The president of ICF Global set himself a tough agenda when he took over the helm, but, he tells members, don’t forget to be sensitive to each other
Ed Modell, president of the International Coach Federation (ICF) Global, often describes himself as “the poster child for the transformative power of coaching”.
In 2002, he switched careers, becoming a coach after 28 years as a lawyer in Washington DC. That year he nearly lost his life following “minor surgery, which turned into a major nightmare”.
Modell was in a medically induced coma for three weeks. Doctors told his wife four times that they did not expect him to live. “Happily, I proved them wrong.”
After two months in hospitals and eight months of physical rehabilitation, he returned to his law practice. But he quickly realised that “the pressures and stress were going to kill me”.
A good friend invited him to sit in on a coaching class she was teaching at the George Washington University – and that was it.
“I connected with the core competencies, signed up for the year-long Coaches Training Institute certification programme, got my own coach, and became involved in the Metro DC ICF chapter.
What’s the plan?
“It has been quite an amazing ride for the past eight years and I am extremely grateful for the opportunities it has provided me at this stage in my life,” said Modell, who turned 65 in May.
On Modell’s agenda when he took over the helm, were: raising the bar of professionalism, finishing the work on credentialing, stepping up global conversations, developing a coaching culture in the ICF – and being grateful. Nine months on, how is he faring?
While there have been advances in the credentialing arena, the ICF has made it clear that it will not make any major changes until January 2012. In response to calls from ICF European leaders for speedier processing of credential and programme accreditation applications, the global board has approved enhancements to the current system.
“We hope these will clear up all backlogs in applications by the end of the year and will improve the consistency of exam results. We’re still working on what the next-generation credentialing and programme accreditation system may look like.”
The ICF recently agreed minimum eligibility requirements for members, which go live on 1 April 2012. Members will now be required to demonstrate 60 hours of coach-specific training. Current members with less than 60 hours will be considered provisional members for up to one year, to give them time to reach the target. All existing ICF credentialed members will retain their status. Details are being worked out for a new student category too.
“With these changes, ICF membership will have even greater significance in the marketplace,” he said.
In developing a coaching culture, he has continued the work sparked by past president Karen Tweedie and former UK ICF president Neil Scotton, which has seen peer mentoring of ICF leaders. And he has called for civility to one another (see panel).
Don’t get me wrong
Meanwhile, in January, Modell launched the ICF Diversity and Multicultural Awareness group. “I think it’s time for a global organisation with people from some 100 countries to become more sensitive to each other. We sometimes miss the mark.”
Guest facilitators have included Deborah Price, UK ICF chapter president and Philippe Rosinski, a Belgium-based expert on coaching across geographic boundaries. As of 31 May this year (2011), ICF has more than 20,000 members in 109 countries. Participants have come from Belgium, Argentina, India, Italy, the UK and US. “We’ve had frank and candid conversations about where we’ve misunderstood each other because of communication and culture. Sometimes it’s very blatant, Modell concluded.
Coaching at Work, Volume 6, Issue 4