Preface vii

Part I: The Ways of Coaching 1

Introduction: the paths towards coaching 1

1. From intake to intervention: the outlines of a profession 5

1.1 Coaching: a new trend? 5

1.2 Developing a coaching relationship 8

1.3 The organisation coach 12

1.4 The coach’s playing fi eld 13

1.5 A coach from inside or outside the organisation? 16

1.6 What works for whom? 17


2. From stigma to status: the growth of a profession 21

2.1 The exponential growth in coaching practice 21

2.2 Underlying social trends 24

2.3 What can we learn from these trends? 28

3. From prize-fi ghting to prizes for all: the active ingredients 31

3.1 Ample evidence of great effectiveness 34

3.2 No difference in effectiveness between approaches 34

3.3 The active ingredients are common to all approaches 37

3.4 Working alliance, therapist and client are the most effective active ingredients 39

3.4.1 The quality of the relationship 39

3.4.2 The person of the therapist 40

3.4.3 The person of the client 43

4. From intervention to interaction: relational coaching 47

4.1 Ten commandments for the executive coach 47

4.2 Effective coaching means relational coaching 52

4.3 The coaching relationship as a succession of critical moments 56

4.4 Relational coaching makes a difference at critical moments 61

Part II: The Ways Of Research 65

Introduction: the paths towards research 65

5. Coachees have their say: which interventions work for us? 69

5.1 Introduction 69

5.2 Description of the study 74

5.2.1 Participants 74

5.2.2 Questionnaires 74

5.2.3 Procedure 78

5.3 Quantitative results: helpfulness appears to be a generic experience 79

5.4 Qualitative results: evaluating the importance of the coaching relationship 86

5.5 Conclusion 89

6. ‘I doubt therefore I coach’: critical moments of less experienced coaches 93

6.1 Introduction 93

6.2 Initial classifi cation of the 80 moments 94

6.3 Summary in the form of a ‘doubtful’ story 95

6.4 How to handle these critical moments and doubts? 97

6.4.1 Analysis 97

6.4.2 Synthesis 102

6.5 Conclusion 106

7. ‘I struggle and emerge’: critical moments of experienced coaches 109

7.1 Introduction 109

7.2 Initial classification of the 78 moments 112

7.3 Summary in the form of a ‘doubtful’ story 114

7.4 How to handle these critical moments? 115

7.4.1 Analysis 115

7.4.2 Synthesis 122

7.5 Conclusion 126

8. Coaches have their say: how to handle critical moments? 131

8.1 Introduction 131

8.2 Description of the study 132

8.2.1 Comparison with previous study of critical moments of experienced coaches 133

8.2.2 Study method: the temporal process and supervision 135

8.3 The temporal patterns of the critical moments 137

8.4 How to handle these critical moments: the use of supervision 143

8.4.1 Analysis 143

8.4.2 Synthesis 148

8.5 Conclusion 150

Part III: The Ways of Excellence 155

Introduction: the paths towards excellence 155

9. Training and accreditation of the executive coach 159

9.1 Areas of competence of the coach 159

9.1.1 Convictions and values of the coach 159

9.1.2 Attitude of the coach 161

9.1.3 Knowledge of the coach 161

9.1.4 Strategic skills of the coach 162

9.1.5 Specifi c interventions of the coach 163

9.2 Coach education 164

9.2.1 First year of a masters programme 166

9.2.2 Second year of a masters programme 168

9.2.3 How coach education addresses the various areas of competence 171

9.3 Coach accreditation 172

9.3.1 Accreditation criteria 173

9.3.2 Accreditation process 176

9.3.3 How coach accreditation addresses the various areas of competence 181

10. Continuing professional development of the executive coach 185

10.1 Individual professional development: reflective practice 187

10.2 Co-coaching and peer consultation 187

10.3 Coaching supervision 189

10.3.1 Process of individual supervision 195

10.3.2 Process of group supervision 197

11. Library of the executive coach 203

11.1 Introduction: coaching and reading 203

11.2 A historical overview in fi ction 204

11.2.1 Homer’s Odyssey: the triumph of mentor-coach Athena 204

11.2.2 Plato’s Meno: the encounter with the numbfi sh 207

11.2.3 Yalom’s When Nietzsche wept: the mid-life crisis 209

11.3 Milestones in the coaching literature 211

11.3.1 Stroeken’s Kleine psychologie van het gesprek: a vade mecum for helping conversations 211

11.3.2 O’Neill’s Executive coaching with backbone and heart: the coach as partner 214

11.3.3 Peltier’s The psychology of executive coaching: systematic inspiration 216

11.4 Milestones in psychotherapy 218

11.4.1 Heron’s Helping the client: specific helping interventions 218

11.4.2 Rogers’ On becoming a person: sharing something of me 221

11.4.3 Malan’s Individual psychotherapy: the science of coaching 223

11.5 Books about care for the coach 225

11.5.1 Miller’s Das Drama des begabten Kindes: how did we actually become coaches? 225

11.5.2 Foucault’s Fearless speech: the care of the self 228

11.5.3 Hawkins’ & Shohet’s Supervision in the helping professions: and who takes care of the coach?

231

12. Future of the executive coach 235

12.1 The role of research in coaching 237

12.2 The role of coaching in organisations 238

Appendix A: 80 Critical Moments of New Coaches 243

Appendix B: 78 Critical Moments of Experienced Coaches 261

Appendix C: Case Study: Tamara 291

Appendix D: Verbatim Transcript: Ken 303

Appendix E: Code of Conduct for Executive Coaches 311

1. General principles 311

2. Code of ethics 312

3. Code of Practice 313

Appendix F: Intake Instruments and Checklists 315

1. For the recipient of coaching 315

2. For the coach 317

3. For triangular contracts 318

Literature 321

Index 329