An Interview with John Lazar: Institutions and Influences

Considering the Profession and the Future:  Influencing Professional Beginnings

John Lazar: I think people always have the opportunity to take a look at how they want to develop themselves in their chosen profession, given what their cares are.  Beyond that, there’s this piece people ask themselves about “what else might I do? How can I can contribute?”  There are obviously lots and lots of different ways that one can contribute.  One of those is to stake out an area of interest, then see where you can add to the conversation, enrich the conversation, engage others in new and constructive ways around that area.

I feel extraordinarily privileged and grateful for the opportunity over the years go to work with the people that we worked with as authors and to support them, not only supporting us but supporting the field, raising important questions, and offering points of view that would be constructively provocative.

These were beginnings to me—meaningful steps moving things forward and explicitly looking to build, extend, and strengthen community.

Bill Carrier:  You’ve talked about some of these small steps as someone who’s been deeply involved in some of these organizations and institutions.  Let’s talk for just a few moments as we close up shop about what you see as next steps.  What are the organizations that are taking these ideas to the next level?  What’s missing or what do we need an organization to do from your perspective?

John Lazar:  It’s a good question.  Here are a couple of initial responses.  Certainly the International Coach Federation is a player as the largest global coaching institution.  They’ve got a role to play and it remains to be seen to what extent they’re going to step up to playing that role on behalf of not only their constituents, which are their coaches around the world, but also in terms of the larger profession as it emerges as a profession, and as well as those that coaching intends to serve.

I know that you and Bill Bergquist are involved in The Library of Professional Coaching and it seems to me from afar that the Library can be playing a role in terms of availability, access, and dissemination of information relevant to different kinds of coaching-related questions.

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