Sign up for our newsletter which announces our free Coaching Report, published 10 times annually. Each Coaching Report features a recent research article and how you can apply the latest research to your coaching practice along with book recommendations.
As emotions are generated deep in the brain, the emotional experience feels personal. Emotions are like an endlessly changing stream of internal music on the lone voyage of the self.
Yet, without other people the brain would not be able to generate the emotions that we claim so adamantly as our own. In her book How Emotions are Made, Lisa Feldman Barrett...
As we near the end of 2020, normalcy remains elusive. After so many months of instability, many are feeling the strain of the pandemic. Recently, this has been addressed as ‘Pandemic Fatigue.’ Much of the hope and unity that allowed us to overcome the early challenges this year have given way to emotional exhaustion.
With constantly shifting challenges, the science of emotions offers genuine hope – several paths through a tough...
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” —T.S. Eliot
We all have a story that we tell ourselves, about our selves. In coaching, we call this a personal narrative: a story integral to well-being and motivation. Right now many of us find ourselves with an interrupted narrative. Perhaps we are not able to pursue the goals we set or find ourselves working in a way that we previously never imagined, which may leave us feeling a bit lost and...
This year the intense summer weather (for us in the northern hemisphere) is accompanied by a fierce intensity of emotions for everyone as we navigate:
While we find ourselves past the acute phase of the COVID-19 crisis, many of us are not yet on higher ground. A new HBR article aptly titled: If you feel like you’re regressing, you’re not alone, describes the state of dampened morale. It can feel like the tunnel doesn’t yet have an end, let alone a visible light.
In the midst of this darkness, recent events have reminded us of the intense pain caused by institutionalized racism and...
We are living in a time in which we are rethinking much of what we take for granted in our daily lives. The pandemic has sparked contradictory emotions, created uncertainty about the future and changed our ways of interacting with others. The measures of distancing which have been implemented to protect health in many countries worldwide, have dramatically altered our social interactions. In stressful and uncertain situations, people react intensely physiologically and psychologically. Most often we hear about the “fight or flight” response, but some of the pioneering work in health...
It is hard to know where to begin a message in the midst of this unprecedented crisis — one that is touching us all and will leave us forever changed. That said — it is also a time for getting “comfortable” with uncertainty, and paradox. One paradox, which comes immediately to mind as I write this: now is a time to hunker down, stay safe, follow health experts precautions and simultaneously, not isolate.
I have been privileged to connect virtually in the past week with a number of our Fellows from around the world — and we have been brainstorming ways to navigate the disruption,...
This month we pay a deep, heartfelt tribute to a founding father of our field of coaching science, who personifies the mission of the Institute of Coaching of bridging the best science to coaching practice. On February 3, the world lost Anthony Grant, Professor of Coaching Psychology at the University of Sydney and tireless contributor to the Institute of Coaching.
His pioneering research helped establish the foundation of coaching...
As you consider how you and your clients can make the most of the decade ahead, you know better than to default to the old standby resolutions: get into better shape, be more organized, etc. Yet, how does one make resolutions to strive toward what really matters? Asking powerful questions is at the core of effective coaching. “Who do you want to be?” is among the more powerful ones.
As a coach you are probably asking this question already, – but did you know about a...
Photo by Irina Todorova; Duke Gardens, North Carolina
At the Institute we started the month of November still under the impressions of the Annual Conference on Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare organized by the Institute of Coaching and Harvard Medical School, which took place on October 18th and 19th 2019. We are continuing our conversations with old and new friends who attended and are reflecting on the fulfilling interactions and new ideas that were shared.
As I...
In our member survey in summer 2018 (thank you again!) we appreciated your vigorous interest in more resources that translate research into coaching practice. You inspired us to launch a new format called a research dose late 2018 - twice a month delivered to your inbox....
As we kick into high gear this fall and look forward to our annual gathering of coaches from around the world at the IOC-HMS coaching conference on October 18, I find myself reflecting back on last year’s conference and how impactful it was. One of the highlights for me was moderating for Alexander Caillet and his colleagues at Corentus, as they led an engaging track on team coaching — a hot and growing area. This...
We all need to be biased in some way — we need shortcuts to distill all the information around us to make quick decisions. But we need to be aware of how we do or do not actually process information. Think of an encounter with someone who is quite like you — when there are gaps in what they tell you, you fill them in with your own experience. Therefore, you continue to feel connected, or even notice there are gaps that you’re filling in with assumptions based on...
In the past decade coaching research has focused on studying effectiveness, as well as the mechanisms through which the coaching effectiveness is realized. These endeavors have significantly expanded our knowledge of the contexts in which coaching works, how it works and what aspects of the coaching process contribute to its effectiveness. More recently, we are witnessing new directions and sensitivities in coaching research such as: sustainability of the impact,...
“a culture of truth and courage because a coaching mindset is necessary to ensure honest communications that avoid alienating and discouraging people.” (Riddle, 2018)
“when conversations expand thinking and doing capacity of each person.” (...
Lately we hear a lot about how technology is disrupting the coaching profession. With the emergence of just-in-time coaching apps that work like Uber-for-coaching, one might get the impression that the days of face-to-face, long term coaching engagements are well-nigh over. Yet on the flip side, we also see a huge rise in the investment organizations are making to scale coaching programs: training internal coaches, utilizing team coaching, and offering external coaches to a...
What is “Science-Focused Marketing” for coaches?
First, we learn about coaching science — theories and research supporting coaching techniques and positive outcomes. Second, we apply coaching science to improve skills and outcomes. Then we can engage in science-focused marketing by effectively explaining coaching science to prospective clients.
I’m still surprised at how effective science-focused marketing can be. Just this week, when pitching a coaching...
February is a busy month at the Institute of Coaching. We are excited to be working on new ideas, and to share information about some of these activities with you. We invite all of you from every part of the world, to take part. And hope you are all doing well despite the dramatic environmental extremes we have been having in many parts of the globe. Temperatures dropped to -40 C in the central United States and then jumped 50 degrees C in the span of a couple of days; while record heat waves engulf Australia. Such dynamics are becoming more common, and remind us to reflect on attitudes...
Humans have organized in groups and teams to accomplish common goals for a very long time. Organizations, as teams of teams, depend upon high quality collaboration and teamwork for organizational success. To quote Patrick Lencioni: teamwork remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and rare.
Ruth Wageman and collaborators studied 120 leadership teams (...
As we approach the close of another tumultuous year - with devastating fires, floods, school shootings, political drama, re-emergent cold wars, economic gyrations — it feels fitting to step back for a moment, breathe, and perhaps reflect on a question for our times: who do you choose to be as a coach, as a human being, in these volatile times? I'm hoping that best-selling author, Margaret Wheatley, won't mind me borrowing this question from her powerful book: Who Do We Choose to Be? Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity in A Turbulent...
When life isn’t living up to our own or our client’s expectations, it’s often tempting to think in terms of dramatic changes. People fantasize about quitting their jobs and heading off to a mountain ashram. They are embarrassed by their junk food diet and muse about going vegan. They consider what it might be like to rebuild their identities in New York, Paris, or Tahiti.
Usually these massive changes appear so daunting that our clients may do nothing, and remaining stuck and dissatisfied. In the instances where they do...
We have just come back from the energizing 2018 Annual Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare Conference, organized by Harvard Medical School in collaboration with the Institute of Coaching and McLean Hospital. Over two days, practitioners, academics and researchers shared their work and insights on coaching in different contexts, human development, organizational development, and inspired each other. Many of the sessions were recorded and resources will be available soon on the IOC website. In the...
We are counting down to September 28/29, looking toward our annual Coaching in Leadership & Healthcare conference which our IOC community counts on for a life-changing experience. The conference lives on throughout the year for IOC members as the “conference that never ends” with expanded discussion and rich resources on important coaching topics.
This September Harvard Business School professor Ethan Bernstein presents...
Thanks to the megaphone of social media and the onslaught of a 24-hour news cycle, the dark side of humanity seems all too often on display these days. Many of us, as coaches, find ourselves caught up in a collective gasp, asking:
It may feel quaint or outdated to talk about the importance of character...
The diversity of coaching has grown with the maturity of scholarship and professional practice. Coaches in organizational, executive and health coaching are working from different frameworks and approaches to coaching. They are also developing diverse coaching relationships—related to gender, race and ethnicity, nationality, and cultural backgrounds. At the Institute of Coaching (IOC) we have expanded our mission to include ensuring availability of coaching to everyone who might benefit. We presented this shift at the 2017...
“Today is the slowest rate of change we will ever experience.” Jonathan McDonald “Change is changing.” Torben Rick
How’s that for delivering a kickstart to your amygdala (i.e. fear)? Even better, if you haven’t done so, read Tom Friedman’s book on the age of accelerations (Thank You for Being Late), our featured book this month, which chronicles four forces driving accelerating and changing change: technology, globalization, climate change, and population growth. All...
On December 7th, Marshall Goldsmith shared his unique coaching model, Stakeholder Centered Coaching (SCC), in our public webinar, available here for those of you unable to attend.
In a nutshell, SCC is an ongoing spiral of 360 feedback. When a leader signs on he or she commits to picking 12-40 stakeholders who will give him or her “feed forward” on a monthly basis. Feed forward refers to offering suggestions for what the leader can do in the next month to move toward his or her goal(s).
First, the coach and...
What do Dan Goleman, Marshall Goldsmith, Susan Cain, Margaret Wheately and Livingston Taylor have in common?
Over 600 people from every inhabited continent met for an amazing experience at our 10th anniversary conference, dedicated to our beloved advisor, friend and “Father of Coaching,” Sir John...
Transformation in action
Transformation in action. That’s the phrase that always comes to mind during autumn – my favorite time of year. The leaves, with their explosion of color, vibrantly remind us of the cyclical nature of life. And this month the IOC gears up for our annual conference, one of the world’s largest gatherings of practitioners in the transformative profession of coaching. This year is particularly special as we celebrate our 10th anniversary, bringing together a smorgasbord of luminaries: Dan Goleman,...
Coaching: A Process of Change
Coaching is, at its core, a change process. Its focus is on helping people to change, to create change, and to adapt to change. As coaches then, we can benefit enormously from the scientific thinking on what enables or hinders our human capacity for change, including:
Coaching the Multiplicity of Mind
Notes Sydney Harris (American journalist and author), 90% of the world’s woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves – so how can we know anyone else?
Institute of Coaching scholar Tatiana Bachkirova shared this quote in her December 2016 webinar titled:...
Mindfulness and Coaching
If you could have googled ‘mindfulness” more than three decades ago when I started meditating and studying mindfulness, you would have seen sparse search results mostly related to Buddhism and enlightenment. In 2017, it’s impossible to avoid the overloaded term or it’s cousin “mindful”. We now have mindful leadership, mindful coaching, mindful parenting, mindful driving, mindful eating, mindful...
Current developments in health and wellness coaching
Health coaching is experiencing a new surge period with growth in achievements, publications and integration into healthcare. Its role is increasing in healthcare as well as in employee wellness programs and community settings,...
It’s important to understand HOW we work, as human beings and as coaches.
This month we look at the “how” of life. In our webinar with IOC co-founder, Susan David, she shares how we approach and process emotions is core to our development, performance and life satisfaction. Susan looks at what our relationship is with our emotions, and how to become emotionally agile. Her work not only makes us better coaches, but better people. We are delighted with her work and her generosity in sharing her approach with us.
Our Research You Want to Know section will...
“We know that coaching is effective in creating space for change and now through neuroscience research we can develop tools that align with how our brains function — such that we can make quantum leaps in coaching outcomes,” says Carlos Davidovich, MD, executive coach and expert on the relationship of neuroscience to coaching. Dr. Davidovich led one of the most popular tracks at our annual conference last fall.
Our theme this month is the...
This month we’re focused on leadership assessment. Tom Peters, a famous management consultant and author, once said, “If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention.” Was he talking about leadership assessment? No, but he could have been. A definition of assessment from our own website, ‘the systematic gathering of data regarding areas of human functioning,’ simply and broadly captures the basic idea. In practice, however, this definition belies the breadth and complexity of the process in which multiple variables – the coach’...
The Coaching Two-Step: From Subject to Object to Transformation
Our first digital Master Class, when we launched the Institute of Coaching membership program in 2011, was on subject-object theory. The interviews and content were based on the intellectual heavy-lifting completed over decades by Harvard professor and adult development psychologist, Bob Kegan, later in collaboration with Lisa Lahey at Harvard...
As we move to the end of what has been a tumultuous year in so many parts of the world, and transition to 2017, we have an opportunity to take stock. Indeed, one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and, by extension, our clients is to turn inwards and ask important questions about our role and our effectiveness. These might include:
At our 2015 Annual Coaching Conference, one of the Research Sessions ended with a video of a huge flock of birds hypnotically flowing up and down and in all directions, in unimaginable synchronicity. Not one bird was out of synch, not one stood out from the group. This flight video was shown at the conclusion of Sean O’Connor’s presentation, as a metaphor for the “Ripple Effect” – how coaching individuals resonates through a group or organization. The presentation was based on a study that Sean O’Connor and Michael Cavanagh had carried out the previous year, partly...
This month we focus on Innovation. Wikipedia defines innovation simply as a "new idea, device, or method." However, innovation is often also viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more-effective products, processes, services, technologies, or business models.
How do we help foster innovation? We look at it from three perspectives: Amy Edmonson from Harvard Business School; Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, the company often described as one of the...
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ― Albert Camus
I always feel a twinge of melancholy in the waning days of summer, as we wave good-bye to long summer days and get in gear for the busy fall season. On the other hand, “back-to-school” time brings an exhilarating shift in energy as the temps cool down and clients gear up to meet end-of-year goals. Fall is a particularly exciting time for us at the IOC, as we host our biggest event of the year — the annual coaching conference sponsored by Harvard Medical School. This year the range of thought...
Are you burned out?
Last month HBR featured a blog: Don’t Get Surprised by Burnout. The author, passionate and appreciative of his work, awakened to realize that chronic overwork, even when it’s a pleasure, can become too much of a good thing. It took him five weeks of staying at a hotel in Singapore to realize that it overlooked a beach. The remedy he prescribes is more downtime with no goals or to-dos; time to be, to be alive, to experience rather than act, and accept whatever that feels like. ...
Greetings Institute of Coaching Members and Friends,
Nearly 20 years ago to this day, I had an experience that changed my life. I'd just returned home to South Africa after a two-year around-the-world backpacking trip and was invited to a 'meet the parents' dinner at my new boyfriend's house.
Over dinner, the discussion turned to a newly released book – Dan Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence. The conversation was fascinating, and in that moment, I decided that this topic - emotions and their impact on life, wellbeing, and work, would become my career focus.
Fast...
Crossing town from one coaching gig to another, I recently had an opportunity to reflect (Manhattan bus traffic provided a bit of down time) on the amazing diversity of today’s leadership landscape. Women leaders, leaders of color, multi-cultural leaders and, of course, millennials appear in the C-suite in ever greater numbers. It is an exciting time to be an executive coach—one in which the very definition of what it means to be a “leader” is transforming before our eyes.
Our theme for this month’s coaching report centers around these issues of “leader identity...
Whether working in the areas of health, education, or executive coaching, we are committed to enhancing people’s wellbeing. In the work context, wellbeing is very much tied to whether people find their work engaging and fulfilling. Yet, at what point might engagement shift into its opposite - burnout - as external pressure and expectations increase? What if supports are not adequate to sustain well-being under high demands? The resources we highlight this month explore these relationships between well-being, work engagement, social relationships - and where coaches...
“Then I sit at my workstation to document and bill for our encounter, perched at the edge of my seat, on the verge of despair.”
The Doctor’s New Dilemma. Suzanne Koven, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital. New England Journal of Medicine, February 18, 2016.
This quote on despair is the last line of Dr. Koven’s article. An unintentional victim of well-intentioned healthcare reforms is the relationship between a patient and his/her healthcare provider. What was easy and natural for physicians...
Evidence Based Marketing:
Understanding coaching research empowers you to engage in what I think of Evidence Based Marketing. What you know and can articulate on the impact of coaching gives you a competitive advantage. It allows you to describe the impact of coaching with a deep authority.
Coaching studies unpack not only what coaching can accomplish, but also provide a look into what components of coaching make a difference. Read this month’s article -- the Power of Coaching -- with this in mind. Our goal is to help support you in the...
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." – Winston Churchill
In mid-December, I had the good fortune of starting a new job with the Institute of Coaching (IOC) as the Director of Operations and Marketing. That change for the IOC and me -- and the convergence of the New Year -- provide a great launch-point for a few themes that have been on my mind as a coach and IOC Director; opportunity and self-care.
Opportunity. Coaching’s time has come. As a coach and past C-...
"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it” Albert Einstein
Just back from Barcelona, where the IOC co-hosted our first ever European Leadership Forum with the IESE business school in Spain. I had the honor of listening to four CEO’s share their biggest leadership challenges and relate how coaching has, at crucial moments, “woken them up” to see problems, even seeming disasters, in entirely new ways. It was a wonderful event — bringing C-suite leaders from across Europe into dialogue with leadership coaches from all over the world. ...
We are still under the thought-provoking impressions of our 8th Annual Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare Conference organized by the Institute of Coaching, McLean Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. It took place just 2 weeks ago, and as many of you who have attended it through the years would probably agree, the inspiration, reflections on the excellent talks and workshops, conversations with old and new colleagues, are still echoing through our day.
In addition to the key note talks and workshops, we are proud of the expanded research program that was available...
“Be the change you wish to see in the world,” are the wise words from Mahatma Gandhi that are the core of what we offer this month. For many of us September feels like the beginning of the new year, a time for thinking of what we will accomplish. But even more importantly, who we will be.
Much of the power of coaching comes from who we are, our alignment with our values and vision in the every day. Each day, do you take a moment to think of this – of how you will live this day being true to your purpose on this planet? Mostly I forget, but when I do, the day feels different,...
A few years ago I sat with Richard Boyatzis in his office at Case Western. Richard presented at our 2011 and 2012 conferences; our members can access the video of his terrific 2011 presentation. We discussed how coaches might approach the topic of neuroscience and coaching. Richard’s wisdom has endured:
Neuroscience discoveries are flooding in and yet our understanding of how the brain works is in its infancy. For example, the main scanning tools that show brain activity do not distinguish between pathways of up-regulation and down-regulation. The state of neuroscientific tools and...
This month’s Coaching Report centers on potential applications of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to coaching. ACT is grounded in deep theory and science and is complemented by pragmatic tools. Key foci of ACT are the willingness to help clients embrace their full selves (including their more difficult emotions and experiences) and to take valued actions toward cherished goals.
This nexus of science and practice in ACT echoes the mission of Institute. We were founded in 2009 through a two million dollar gift from the Harnisch Foundation with the mandate to cultivate the...
How appropriate that our research and book offerings for this month are focused on “curiosity”. With Spring in the air, and tulips in bloom, our natural sense of aliveness, desire for newness, and energy for exploration, naturally re-emerge after the dormancy of winter. I notice that many of my clients consider changes to their roles or their careers this time of year. Just as students are gearing up to graduate and embark on the next adventure in life, we are all, always, in transition. Our commitment to helping others grow and expand into possibility is what coaching is all...
We are pleased to start off 2015 focused on the evolving field of neuroscience and harnessing the power of your own brain.
If you are still searching for new behaviors or practices for the new year, you may wish to consider meditation. Contemplative practice has gone on for thousands of years and study after study shows the powerful benefits of meditation on human health and wellbeing. What`s particularly interesting in the selected article below, Neuroscience Reveals the Secrets of Meditation`s Benefits: Mind of the Meditator, is that researchers explore 3 varieties of...
This month our webinar, research update and book reviews are about the darker side of leadership and a reverse focus look at Positive Psychology. Our webinar looks at issues in coaching noxious leaders from both sides of the desk. Why can one person’s toxic boss be another’s inspiration? What are the challenges when the leader is blind to his or her impact?
We then introduce you to The Upside of the Darkside the new book by Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener. These positive psychologists unpack how to harness our negative emotions to be more effective, and...
One of the most thrilling opportunities I've had over two decades of leadership coaching occurred when I was asked to coach a group of principals, assistant principals and teachers at a non-profit charter high school (grades 9-12) in New York City. The leadership challenge of providing high quality education to adolescents in an environment of extreme demographic, socio-economic and cultural diversity--on mostly a shoestring budget--was unlike anything I'd experienced in corporate America. These high school jobs were grueling -- yet incredibly rewarding, as was the privilege I felt in...
Having met many wonderful coaches at the Harvard Medical School conference (this year's event is next week -- be sure to join us!) and other IOC events, I know I am not alone in having found myself with clients who have experienced a wide range of mental health challenges -- substance abuse, depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc. We only need think of the recent tragic loss of comedic genius Robin Williams to remind us how debilitating these issues can be, and how crucial it is that coaches be able to navigate the mental health landscape.
No matter your background, becoming an...
At our 2013 conference, Barbara Fredrickson encouraged coaches to “make love all day long.” She didn’t mean what first crossed your mind – she is redefining love as the micro-moments where two people connect with another, like in coaching. Our brain activation and behavioral patterns sync up, like a mind meld. This perspective offers a different way to consider the impact of coaching presence.
When we share positive emotions with another person, not only do both brains perform better in the moment, but also physical health improves over time. Research finds that due to activation...
Today’s workplace is complex and rapidly changing. More than ever before, this kind of environment has created a need for resilient, agile and innovative leaders. But the amount of data, and diversity and interdependence of this information can bring with it utter cognitive overwhelm, and real physical and psychological costs. Research shows that this overload makes it difficult to stay organized, set priorities or manage time. It can increase black and white thinking, transactional relationships and creates low and constant levels of anxiety and guilt....
Everyone talks about the VUCA world – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous. How do you lead in the 21st century with its rapid, unpredictable changes. The age of command and control has shifted to the age of collaboration and cultivation. But how do we help leaders successfully operate in this new era? One way corporations are addressing this challenge is by having leaders learning coaching skills. By asking powerful questions and using simple coach models their repertoire of leadership styles can expand. The combination of being active but non-directive is an alternate pathway to...
I had the pleasure a few months ago of interviewing psychologist Steven Rollnick who co-founded the field of Motivational Interviewing (MI) with Bill Miller in the late 1980s, spawned from having “horrific experiences” in the addiction treatment field. The MI model has evolved considerably over 25 years leading to the 3rd edition of their book reviewed this month for ICPA members. The interview recording and transcript are also available to ICPA members. Here are some highlights:
This month we feature a new “meta analysis” research study that explores the impact of coaching on behavior change. “Meta” here refers to the review of a group of research studies on coaching outcomes that provides statistical analysis from a 10,000-foot perspective (article summary below). As evidencebased practitioners, we know this is the kind of research that supports high-end marketing. When an important client asks if coaching works, we can describe this study; it’s part of the body of evidence that provides a clear and resounding— yes! You may search using "ROI" in the topic section...
This month our member Master Class focuses on “coaching the addicted mind.” 58% of adults report being addicted to our smartphones (68% of ages 25-34!), and many workplaces are a sea of distracted, multitasking, addicted (email/texting, sugar, or work) minds. There is no small need for new coaching techniques, including coaching ourselves. How do you know if you are distracted or addicted to technology?
Greetings and Happy 2014! Our research article this month, as well as our MasterClass and Teleclass, are all designed to help you answer that perennial question: how do we coach teams for optimal performance?
I happened to see the renowned Alan Gilbert conduct the New York Philharmonic recently and I couldn't help but wonder: how would a world class symphony sound without a conductor? Surely good, as the musicians are all professionals, but superb? Sublime? It struck me that despite doing what appears to be very little, the conductor's presence is crucial to...
The IOC is a global community of coaches.
Join