Well, I’m in! I’ve been accepted to Georgetown University for 2011 to reach the Professional Certified Coach level. I’ll go to Washington, DC for 3-4 days a month, beginning mid-January and finish next August. In my profession, I work with others to assist them in developing skills to be more productive, and working with individuals and small teams has not only increased in the number of clients, but has also been a source of fulfillment. I believe coaching is needed today more than ever as a tool for leaders and for anyone who wants to help bring about organizational change. So many of my clients tell me change is essential for organizations to grow and adapt to rapidly shifting markets, but people are naturally resistant to change. Therefore, coaching can create productive change in people, and give leaders the opportunity to uncover potential that might otherwise go untapped. The ability to coach leaders is a core competency for those helping organizations to develop. Through coaching, leaders learn how to maximize the strengths of individuals. Coaching helps stretch their capacity to lead and influence. They can then become catalysts for change within their organizations. In changing from old hierarchical models to relational models for leading and influencing, businesses are creating coaching cultures that encourage learning. Coaching has emerged as the best way to help individuals learn to think and work together more effectively, and I find deep gratification in helping people achieve their personal and professional goals through learning how to make significant contributions as part of a team. Supplementing the 19 days of in-person classes, I will complete significant outside reading and written assignments throughout the program, complete supervised coaching of 3 clients for a period of 3 months each, and receive individual coaching by an assigned faculty member for 6 months. I will spend about 10 – 20 hours per week throughout the program. The program culminates with a written examination, a final coaching performance examination, and a final written paper of 20 to 25 pages in length. In addition to the amount of study of coaching content outlined above, I’ll be engaging in significant reflection and self-examination to better prepare me for the deep, personal work I will be doing with clients.
Well, since I have no idea what the word "blog" really means, and I definitely don't know where the word came from, I thought it was best to just dive in and learn by experience. After all, that's my favorite way to learn. Just get started.
And maybe I'll use this as a pre-journal, journal. Yeah, Rob said the program was going to require me to journal my thoughts and experiences, so maybe this blog will be a place to think about stuff before I'm supposed to think about it.
I'm SUPER excited right now.. Dec. 2 - I've never felt more present and alive in my life! I've spent so much of my recent years and focus on my girls and my business - sometimes just surviving, sometimes pleasantly thriving. But I'm ready to embark on a brand new experience. One with the potential to transform me personally and professionally, into a new world where I don't know the customs or norms. Where I have to reflect and explore. I want to be challenged, tested, pushed. I want to find adventure, creation and newness.
