Many of you have asked about my 3 week trip around the world so I wanted to share a few highlights with you. In the photo above, I’m standing on the Great Wall in China – hot, drenched in sweat and very happy. It was a lifelong dream come true. But, before I made it to China I had to visit Europe.
As most of you know, I am the 2007 President of the International Coach Federation, the world’s largest nonprofit association for coaches. The ICF has about 12,000 members in 82 countries. In June I traveled to Europe and China representing the ICF at important coaching events.
I left my home in Lexington, KY on June 5th headed for the European Coaching Conference in Helsinki, Finland. The day before the conference started, Diane Brennan, ICF President-elect, and I met with the Nordic ICF Board of Directors.
It was a very productive meeting!
I loved Finland. The Finnish people were very friendly and Helsinki was beautiful. I found the strong Russian influence in Finland to be very interesting. Here are some photos if you’re interested. Flowers at the Finnish Parliament Building; Old Market Hall in Helsinki, Finland; Upinski Orthodox Cathedral-Helsinki
Helsinki was abnormally warm while I was there with temps in the mid to upper 90’s. And, since the temps seldom get that hot, the hotel didn’t have air conditioning in the rooms. Made for toasty sleeping. The other memorable experience was the fact the sun did not set. At 1 am it would be dusk-like and then at 2 am it would look like it was 3 pm. My body had trouble adjusting to constant sunlight.
While in Helsinki I also had an opportunity to spend time with Sir John Whitmore, one of the world’s most respected coaches and a pioneer in the field. Sir John and I had a marvelous time together. We discovered that we are both rowdy mavericks who like to kick up dust and challenge people to see the world in new ways. We are looking forward to stirring up some excitement in the new future. Watch out, world!
I left Helsinki and headed to London where I spent 2 days meeting with the UK ICF chapter’s BOD. I was joined in England by Magda Mook, the ICF’s invaluable Assistant Executive Director. The UK ICF president, Neil Scotton, was kind of enough to pick Magda and me up at the airport and take us to his home for Sunday lunch with the family. It was lovely and fun to experience every day life for a typical UK family. Many thanks to Neil’s gracious wife, Sharon. He also took us on a ½ day walking tour of the sights of London capped off with a picnic in St. James Park with the UK ICF Board of Directors.
Here are a few more photos: Magda Mook and Neil Scotton, London, England, June 2007; Kay Cannon and Magda Mook, London, England, June 2007;
I must admit I fell in love with London. Neil helped me learn how to ride the tube all over the city. What an amazing city. I can’t wait to go back when I have more time to explore and play!
While in London, I had the opportunity to help host the UK ICF’s forum, Excellence in Professional Coaching. Top leaders from more than 10 multi-national corporations, such as The BBC and IBM, participated in a thought-provoking discussion about coaching within the corporate sector. I also was interviewed by Stefan Stern, a journalist for the Financial Times of London. If you want to read the article, click on this link: BUSINESS LIFE: The rise of the listening guru.
And, on a more personal note, the car bomb found in London shortly after I returned to the States was located very close to the hotel where I stayed. Yikes!
From London Magda and I took a train to Oxford, England for the Oxford School of Mentoring and Coaching Conference. We had one afternoon to walk around and see the town. Here’s Magda on Rose Lane in Oxford. The gardener in me LOVED Oxford!
What a beautiful and old place! While in Oxford I was able to spend some valuable time with friends Julie Hay and Lloyd Deaton of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council. Unfortunately, our meeting was so engrossing, I forgot to take photos. Sorry, Julie and Lloyd! Next time for sure.
In Oxford, I was also joined by Pam Richarde, Immediate Past President of the ICF. And, as fate would have it, Sir John Whitmore was also in Oxford. We continued to plot our next adventure. Here’s the proof: Pam Richarde, Sir John Whitmore, Kay Cannon at the OSCM Conference.
From Oxford I took a bus back to London and flew out of Heathrow to Shanghai via Munich. I had 2 free days before I had to be in Beijing for the International Coaching & Corporate Social Responsibility Conference and The 4th Professional Coach Awards hosted by the China Coach Association. Fortunately, Eva Wong, a fellow ICF Board member and the founder of TopHuman who lives in Hong Kong and does business in China, generously gave me her private driver and arranged for her personal assistant, Joanna, to show me around Shanghai and Hangzhou. Thank God. I would have been lost without them! They took me to see the very hip Shanghai harbor district, an ancient Chinese village with waterways for streets like in Venice and then to the magical city of Hangzhou. The Ancient City outside of Shanghai; Joanna and my driver in Shanghai; Shanghai
InHangzhou the highlight of my visit was Lingyin, the Buddhist Kingdom of the Southeast. The first temple in the Lingyin scenic area was built in 326 AD. In addition to the many temples in the Lingyin area, there are 345 well-preserved stone carvings located in caves and on limestone walls. These carvings date back from The Five Dynasties to the Yuan Dynasty. Absolutely amazing! Take a look if you’re interested: West Lake at Hangzhou; Standing with a stone carving at Lingyin; Temple Roof at Lingyin; Ancient Stone Carvings at Lingyin;
From Hangzhou, I flew to Beijing for the 2 day cultural tour sponsored by TopHuman followed by the China Coach Association Conference. The tour was fabulous. There were more than 20 coaches from all over the world on the Cultural Tour with me. We saw the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall and many other special sites. Check out the Architecture in the Forbidden City
In this photo, executive coach, Dr. Mercedes Jahn of Mexico City, and I have climbed onto a high group of rocks behind the roof of the Summer Palace. Coaches are very daring people!
For me, climbing the Great Wall was a lifelong dream come true. The day we climbed the Great Wall, the temperature was about 94 degrees with very high humidity. I’m sure the heat index was well over 100 degrees Farhenheit The climb was straight up steep stairs. It was exhilarating and very, very, very hot.
The photo below was taken as Tun, a wonderful photographer and coach from Malaysia, and I were beginning our trek.
In this photo taken by Tun, I’m peaking out from a hole in the wall.
Earlier in 2007 I sent an email to my dear friend, Beth Hand, an executive coach from Washington, D.C. I asked her if she wanted to climb the Great Wall with me. I believe in asking the big questions because you never know what might happen. A few months later here we are on the Great Wall. WooHoo!
The photo below shows just how arduous this climb was. I think I was on the verge of heat exhaustion.
After the Cultural Tour, it was time for the China Coaches’ Conference and the 4th Professional Coach Awards. These events occurred over a 2 day period. Karen Tweedie, Treasurer of the ICF, flew to Beijing from her home in Melbourne, Australia, to join me at the China Coaches Conference.
The night before the conference we were treated to a marvelous dinner by Eva Wong and her husband, Lawrence Leung. (Throughout my entire trip to China, Eva’s generosity was amazing. I am lucky to have such a good friend.) We ate in a restaurant that had been the home of one of China’s most famous opera stars of the past. Here is a photo we took before dinner. From left: Lawrence, Eva, me, Karen, Mary Jor and Joanna.
While participating in the conference, I met with the President and Vice President of the Korea Coach Association.
A press conference was also held and I was interviewed by about 8 or 9 journalists from Beijing. Since I don’t speak Chinese and several journalists didn’t speak English, we had to use a translator. I found the Chinese journalists to be very interested in corporations that use coaching to boost productivity and employee retention.
During the 4th Professional Coach Awards I gave a speech and helped present the awards.
It was a wonderful and festive evening much like the Academy Awards of Coaching!
I left Beijing for the States on Sunday, June 24th and arrived in Lexington, KY in the late evening on Monday, June 25th. To say I was exhausted is an understatement. It took about 4 days before my body adjusted to the 12 time zone change! Two days after I got home I had to leave to conduct an ICF Board meeting. Here I am in my jet lagged daze.
My 3 week trip around the world was an amazing experience filled with extraordinary people and experiences. I feel very blessed to have such wonderful friends all over the world. I only wish it could be possible to mention everyone I met. I am very grateful for this opportunity to travel around the world meeting my coaching colleagues and helping to educate the world on the power of coaching.
I am also deeply appreciative of my clients’ and colleagues’ patience and support while I was out of the office for the entire month of June. Thank you!
My next trip as ICF President will be to Melbourne, Australia September 29 – October 6, 2007. I’ll be attending the ICF Australasia Conference. Can’t wait to visit my friends Down Under!
