As an accredited member of the International Coach Federation, we are required to go through a vigorous process of renewal application every three years. Meeting requirements ensures the coach will have continued to develop professionally over time. Here’s what the document says.

The International Coach Federation is honored to confer upon Gary Wood the designation of Professional Certified Coach. The designation is earned by demonstrating knowledge and proficient use of core coaching skills through a comprehensive application and exam process designed to ensure high standards for the coaching profession and the clients it serves.

Why is this all important?

• Proficiency
• High standards

And above all …

• Serving clients.

It’s a valid tactic.

Sometimes we have to have someone tell us to stop. I have told men and women I work with to ‘Stop.’ In the past, I have been told to ‘Stop.” We get in such a state of overload that we almost can’t see how we can get off the treadmill. It seems that everything must be done and done yesterday. And we keep on either allowing others to add more or layering it on ourselves. We often need someone from outside our situation to make that critical observation and intervention.

But you say, “I can’t stop.” Sorry, but yes you can. There are very few occasions when something cannot be done to address the problem of ‘too much’. You may not like the options, and you may choose to ignore the options, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. And it doesn’t mean that you don’t have a choice. You always have a choice.

God brought a Jethro to Moses when he was overloaded, morning till evening, spending long hours involved with people and their daily concerns and needs. Jethro wisely observed “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.”

In other words, STOP. See with clarity what you are doing. Understand the consequences of continuing to operate this way. Find another way. This is not God’s agenda for you as important as it all may appear and as pressing as the need may be. It can be done another way. There are options. But it is a matter of choice.

I would like to ask you to pause right now and think about your own situation. Is it possible that you are doing way too much for your own physical, mental, emotional and social well being – in short your spiritual wholeness? You have to pause to think about this. Unless you take the time to reflect you will not understand the implications of what you are doing.

Do you need to STOP?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Gary Wood, President and Director
Christian Coaches Network
705.687.2711
gary@christiancoaches.com
www.christiancoaches.com

The largest public search platform worldwide that is devoted entirely to finding professional Christian coaches has changed leadership.

On February 1, 2010, Executive Coach, Gary Wood assumed leadership of the Christian Coaches Network from founder Judy Santos, who has provided vision and direction to the organization for the last 12 years.

She says of her choice of Gary Wood as successor, “He has been on the CCN Advisory Board since it’s inception in 1998.  I have worked with him on various projects, taught with him and appreciated his wisdom and friendship over the last twelve years.  I pass the torch to him with confidence and a sense of peace that this is a change that was orchestrated by God.”

Currently Christian Coaches Network supports hundreds of professional coaches from 11 countries and a broad spectrum of life experience, professional background, expertise and denominational affiliation.

Individuals or organizations who are searching for a professional coach can now find CCN members who represent almost every area of personal, business or ministry specialty, ranging from life, relationship and marriage coaching to career, leadership and executive coaching.

CCN provides support,  connection and professional development opportunities to members. This is supported by three levels of recognized certification within the Christian coaching field.

CCN’s new Director, Gary Wood is a professionally credentialed coach who has more than 35 years business and ministry experience. Since 1998, through his executive coaching firm G.E.Wood and Associates, Gary has worked with an international clientele of corporate, government, business and nonprofit leaders.

In recently addressing member coaches, Gary said of his additional role, “I may assume the public face of CCN but I am far from the total substance. Together we make the whole. The very fact that CCN continues forward bears out the fact that God has plans … plans that include each one of us.”

ABOUT – To learn more about Christian Coaches Network and its membership services or to search for a professional Christian coach, visit their website at www.christiancoaches.com.

END

I think it is worth reviewing their observations in 2010 and I certainly recommend reading what they have written. As we are called on to provide effective leadership, each one of these traits is worth striving for.

1.    The Commitment Not to Lead a Little Life: If there is one trait that leaders share throughout history, it is the unshakeable commitment to live a life that matters.

2.    Vision: To lead others, leaders must have a destination in mind and be absolutely commited to making a vision come true.

3.    Voice: Armed with commitment and vision, leaders need a voice – a manner of communicating that others not only hear but also wish to follow.

4.    Heart: Leaders with heart are capable of inspiring others through example, whether this takes the form of incredible work ethic or a contagious passion.

5.    Team Building: To leave a lasting legacy many leaders build organizations that are not dependent on one person, but are self-sustaining entities in which people and processes work toward common goals.

6.    Backbone: There are times when mere talent and insight are not enough, and leaders have to summon unimaginable strength and internal fortitude to persist in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

7.    Listening: Real listening empowers leaders as it conveys the information needed to make wise decisions.

8.    Emotional Intelligence: By understanding and managing not only one’s own emotions, but also those of other people, leaders earn deserved respect, trust and confidence.

9.    Diversity: History, business and nature teach us that the surest way to survive – and thrive- over the long run is to foster diversity of thought, behavior and approach. Tomorrow’s leaders must master diversity.

Like me, you probably don’t feel like you are the epitome of all nine of these characteristics. But, along with many other traits that the leaders you respect show, these nine can challenge us to reach up and forward to be the best that we can be.

You take a Christian worker who loves the Lord, and has high expectations of ‘what God will do’. Make them a key decision maker carrying major responsibilities. They will prove themselves highly committed, heavily involved and willing to take on a demanding workload.

They will also, with great regularity, ratchet up.

Ratcheting up simply means you take the assignment (.. as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 1 Corinthians 3:5) you are sure ‘God has given you’ and you add to it. In this one area discernment often seems to be neglected.

While working you also see something else worthwhile to be done. You add it to your to-do list. You see a need here and a cause there to be addressed. Few step forward to help. And you do it … and do it … and do it.

Pretty soon you are doing more than the original assignment. You have ‘ratcheted up.’ And you may be on your way to ministry burnout and the signs of career burnout that are so common to any leader who is experiencing significant stress.

You become resentful of the task and critical of the people who have not volunteered. A gnawing ache develops in your gut and unwanted attitudes invade your thinking.

The cure? Know so well what you ‘have been called to do’, that saying ‘No’ to what you have not been called to do will be much easier.

In other words, know your priorities so well, that you say ‘No’ to those requests, no matter how good they are, that are not absolutely yours to accomplish. (If it isn’t an absolute yes, it’s a no.)

This is not to take away from doing what you have been assigned with excellence. Excellence is about depth not quantity.

Saying ‘no’ may allow others to step up and take responsibility, giving them the joy of seeing good things happen that are attached to their efforts and faith.

If the priorities and assignments all seem to blend into one and you find it difficult to sort them out, you may need to work with a life or leadership Coach for a period of time to gain some perspective.

Many people have been robbed of useful service because other well meaning Christians, most often leaders, have taken the task to themselves. If it is important, then God has prepared or is preparing the worker.

You are not the solution to every need.

As my coaching clients have spent time with the questions and their answers, good decisions have been made.

Here are a ten of the fourteen questions. If you are being asked to assume responsibility, whether it be a promotion, new company or new leadership role, take the time to sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and write out your answers. That way you will be very intentional and capture your thoughts concisely. This will enable you to make a better decision about your future.

1. Am I really committed to this cause and the people it represents? If you are not, don’t put yourself or them through the pain. Those who take ownership will put their all into it and stand a far better chance of success.
2. Do I have confidence in the senior leadership and feel I can support them? If any doubt lingers about the senior leadership, deal with the questions now. You will have a lot to do with them and your current inkling may end up your lengthy headache … or worse.
3. Can I make the time for this leadership responsibility without creating excessive stress? In reality, how much time do you think this will take? Knowing your own style, will you allow it to consume your time to an unhealthy degree. Preemptive action may be necessary.
4. Do I and my spouse agree about this decision? If you don’t … don’t. If you enjoy a good relationship with your spouse, they are your first line of defense in making a good decision. They know you, care about what happens to you and how it will impact the family.
5. Leadership issues take discernment. Am I a discerning person and can I improve that competency? Some leadership positions require real wisdom. There are tricky issues to deal with. If that’s not you, then say no. If you are willing to grow in this area, then move forward humbly and open to learn.
6. Do I have any hidden agenda that could sabotage meetings or others on my team? If being in this role is all about you, your agenda may be the unspoken problem in every meeting. Deal with that stuff now, not later. Be up front about truth.
7. Are there any continuing things in my life that if people knew about them would disqualify me from serving? Get those things cleaned up now. Don’t live with guilt and the fear of being ‘found out’. Failures are not final. Learning from them is priceless.
8. Am I a good team player or do I generally want my own way? The organization is headed for trouble with a dictator at the helm. If you see yourself as the great ruler, get down off your pedestal. Learn how to work with the team. Provide great leadership and you will garner the respect that can dramatically move things forward.
9. How have I been prepared for this task? Experience, skills, interests? Simple question with big importance. What has brought you to this point? The sum total of who you are will determine where you go and how you lead the organization or project forward.
10. To what degree am I willing to change so that I can make a more effective contribution? There’s the rub. Are you willing to change? Those who are intentional about looking hard at themselves and making real personal and professional change, move forward. Others languish at the level of their refusal to do what’s needed to reach up to their potential.

From time to time I am asked to speak to professional groups from the scriptures. Sometimes an entire audience will be made up of leaders who may be spending their day on topics of best practice and professional improvement.

The primary purpose of God’s Word is not to serve as a textbook to teach us about leadership and management. There is a wealth to be learned from the scriptures on those topics, to be sure and I’m happy to teach about it.

The primary purpose of God’s Word is to teach us God’s heart about relationship. God wants an intimate and growing relationship with people, including owners, entrepreneurs, executives and leaders. In giving his Son on the cross, God paid an unimaginable price to have you and me be in a right, intimate and growing relationship with Him. He wants our heart, not our professional curiosity.

If God has our heart, He can influence the way we manage people, advance vision and carry out our own personal work.  His transformative work challenges and changes our attitudes.

Out of understanding how valuable we are to God and how much he loves us and desires to form us and fellowship with us flow all sorts of implications for leaders and leadership.

You don’t have to wait until our paths intersect to hear me speaking about it. Seriously … crack open your own Bible and get reading. But if you haven’t done it for awhile, don’t first go looking for leadership principles. Go looking for relationship. It’s there you will find the heart of God.

I don’t know what you lead, but this is your hour. This is your chance to make a difference. You may be in government. You may run a business, small or large. You may be a corporate leader. Perhaps you work in the community, struggling for dollars to advance your cause. Regardless, do what you do with passion and skill.

Significant causes, projects and programs need men and women who will reach for excellence in all that they do. They need individuals who are not afraid to test their limits and perhaps even fail in the attempt … men and women who believe that what they are doing is worth doing with everything they’ve got.

People follow those who know where they are going. They listen to those who have a cause. They hear passion and purpose.

You will be remembered. The question is for what.

Gather the Ideas: Make a list of those things which you consider priorities in your life right now. Never mind whether it seems doable or not, or whether it is just a dream at this point. It matters simply that it is a priority that you think about often.

Choose the Highest and Most Important: From this list, choose your number one highest priority, the one that you passionately want to see accomplished. (If you can follow this pattern with one priority, you can do it with any number of them.)

Understand What Needs to Happen: Take this high priority and write out all the things which will need to happen to bring it about. Don’t agonize over this list but be as thorough as you can, whether it’s five or one hundred ‘needs to happen’ items to realize success.

Break it Down to Three Definable Phases: From this list (of all the things that will need to happen) group sequential or closely related items into three clusters.

You now have three clusters of sub-points … the heart of a three part plan. Rearrange the sub-points according to some chronological time frame that allows you to address each point one by one.

Name each of these three groupings of sub-points (action steps) with brevity and in the clearest possible terms.

This is your blueprint for moving forward, your blueprint for success.

You now have a three step plan. Each step has been divided into sub-points or action steps that need to be accomplished, taken from your list of things that need to happen. Each step has a clear title indicating the main action or phase that all those sub-points are a part of.

Execute Your Plan: Execute this plan until you achieve your highest priority, no matter how long it takes.

Make Needed Adjustments: If and when you hit an insurmountable barrier, that you can absolutely determine is insurmountable, then make an adjustment to your plan or recognize and allow that that priority may not be achievable.

Never Give Up: Otherwise never, never, never give up on it, if you truly believe it is of the highest priority.

Obviously some priorities will be achieved in a short period of time. The steps are clear and executable. Other priorities will take considerable time because of their scope and will require persistence, patience and continuous action.

It does not matter whether the leader acknowledges this or not. It remains a fact and will be proven so when we all stand before Him.  But to embrace it is to access divine resources for daily responsibilities … and far, far more.

The leader in relationship to God through Jesus Christ does not walk alone. He carries out his responsibilities fully conscious that He is loved and strengthened and given wisdom and capacity to lead from God. There is no foolishness in embracing this quality of relationship with the God who does not change.

God is over all. He does not invite us to include him on some list along with all our other personal and business priorities. He invites us to see him over all priorities. Not the first priority but OVER all priorities. He is God over all and He refuses to slip to number two or three or right off our list of interests altogether. He is above lists and desires that we meet Him there, in awe and wonder at His altogether unique nature and position.

Why in 2009 would we still talk about thoroughly modern and enlightened leaders embracing God? Because He still exists.

God never went anywhere while we were becoming so enlightened. He never stopped extending the invitation to relationship while we ran after the multitudes of ‘things’ and ‘isms’ and pursuit of success and dollars to replace Him.

He is still there, calling leaders to surrender to His love for them and His ability to speak and work into their experience … transforming their hearts and minds and the the way they think about and carry out work, life and leadership.

God has been so misrepresented by the behavior of those who identify themselves under His name. But He himself has not changed. As He was in the beginning, so He remains today.

Food for thought.