Coaching Blog Posts

Becoming familiar with the predictable patterns that humans have for relating to their lives and listening for these patterns in our clients doesn’t mean we are diagnosing. It means we have a powerful lens through which to see our clients and what is unconscious to them about how they are experiencing their lives in patterned ways.

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A white female hand with nail polish and ring on its index finger is holding a polaroid to the left center of the photo. The photograph is of a landscape with fall foliage on the bottom, a lone tree to the top right, and blue sky at the top.

Photo-elicitation enhances the principles of co-active coaching: discovery, mindfulness, and empowerment (Kimsey-House, Kimsey-House, Sandahl, & Whitworth, 2018). Through the camera’s lens, clients become investigators of their own lives and examine hidden parts of themselves. Moreover, photo gazing awakens the five senses leading to deeper levels of awareness. 

The background of the picture is a blurry tree that is flowering. A white hand in the bottom center of the picture is holding a clear globe in their hand. The globe is reflecting the background, and an upside down tree shows up in the globe.

A prior Institute of Coaching Research Dose on Beautiful Coaching Questions (Cook & Moore, 2020) noted that “coaches collect great questions.” These questions are typically focused on expanding our clients’ capacity. On a recent Zoom huddle of IOC Fellows, however, we pivoted to questions that expand a coach’s capacity. In the moment, we generated and curated a diverse list of reflection questions that can deepen our awareness and effectiveness in ways that are important to us. 

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In the coaching and leadership world, where our organizations are global, we try to be culturally competent. But are we? Do we see past ourselves?

One of the challenges of the coaching world has been the confusion over terminology. Just how is coaching different from or similar to other ‘helping by talking’ approaches like mentoring, training, instructing, consulting and counseling?

Are human coaches headed for the same disruption experienced by human travel agents?  Should you start asking for recommendations on coding boot camps or career coaches? Before making any of these leaps, let’s start with how digital coaching may develop and reconfigure today’s coaching market.    

Coaching practice is an interaction between two individuals, where one is seeking help and the other is providing it. Neither party is free from his/her biases in this process. Let’s take a closer look and get a better understanding of what those biases might be.

Winding Road Sign

The world is not getting any simpler. We believe we have created modern environments that are somehow within our control. But the truth is that the markets and operating environments in which we perform are as complex as the natural environments from which our ancestors sprung.

Assessments image

Early in my career, when I first encountered assessments, I was not impressed. This may seem an unlikely confession from someone who now leads an assessment organization but I think it can largely be explained by the type of assessments I was originally exposed to.

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