The Development of Coaches Survey: I. Do Coaches Change and What Are Their Competencies?

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Designers of the original survey proposed that the respondents would benefit in two ways. These two benefits made this truly a collaborative effort between those who designed the questionnaire and those who completing it. Following is a statement offered to those considering completion of the second survey:

You can sign up to receive the report findings from this study when they become available. . .  These reports will also be made available at no charge to the general coaching public through the Library of Professional Coaching. The reports will identify which modes of development have been found to be the most effective. . . . [Furthermore, results from this survey may] increase the credibility of the coaching profession. As Francine Campone, one of the creators and initiators of the original survey has indicated, a culture of research and evidence needs to be created in the field of professional coaching. The more we learn from one another about professional coaching practices, the more collectively knowledgeable we will become. The more knowledgeable we become, the greater the opportunity for building evidence-based coaching strategies and tools. The better the strategies and tools the more effective we will be as coaching professionals. The more effective we become as a profession, the greater the demand will be for our services.

As noted at the end of this appeal to prospective respondents, the benefits are potentially widespread with regard to the credibility of coaching when a research and evidence-based culture is created: “A rising tide lifts all ships”.

Results

Two of the founders of the original project, Francine Campone and Deepa Awal, reported on results from one qualitative question in the first questionnaire. This report is contained in their 2012 article published in Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice (Campone and Awal, 2012). We will reference the findings from their report in our own discussion in this article and future articles regarding the results we obtained from analysis of the responses to other questions in the first study as well as results we obtained from analysis of all responses to the second study.