What is This Blog About?

In my last CTI coach training workshop on January 9, 2011 (in the midst of a cold cold blizzard in Calgary!), I graduated from my CTI Coach Training Program.  During that weekend, I spoke with one of the course assistants.  He was older than me and had completed his CTI certification, the next step in becoming a certified coach with the International Coach Federation.   I asked him what advice he would give someone like me who was just about to embark on certification.

 

He told me to keep my mind open, learn everything I could, take it all in, because there were so many wonderful, surprising, unexpected places I would go during the 6-month certification program.  He said, the train hasn't even left the station yet and you are about to embark on a fabulous journey! This metaphor stayed with me, and I realized how happy I was that all my clients would be going on this journey by my side.  So thank you to all of you for preparing to get onboard the coach train!

I begin my CTI certification program on Wednesday, February 9, 2011.  I have been assigned to a "pod."  Mine is the Mediterranean pod (love that -- maybe I will start cooking more Mediterranean meals!).  There will be nine of us in the pod and we could come from all over the world.  (Don't know who my pod members are yet, except for one lovely lady who was in my training workshops with me.)  We receive our learning on a weekly conference call, through supervised coaching, extensive reading and I don't even know what else!  But I expect to learn a lot over the next 25 weeks.

But here's the metaphor:  CTI (Coaches Training Institute) is the engineer of the train and all the group supervisors and instructors and my own coach are up there in the front, driving.  I am in the next car, watching and learning from them, learning about myself and learning how to better coach others.  My clients are further back on the train, enjoying the scenery, learning all kinds of new things,too, and always moving forward.  My clients are all going to different places, places that hold meaning for each of them individually.  They are travelling on the same train, but they will never meet each other (unless they want to).  But they will all interact with me, who will bring them the wisdom of my supervisors and instructors.

Wow! I am excited!

I plan to add some postings to this blog to chart my journey.  Please feel free to add your own comments -- I would love to see them.  They can be anonymous and others will definitely learn from the things we all have to say. 

 

And finally, thanks to the O'Jays, here are the lyrics to their 1973 R&B hit, Love Train, which I can't seem to get out of my head these days.

People all over the world (everybody)
Join hands (join)
Start a love train, love train
People all over the world (all the world, now)
Join hands (love ride)
Start a love train (love ride), love train
The next stop that we make will be England
Tell all the folks in Russia, and China, too
Don't you know that it's time to get on board
And let this train keep on riding, riding on through
Well, well
People all over the world (you don't need no money)
Join hands (come on)
Start a love train, love train (don't need no ticket, come on)
People all over the world ( ride this train)(Ride this train, y'all)
Start a love train (Come on, train), love train
All of you brothers over in Africa
Tell all the folks in Egypt, and Israel, too
Please don't miss this train at the station
'Cause if you miss it, I feel sorry, sorry for you
Well
People all over the world (Sisters and brothers)
Join hands (join, come on)
Start a love train (ride this train, y'all), love train (Come on)
People all over the world (Don't need no tickets)
Join hands (come on, ride)
Start a love train, love train
Ride, let it ride
Let it ride
Let it ride
People, ain't no war
People all over the world (on this train)
Join in (ride the train)
Start a love train, love train (ride the train, y'all)
People all over the world (come on)
Join hands (you can ride or stand, yeah)
Start a love train, love train (makin' love)
People all over the world ('round the world, y'all)
Join hands (come on)
Start a love train, love train

watch on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1cTun4foMM