The Future of Coaching: Status, Direction, Strategies and Tools

Issue Thirty Four: Spirituality and Coaching

Until recently there were two “third rails” in the field of professional coaching. These were topics that were never to be addressed during a coaching session—nor mentioned in any dialogue among coaches about the struggles they are having in their work. One of these “third rail” themes is money and finances. This is still a forbidden topic—which is one of the reasons why we will soon be devoting an entire issue to this topic.  The second forbidden topic has been religion and spirituality. While many founders of the field of professional coaching came to their work as coaches with deeply held religious beliefs, these beliefs were not to be shared with their coaching clients nor were these beliefs to influence the content and strategies of their coaching sessions (unless they have been contracted to do coaching precisely because of their religious beliefs).

This is now all changing regarding spirituality. It is no longer a third rail. For instance, at a summit conference held last year in the state of Maine, senior-level coaches brought the matter of spirituality and coaching to center stage in their deliberations. Furthermore, many of the most successful executive coaches speak about and write about ways in which their own spiritual orientation – be it Christian, Jewish or Buddhist—has informed their practices as a coach. The fundamental reasons that they are serving as a coach are often informed by their religious beliefs or spiritually based values.

It is time for us to look more deeply into what spirituality means, how it impacts the world in which we are engaged as coaches, and the broader perspective we must take in welcoming and entertaining diverse spiritual practices and values. This deeper exploration is particularly important given what is occurring in our deeply troubled mid-21^st Century world.  This issue of The Future of Coaching is devoted to these important matters regarding spirituality and coaching. Five of the ten essays appearing in this issue have been prepared specifically for this issue, while the other five essays have already been publishing in The Library of Professional Coaching or in The Library of Professional Psychology (our companion library).

Issue Thirty Three: The World of Interpersonal Dynamics in Professional Coaching

Interpersonal relationships are increasingly complex in our world of digital communication, volatile societal conditions, and the ongoing need (and desire) to connect with other people. The challenge of enhancing interpersonal relationships is particularly great for those involved in the helping professions—for they must address these concerns among their clients as the very nature of the helping role is itself changing as a result of these same complexities: digital interactions, volatile social settings and continuing (but often confusing) desires on the part of their client to be with other people and, at the same time, to find time alone.

Given this challenge, the editors of The Future of Coaching (in The Library of Professional Coaching) and The Future of Professional Psychology (in the The Library of Professional Psychology) have joined together in the production and publication of this set of documents concerning Interpersonal Relationships.

Issue Thirty Two: The Neurosciences and Coaching: II

We return once again in this thirty second issue of The Future of Coaching to findings from the neurosciences as they relate to professional coaching. Neurobiological studies of memory, emotions, stress, interpersonal relationships, neuroplasticity and many other aspects of human life are broadening and deepening our perspectives on the professional coaching enterprise—while pointing the way to new coaching strategies and tool. Some of the essays includes in this issue of The Future of Coaching were published in the Library of Professional Coaching (LPC) when the neurosciences were just beginning to emerge as revolutionary subdisciplines of biology (often overlapping with subdisciplines in the field of psychology). Other essays have appeared more recently and focus on specific issues that hold major implications for professional coaching.