Coaches Rising

What becomes possible when we include a much wider context? And what can the relationships between things and people teach us about what is occurring? In this conversation with coach and CEO Marita Fridjhon we dive into systemic coaching, the three phases of emergence, how systems speak and how to engage with them and the current challenges for coaches. Marita Fridjhon is the co-owner and CEO of CRR Global and mentor to an ever-growing community of practitioners in the field of Relationship Systems work. She designs curriculum and operates training programs in Relationship Systems Work for coaches, executives and teams. Her primary focus in coaching is on systemic change, leveraging diversity, creative communication, deep democracy in conflict management and the development of Learning Organizations.

How does the work we do in the world relate to the times we’re living in? And what can soul tell us about the role we have to play? In this conversation with purpose guide and psychotherapist Jonathan Gustin we explore a deep-time perspective on this moment in time, the three types of purpose, the golden shadow and how to help clients access soul-level purpose. Jonathan is a purpose guide, psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and integral mentor in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 25 years. He is the founder and lead teacher of the Purpose Guides Institute and Green Sangha. He also serves as adjunct faculty at John F. Kennedy University in the Consciousness and Transformation Studies program.

The importance of including the spiritual dimension in coaching is increasingly acknowledged, but weaving it into the world of coaching can feel clunky. In this conversation with coach and founder Saniel Bonder we explore the spirit/matter split, the language of awakening, the dynamics of spiritual hierarchies and the integration of coaching and spiritual growth. Saniel Bonder is the founder of the Waking Down in Mutuality teachings and recently launched Human Sun Institute and The White-Hot Yoga of the Heart with his wife and teaching partner Linda Groves-Bonder. He has helped hundreds achieve unshakable spiritual awakeness amid the stresses of everyday living. His books include Healing the Spirit/Matter Split and Waking Down.

Coaching is changing, the methodology expanding. How do we balance goal-oriented techniques with space-holding for emergence? In this conversation with Dr. David Drake, coach and founder of The Moment Institute, we explore working with narrative, structured emergence, nonverbal coaching, and the importance of post-coaching integration. David B Drake, PhD, is the founder and CEO of the Moment Institute in the San Francisco Bay Area, whose mission is to reinvent learning & development for practitioners and clients to better meet the challenges of our time. He pioneered the field of Narrative Coaching, and he has taught coaching skills to over 10,000 leaders, managers, and professionals. He is the author of over fifty publications on narratives and coaching, including his book “Narrative Coaching; The definitive guide to bringing new stories to life”, co-editor of the SAGE Handbook of Coaching (2016) and a thought leader for the Institute of Coaching at Harvard.

The world today is suddenly a very different landscape than three short years ago. It used to be enough for a coach to have coaching mastery but is that still the case? In this conversation with executive coach and CEO Kari Zeller we explore the new demands being made of coaches and the range of skills required to meet them, understanding stakeholders and systems, the shifting ground of the coaching industry and what lies beyond coaching mastery. Kari Zeller is an executive coach and CEO of The Granger Network with 20 years of experience catalyzing transformation at the individual and organizational level. Prior to founding her company, she served as a decorated combat veteran, where she learned the imperative of transformative leadership in high-intensity situations. Kari and her team specialize in helping companies thrive in high-pressure situations, such as restructurings, mergers and acquisitions and strategic pivots.

The term “systemic” is bandied about quite liberally nowadays, but is there actually any consensus on what it means in the context of coaching? In this conversation with Dr. Paul Lawrence we dive into how systemic thinking can be applied in coaching, differences between adult development and systems thinking and the evolution of the coaching industry. Paul Lawrence is a consultant, executive coach, facilitator, writer and researcher. His primary interest lies in helping organisations effect change, building holistic solutions, integrating change efforts with other OD interventions such as coaching and leadership development. Paul is Regional Chair for the Association for Coaching (AC) in South-East Asia, Australian Ambassador for the Association of Coaching Supervisors (AoCS) and co-editor in chief for the Philosophy of Coaching: An International Journal. His new book, Coaching Systemically, is out now.

As the pace of change accelerates and organisations begin to develop a systemic view in order to meet the demands of increasing complexity, how can the coaching industry best respond? In this conversation with executive coach Paul Byrne we explore the the current and emergent business model of coaching, transitioning coaching to a collaborative ecosystem and the architecture of organisational change. Paul Byrne is an executive coach and president of the European branch of The Leadership Circle and Full Circle Group. Paul excels at working with organizations in high-growth, entrepreneurial environments as well as large global companies seeking to foster cultures of innovation and operational agility. He blends a systemic approach to organizational change with a unique ability to engage senior leaders in deeply transformational conversations.

Many of us are aware that we weren’t really taught how to learn (and usefully retain) knowledge at school, and as adults the lack of this skill often leads to frustration when trying to learn something new. In this conversation with Dr. Theo Dawson we explore the central problem of the educational paradigm, how learning actually works, the relationship between context and performance, and how neural networks can inform learning. Dr. Theo Dawson is the Founder and Executive Director of Lectica, a company that makes diagnostic and formative learning tools for schools, colleges, and the workplace. These tools measure how well people work with their knowledge in real world contexts, identify "what comes next", and provide personalized learning recommendations. Lectica’s approach combines the learning sciences, the art of teaching, and richly diagnostic measurement to revolutionise how we learn important skills for successfully navigating an increasingly complex world.

Coaching has some fairly established approaches, but they are generally not based on empirical data. Could the practice of coaching benefit from taking a more scientific approach to the development of its methodology? In this conversation with management consultant Dave Snowden we explore using the natural sciences to inform coaching theory and practice, the role of context and relating in behavioral change, and the value of the numinous. Dave Snowden is a management consultant and researcher in the field of knowledge management and the application of complexity science. Known for the development of the Cynefin framework, he is the founder and chief scientific officer of Cognitive Edge, a Singapore-based management consulting firm specializing in complexity and sensemaking. He has authored several articles and book chapters on the Cynefin framework and the role of complexity in sensemaking.

How does inclusivity foster high performance? How is the pandemic impacting the workplace? And what are the key qualities leaders need to be fostering in order to create resilient organisational culture? In this conversation with leadership development consultant Carley Hauck we speak about coaching in the pandemic, emergent workplace culture, the challenges of a VUCA world and the relationship between psychological safety and high performance. Carley Hauck is a learning architect, leadership development consultant, author, speaker, and coach who serves as adjunct faculty at Stanford University and UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. She has worked with hundreds of leaders in Fortune 100 companies and high-growth startups such as LinkedIn, Genentech, Pixar, Clif Bar, Intuit, and Bank of the West. Carley is the author of “Shine: Ignite Your Inner Game to Lead Consciously at Work and in the World”.