The Context of Coaching

Seven Reasons We Need Professional Coaches

There are at least seven reasons why coaching is so important at this time, not only in corporate America but throughout the society.

To help adults manage change effectively

We all know that change has become the most dependable reality in our lives, and that people and organizations throughout the globe live with continuous uncertainty, tentativeness, and worry. Most live without long-term expectations and plans; they live intense daily and weekly schedules.

The most probable scenario for the future is that the intensity of change will increase steadily in both pace and in the dimensions of our lives. Although we are not the first human beings to face the dilemmas and opportunities of constant change, the technical and universal aspects of our global situation are unique, altering human consciousness and priorities everywhere. Change diminishes our sense that we can depend upon the world. Whenever change predominates over stability throughout a culture, many become angry that they have been abandoned by their society or by their work organizations. Others drop out because they see no future with a promise for them. Still others are paralyzed by fear or cynicism. Complex change often affects workers abilities to sustain motivation and to commit to long-term projects.

In the new environment of perpetual change, workers who cannot manage the discontinuities of their own lives and work will not produce great results, no matter how great their technical skills or leadership abilities.  But mentor/coaches—people who are anchored within themselves to do and accomplish what they love—search for the advantages of change, not only in work settings, but wherever they can be found. Coaches are positive change agents. They motivate people around them with new hope, purpose, and concrete steps for sustaining a cautious optimism. That is a fundamental task of mentor/coaches.

The more the world around us is in flux, the more we as individuals must be certain about what matters in our lives: how we spend our time, who we are connected to, and where we are going. When the macrosystems of our lives are in considerable flux, as they are today, the microsystems rise in importance to anchor our lives. A mentor/coach is someone who can evoke passion and purpose in others, within the dissolving and reconstituting environments of our time.