Life’s thumbprint: the impact of
significant life events on coaches and their coaching by Francine Campone and Deepa Awal Coaching: An International Journal of
Theory, Research and Practice Vol. 5, No. 1, March 2012. (Read the full
journal inside the ICPA online member library; www.instituteofcoaching.org.)
As coaches we come to our practice drawing on a reservoir of varied life events, coaching field experiences, and coach training and education. This research analyzed three clusters of experiences and their perceived impact on coaching practice. Three questions were examined:
- What are the personal and professional experiences that influence coaches in their coaching practices?
- What are the dimensions of coaching practice that are impacted by personal and professional experiences?
- What is the impact of specific life experiences on a coach’s values, mental models and coaching behaviors?
So what do coaches perceive to influence their coaching
skills and expertise?
- Life changing experiences were cited as the most frequent influence of a coach’s development. It’s not just weathering tough life experiences such as a divorce, illness, or accident; it is the ability to integrate the learning from the experience into the next phase of life and one’s work with clients. By doing so, a deeper development of empathy and coaching expertise can occur.
- Second, seeking opportunities for continuous learning and maintaining regular contact with other coaches and mentors were viewed as critical to coach development.
- Last, formal skills training and education on theory were seen to provide a deeper framework for professional decision making skills and reasoning. Mentoring or supervision in coaching was identified as a significant developmental experience in the group surveyed.
This approach parallels
Warren Bennis’ work on the core role of crucibles and authenticity in
leadership development. What about you? What stands out as pivotal in your
development as a coach?
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