The Evolution of Coaching (1)
February 9, 2009
I’m having an interesting dialogue with my friend Simone about changes within the coaching profession. In a recent teleclass she said that, at the level of the International Coach Federation (ICF) leadership, -
“Coaching isn’t about accountability anymore. It’s about the evolution and development of the being. The competencies of the framework don’t support the evolution of coaching as a means of development.”
Here is an extract from this call – click the play button to start.
What’s moving in the consciousness now is an understanding that we are progressing beyond personal relationships, away from the minutae of what frames people and keeps them from finding the fullest expression of their being.
We are looking at expanding the beings that we are. And an easy way to do that is to focus on the greatness of what we envision for the whole world. For then we source all that is important to us and all that we seek to achieve together.
By putting aside personal dramas, we can focus on collaborative ventures. A collective vision appeals to people. A collective vision is more quickly and easily attainable – and it has an energetic empowerment in it that reaches through the consciousness to benefit all of us.
So, if we are more concerned with the evolution and development of our beingness, then what do the next steps in the evolution of coaching look like?
The Greatest Work (1)
February 8, 2009
An Introduction
The Greatest Work (for me) encompasses everything that we could possibly wish to create and share together. You could call it a way of life or say that it’s an ideal vision of collaboration, yet I choose to think that it’s a way of being true to who weÀšÃ‚ are and what we are here to do.
Let’s make it simple. If someone asks you what you are working on then you might reply that you’re writing a book or building a coaching practice, etc. That may accurately describe your actions but it wouldn’t include your ethos of why you are here in this world, nor is it likely to deeply engage your listener.
I tend to think that if a question is worth asking – those deepest searching enquiries – then you become energetically involved and take action. I look for real, authentic engagement. I listen for questions that allow us to speak with brilliance and promote the sparkle and vivacity of amazing conversation.
The Greatest Work is what invigorates, stimulates and inspires me to invigorate, stimulate and inspire others. It’s in the energetics that lead us to feel more passionate about who we are and can become.
My leading question then is not about what work we are doing – it becomes, “What is our Greatest Work right now?”
The Leading Question
So I ask myself, “What does my Greatest Work look like?” Somehow, poetry arises within me and starts to speak of the profound longing I have, of the enormous potential that can be engaged with in every single person.
It’s not about me personally … it’s about tapping into the power of conscious collaboration. Stop for a moment, feel the energy of conscious collaboration … notice the massiveness of it … be aware of what it moves in you.
Perhaps you too will feel that personality has no place in it, rather an embracing sense of allness. And in this allness we know that we can value our uniqueness and inspire others to collaborate with us, for the greatest of outcomes.
‘The Greatest Work’ – you might ponder. What does it really mean? Collective conscious action, it replies.
A Rallying Point
February 4, 2009
There is a great coming together of people. It’s something that you can almost feel in the air, for it is so present. I have an impression that we are literally so close to one another now, in our consciousness, that we can feel what moves us as a global society.
Now we might describe that as each one of us finding our common purpose but I’m inclined to call it an incredibly strong and powerful movement of change, that sweeps away what has no validity or place in our world reality, and allows for a shared vision that can be contributed to and sourced by all of us.
What is the purpose of this change? What moves us to make decisions that are unprecedented, that instils in us this sense of inter-connectivity? In these unprecedented times, when much of the framework of our life is being rapidly replaced, we need a common cohesiveness – a rallying point. We need a vision that all of us can contribute to and that we can use to redefine where we are headed.
Obama’s election has provided both a cause for accelerated change and also a rallying point in our global consciousness. It feels that we are building, very consciously, a reality based upon our shared vision. A reality built from a passionate desire to make it work for everyone everywhere, regardless of their circumstance, regardless of what we might think about them or what they might have to say about us.
In this sense, we are becoming less concerned about personalities and more inclined to participate in a bigger picture and vision of who we can be – as a highly creative and intelligent world of interactive beings, who delight in one another and of what they can create together.
At this moment, we need a rallying point, of having something or someone to give us clarity and focus, that allows us to reorientate to dynamic global change. For from such a rallying point, our success is achieved by holding true to what we know can be made real – the actualising of our shared vision to provide sustainable growth of whatever we choose to create together.