How Learning can Shape the Future of Coaching
I am a firm believer of learning and that learning is a great enabler for a coach. From time to time, we need to get into a learning environment to explore who we are becoming as coaches, what beliefs we have created and what patterns of behaviors we have picked up while we are working with clients. The awareness that it provides, gives us a choice to work on them and provide a more self-aware coach and our quality of coaching improves tremendously.
I am looking forward to a journey with 11 other colleagues in this month. These coaches are from 11 different countries (and me from a 12th!), and we each bring as many cultural nuances and knowledge around coaching with us. We are getting together to speak about the world of coaching and about ourselves. It will provide me a space to look at myself, enhance my learning and what kinds of shifts it might create within me. I invite you to get into such journeys of learning when they present themselves to you.
As a Global Board Director of ICF, I constantly see ICF striving to provide such learning environments to members. While our Chapters provides many opportunities at the local level, there are also opportunities offered on a more global level, such as the Business Development Series (BDS), Peer Coaching cohorts, and International Coaching Week (ICW).
Another global opportunity is ICF Converge. Converge 2017 was the first large-scale event that ICF did at a global level since 2012. The event brought more than 1,600 coaches from 50-plus countries together and focused on the practice, build, science and future of coaching. The feedback was of an amazing experience of sharing, learning, creating and networking with peers.
ICF has recently opened registration for Converge 2019, which will take place October 23–26 in Prague, Czech Republic! Registration has been open for less than a month, and there are already coaching colleagues from 55 countries registered. Imagine what we can learn from our diverse community!
Speaking of learning, did you know that there are over 70 breakout sessions planned? We received a record number of proposals. Our team of volunteer reviewers worked hard to select high-quality and exciting sessions of varying formats and topics. Sessions are designed to advance and challenge a coach’s development, including:
- Discussing burnout as a coach
- Articulating the benefits of coaching
- Developing a coaching culture
- Examining new research in the science of emotions
- Exploring disruption in the coaching profession
I am really looking forward to the Discover sessions. These sessions are intended to challenge coaches to look at the future and help ICF prepare for the future of coaching industry. This is where we, as ICF, have the strength, as well as the right positioning, to make a huge difference. We can lead the way that coaching evolves in the future.
There are also volunteer opportunities available at Converge. This could be a great way to connect with other volunteers and coaches, and to contribute to ICF. You can introduce speakers, help greet attendees, become ambassadors on social media and generally be helpful to everyone who comes!
I am going to be there and would love to meet as many of you who believe in the power of learning. I invite you to have deep conversations around coaching and engage in creating the future of coaching.
Rajat Garg, MCC
Rajat Garg, MCC, is a Certified Leadership Coach and founder of Coach-To-Transformation. After first having a career in IT strategy consulting, Rajat brings his unique experience of technology, strategy consulting, development and program management to his coaching. He has worked with CXOs, senior managers, managers, and board of directors of small private companies to multi-billion dollar publicly traded organizations. Rajat is a founding member of the ICF Bengaluru Chapter, and he has served on numerous ICF Global workgroups, including the ICF Nominating Committee, Independent Review Board and International Prism Award panel of judges. Rajat currently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer for the 2019 ICF Global Board of Directors.
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