As I write this letter, autumn is winding
down in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, where
ICF Global is headquartered. Although
I’m excited about the promise that the
next few months hold—particularly
as we prepare to celebrate ICF’s 20th
anniversary in 2015—it’s bittersweet
saying goodbye to my favorite season.
Although I’ve always loved autumn, being part of
the ICF Global staff gives me one more reason
to embrace this season: the selection of our
International Prism Award honorees.
In May, we invited ICF Credential-holders to share
with us the stories of organizational coaching
initiatives that fulfill rigorous professional
standards, address key strategic goals, shape
organizational culture, and yield discernible
and measurable positive impacts. When the
nomination window closed on July 31, we had a
record 27 applications for our judges to review.
My Prism staff team colleagues and I spent
much of September and early October on
the telephone, assisting the judges as they
moved closer to a decision and interviewing
representatives from five finalist organizations.
These interviews are my favorite part of the
process: Because nominations are anonymized
to enable blind scoring, the interview is our first
chance to get to know the organization, hear
its stories and understand its unique coaching
culture. We always learn so much from these
calls—both about the nominees and about how
coaching is transforming organizations around
the globe.
After a very difficult decision-making process,
we were delighted to recognize J.K. Organisation
(India), our 2014 ICF International Prism Award
winner, and CareSource (USA), our honorable
mention recipient, during a November 15
ceremony at ICF Global 2014—Latin America.
(We’re sharing J.K. Organisation’s coaching
story on page 12 of this issue, and will feature
CareSource in a future issue of CW.)
Editor’s Note
Learning from the Best
As we prepared to announce this year’s
Prism honorees, we were also putting the
final touches on a signature research study
conducted in collaboration with the Human
Capital Institute (HCI). Released October 1,
Building a Coaching Culture uses insights
from more than 500 human resources, learning
and development, and talent management
professionals to paint a picture of the state of
organizational coaching today. (Turn to page
14 to learn how these findings can help you
support the organizations you work with.)
We’re exploring the role of coaching within
organizations throughout this issue of CW. From
practical strategies you can use to enhance
your marketing to organizations (see pages 10
and 26) to a case study on coaching managers
and leaders for higher performance (page 24),
this issue is full of tips, tools and resources
sure to benefit external and internal coach
practitioners alike.
As we prepare for a new, exciting year of celebrating
professional coaching and ICF, I want to make sure
that CW continues to help you be your best. Feel
free to send your feedback and suggestions to
[email protected].
Abby Tripp Heverin
Communications Coordinator
The February issue of Coaching World received a 2014
American InHouse Design Award Certificate of Excellence.
Read more about this award here.
Coaching World also received a 2014 APEX Award of
Excellence. Read more about this award here.
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