Stand up! Speak up! Sync up!

One ICF (First published on ICF Blog in July 2016 )

When I was very young, my mother told me Aesop’s stories during bedtime. One of the stories, ‘The Farmer and the Bundle of Sticks’, had a profound impact on me. I learned a valuable lesson and found the true meaning of this when my professional career in managing voluntary non-profit associations began in 2002. In this story, the farmer, who loved his sons very much, was sad to see them quarrel and argue all the time. He devised a plan to show them how they needed to ‘stick’ together in good and bad times. The sons were able to break individual sticks easily and found it hard when they were bundled together. The same lesson applies to professional associations like ours. ‘United’ we are strong. Being a ‘self-regulated’ global body, we are breaking barriers in professionalizing ‘Coaching’ across various regions and making this a respectable, rewarding, and research-driven body of knowledge, thereby a career-of-choice for many.

‘One ICF’ – what thoughts come to mind when you hear ‘One ICF’? For me, it represents that of a ‘Fractal’ (a structure, in which each part, when divided, resembles the whole). We may be hierarchically organized as - local Chapter, Region; Country; Global, etc.; the basic unit remains as a Member of this association. The ‘whole’ exists for this ‘unit’.

When I started my journey as a volunteer member to serve the local chapter board in 2007, I knew very little about how to run a professional association. It was a sheer passion of ‘giving back to the community’, which helped me learn more about myself and a strong will to ‘spread’ the word about / evangelize the benefits of ‘coaching’. Later the experience of handling ‘office bearer’ responsibilities and responding to questions raised by chapter members, including - “What can ‘you’ (ICF) offer me?”; “What is ‘your’ (ICF’s) value proposition, if I take membership?”; “What is ‘my’ return-on-the-investment made for the annual membership?”; “How can ICF bring business to me?”; “What do ‘they’ (ICF HQ) do with the money I pay as membership fee?”; taught me valuable lessons.

The best of all the learnings emerged when I attended a training program (Jan 2016) facilitated by ‘ASAE’ (Centre for Association Leadership). It was a profound experience for me. It made me understand the value of spreading the message of ‘One ICF’. There are no, ‘You’; ‘Us’; ‘them’; ‘ours’ – in the vocabulary of those who understand the philosophy of ‘One ICF’.

The ‘Staff’; ‘Global Board’; ‘Chapter Leaders’; ‘Members’ – all are part of ‘One ICF’ mindset. We play diverse ‘roles’ and ‘stick’ together as ‘One ICF’.

Here is what I learned in my journey as a volunteer to build this profession into this mindset of ‘One ICF’

1. Stand Up – I’m ready to ‘raise my hand’, whenever ICF needs my experience and expertise to advance this profession.

Opportunities to ‘Stand Up’ – Look for Volunteer opportunities. There are notifications from time to time from ICF to be a part of ‘Task Forces’; ‘Communities of Practice’; Committees’ etc. These are good places to contribute towards ‘One ICF’

2. Speak Up – We all come from different cultures/life experiences, hence it is important to share views, even if it is not popular and it is okay to ‘disagree’ with others in a respectful manner.

Opportunities to ‘Speak Up’: When opinions are being solicited, I can ‘Speak Up’. Participating and encouraging others in my network to participate in ‘Surveys’. Share views on ICF blogs, membership groups, forums, etc.

3. Sync Up – There are many developments happening in the world of coaching. Staying in touch with the global communities on current trends.

Opportunities to ‘Sync Up’: Participate in global conferences in different regions to appreciate diversity in approaches, thinking and tools used.

In an increasingly connected world, ‘One ICF’ is the way forward. Thus reminding me of Aesop’s fable in modern times.