Today is a day I never considered would happen – but it has!
I can’t put an ‘actual date’ on when I began coaching? You see, long before I ever qualified as a coach, had I continually learned, practiced, and shared my learning with others, that they may benefit also. Throughout the running of my last FOUR businesses, I’ve forever asked, empowered, supported others within the team to excel in their forte.
Prior to that, in my time in change management within the PLC world, I was forever asking, probing, enquiring with others as to how they could continually improve, offer up a new idea and take charge of implementing them. And prior to that, throughout my Military career, qualified as an Adult Education Teacher, and continually learned and then shared with others.
So, it was both an honour and privilege in 2014 to be nominated (and subsequently won) a Kauffman Institute Global Entrepreneur ‘Big Impact to Business’ Award, for the work we were doing in researching and sharing the cause of Big Business Failure.
Then, a year later, I was flown to the US, to present our findings to the Kauffman Insititute and many of their entrepreneurship scholars, only for them once again to acknowledge the level of content we shared and its impact it had on the audience. By awarding the event as a Global ‘Big Impact to Business’ Event.
And, in 2017 I was invited by one of the United Kingdom’s largest investment management companies to an event, at which we were added to their ‘Clear Business Thinking’ POWER 100 list recognised for the Ethics to which we both operate and share with our clients.
However, early today I have been bestowed with an acknowledgment that gladly takes pride of place amongst all of these other accolades!
For as long as I’ve been in Business – Ralph Watson’s name has been synonymous with the professional coaching fraternity. A well-established and highly respected figure throughout not only the UK coaching community but worldwide. Having forged a coaching career over four continents and almost four decades.
As Founder of the International Association of Profesional Coaching, The APC grew out of the realisation that a great many people in the coaching profession are seeking a membership body to join that offers something different from that currently available. It is the passionate belief in the immense potential of every human being and the tremendous support that high-quality coaching, training, and personal development intervention offers in helping people to achieve that potential that underpins our work and our commitment to building something more than just a membership organisation; a supportive and sustaining community.
The APC has become an independent professional membership body dedicated to promoting and supporting the highest levels of quality, professionalism, and ethics in the fields of coaching, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and allied disciplines, such as hypnosis, at an INTERNATIONAL level, with a growing membership from across the world of those seeking to join, and benefit from such an organisation.
Ralph and I have known each other for a good many years, originally meeting through both being professional keynote speakers on the Euro-circuit. And subsequently, as fellow coaches and NLP practitioners, attending many of the same events, either as speakers, workshop facilitators, or delegates. I have long supported the work of both Ralph and the APC, and benefited both personally and professionally from both Ralph and the APC.
Ralph and I had arranged to meet this morning, for what I thought was for me to share more with him, regarding the progress we are making in preparing to license the methodology enabling other suitably qualified and experienced coaches to offer this also.
However, Ralph clearly had an alternate agenda!
You see, whilst I’ve closely followed both Ralph and the APC, He has also been following the progress and contribution we have been making!
“I am delighted to confirm the invitation to Fellowship with the Association for Professional Coaching. This position is by invitation only and is extended in recognition of your ongoing contribution to ethical and professional coaching and work in this field.”
I have written extensively about the power of awards. I continually encourage my clients, to be more conscious of the impact they have in the world, and to stop and acknowledge recognition when it is given. And whilst qualifications and experience are both essential, both can be learned and earned, but neither automatically make you nor determine you are ‘good’ at your job.
Being nominated for any form of achievement or public recognition is a significant and important milestone. Becoming a finalist and even a winner even more so. To be ‘measured’ against others, and determined by either a judging panel of experts or our peers as having ‘tipped’ the balance is a huge moment. However, today has brought a tear to my eye. To be personally invited to accept the highest level of recognition from an independent but global organisation specifically designed to support the professional standards within our industry is for me the highest accolade one could ever have hoped to achieve.
It is with immense gratitude and as much humility as I can muster, that I proudly share: From this day forward, I am now a Fellow of the International Association of Profesional Coaching.
More can be learned of the APC by visiting: https://www.theapcinternational.org/about-apc