As professional coaches, we are often encouraging (and even sometimes guiding) our clients in the exploration of their personal histories. Unlike psychodynamically-oriented psychotherapists, we are not in the business, as coaches, of dwelling on past experiences and the feelings as well as thoughts associated with these experiences, it is appropriate that we spend time with our clients in identifying and exploring the implications of past experiences, thoughts and feelings as they impact present day decisions and behaviors. To ignore the past is to walk blindfolded through our 21st Century challenges—especially in a world filled with VUCA-Plus (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, turbulence and contradiction) (Bergquist, 2020).
I would suggest that we similarly must identify, explore and trace the implications of our collective history as practicing professional coaches. Our history helps to inform assumptions that all or most members of the coaching community hold about this profession, as well as the controversial perspectives and practices that divide our community or at least leave us with the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, turbulence—and particularly the contradictions—that populate the world in which we operate as coaches.
This 2021 edition of Curated has been directed precisely to this exploration of professional coaching history, and to tracing out some of the implications of this history for our shared and sometimes polarizing perspectives and practices. We are fortunate to be provided with a solid foundation for this exploration in the remarkable work done by our colleague, Vikki Brock. In her definitive history of professional coaching, Dr. Brock offers a detailed account of the founding narratives of professional coaching as offered by many of the founders themselves, as well as leaders of the second and third generation of coaches.
Brock’s History of Professional Coaching
The first section of Curated 2021 contains two documents prepared by Vikki Brock that summarize the work contained in her book–appropriately called Sourcebook of Coaching History. I encourage you to download below and read this more comprehensive and well-documented sourcebook. If you select the red Download button at the bottom of this page, you can download a free pdf of Dr. Brock’s wonderful book.
I first offer two summary statements by Brock that first appeared in the Library of Professional Coaching:
The Roots and Emergence of Coaching | Library of Professional Coaching
My colleague, Suzi Pomerantz, has also provided the link to a resource that Dr. Brock provides us, that is a listing of the many articles that she has produced based on her historical research:
Dr. Brock Materials on History of Coaching | Library of Professional Coaching
Alternative Perspectives on the History of Coaching
While we are quite grateful to Dr. Brock for her work, it is also important (as is the case with all histories) that we look for alternative interpretations. Our second section of Curate 2021 is devoted to several alternative histories and interpretations of the history that Dr. Brock has offered.
Each of these essays comes from a 2009 issue (No. One) of The International Journal of Coaching in Organizations that was devoted to analysis of the history of professional coaching (with a focus on coaching that takes place in an organizational setting).
The first is a set of two essays that I prepared regarding dilemmas and opportunities in the field of professional coaching. They both center on a hypothetical interaction between a coach and their client. What were the historical “ghosts” that influenced this interaction, and what might these interactions look like given trends in the field of professional coaching?
The next essay in this series taken from the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations was written by Linda Page who provides a rich historical perspective in identifying two major challenges facing the field of professional coaching and arguing for the establishment of a discipline (actually an inter-discipline) of professional coaching. Here is a link to this carefully conceived and deeply researched essay:
The fourth essay in this series was co-authored by Peter Jackson and Elaine Cox. Like Linda Page, they provides a rich historical perspective on professional coaching. In their case, this historical perspective is philosophical in nature. What are the philosophical influences that helped to shape the field–and how did they influence professional coaching? Here is a link to this thought-provoking essay:
The Philosophical Influences that have Shaped Coaching | Library of Professional Coaching
The final essay in this series is written by David Drake, a senior-level coach and the “father” of narrative coaching. His essay on the history of coaching includes references to the previous essays that have been included in this issue of Curated. Here is the link to his insight-filled essay on the present and future status of professional coaching:
I also have provided a link to an issue of Future of Coaching (a companion document to Curated that is located, like Curated, in the Library of Professional coaching). It is an issue that provides diverse perspectives on the field of professional coaching. The documents contained in this issue were written by early leaders in the field. An interview with one of these leaders (Julio Olalla) is also provided. Here is the link:
Diverse Perspectives on Professional Coaching | Library of Professional Coaching
Another way in which diverse perspectives about the history of coaching has been framed is through the sociology of knowledge (an important but often overlooked sociology sub-discipline). An issue of the Future of Coaching provides this perspective. Here is a link:
Yet another perspective on professional coaching is found in a different issue of Future of Coaching. It builds on a statement made by my colleague, Linda Page, at an international conference on coaching—a statement in which she declared that professional coaching is an interdisciplinary field. This issue is titled: “Professional Coaching as an Interdisciplinary Art and Science”. Here is the link:
Professional Coaching as an Interdisciplinary Art and Science | Library of Professional Coaching –
Finally, I offer a provocative and insightful essay prepared by our esteemed colleague, Rey Carr, who was honored in memoriam by this library several years ago for his contributions to the field of professional coaching. Here is a link to his essay on “the death of coaching”:
The Future of Coaching: Trends that Illustrate the End is Near | Library of Professional Coaching
Personal Narratives Regarding Early Years of Professional Coaching
In providing a set of diverse perspectives on the history of coaching, it is also important that we consider what it actually felt like and looked like to live and participate in the early, highly influential world of professional coaching (often called “executive coaching” or “life coaching”). Therefore, in the third section, we provide two video-taped interviews and one transcribed interview with those living in and participating in the early years of professional coaching. These are Agnes Mura, Jeannine Sandstrom and Julio Olalla. The fourth video-taped interview was conducted with David Skibbins, who was one of the first coaches trained at the Coach Training Institute. His first experience of coaching was with Laura Whitworth—one of the legends in the field who passed away quite tragically several years ago.
Each of these four interviews provides a unique perspective on the ways in which coaching perspectives and practices were first conceived (Olalla), how the training and certification of coaching was first established (Mura and Sandstrom) and the nature of early relationship between professional coaching and psychotherapeutic practices (Skibbins).
The first interview was conducted with Agnes Mura and features her own personal reflections on the life she has led in interaction with the emerging field of professional coaching:
Interview with Agnes Mura: Diversity and Challenge in Coaching | Library of Professional Coaching
I also invite you to retrieve a document in the Library of Professional Coaching that features Agnes Mura reflecting on her own inter-cultural life and diverse career: The Interdisciplinary Art and Science of Professional Coaching: Perspectives from a Life Richly Lived | Library of Professional Coaching
The second interview was conducted with Jeannine Sandstrom, another of the major figures in forging the identify of professional coaching:
I also invite you to retrieve a series of documents prepared by Dr. Sandstrom that features her work on leadership that was presented in the 2020 issue of Curated: Curated 2020: Leadership | Library of Professional Coaching
A third interview is a transcription of the interview I conducted several years ago with Julio Olalla, who formulated one of the most important (and revolutionary) sets of perspectives and practices on the field of professional coaching
Interview with Julio Olalla | Library of Professional Coaching
My final interview with David Skibbins offers the perspective of someone who was strongly influenced by Laura Whitworth, one of the other important (and revolutionary) figures in the emerging field of professional psychology:
Interview with David Skibbins: The Impact of Co-Active Coaching | Library of Professional Coaching
I also invite you to retrieve an essay in the Library of Professional Coaching that was prepared by Dr. Skibbins and myself that highlighted the nature, opportunities and challenges associated with personal/life coaching: Ten Trends in Personal/Life Coaching | Library of Professional Coaching
I hope that you find these essays and interviews to be insightful and even provocative as they provide a variety of insights about the past (and future) of professional coaching. As we have seen to these essays, there have been many sources of professional coaching perspective and practices—which means that there is a wide playing field for your own work in the field. Perhaps your own perspectives and practices will be acknowledged and honored when future publications are devoted to the history of coaching.
William Bergquist, Ph.D.
Editor
Curated 2022
Bergquist, William (2020) “Leadership and Anxiety: Containment and Metabolism I: Anxiety in a VUCA Plus Environment. Library of Professional Psychology. https://psychology.edu/library/leadership-and-anxiety-containment-and-metabolism-i-anxiety-in-a-vuca-plus-environment/