WELCOME TO THE LAST OF A FOUR PART SERIES TO HELP YOU CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOCUSING ON THE FOUR MASTERY AREAS FOR EVERY COACH. THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES YOUR SENSE OF MASTERY OF INDUSTRY.

Knowing what's happening in the coaching industry is a critical knowledge areas for all coaches for the following reasons:

• You need to know what the professional bodies are doing in terms of credentialing, regulation, government lobbying and educating the general public.
• You need to know what the latest research is and how it applies to the type of work you do.
• You need to know what the market trends are; who is offering what and how; what's successful and in demand and what's not at the moment.
• You need to know what the coaching "leaders" are doing; what are the new topics of coaching, the new methodologies and styles.
• Finally, you need to know what the "call to action" is for the coaching community by the rest of the world. For example, we're being called upon to coach and develop world leaders to respond to major crisis and challenges of our times.

Below are a series of questions for you to explore which can assist you in evaluating how in tune you are with the industry you're a part of, what you're doing well now and what the opportunities for further development - and even leadership - exist for you at the moment.

You may want to write your insights in a notebook or some other manner that works best for you. As you increase your awareness, consider what decisions you want/need to make next. Then you can continue to work from there to establish a plan of action. Remember that if you're already working with a coach or have plans to start soon, it could be highly beneficial to share your insights with them and together co-design your plan.

• Are you a member of one or more coaching-related professional bodies?
• What are you gaining from each membership?
• What could be you be gaining more of if you committed yourself more?
• What are you looking from the industry and/or professional bodies that you're not getting now? What could you do about that?
• Have you ever, or are now, serving as a volunteer for some form of coaching organisation or professional body? This could include managing a virtual network of coaches. What have you gained from this experience? What could you still gain with a bit more effort or a different direction?
• If you're not actively involved with the industry, such as volunteering to be on a leadership team, would you consider doing so? What benefits could that bring to you, your clients, colleagues, business or the industry on a whole if you did?
• What do you have to offer your industry?
• What are all the ways you could have a positive impact on the industry? Create a list and evaluate how well you're performing to that list.
• How often and in what ways do you keep up on industry news? For example, are you on the newsletter list for Coaching Commons? (www.coachingcommons.org)
• Do you go to coach events (conferences, continuous professional development training or networking evenings) in your area where you can meet and connect with fellow coaches?
• Do you attend web or phone based coach events with coaches outside your local area?
• Do you search for the latest in coaching research? If so, how often and do you read what you find? What do you do with the new knowledge?
• Do you read any coaching or similar topic publications? Which ones? How often? What do you do with the new knowledge?
• Are you a member of any non-coaching professional bodies but which have some synergy, such as counselling, human resources or management groups?
• Which "Code of Ethics" do you follow related to any/all of the professional bodies you're a member of?
• If you're not a member of a professional body, have you created your own "Code of Ethics"?
• Do you promote your memberships and/or Code of Ethics to your market and clients? If so, what impact has that made? If not, what's holding you back?
• Who in the great big world of coaching inspires you and why? What can you learn from them and apply to yourself and/or your business?

There are numerous other questions you could be exploring here so this list is just to get you started. If you're still not sure how you could be making a difference in the industry and what you could gain from that, please consider reaching out to your colleagues and have a conversation about this. They could also benefit from the discussion.

The next issue of "Coach the Coach" will explore a number of ways in which to measure your client's growth and development.

If there are any topics you'd like me to cover in this column, please feel invited to email me directly with your requests through my website (see link in bio).

Noel Posus is a master coach with 20+ years experience as a professional educator, coach and author. He won the prestigious "Coach of the Year" award in 2008 and 2009 and is an ambassador/leader for the coaching industry. www.noelposus.com