| With the loss earlier in
the year, of our dear
friend and founder Thomas J. Leonard, we
realize many of you may be wondering what the future holds for
CoachVille. From conversations and emails over the last
four months with members like yourself, we've compiled a list
of the most common questions and concerns CoachVille members
have. We've answered them to the best of our ability below. If
you have a question or concern we've failed to answer, please email
susan@coachville.com and
we'll make sure it gets addressed.  The most common
questions posed by CoachVille members regarding the Future of
CoachVille:
Question: Will
CoachVille continue as planned? How will Thomas' passing
affect the mission of CoachVille?
Response: Yes,
CoachVille is continuing as planned.
Thomas the entrepreneur - and
creative genius - is keenly missed by all of us at CoachVille.
At the same time, he put a foundation in place, in terms of
systems & management structure, as well as a treasure of
coaching content, that enables the full vision and mission of CoachVille
to be implemented as planned.
Before he passed away, Thomas
was in many ways starting to 'phase' himself out of the day-to-day
operation at both CoachVille and the Schools of
Coaching. His goal was for
our global organization to be self-sustaining, with
and without his direction and input. This explains how, even while we move
through the grief of this huge loss, the business
itself moves forward with the strength and vitality of
our membership. (For example: Attendance at live
events, the number of sign-ups for new members at
Coachville, and registrations for SOC continues to
grow steadily.)
As you can imagine Thomas'
passing effected each one of us on a profound and deep level.
The core team at CoachVille has been individually taking some
much needed rest (extreme self-care) as we gear up for the next phase and
development of this amazing community. We are looking forward
to individually and collectively working with you, the REAL
future of CoachVille, to perfect the CoachVille experience and
make a real impact on the quality of coaching around the
globe.
Question: Who is the new owner of CoachVille and the
School of Coaching?
Response: Thomas'
estate continues to own and run CoachVille, LLC. That estate
is being managed by The Goldsmith
Group.
When the estate comes out of
probate (which is a multi-year process with an estate as
complex as his), ownership will then pass to the heirs that Thomas
designated in his will. The estate is, and will continue to
be, managed as to further Thomas's vision and provide for
the growth and expansion of CoachVille and the Schools of
Coaching.
The Goldsmith Group, has the
expertise and management skills to run an organization as
complex as CoachVille. The head of the Goldsmith Group, David
Goldsmith, was a close personal friend of Thomas' and we are
thrilled to bring his leadership and vision into the
CoachVille team.
There are no plans for any big
changes in the leadership or running of CoachVille. Thomas left an amazing group of
individuals in his wake, to continue the mission he believed
in. We are honored to be carrying forth this mission, with
you, the CoachVille members.
Question: Out of
curiosity, what is the business structure of CV/SOC? And who
is the actual current "owner"?
Response:
CoachVille is an LLC which is a Limited Liability Company, a
common form of business ownership.
As per the previous question,
CoachVille, LLC is owned by Thomas's estate. The estate is being managed by
David Goldsmith of The Goldsmith
Group, a management company that has worked
closely with Thomas and CoachVille for many
years.
Question:
Who is running CoachVille now?
Answer: CoachVille
and the School of Coaching is being run by the same team that
has always been running it. As you can imagine, running an
organization the size and scope of CoachVille takes the
creativity, dedication and leadership of many individuals.
Below are just a few of the folks responsible for carrying on
the vision and running the organization Thomas founded.
Thomas was often
asked, 'how do you get so much done?' (In fact, it was
the number one question put forth to him). The key thing that
enabled him to be so creatively prolific was his insistence on
putting systems and people in place to handle the business end
of things. 
With that, here is how the team at CoachVille is
comprised:
Andrea
Lee was hand-picked by Thomas 2 years ago to be
General Manager of CoachVille/SOC. Andrea directs
CoachVille operations and implementation of projects &
curriculum. With Andrea in charge of the larger systems of
Coachville, Thomas was able to create and 'play' all
day. Now, she and the team of key operations people behind the scenes keep us moving ahead at a
rapid pace, wholeheartedly committed to CoachVille/SOC
and ensuring your success as coaches for years to
come.
 Susan
Austin worked hand-in-hand with
Thomas the last 18 months on curriculum creation as the
Director of Content Development for CoachVille/SOC. She
continues to lead in that capacity. Personally
described by Thomas as "CoachVille's Muse",
Susan will continue to collaborate with the 1200 CoachVille R&D
Team members. As an integral member of the CoachVille
leadership team she is excited about creating, refining and
distilling the new content that is in the works, and the
steady stream of innovative projects for years to
come. If you wish to join the CoachVille R&D Team, simply
send an email to:
subscribecrd@coachville.com.
 Dave Buck worked with
Thomas many years before CoachVille or the SOC was
in operation. As Chief Trainer, he delivers new
Live Events and TeleClasses for Coachville, and
brings his great enthusiasm to this integral role. As a
practicing coach and mentor, Dave is well positioned to help
further the mission of improving the quality of coaching
worldwide. Currently he is working on
perfecting the "Absence Of You" Program through the R&D
process. This topic was a personal favorite of Thomas's,
so we are heartened to see it becoming not only a
reality, but a life-changing program for people
interested in furthering their personal
development. To read more about the Absence of You program click here.
 We
are thrilled to announce that
Tina Forsyth
is playing a much
bigger role at CoachVille. Serving as Live Events Manager for
the past 10 months, Tina is now transitioning into the role of
Manager for the
School of Coaching.
She continues to work closely with
the CoachVille team on a variety of pivotal
projects, including
live events and the roll-out of a new CoachVille website in
the fall.
 Valerie Green
works closely with CoachVille's team of key players, bringing our
fresh content through the R&D process. Valerie is our
resident collaborator, 'tweaker' and polisher:
brainstorming new ideas, cultivating core content,
bringing out depth or an extra sparkle. She looks to
the quality, continuity and viability over time of
CoachVille's contributions to you, the members; to
coaching worldwide; and to this ongoing experiment in human
evolution.
 Rick
Reddington has recently joined the CoachVille team and is
already wearing many
hats. While making important contributions to the launch
and development of the Graduate School of Corporate Coaching,
he is also taking on the role of Live Events Manager.
Rick
will also be working with CoachVille's marketing team on many
new projects/initiatives to be rolled out over the next 12
months.
 Anna
Dargitz is the Dean of Students for the School of
Coaching and leads live events for CoachVille members. To find a local/live CoachVille event near you visit:
http://www.coachvilleconferences.com. Anna, continues to
play a big role in bringing fresh coaching content and works
closely with Susan Austin and her team.
 Donna Steinhorn is the
CoachVille Chapters Director. She supports, coordinates and
coaches the presidents of the 100+ coaching chapters
affiliated with CoachVille. Donna also leads Teleclasses for
the CoachVille Members on a variety of topics. If you would
like to find a CoachVille Chapter in your area, simply visit:
http://www.coachvillechapters.com.
 Kerul Kassel is
CoachVille's Senior Study Group Host. She supports,
coordinates and coaches the 1000+ Study Groups Hosts
worldwide. Her role includes training the new study group host
and being the voice for the local host of study groups hosts
around the globe. It's easy to find a local CoachVille Study
Group near you. Visit:
http://www.coachvillestudygroups.com.
Question: When
will all the items be finished at the CoachVille
website?
Response:
Depends.
One of the amazing things about
working with someone as driven and creative as Thomas was,
is that we have no shortage of great ideas filling our
file folders. Our job over the next 6 to 18 months is to
finish rolling out many of the projects that were promised as
part of your CoachVille lifetime membership. Stay tuned for
updates via the CoachVille Members News on the various projects as they come to
life.
And as we bring in additional
creative individuals, we will be adding to the list of
promised items so that CoachVille and the content we provide
really remains the freshest coaching content it can.
Question: What is
the plan to keep CoachVille at the leading edge of the coach
training marketplace?
Response: That
plan is a multifaceted one, and it very much includes
you, the members of CoachVille.
Keeping the tools and resources at
CoachVille fresh is one of our number one priorities. In order
to fulfill the mission of improving the quality of coaching
worldwide, coaches need the latest tools and strategies to be
the best coach they can be. We are working on putting the
systems and individuals in place to continue offering great
resources for the coaches at CoachVille.
As a result, you will be seeing
many new faces join the CoachVille team, to help create,
implement and provide the best content for coaches wanting to
stay out in front.
Projects currently in the works
include: Updating and making the website more
maneuverable (yeah, we know). Releasing the
CoachVille Communities project, opening up
the capabilities for you to connect with other
coaches in your area and around the globe. In addition, we
will complete the work on the coaching critiques project and
add live coaching demo's so you can witness first hand exactly
what a particular coaching skill looks
like. This plus 20 more interesting projects that are just
getting underway.
All of these projects will get
the direct input from the 1200 coaches who are on the
CoachVille Research and Development Team (R&D Team). So if you
are wondering how can possibly create content the way
Thomas was able to, it's you the CoachVille member, who wish
to collaborate with us, that will allow us to continue with the
best coaching content in the world.
Comment:
Thank you for holding it all together, and for
continuing to move forward. Honestly, I felt mixed up and less
directed when Thomas died. I imagined how the core staff
might be scrambling to pull it all together. From the
look of things, though, it sounds like you're up to speed
and steady on your feet. Is that right?
Response: Yes, and
thank you for thinking of us...
Obviously the loss of Thomas has
made an undeniable impact on the organization. Thomas,
however, was very selective about who he let into his inner
circle. Each person was hand-picked, and for a myriad of
reasons. The team is full of extremely productive
self-starters, forward thinkers, creative talents, and is very
sound. While each of us has been individually affected by
Thomas's passing, we enjoy operating as a team, focused on
the common goal.
The organization will never be the
same without Thomas. Yet we are noticing a vast increase in
the number of talented individuals, coaches & experts that
are stepping up to the plate and wanting to help CoachVille
further the mission "To improve the quality of coaching
worldwide". The company may evolve in subtly
different ways than if Thomas had not passed away.
We suppose it is to be expected. However, we look forward to growing in
amazing and unexpected
ways.
Question:
What is the procedure for getting certified through
CoachVille?
Response:
CoachVille itself, as a training organization, does not offer
certification. We are however accredited by the
International Association of Coaches which grants the
Certified Coach (CC) Designation.
 CoachVille's mission is to improve the
quality of coaching worldwide. We do that by providing
resources and coach training, not by testing or
certification. To do both would present a conflict of
interest.
If you are interested in getting
your Certified Coach (CC) designation, please visit www.certifiedcoach.org,
home of the International Association of Coaches
(IAC). The IAC is a not-for-profit
organization responsible for granting the Certified Coach
designation. It is
separate organization from CoachVille, (although it was
started by a grant by CoachVille) with its own governing body and
membership base.
The rigorous testing to become a
Certified Coach, was launched earlier this month. Visit
www.certifiedcoach.org
for more information.
Question: How can
I get more actively involved with what CoachVille is up
to?
Response: Join the
CoachVille R&D Team.
Great question! The best way to
make an immediate and long-term difference on the mission is to join and
actively participate in the CoachVille R&D Team. Almost
all new products, idea's, thoughts and questions are run
first by the R&D Team for perfecting, honing and
determining relevance and interest levels. We're a lively
bunch, and we welcome your eyes and ears and invaluable
input. To join, simply send an email to: subscribecrd@coachville.com.
 "I
love the R&D Group. It's the best part of membership
in CoachVille. Sometimes I get to influence the outcome
of the product you go forward with. But that's not why I
participate. Every time I write about one of the R&D
topics I get to discover what I know, what I think, and where
I am open (or not) to different views. That is
wonderful!"
-- Coach Hal Macomber
www.halmacomber.com
***end of
questions***
Of course, all of the
above wouldn't be possible were it not for a team of
instructors, staff, partners, suppliers, volunteers and you,
the members of CoachVille. To read a bit more about staff,
faculty and suppliers, visit www.coachville.com/staffandvolunteers.html.
We hope you've found this special
issue of the CoachVille Member News a useful reference. We
don't normally run a whole issue were the focus is on our the
staff members, but we hope you enjoyed the information, as we
want you to feel as secure as we feel about the future of this
amazing organization Thomas started for all of us.
If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to send them
along. Your feedback and interest is important to
us! Please address your questions to susan@coachville.com.
Thanks. Best to you,
CoachVille and the Schools of
Coaching
www.schoolofcoaching.com | 