Young Leader Honoree: Elena Chelokidi, PCC
The ICF Young Leader Award celebrates coach practitioners under the age of 40 who are poised to lead ICF and the coaching profession into the future. Honorees embody the core values of ICF and represent a diverse community of emerging thought leaders. This year, ICF celebrated the first class of Young Leader Award honorees during the 2018 ICF Midwest Region Coaches Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. In the coming weeks, we will profile each of this year’s honorees here on Coaching World.
Elena Chelokidi, PCC (Russia), started her coaching journey in 2012 and served as ICF Russia’s president from 2016–17. During her time as President, ICF Russia increased its membership by three times, saw an increase in ICF Credential-holders twice, and earned a 2017 ICF Chapter Recognition designation.
Elena first started coaching because she views it as an opportunity to make a difference.
“I am engaged not only in coaching leaders and teams but also in the introduction of coaching culture in organizations, international online projects for coaches and the publication of books for coach and mentor development,” Elena said. She also runs an online developmental program for coaches and translates coaching books into Russian. As an emerging leader in ICF and the coaching profession, Elena sees her role as both important and challenging.
“[My role is] to support ICF and bring a [meaningful] difference to the community. Every time I’m called by ICF, it is an honor for me to serve it in different roles,” she said.
Elena said her favorite part of coaching is helping people reach their goals. She enjoys coaching on leadership and communication, and especially enjoys Team Coaching.
“For me, my coaching career is also about the opportunity to bring a difference to the world and leave behind a positive legacy,” Elena said.
Elena finds her inspiration mainly from quotes and her favorite one is by John F. Kennedy: “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”