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Archive for Your Mission and Vision – Page 2

Training…in light of your mission and vision

Thursday, August 10th, 2006

If you’ve been reading my last few posts, you may have concluded that I think you should only consider ICF accredited coach training and you should pursue ICF credentials.

No.  That’s not what I think.

What I think is that decisions are best made according to mission and vision (hopefully you read those posts, too, so you know what I’m talking about).  Your best training decisions will be based on your unique calling.  Take the training that will best prepare you for your unique purposes.

For examples:

  • If your vision includes working for a business, church or ministry organization that seeks ICF certified coaches, obviously accredited training will be your choice. 
  • If your vision includes developing a professional coaching business, then you will do very well to learn all you can about the profession and to consider fully the value of ICF accredited training and certification.
  • If your vision includes applying coaching in a ministry setting, and you are sure that ICF approved training or certification will never apply, then hopefully you will seek an excellent training program, taught by well-trained, experienced and successful professional coaches.

No one can tell you “the truth about” what training program you should take.  That is for you to discover, as you seek God’s leading and uncover the unique purposes for which you were created.   

God has shown his faithfulness, sustenance and blessing to Christian coaches who have been trained in a variety of programs – ICF accredited or not – Christian or secular.  God is able to do the same for you as you step into the calling for which you are made.

I’m going on vacation and won’t be posting for a week or so.  Come back then, or if you haven’t done so already, go to the right of this post and enter your e-mail address for the updates.     

Is it really life coaching?

Monday, July 24th, 2006

So you’ve identified your mission…your vision.  Hopefully that’s based on your sense of unique purpose and passion.  It’s all about who you are uniquely created to be. 

And you’re considering…coaching.  Is it really life coaching?  Is becoming a life coach part of the fulfillment of your true calling?

Take a look at your passions and values. 

If you are passionate about helping others heal and resolve personal issues, then maybe it’s not coaching.  Maybe it’s counseling or therapy.

If you love analyzing problems in your field of expertise, summarizing your analysis and making recommendations, then maybe it’s consulting.

If you deeply desire to help people identify the presence of God in their lives, then maybe it’s spiritual direction.

Have you looked at the career and ministry options that are similar to coaching and asked yourself which is truly the best match for your mission?

For help as you consider this, go to www.christiancoachingresources.com to sign in and receive (free) The Life Coaching Comparison Tool.  In addition to giving a definition of Christian life coaching, this tool clarifies basic distinctions between coaching and counseling, consulting, spiritual direction, mentoring, discipleship and pastoral care. 

Why would you start with identifying mission and vision?  Why not just “dive in” and “go for it?” 

Well…because it’s helpful to know where you’re going in order to get there.  I love this quote by Yogi Berra, American baseball player:

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace.”

Establishing a new career – establishing a new business – is not easy.  In your dark hours (and you know they’ll come) it helps to know where you’re going and why.  In those hours you can refer back to your calling – your purpose – the mission and vision statements you’ve written down – to gain the motivation and courage to press on. 

Would you like to go somewhere intentionally?  Then identify your mission and vision.  Ask God to show you the vision of where to go.  Then (have I said it enough already)…write that down.    

What is your calling?

Monday, July 17th, 2006

This week I’ll write to those of you making the decision to become a coach.  You’re toying with a career change.  You wonder whether you should sign up for a training course.

It’s most important to know your calling.  Calling is sometimes referred to as “mission” and sometimes as “vision.”  Just when you think you’ve got the working definition of those terms down, you will have to think again.  “Mission” and “vision” are addressed across a variety of authoritative settings with definitions that are sometimes opposite and sometimes interchangeable adding up to sometimes confusing.  What school of thought you’re from or what training you’ve taken or what book you’ve read determines how you use the terms. 

I’m inclined to say that your calling is your mission.  That is, “calling” or “mission” is what you’re going to do.  Typically it’s a broad statement – contained in a sentence (or so) – that includes references to the purpose or significance of your pursuit.  Statements of vision are longer and more detailed and talk about how things will look when your mission is accomplished.

Whatever you call it, identifying your purpose is the first step.  What are you called to?  What does God have for you to do?  What will it look like when you are living your calling?  Before deciding to change your career or invest time and money into training, answer these questions.

Start by writing down compelling statements that clearly identify your mission and vision.  If you are stymied, contact me to arrange coaching for identifying your mission and vision.  Ask me about upcoming coaching groups on the topic.  Ask me about my special rates on one-on-one coaching available through www.christiancoachingresources.com for a limited time. 

Come back for more on this topic in tomorrow’s post.