray

Murray A. Mann
President, ICF Chicago

president@icf-chicago.org