Social justice and empowerment: Coaching in South Africa will not be relevant if it remain a benefit that can be accessed by a privileged few. Coaches are encouraged to consider their coaching mission and vision in the context of transforming South Africa through impacting the lives of individuals and teams – both Black and White – at all levels of organisation and especially for Black youth that need to break through the structural and psychological barriers. The choice to use coaching as an enabler to empowerment and not a perpetuating of a western capitalist mind-set is a professional and personal commitment that comes from honest self-reflection.
As I write this article I am aware that I bring my personal history and experience of racial discrimination as an Indian male starting my work life in the early nineties when workplace transformation was high on the agenda. I have seen the limited impact of well-intentioned training and development that is not contextually relevant. Now as coaching becomes a sought after development intervention I hope we as coaches will have the courage to deal with systemic issues like racial discrimination and identity as agents of transformational change, especially in our unique multicultural coaching context.
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