FOREWORD

I cannot separate the importance of the work described in The Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching from the work done by the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara. Both are transformational.

In today’s economy, it is more important than ever before to be able to create a competitive advantage through people. Many promise it, but few can deliver on it. The pressure is on, and the game is all about creating high-performance organizations for the benefit of our customers. If we don’t, then someone else will. In order to delight their customers better than competitors do, organizations are waking up to the concepts of creating a deliberate culture on a foundation of exceptional leadership. At the heart of that culture is disciplined leadership behavior based on presence, authenticity, and self-awareness.

Leading organizations and people to transform, one by one, is the work of the Hudson Institute. The Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching is a succinct articulation of the process, the approach, and the journey to transforming people and organizations at their core. I entered coaching through the Hudson Institute as an intellectual exercise. I left with the understanding that coaching is more than theory, process, and technique. In order to be a catalyst for changing people and organizations, coaches need to start with themselves. Coaching is something that is done, for sure. But it is not done well unless it becomes a way of being for the coach and the leader. When leaders master authenticity, presence, and self-awareness, they transform themselves from ordinary to inspirational. They connect with their team members in a new way, and team engagement soars. The light of presence shines bright, and it is the role of coaches to help people, leaders, and organizations tap into that light.

Greg Honey

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Farm Credit Canada

Regina, Saskatchewan