I was recently asked to take part in UK Coaching's Coach Developer Conversations and was delighted to say yes! Thank to Andy Bradshaw for the opportunity to reflect back on twenty years in coaching development in the UK and USA.
It was illuminating to consider how 'then' compares with 'now' and what I 'might' do or 'do' do differently because of those experiences. The key difference now and especially given the shift from formal coach education to coach learning and development, is investing the time to really understand where the organization, coach developer or coach is currently at. Establishing the starting point for organizational development and/ or professional growth in a discrete role be it as a systems leader, coach developer or coach is critical in order to create a tailored development plan. I work hard to ensure plans have a solid evidence base and are informed by world leading best practices. I work even harder to ensure they are organizationally and professionally/ personally relevant.
I have also learned that learning and growth will not happen without high quality relationships to support the development agenda. I smile. A lot! I listen intently. I am genuinely interested and show that I care. And I am always happy to ask the difficult question even if I have no idea how it will land. All of this assumes I am wearing the right hat, or to steal Andy's line 'looking through the right lens' to maximize learning and development time.
Thanks again Andy. Wow, twenty years, now where did that go?!
