In our first edition of The Handbook of Coaching, we noted that coaching was in its infancy; the guidelines for training and education were embryonic and largely informal, and a baseline of relevant theories and research was scant. Today the picture is dramatically different: high-quality training and certificates are being issued from independent organizations and universities, and master’s and doctoral programs with coach specialty areas are growing in this emerging field of coaching. The sheer volume of research, writing, and doctoral dissertations dedicated to the topic of coaching is indicative of the meteoric growth of this field in the past few years.
Now it’s time for the thoughtful maturation of the field, building on the best thinking, research, and existing theories that will support high-quality integrative approaches to coaching in the development of masterful coaches. The continued maturation of the field requires sustained focus in several areas: broad agreement on the theories and concepts germane to coaching, commitment to continual cultivation of self as coach, use of a reliable coaching methodology, a developmental and holistic perspective on the client’s life, and an ability to track measurable results with the client linking to the organization’s goals and the individual’s needs.
Since the inception of this emerging field, the dominant emphasis has been on a competency-based set of foundational skills necessary in the development of a coaching approach. Several helpful books have addressed key skill-based competencies, and the International Coach Federation and European Mentoring and Coaching Council have articulated sets of skill-based competencies. Yet until recently, little attention has focused on the knowledge-based competencies that are essential for a coach to possess. As the field of coaching continues to mature, it’s essential that it seek a broad and integrative understanding of the key theories and concepts on which this field would benefit from fully understanding and using.
An understanding of the use of self as a key instrument in the work of coaching is essential and requires continual cultivation of the coach’s inner landscape—empathic stance, range of feelings, boundary awareness, somatic awareness, courage to challenge and presence—all buttressed by the foundational theories found in emotional intelligence, reflection in action, psychology, and adult development.
The coach’s ability to adeptly use self as the most important instrument in facilitating change will increasingly become the gold standard in masterful coaching.
A robust and flexible methodology that maps the coaching engagement from beginning to end, linking the essential elements required to support lasting change, is territory that needs continuous development. The methodology outlined in this book represents a flexible, agile system that can be adapted to changing circumstances and environments. A thorough yet adaptive, rather than prescriptive, methodology will be increasingly important to the future of coaching.
Coaching is not about fixing people and problems; instead, it is developmental in nature and focused on adults who seek to make changes in their lives. A coach needs to have a developmental and holistic perspective on each client’s life, understanding the many lenses that provide a view of the whole person, including the values, roles, and systems at play; the developmental pathway; and the overall sense of purpose in the client’s life in the face of ongoing waves of transition and change.
Leadership coaching is currently the dominant coaching specialty in today’s marketplace. In order to continue to flourish in this domain, coaches must become adept and proficient at tracking measurable results that closely link to the goals of the coaching engagement and track to what is most important to both the client and the organization.
Coaching is not a profession for the young and inexperienced. The seasoning that comes with years of experience and personal and professional development provide an important foundation for a professional who wants to become a coach. Great coaches typically possess rich and varied careers that have offered plenty of challenges, successes, failures, and ongoing learning. All of these lead to a complex and varied tapestry of experiences that deepens the inner understanding of self and supports the outer manifestations of a successful coach.
In our first edition, we speculated that the areas of coach specialization would be broad and varied. Today in our work and experience, we view the two most viable areas of coaching as leadership coaching at all levels and transition coaching focused on life’s major transitions (see Table 2.1).
Table 2.1 Leadership Coaching Versus Transition Coaching
| Leadership Coaching Specialties | Transition Coaching Specialties |
| Individual contributor to senior leader | From college to work |
| Team coaching | Return to work |
| Early leader transition | Career coaching |
| High-potential leader | Leaving the organization |
| New chief executive officers | Transition to wellness |
| Succession development | Retirement |
| Entrepreneurial enterprise | |
| Small business operation | |
| Family business |
The journey to mastery is a never-ending pathway for masterful coaches. It requires commitment to continual cultivation of one’s inner landscape, a regular exploration of theories and concepts that support good coaching practices, a practice of staying abreast of current research in the field of coaching, and a steady focus on building new skills in support of masterful coaching that provides sustainable change for clients.
It’s the intent of this book to provoke coaches’ thinking in each of these areas and guide them through a journey of continuous learning and skill building to mastery, building from the inside out, and starting with self as coach as the core.