DREAMWORK • LAW OF ATTRACTION • ART OF COACHING • DESIGNING ACTIONS

The past, present & future of coaching

Celebrate

ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

CH O IC E M A G A ZIN

EJohn Whitmore & the History of Coaching

Where We Are, Where We’re Going

Millennials: The Next Generation

VOLUME 15 • NUMBER 4 CHOICE-ONLINE.COM

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VOLUME 15 NUMBER 420

FEATURE

It’s the 15th anniversary of choice, the

magazine of professional coaching!

We dedicate this issue to looking back

at how far coaching has come since its

inception, spotlighting key milestones,

and the many facets of coaching today.

We also look ahead to where coaching

is going as a profession, as a business,

and as a community. Coaching is

alive, strong and growing! Join us

as we celebrate the past, present

and future of professional coaching

in this exciting issue of choice.

CelebrateThe past, present & future of coaching

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VOLUME 15 NUMBER 4 21

HBy Vikki A. Brock, PhD, MCC, EMBA

ave you ever wondered what the ‘real’ purpose of coaching is? Why it got started when it did? And what is next for coaching? In this article, I share my perspective on these questions.

In the 40 years following the two world wars, technology was brought into people’s business and personal lives, people began to relocate geographically away from their support systems, and a sense of separateness began to grow.

There was also an obsession with the outer world that was rational and “head” based. This was countered by growth in the 1960s and ’70s of humanistic psychology and personal development, which ushered in a yearning for more “heart” connection and fulfillment. Before coaching emerged in the 1990s, there was nothing available that would meet this need.

We were not conscious that what was missing was our humanity, yet I maintain this was what was behind the emergence of coaching. Rediscovering, or reawakening, is about waking up to what we have forgotten or unearthing new dreams – it’s about returning to awareness of something set aside in lack of time or motivation.

This concept of coaching’s true purpose came out of a conversation Sept. 30, 2016 with

Celebrate

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VOLUME 15 NUMBER 422

coaches in Hong Kong – the gist of which was that rediscov-ering our humanity is the purpose for coaching. In speaking with coaches around the world, this purpose resonates. In fact, many shared how their own humanity was reawak-ened through coaching, punctuated with a dose of nature.

You might ask, why a “dose of nature”? Many people, including myself, rediscover and/or sustain their humanity through nature. For example:

• Nature shows us that our choices in life have natural consequences.

• When we’re out in nature, investigating life from a place of curiosity, we’re led to amazing discoveries and gain prac-tical skills.

• Nature teaches us how to stay healthy, happy and connected.• Learning to experience the gift of life through our sens-

es in nature helps us to feel thankful for all the incredible beauty we have in our world, offering us the time to appre-ciate the grandeur of life.

When we’re given space to freely enjoy the natural world, letting go of what preoccupies our mind, we discover a freedom that isn’t attached to anything external, and a joy for life itself.

How does coaching align with this? The guiding princi-ples of coaching honor the uniqueness of individuals, while supporting harmony and co-existence, just like in nature. A quote by Zen Shin describes this: “A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it – it just blooms.”

This is coaching – we don’t compete, we strive for success by our own definition. There is beauty in the differences that come from our uniqueness. The natural world understands that we are meant to live in community. This means coopera-tion and collaboration, just as nature is based on mutual aid and not competition.

The Journey of RediscoveryI came to coaching in 1995 from a 20-year corporate career that championed logic, analysis and problem solving – all

head-based pursuits left over from the industrial revolution of the 1900s. I yearned for more connection, wanting to help oth-ers be successful according to their own definition of success.

I had been very successful by society’s standards. However, I didn’t know who I was or what defined success for me, and I had become separated from my heart. I even chose the coach training program that was head-based rather than heart-based.

Unbeknownst to me, by becoming a coach I would walk the same journey I wanted to walk with others – discover-ing who I was, what was important to me, what I wanted to contribute (my purpose in life), and then having the cour-age, or guts, to show up in the world that way.

My own humanity needed to be rediscovered before I could be of service to others in the way I wanted to be. My purpose in life became “to raise awareness so each is at con-scious choice,” and that is also my definition of coaching.

I imagine that each of you has rediscovered your own hu-manity as a result of becoming a coach and/or receiving coach-ing – linking your “head” logic with your “heart” emotions and “gut” courage. Coaching brings a balanced head-heart-guts perspective – including alignment and flow to the whole person.

With your humanity rediscovered, you are poised to share this same journey with your clients and with everyone they connect with from this day forward. This is the multiplier effect that is core to coaching. We influence the influencers, who in turn influence other influencers, and so on.

I have been blessed to experience the rediscovery of my own humanity and the humanity of others. So how does our humanity become rediscovered sustainably? As co-creator of your own reality:

• Give your ‘head brain’ a rest – logic and reason can only take you so far.

• Engage your heart – know who you are and what’s im-portant to you – your heart can influence others through an energetic field. (www.heartmath.org)

• Determine your own point of view – a strongly held belief system that serves as anchor and driver.

• Have the courage (guts) to show up in the world au-thentically.

In other words, live your legacy actively and in the moment through your choices and actions, according to your values and beliefs. Your behavior is your legacy. You effect change and influ-ence others by knowing who you are, by having a point of view, and by having the courage to show up in the world authentically – possibly without even realizing that is what you are doing.

I will leave you with this thought from nature: imagine yourself as a drop in the ocean of life, like a pebble you cre-ate ever widening circles influencing others – surface circles

My own humanity needed to be rediscovered before I

could be of service to others in the way I wanted to be.

“

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VOLUME 15 NUMBER 4 23

expand outwardly and return consistently beneath the sur-face in the form of blessings and wisdom.

What’s Next for Coaching?In time the majority of people in the world will have redis-covered their humanity. What then will be the next focus, or purpose, for coaching? Coaching has already become woven into the tapestry of life on a global scale, as was en-visioned by coaches at the 1997 PPCA Conference.

The world is different than when coaching burst on the scene during the mid-1990s. Today there is much complex-ity and ambiguity in our lives on a local and global scale that will impact the future of coaching. In spite of this, over the next 10 to 15 years coaching will progress and evolve, I predict, as follows:

1. Continued global growth with no evidence of decline. Mature markets such as Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom will see market consolidation and shake-out. Emerging markets such as Latin America, Africa, and Asia will see rapid growth.

2. Forms of coaching will become more diversified.

We will continue to see one-to-one, group, face-to-face and virtual coaching. To meet the needs of different generations, markets, cultures and situations, we are beginning to see coaching using software and apps, and others not yet identi-fied will likely follow.

3. Continued coaching industry movement toward a self-regulated, recognized discipline. This movement will be led by the professional associations, large coaching com-panies, and to a lesser extent by companies with internal coaching programs. However, with this there is also the pos-sibility of institutionalization and rigidness, where coaching could lose the nimbleness, agility and flexibility that defined its early days.

It is imperative that coaches and the coaching industry be poised to adapt to whatever the complexity and ambiguity the world brings, or we risk being overtaken by a new or ex-isting discipline that can meet the needs of the future world

Remember that coaching emerged to help us rediscover our humanity. With awareness and agility, coaching can re-main a social phenomenon for the 21st century and beyond, and the catalyst to the next stage of human evolution.Janet Lees, B.Journ.

choice thoughts From The Managing Editor

II’m always amazed, as I edit each issue of choice, at the scope and breadth of articles we are able to pres-ent. That variety is especially evident in this issue of choice, which combines two topics we have covered in the past, offering fresh perspectives, ideas and learnings in a new and unique way.

Our lead feature writer, Jennifer Britton, explores the distinctions between group and team coaching and asks what the future holds in these exciting fields of coaching. Next, Jacqueline Peters looks at the impor-tance of relationships in group and team coaching. In our third feature, Cami McLaren examines how group coaching can take us to the next level,

asking, “Can we cause transforma-tion in a coaching relationship with more than one person at a time?” Her answer is an emphatic “Yes!” With that transformation in mind, Kathryn Michels explains just how easy it is to get started doing group coaching.

Next up, Kathy Harman and Ann Deaton tackle team coaching with a targeted approach. David Clutterbuck’s feature article explores the latest trends in team coaching, making the provoca-tive statement that “team coaching is where executive coaching was 15 years ago.” Marita Fridjhon follows this up with a thought-provoking explora-tion of how teams can evolve into “the next best versions of themselves.” And

rounding out our features, DJ and Barry Mitsch present a case study in which change agents plus team and group coaching accelerated organizational change and employee engagement.

In our columns, Pam Boney writes about agile teams in “corporate leader-ship,” Martin Galpin explores strengths coaching for teams in “impact,” and Phil Sandahl turns team coaching on its head in our “perspective” column. We hope you enjoy this issue, and we wish you many “a-ha” moments as you read the following pages. •

VOLUME 13 NUMBER 16

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