Newsletter Five - April to September 2017

Coaching  accreditation & China

This week was a microcosm of my life now - sometimes intense, often satisfying, and bright with fascinating people.

I found 3 superb new peers I hope to work with in future, witnessed 4 real Eureka moments of enlightenment in my coaching sessions, met in the flexh 3 colleagues I have hitherto only known online, and spent 3 intense days with 22 coaches-in-training.

Plus 2 evenings our with old fiends, AND home in time for the weekend!

Highlights

Training retreat guides in China was a joy- and not easy. It was really good for me to work in Chinese again; a stretch, but in a forgiving environment!

I kept running out of words in mid-thought. It felt like being a child again, trying to write a poem.

That was good for me- makes it much easier not to take yourself too seriously, and not to rely on words too much either.

Teaching listening is so much about encouraging people to read body language and tone, and not get limited to the speaker’s narrative. I had to practice what I preached.

The last module of the Ignatian Leadership programme took place in Lebanon in June. You can imagine the openness and depth of this group after 18 months of learning together. I feel simultaneously strengthened, challenged, resourced, stretched and loved now it’s over, and I guess each of us takes something similarly rich back to our 23 countries. The impact on participants’ way of leading is tangible, and soon we will get feedback from their staff as well as an impact assessment from them.

All of this will help us maximise the quality and impact of the 4-country Ignatian Leadership Programme that I mentioned last time, which will start in July 2018 in Belgium. 

And the other highlight is not work but wellbeing- we spent September cycling North Italy. 827km of delicious, finishing at Venice. The ‘free’ of freelance continues to expand what’s possible. (The ‘delicious’ of Italian cuisine also continues to expand my waistline 😉) 

Milestones

  1. ACC - In May I got my international accreditation as a coach- the International Coach Federation’s ACC credential. (They send you a lapel badge. I feel the childhood frisson of the Young Ornithologist’s Club pin badge arriving…) It’s great to have this, as it opens doors to a lot of organisations who will only take on Associates with industry-recognised credentials.  
  2. Writing - Last month I published an article on Ignatian leadership in an online journal, which led to re-publication in East Africa and South America, and got four times more response than any other article I’ve written. That’s a geeky milestone, but writing comes surprisingly hard to me these days, so it was heart-warming to get a positive response.
  3. Long-term work - I have been asked to reserve the next four Julys for China, to build on the work (and the team) we developed together this summer. 5 years is my longest booking so far, and whilst I want to stay available for new things, I relish the work and believe profoundly in its value, so I’m very happy to commit to this.

What's new?

  • Supervision- In May, I trained to be a supervisor at St Beuno’s (where I do most of my retreats). 
  • People- This 6 months has brought a real flurry of new relationships with delightful and talented people, in the fields of coaching, leadership and retreats. I think next year is going to contain lots of completely different creative opportunities.
  • Quiet Days- In June, I ran a Quiet Day for Luton social activists, on behalf of a brilliant group I’d done some facilitation for last year. 

Tofte Manor was a wonderful venue, and the feedback was full of gratitude for the balance of silence, optional workshops, art and poetry resources, and the beauty of the environment.

I’d love to do more of these for work team awaydays and community groups.

If you know anyone else who would welcome a bespoke retreat or quiet day, do please connect us.

What's next?

Retreat work continues to feel vital to me. I’m guiding on an 8-day silent retreat in Wales in November, and then going for my own 8 days of silence in Malta in January. And in February I’m training retreat guides again.

My biggest focus over the coming 6 months will probably be the N.W. Europe ILP, which is picking up momentum. Some participants are already committed for the full 2018-2020 programme, so I’ll be working on that in Dublin and London.

I thrive on travelling, but I’m already spending quite enough time in airports! So I currently have four potential new streams of work in the pipeline in the North of England, two of them very close to home indeed. Watch this space…

And what else is next? Who knows! Anything’s possible. Don’t you love that?

Thanks for reading!