We conclude the main section of this Future of Coaching issue with an example of the use of coaching research in a specific field where research findings are taken quite seriously: medicine. Maggi Cary, who is both a physician and professional coach, describes some of her experience and offers insight regarding the importance of leveraging research in the actual coaching conversation. Maggi finds that hard research on soft skills can be compelling support for behavioral change in leaders who are taught to be skeptical of opinion.
Margaret Cary: Coaching in Medicine
Coaching Tool and Book Shelf
As we have done in previous issues of The Future of Coaching (and will do in future issues), the second section provides both a practical tool for professional coaches and a look at the coaching book shelf. Our practice tool in this issue is called the Balint Method. It is a tool that is most often used in the supervision of medical interns and in the reflection of senior physicians on their own ongoing, complex practices. We suggest that the Balint Method (as revised for use by coaches) can be of great value for professional coaches in reflecting on their own practices (in collaboration with their coaching colleagues) and in their work as a coach with client teams and groups. The Balint Method is also a superb research tool, yielding qualitative data regarding effective coaching practices–that is why we included it in this issue (with a focus on coaching research).
The book shelf is a bit different in this issue. Rather that reviewing a specific book, we are opening the door to a significant new development in the Library of Professional Coaching (LPC). While LPC has been in the business over the past 6 years of providing an extensive digital collection of essays, reports and video clips, it is now also in the business of providing an extensive collection of printed books regarding professional coaching and related fields. Located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in the State of Maine, The LPC Writers Cottage provides a collection of more than 2,500 volumes that is available to those users of LPC who sign up as patrons of the newly-created 1K Club.
The Book Shelf: Books in the LPC Writer’s Cottage
The LPC Writers Cottage will be used by coaching professionals and researchers who wish to spend several days or a week preparing articles, reviewing literature, or simply finding a lovely sanctuary where they can think and write. We open the door to the Writers Cottage for LPC users by providing an Excel spreadsheet in this issue of The Future of Coaching that is a partial list of the LPC collection. This list contains the books generously donated to LPC by Vikki Brock, the author of a major book on the history of coaching (title and link). In coming issues of The Future of Coaching we will provide additional lists of books in this extensive collection.
We invite our coaching colleagues to consider becoming a 500 club patron–which not only opens the door to our Writers Cottage, but also provides entry into the digitally-convened Writers Circle and free download of three substantial books on professional coaching. We also invite those who use the Writers Cottage to submit their work (in preliminary or finished form) to the two of us as co-editors of The Future of Coaching. We are looking for new authors, new perspectives, challenging critiques, and useful coaching tools. We are looking for help with our book of coaching connect-the-dots.
Come, make some mess. Please join us in ensuring that the future of coaching is secure–and filled with great promise and benefit.
Bill Bergquist
Bill Carrier
