"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." – Winston Churchill

In mid-December, I had the good fortune of starting a new job with the Institute of Coaching (IOC) as the Director of Operations and Marketing.  That change for the IOC and me -- and the convergence of the New Year -- provide a great launch-point for a few themes that have been on my mind as a coach and IOC Director; opportunity and self-care.

Opportunity.  Coaching’s time has come.  As a coach and past C-level executive, I’ve seen the difference coaching can make in work-life balance, leadership and wellness arenas; positive and sometimes dramatic outcomes I’m sure many of you have also seen. We all know that the coaching profession has grown tremendously in its reach, integrity and impact.  After just over a month on the job, it’s also clear to me that the IOC is uniquely poised to support our vital community’s growth with the best services, events and resources possible. I hope that’s clear to you, too.  In any case, our fervent resolution for 2016 is to make good on this opportunity and empowering potential.  We want you and your clients to flourish, and we want IOC to be a valuable partner in your journey. The embedded opportunities there are boundless for all of us.

Self-care.  Very few (if any) of us dismiss the practical value of self-care / health.  Evidence of that resides in many places, not the least of which are New Year’s resolutions with a wellness focus.  Yet for many of us, self-care can be elusive.  Ironically, self-care practices can subside or evaporate all together when we get really busy and need them the most.  As coaches, we need the “being skills” directly supported by mindfulness and self-care, skills essential to coaching presence and growth of the coach-client relationship.   The old airplane-oxygen-mask metaphor is operative here; you can’t assist others if your own mask isn’t in place.

This month’s webinar with Carol Scott, MD, provides some direct and practical answers to the self-care challenge.  She addresses both the coach-self-care and coach-helping-client perspectives.  Carol’s book – summarized here – is a wonderful accompaniment to her webinar. Please investigate both!

In our February webinar, Sunny Stout-Rostron delves into the being qualities you need to cultivate as a coach in the modern “VUCA” (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) world, with it’s attendant stressors.  Again, qualities which can be compromised by lack of self-care. You can register here for Sunny’s webinar.

To extend the self-care metaphor to our own IOC, 2016 will bring big, ongoing improvements to our website, our interactions with members and sponsors, our internal business processes and other areas. We’re investing in and taking care of IOC so we’re optimized to empower you!  As a new director with that as my mandate, I would love to hear from you.  Your feedback shapes our direction and hones our services.  You can reach me at [email protected].

Here’s to an opportunity-laden, healthy, and fruitful 2016!

Chip Carter, Director of Operations and Marketing