Another First by Marggie Paris, LSW BCC

I have been a member of ICF for the last 4 years and finally, this past Monday evening, crossed another item off my “Get To Do List” and attended an ICF Chicago Chapter meeting. What took me so long! Not only was the speaker [Dr. Laura Belsten] engaging and the subject relevant, the group that was present for the meeting had great energy. Just being present in the company of other coaches is invigorating and inspiring. I even had the opportunity to meet and talk with the Chapter Board members. The topic was Expand Your Coaching Business by Coaching Social & Emotional Intelligence and it confirmed what I have believed for many years that the importance of  Intellectual Intelligence in the workplace alone is overrated and what Social and Emotional Intelligence bring to bear on productivity and performance is greatly underrated. There is really a lot of opportunity for business and executive coaches to add value to there clients bottom line with this powerful tool. Did I mention that they served Panera Bread salad and sandwiches and that the drive out to the Triangle Plaza was really straight forward and there is plenty of parking. So for those of you, like myself, who have been really curious about these meetings…mark your calendar for next month’s meeting and come join us…I for one, will definitely be attending.

June President's Letter

Greetings and Welcome!

I am very excited and honored to serve you with such talented and dedicated board and committee members this year. Our board and committees, together with your support have set the stage to catapult CCF to the next frontier in providing member value and opportunities. There are only five (5 ½) brief messages below that request your attention.

1. The Field of Strengths and the Boardroom (an invitation):

Today, I’d like to invite you to join us as we plan for next year and begin the CCF 2012-13 nominating process.  I am really looking forward to working with you and the Nominating Committee to ensure another home run.

We’re looking for board and committee members who are eager to contribute their energy, ideas, creativity and action, and connect with their community; who want to be part of a team; and want to be part of something bigger than themselves. Scan your field of strengths. Imagine the possibilities!  What could be better than participating on the Board or on a committee, sharing your ideas and contributing to your own success?

We have never been more focused on delivering programs and initiatives that bring value to our membership and honor our mission. We have set the groundwork for success. Now we need you, the membership, to help us to continue to improve and achieve our goals. We want your input, your enthusiasm and your involvement. CCF is your organization. Only with your help, can we truly be “the premier resource of all things coaching” and ‘Connect & Grow’ in the Chicagoland area.

We hope to hear from YOU! Please contact "Denise Bouchard" <phoenixdmb@aol.com> or "Kam Gupta" <citkam@gmail.com>.

2. Midwest Regional Conference MRC (from dream to reality): Just a few months ago, MRC did not even exist on paper. And then, a few daring leaders chose to dream big and dream MRC. It is a shining reality of the collective and individual hard work of many Midwest Region chapter leaders and volunteers. I am inviting at least 200 members from Chicagoland to come and attend this great event; first of its kind and largest in the region; and twelve CEUs in all. I am going there and would like to welcome you, in person.

ICF leadership has taken notice of this historic happening. Janet Harvey – ICF President and her Leadership Team members are going to be at the conference and actively participating throughout, interacting with the attendees and sharing and soliciting information of value.

Explore www.icf-midwestregionalconference.com and register. You can still save $100.00 if you register before June 9, 2012.

3. New Chapter Name:

ICF-CHICAGO! is our new name, which rightfully reflects our alignment with ICF. You may have noticed that our logo has been updated to reflect our new name.  You’ll be seeing ongoing updates on our website as we continue to freshen up the content to reflect the changes in our membership programs and increase our alignment with ICF. Very soon, we might be switching to our new acronym: ICFC.

 4. New Membership Programs:

As a brand new summer approaches, we at Chicago Coach Federation are pleased to announce some exciting new changes. As one of the largest charter chapters in the US, we continue to strive to align ourselves more closely with the International Coach Federation and add value to our members’ experience.  We will be rolling out an amazing new membership program on September 1^st that will provide access to new programs and tools in addition to the existing great meetings, speakers, networking opportunities and workshops.

As the coaching community continues to grow in the Chicago area, we are committed to providing our members with diverse services and opportunities to support your continued growth as leaders and coaches.  Stay tuned for more details about these exciting changes.  In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Teresa Harris Saxton or Shawna Myers. 

5-A Next Meeting: Come join us at our next Chapter meeting on June 11, 2012. www.chicagocoachfederation.org

5. Connect and Grow (Here are some lessons learned)

Nothing can and will move forward for us if you fail to connect first. Connect with our intentions, connect with our thoughts, connect with our feelings, and connect with our actions; and keep them in alignment with who we are. If we feel hurt, betrayed, complaining, or otherwise disconnected – we can change that through the many choices available to us as coaches, including direct communication and action.

How have you been connecting and dealing with the situations you do not feel connected with, consciously? How have you been growing from such interactions? It’s a challenge, worthy of highly effective coaches.

Wishing you a summer filled with warmth and wonders.

Love and joy until next time.

Kam Gupta. citkam@gmail.com. 847-612-4244