Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7 (NLT)
A few years ago, it seemed like everyone was comparing life lessons in leadership development and growth—both individual and organizational—to the Chinese Bamboo Tree. Do you remember those anecdotes? Well, as the story goes, the Chinese Bamboo Tree does the first three to four years of its growth underground. Then, in year five or so, it grows up to 80 feet in a span of 12 weeks! The comparison to leadership development and growth is this: Most of the hard work (the “taking root,” if you will) in leadership happens for years “underground” (behind the scenes) before the fruit of the labor is visible to others. A contrast to the Chinese Bamboo Tree, of course, is the weed, which seems to shoot up overnight but has no roots and hence no real staying power.
On January 8, 2018, CCNI had its annual business meeting where we welcomed new board members, shared highlights from 2017, and discussed upcoming 2018 business growth goals. CCNI members were invited and a few were able to join us on the call. Thank you. Overall, it was a good meeting with godly, grounded, talented individuals with a heart for coaching from a Christian worldview, and a passion to see CCNI grow to become both a beacon and a major influencer in the coaching industry worldwide. It is a big vision that requires a ton of work behind the scenes…a lot of root work. To be honest, each board member is proud to serve you directly, and the coaching industry, indirectly, in this way.
As we work in 2018, we want to remind you that your ideas and involvement are fuel for CCNI. We love to hear from you and we love it when you get involved…in fact, we need your consistent participation in order to flourish as an organization. Please do not ever hesitate to share concerns, ideas, and thoughts with us. Additionally, please, if you have a desire to serve on the board, we are looking for new members from among our CCNI family. If you are a CCNI member, and would like to discuss joining the board, please email us today!
When you consider all of your goals for this year, please remember to dig your roots deep into the Word of God through Bible study and prayer. The Lord and His Word are our foundation for success in life. No matter what else is going on around us, and no matter how long it looks like it’s taking, when we dig our roots deep into Him, we will flourish in our season knowing that in Him, we have all we need.
To flourish this year, let’s dig deep into the Word of God to understand His plan for us individually and as a community of Christian coaches. To flourish this year, let’s draw closer to the Lord, and He will surely draw closer to us. The chorus to this beautiful song by Fred Hammond titled, I Will Draw Nigh, says it so well.
I will draw nigh to You and You will draw nigh unto me
I’ll sing a serenade while tears of joy wash my face
You are my reward nothing else compares to You Lord
My God and my salvation
I’ll draw nigh to You, I’ll draw nigh to You
Click here to listen.
In the Name that is above every name,
L. Marie Trotter, PCC
CCNI President, 2018-2019
Marie Trotter is a business writer, book and magazine publishing expert, speaker, radio host, and trained life coach. She received her coach training through Erickson College, and she is a PCC member of the International Coach Federation. Her coaching niches are author and book development, community and organizational capacity building, leadership development, and communications. Marie is the founder of L.A.M.P. Sessions (Leadership Accountability Mentorship and Prayer), which connects and trains Christian women in leadership.
