ICF on tour Poland experiment

You know the feeling of going back to a place where everything started, I mean the coaching training, in 2006 after my short and intense Fundamentals in California, CTI and Pawel opened their doors for me Raluca and Sorina, eternal students, we obviously said yes and after 9 years still have strong memories.

One was about the cold lunch area, pretty much frozen, everybody was comfortable even without socks, we the lost Romanian cohort, quite livid and hungry, not only for food!

Another unforgettable element were… potatoes, small, round, 2 inches dimension, somehow standard. When I asked about that, the answer was astonishing: wait for Romania to get in EU, and you will have same size.

About coaches and people, very warm, nice, open willing to thrive and make it in the business world, pretty much aligned with our dreams and us that time.

Same thing when Artur the ICF President welcomed me in the airport, I noticed his size, big guy, big hart and again not wearing more than a shirt despite the chilly fall.
Talking about cultural aspects, I felt home when he proposed a dinner inside, instead of going in the city, so I appreciated the atmosphere of an authentic Polish family with two kids, the star of the night being pickwa, a nice and sweet drink made from organic fruits, I invite you to look for this word to find the equivalent in our language.

My goal for this trip was to participate in the 3 days conference in Opole and have a workshop on coaching cultures with the intent of measuring the impact in the local market.

The first thing was to take a fast train, yes they have fast ones, to Opole and for 3 hours to spend quality time with Zuzza and Do, both active members of the chapter board.
The venue looked fantastic, nice hotel in a forest with a beautiful yard and small cottages in which you can stay, plus a well equipped spa area for sport and relaxation fanatics. Very close to a lake in which one of the participants took a swim, yes in October, the place promised to be an ideal space for the entire event.

The opening was somehow delayed, some late technical sound things, but that was not a big problem, soon the 11th chapters from the major Polish cities started to engage an audience of almost 80 persons.

For clarification, Opole is a small city south Poland, is about 1,5 hours from the beautiful Krakow and more that 3 hours from the capital, so for me to have such a big group here for 3 days was a big win and that was just the beginning.

I learned that business is booming in Poland, with almost 1000 accredited coaches many coaching schools, NGO very active in projects and engaging from children to students and of course organizations.

My mind was spinning and I wondered how in the world Poland could close this gap in 9 years, because we started almost in the same time, the only answer was related to people’s mentality and openness for change.

I know that maybe I sound pathetic but I honestly feel that here the resistance for any major proposal, working in teams in particular and this obsession for individual success is keeping us behind. I have noticed how quick they can work in teams sharing and respecting the other person opinion, without conflicts, all 11 chapters have projects and people awarded for their efforts, the sensation that I had was a big and warm family in which I want to come and visit perhaps in some years.

I can say that as response to my 5 global trends they know how to deal with noise and together they found financial venues and projects beyond any kind of ego or pride.
The Polish lesson is simple; we can do things in teams and survive if we just choose to be different.

My next stop is Vilnius in Lithuania; stay tuned for my next journal.