April 2022 President's Letter

President's Letter

APRIL 2022

Ants and Bees, an ICFTN Coaching Metaphor

We can learn a lot from watching ants and bees, living in community, and working for the greater good.

It is estimated that the average person uses a metaphor in everyday language once every twenty-five seconds. As a coach, metaphors seem to jump out when we listen actively to a client’s language. See what I mean, a jumping metaphor! Now I’m curious how it jumps, and what kind of metaphor is one that can jump?

As the chapter president, I get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of ICFTN and the many volunteers it takes to pull off online learning events, social media and marketing promotions, chapter meetings, new member orientations, chapter governance, pro-bono coaching opportunities, and International Coaching Week, to name a few. To use a coaching metaphor for this effort, I’d say it’s like the ants and bees in nature, we often see just one, but this contradicts the reality of the situation. Like the volunteers of ICFTN, ants and bees function as parts of a whole. They cannot and do not persist as individuals; they continue as members of a group, and the group's strength is the implicit goal of everyone involved.

Humanity values individuality and often sees ants and bees as existing without independence. And yet, if we look closer at these amazing creatures, we can learn valuable lessons about how much we can achieve when we band together with others to work for a higher purpose. 

Most ants and bees have highly specified roles within their communities, and like the ICFTN volunteers, they work within their roles without complaint. In this way, they symbolize self-knowledge and humility.

The ants and bees also display selfless service as they work for the common good, just like an ICFTN volunteer.

Like the volunteer, ants personify the ability to see beyond oneself to one's place within the greater whole and the ability to serve this whole selflessly. 

As Spring comes into full bloom, the ants and bees inspire me. I hope it inspires you to fully own what we have to offer and put it to use to pursue a goal that will benefit the chapter, whether it be raising the consciousness of the coaching profession, welcoming new members, or supporting the development of coaching skills. Each of us has talents we were born with and abilities we have acquired. When we apply these gifts, knowing that we are one part of a bigger community, we work to create a better world and honor and implement the wisdom of ants and bees. I invite you to join in the fun and become an ICFTN volunteer today! Visit www.ICFTN.org for more information.

With gratitude,

Brenda Baird, PCC | 2022 ICFTN President
[email protected]