Fourfold Generativity: We close with a statement offered by Vikki Brock, one of the major historians (Generativity Three) in the field of professional coaching. She refers, as I have, to the critical role played by Rey Carr in all four domains of generativity. He consistently protected the integrity of professional coaching and pointed this field toward the greater good. In other words, he was a damned good sheriff:
Rey is a true pioneer in both coaching and mentoring at the global level. . . . Not only did Rey play a huge part in the global evolution of coaching and mentoring, he played a big role in my development as a coach and human being. To me Rey Carr is a true pioneer with a generous spirit, an ability to envision the future, and a commitment to what is right. We collaborated on projects and became friends. It was his integrity and willingness to be a thought partner (as well as an instigator and provocateur) in the early days that gave me the courage to take a stand and speak out for what was in the best interests of coaching.
From the Sourcebook of Coaching History I published in 2012, here’s what is said about Rey Carr: Rey Carr, the CEO of Peer Resources, has a PhD in metaphysics and a Masters in clinical-school psychology. In the 1970s he conducted some research into how extensively high school students were making use of their school counseling services, and found out they weren’t. This evolved into an awareness of the potency of the peer group in helping each other deal with a variety of concerns. From training students to be peer mentors or coaches, it evolved into working with communities and community organizations to provide similar programs. Eventually it reached the business world by becoming a bridge between employee assistance programs and the employee. The key skills being used were listening, asking key questions, and sharing experiences – which Carr (2006, pers. com.) refers to as “natural helping skills”. In 1981 Carr co-founded Peer Resources to provide Canada-wide peer mentor resources and training for students using five- to eight-day formats plus experiential opportunities (Carr, 2006, pers. com.).
Coach resources and training were added in 1997 to support the development of a variety of coaches and coaching resources, while at the same time working to prevent the factors or conditions that interfere with natural coaching. Officially recognized by the Canadian government as an educational institution, Peer Resources also acts as a clearinghouse for relevant literature, responds to service needs of practitioners, and creates and distributes resources to enhance standards and practices.
In his role as a Generativity One coach, Rey Carr was a source of immediate support and guidance for colleagues such as Vikki Brock. In his establishment of coaching and mentoring networks, Rey provided some of his most important services as a Generativity Two steward of the emerging field of professional coaching. Vikki Brock did an excellent job of documenting these two roles. Yet, as we have seen in Rey’s own critique and the statements made by his colleagues, there is a forceful presence of Generativity Three and Four in Rey’s work as the sometime village sheriff and publisher. Like Lee Salmon, Rey Carr exemplified Coaching for the Greater Good.
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