Jackie Browning, Past-President, ICF Michigan

 

Pieces of Eight, written by the late Sydney J. Harris, is one of my favorite books. It's a collection of essays that dissected every aspect of the human condition. He was a master at offering viewpoints that could lead to avenues of growth and change.  I've read this book at least twenty times, captivated every time by the way he exposed and examined the very essence of our social existence.

These past few weeks have been difficult for me and have set me on a similar course of examination. In this case, though, I've been looking within, watching myself tumble into an abyss of fearful queries.

What if I get the virus? What if my children and grandchildren get the virus? Do I have enough food? What will I cook for dinner? If I eat what I cook, will I get fat?  The latter being the question that I could certainly answer - the one that made me smile and brought me back to more balanced and realistic contemplation.

How long will my coaching project be delayed? Will my clients agree to continue their coaching sessions?  Will there be a new-normal in the coaching profession?

These, and similar professional questions will certainly be addressed as we move through and forward from this unfamiliar season of COVID 19. While we are in the midst of it, let us be mindful that our clients may tend to want us to provide reassuring answers as they, and we, wrestle with alarming uncertainty.     

We might need to reach back to wisdom-words from our Thought Leaders and remember how our inadvertent desires for specific answers always resulted in well-placed," Tell me more." responses.  When I coach, I seat my Thought Leaders next to me as a constant reminder that they did not give me all the answers.  As coaches, we can never give our clients the answers.  We must be careful not to fabricate accountability actions for them during this dreadful and unprecedented time.  

It has been said that everything changes and ends - We all look forward, in reverence and compassion, to an end in sight.

Now that I've shared pieces of me, I'd like to share a few of my favorite Sydney Harris observations; a thoughtful, philosophical journalist who said so much in so few words:

*   "The most important tactic in an argument, next to being right, is to leave an escape hatch for your opponent so that he can gracefully swing over to your side without an embarrassing loss of face.'

*   "The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but
that men will begin to think like computers."

*   "Men make counterfeit money; in many more cases, money makes counterfeit men."

Stay Safe,

Jackie Browning
Past-President (2019), ICF Michigan

UPDATE REGARDING 2020 RENEWAL TIMELINE

As we face an enormous global crisis, ICF coaches like you are working hard to make a difference every day for your families, your clients, your communities and the world.

We recognize the hardship that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on many ICF Members and your coaching businesses. To better meet your needs during these uncertain times, we are changing our timeline and renewal process

ICF Memberships will now expire on June 30, 2020.

If you are unable to renew your ICF Membership by June 30 you will have a two-month grace period. If you are unable to renew by August 31, 2020, you will lose access to your Member Benefits on that date.  For more information, go to https://coachfederation.org/renew-membership

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