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Along the Journey  |  

Coaching:  We’ve Come a Long Way From Kansas, Dorothy 

The Wizard of Oz is one of the most-watched movies of all time, actually in the top three according to some rating agencies. 

Why would a 1939 movie still resonate with modern audiences?  

Yes, it is a family movie, lacks violence, and has a happy ending

Yet, I believe a major underlying reason is that it exemplifies that individuals already possess within themselves the road map to what they truly want—they just need someone to help them see it and release it. That belief is a major component of coaching. 

 

I was in the inaugural cohort of The Coaching Institute at CTS and have continued my studies with the new Mentor Coaching Cohort

I have seen lives change when I use the skills I learned. 

Clients quickly move from being “stuck” in an area of life to pursuing or being what they truly want.  

That has changed my self-identification from “expert” issuing potential remedies to “co-collaborator” walking with clients

 Clients are immediately empowered because they—not I—automatically and naturally design our partnership.  

The pressure for results lifts from me and from clients, and that pressure lands squarely on the coaching relationship

That process is freeing and opens both of us to truly communicate and enjoy the coaching journey. 

Yet, it is not a feel-good process; it is challenging and productive one. 

 

The Coaching Institute uses the International Coaching Federation (ICF) model, which promotes the precept that people are “naturally creative, resourceful, and whole.” 

So instead of me placing a client’s issue under the microscope, the client becomes the scientist and the microscope deciding what will be worked on. 

The Institute trained me to enter a meeting trusting my training, yet devoid of my own agenda.  

So, I do not see a problem walking through the door. 

Instead, I see a human being who is equipped with the creativity and resourcefulness and wholeness to define and pursue what really makes him or her fulfilled. 

The coaching training has been a gamechanger for me and the people I serve. 

 

A long-standing adage is that confession is good for the soul, so here’s one of mine.  

After a few hours of training on the first day of class the cohorts were asked to volunteer to coach one another. 

I froze and wanted to run away.  

Yet, it turned out to be a wonderful experience that challenged me to understand that just as ICF coaches perceive clients as “creative, resourceful, and whole,” I too must see myself in the same way as a coach.  

We all survived and within that first week, each of us coached someone outside the class. 

I quickly learned that being a coach is not performance-based, it is “trust-based:” trusting the client and the coaching process.  

now understand why I see many clergy, therapists/counselors, and other helping professionals fervently pursue coaching training.   

 

Unfortunately, elsewhere I have also seen coaching training offered in ways that can be counterproductive for the coach and client. 

For example, I considered a program offered by a reputable organization that offered coaching home study.  

Coaching is so much more than getting the right answers on a written test; it is a sacred process because we are entering a client’s life.  

I am glad I chose The Coaching Institute where I received instruction, modeling, and expert feedback on my LIVE coaching

I learned my strengths and weaker tendencies and how to continue challenging myself in my growth areas.  Consequently, I am a better coach and a better person.  

 

I am not so sure about all of my clients making it back to Kansas, as in The Wizard of Oz

Yet I am sure that with the training I received, I can help my clients design their own yellow brick road to fulfillment

Thanks Coaching Institute and thank you Center for Lifelong Learning! 


Rev. Dr. Janice Fareed-Hardy participated in the business world for over 25 years working for a Fortune 500 company, where she additionally founded one of New York City’s first workplace ministries.

She is president emeritus of the New York Metropolitan area chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. She has served as pastor on the leadership staff of a few non-denominational churches and is currently president of a paraministry, Fresh Fire International Ministries. Fresh Fire is comprised of leaders from various churches, and it proclaims the gospel through various media nationally and internationally. The paraministry is also involved in projects in the USA including Puerto Rico, Ghana and Haiti.

Janice has received several honors, including Who’s Who in American Colleges and national Black Achiever Awards, as well as clergy honors. She holds master’s degrees in journalism from New York University, in energy management/environmental science from New York Institute of Technology, and in divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. She also holds a doctorate from Alliance Theological Seminary. She is a lifetime learner who constantly seeks ways to improve.

She can be reached at janicefareedhardy@aol.com or through www.ffiministries.com.

Along the Journey