Executive Coaches Share Openly and Unselfishly: Dynamic Panel Discussion at ICF Annual Conference 2003

Joan Wright (2003)
As an enthusiastic steward of the executive coaching profession I was elated when given the opportunity to design and manage an interactive panel discussion for the 8th ICF Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. I immediately began by contacting some of the finest executive coaches in the world and requesting their participation. As expected, each of the seven executive coaches I contacted eagerly agreed to participate. Six would serve as panelists and one as a panel moderator for a session entitled “Credible Executive Coaches Modeling Executive Coaching.”

The team faithfully met monthly to share ideas and points of view that would offer the session its true distinctions and impact. New collegial connections and friendships were born out of these meetings. In addition to having some of the professions best, this tight teamwork gave me the confidence that this panel session could be good. I was wrong.

Given the audience reaction, it wasn’t good …it was truly excellent. The several hundred coaches in attendance witnessed two and one half hours of stimulating, thought-provoking interaction that offered countless benefits for new and seasoned executive coaches alike. Perhaps most impressive was the way these seven seasoned professionals willingly shared their strategic and tactical thinking, challenged each other respectfully, and modeled the role of executive coach in a most credible way. My sincere thanks goes out to the “super seven” and I hope you find the following summary of their output useful in the ongoing development of your career.

Background

In November of 2003 a group of seven executive coaches representing the United States, Canada and Europe participated in a panel session that was part of the educational track offered during the 8th ICF Annual Conference at The Adam’s Mark Hotel in Denver, Colorado. The objective of the panel was to provide an interactive learning and sharing environment for executive coaches who work with senior-level executives with fiduciary responsibility to multiple stakeholders.

The 150-minute panel session consisted of three distinct parts. The first segment involved the delivery of prepared questions by the moderator. The panelists responded with their viewpoints and typically shared methods and modus operandi that contributed to successful outcomes in real-world coaching. .