Coaching and Leadership - ccpglobalcouncil.com...the dysfunctional behavioural patterns or ‘Dark...

The British Psychological SocietySpecial Group in Coaching Psychology

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The Australian Psychological Society LtdInterest Group in Coaching Psychology

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InternationalCoaching Psychology Review

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Volume 4 No. 1 March 2009

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Coaching and Leadership

The Special Group in Coaching Psychology

Events Team We are pleased to present our event topics for the

2009 Event Programme.

These events will offer opportunities for further exploration,

experiential learning and discussion on topical subjects. They have been carefully selected to support your development in the area of

coaching psychology as requested by you in our latest member

survey. All workshops combine a blend of theoretical underpinnings

with opportunities to experiment with different approaches

We really look forward to seeing you at one or more events.

Half-day event • March 4th 2009 – Julie Allen presents ‘Is that wise?

Developing wisdom in ourselves and others’

Full-day events

• 22nd May 2009 – Ernesto Spinelli will conduct a workshop on

Existentialism and Coaching Psychology

• October 2009 – Bruce Grimley working from an NLP informed

perspective will be discussing Goal Setting and Coaching Psychology

Teleconferences • We will be running a teleconference in 2009, please see our

website for further details.

Events are regularly advertised through our e-mail discussion list.

If you are not already a member, find the details of how to sign up at

http://www.sgcp.org.uk/join.cfm

Further details and information will soon be announced on the

‘News Page’ of the BPS SGCP website on: http://www.sgcp.org.uk.

For booking information please contact: [email protected]

Contents

4 EditorialLeadership coaching in a challenging world – Growing with our clientsMichael Cavanagh & Stephen Palmer

6 Guest EditorialCoaching and Leadership: Practice, perspectives and directions from the fieldTravis J. Kemp

Academic articles

9 Coaching on the Dark SideEric Nelson & Robert Hogan

22 Expert opinion: Executive Coaching: A real world perspective from a real-life coaching practitionerMarshall Goldsmith

25 Leadership coaching transforming mental health systems from the inside out: The Collaborative Recovery Model as person-centred strengths based coaching psychologyLindsey G. Oades, Trevor P. Crowe & Melanie Nguyen

37 Strengths coaching with leadersP. Alex Linley, Linda Woolston & Robert Biswas-Diener

49 Using attachment theory in coaching leaders: The search for a coherent narrativeDavid B. Drake

59 Coaching from the inside: Building an internal group ofemotionally intelligent coachesAnnie McKee, Felice Tilin & Delores Mason

71 Behind the scenes in the Identity Laboratory: Participants’ narratives of identitytransition through group coaching in a leadership development programmeElizabeth Florent-Treacy

87 Linking MBA learning and leadership coachingBarbara Wood & Sandy Gordon

105 Is coaching an evolved form of leadership? Building a transdisciplinary framework forexploring the coaching allianceTravis J. Kemp

111 Book ReviewTravis J. Kemp

113 SGCP & IGCP Update

International Coaching Psychology Review ● Vol. 4 No. 1 March 2009 3© The British Psychological Society – ISSN: 1750-2764

EditorialLeadership coaching in a challengingworld – Growing with our clientsMichael Cavanagh & Stephen Palmer

4 International Coaching Psychology Review ● Vol. 4 No. 1 March 2009© The British Psychological Society – ISSN: 1750-2764

WELCOME to this issue of theInternational Coaching PsychologyReview (ICPR). It is the first issue for

2009 and for our fourth volume. As has beenour practice, this is a special edition with thetopic of Coaching and Leadership. TravisKemp has brought together an excellentseries of papers from authors of note aroundthe world. Together they represent one ofthe strongest collections of papers on lead-ership coaching available in the literature.Indeed, this issue of the ICPR on coachingand leadership looks to be a red letter issue.

As Travis mentions in his guest editorial,this is indeed a timely topic. We are movinginto a world where many of our past assump-tions and expectations about the world seemto be more and more uncertain. Travis hasmentioned the Global Financial Crisis(GFC). Pundits tell us we are moving fromthe GFC through a global economic crisistoward another GEC – a Global EmploymentCrisis. Change is not limited to markets.Around the world we are told there is anincreasing incidence of extreme weatherevents. Here in Australia we have just experi-enced the effect of such an extreme set ofweather conditions as they fanned the worstbushfires in the history of European settle-ment.

These are times when it is easy to respondfearfully, and to retreat to past orthodoxies.However, it is also in such times that innova-tive and courageous leadership is needed.This is true of leadership at all levels, and inall its forms, including coaching. Coachingand coaching psychology are ideally placedto assist leaders in developing new, creativeresponses to the challenges of the present

and the future, but only if we can standbeside our clients as they struggle to developlarger, more encompassing perspectives onthe systems in which they find themselves.This means that we too must enter the fray,and do the hard work of expanding ourunderstandings, perspectives and skills. A world which calls for more flexible,responsive and sophisticated leaders, alsocalls for more flexible, responsive andsophisticated coaches.

Thankfully we are being well served inthis task of continued development. Therange of coaching psychology and coachingconferences, symposia and other gatheringscontinues to grow. In the UK, the BritishPsychological Society’s Special Group inCoaching Psychology (SGCP) two-dayconference in December was again a greatsuccess. The SGCP decided that this partic-ular conference would be the 1st EuropeanCoaching Psychology Conference. It was anexciting event with speakers and delegatesattending from all over Europe. Roundtablediscussions included the state of coachingpsychology in Europe and how coachingpsychology can be further developed in theregion. There was so much support for theconference, it was decided that the SGCPwould sponsor the 2nd European CoachingPsychology Conference to be held inDecember, 2009. In Australia, the IGCPsymposium was the best yet, with interna-tional and local speakers presenting a rangeof topics. One has only to conduct a searchon the web to see the ever-burgeoningnumber of conferences and publicationsservicing the fields of both coaching andcoaching psychology.

Editorial

International Coaching Psychology Review ● Vol. 4 No. 1 March 2009 5

Given this growing number of publica-tions, the ICPR will be moving from threesmaller issues per year to two larger issues.The logistics of publication make publica-tion in this format more cost effective and wehope, more rewarding for the reader. In theUK, SGCP members receive a hardcopyversion of the ICPR and this change willreduce printing and postage costs. There isanother change in this issue; to keep ourmembers up-to-date with IGCP and SGCPactivities, we now include a much neededNews Section.

Once again, we commend this excellentedition to you, and would like to register ourthanks to Dr Travis Kemp who has done suchan excellent job as special editor for thisissue. Happy reading!

CorrespondenceMichael CavanaghCoaching Psychology Unit,Department of Psychology,Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.E-mail: [email protected]

Stephen PalmerCoaching Psychology Unit,Department of Psychology,City University, Northampton Square,London, UK.E-mail: [email protected]

IT IS WITH a great sense of privilege andexcitement that I welcome you to the2009 special issue of the International

Coaching Psychology Review exploring Leader-ship and Coaching. Whilst at the time thistopic was tabled, Leadership Coaching wasof growing interest to many practicingcoaching psychologists, but with the contin-uing deterioration of the global economicenvironment and associated collapses ofseveral of the world’s largest corporate enter-prises, the quality of governance within ourglobal enterprises has been called into ques-tion, as has the behaviour and ethical foun-dations of their leaders. As a result, thisedition has taken on new meaning andimportance for the future. Indeed, in thesame way that positive applied psychologyhas provided new hope and direction for theprofession of psychology and for our clientsseeking to build flourishing lives, so to doesleadership coaching offer hope for thecreation of new, sustainable, socially respon-sible and nurturing corporate enterprises forthe future.

For many coaching psychologists workingwithin organisational and business contexts,their work almost inevitably draws themtowards leadership within the organisation.This special issue has provided an opportu-nity to bring together a group of worldleading theorists, practitioners andresearchers to present their latest thinkingand practice in the field of coaching andleadership.

The notion of conceptual of overlapbetween Leadership and Coaching is by nomeans new and authors such as Burdett(1998) recognised the many theoretical and

practical links between the two fields ofpractice early in the literature. Indeed, asthis current issue further illustrates, theoret-ical convergence between the practices ofcoaching and leadership is continuing at arapid pace. In addition, a movement withinthe field of leadership development towardsa deeper introspective process of self under-standing continues to gain momentum andacceptance as a valid and effective form ofleadership development.

The style and ‘feel’ of this special issuedeviates slightly from the normal ICPR style.The field of leadership coaching is diverse inboth it proponents and its practice and as theeditor of this special issue, I have endeav-oured to capture, as best I can, this diversity ofthought, practice and perspective to capturethe space between the two very broad fields ofleadership and coaching. In attempting this Ihave sought to honour and maintain theauthors’ styles and preferences and to capturenot only the latest thinking from within thefield but also to anchor a point in time in thedevelopment of our understanding of leader-ship coaching as the broader body of know-ledge within the field of coaching psychologyaccelerates at a rapid pace.

The issue opens with a Personality focuson leadership coaching. Eric Nelson andRobert Hogan present a synthesis of theextensive work on functional and dysfunc-tional personality and leadership effective-ness that Rob and his colleagues at HoganAssessment Systems are continuing toconduct at a prolific rate. Still a vigorousissue of debate within the leadership andpsychological literature alike, leadershippersonality provides fertile ground for explo-

Guest EditorialCoaching and Leadership: Practice,perspectives and directions from the fieldTravis J. Kemp



ration. Specifically, Eric and Rob illuminatethe dysfunctional behavioural patterns or‘Dark Side’ of leadership personality. Specif-ically, the paper provides coaching psycholo-gists with valuable insights into leadershipderailment patterns and provides recom-mendations on how coaching psychologistscan best support their clients to avoid theseadverse leadership scenarios.

Marshall Goldsmith then shares with ushis personal insights and thoughts on the‘coal face’ application and phenomenon ofthe leadership coaching relationship.Marshall’s open, frank and honest sharing asa thought and opinion leader within thefield of executive and leadership coachingprovides this special issue with a valuablewindow into the phenomenon of the leader-ship coaching conversation. Marshall’sbroader contribution to the field has beenrecognised and acknowledged globally andhis thought leaders opinion piece raisesseveral valuable points that will ground ourpractice as coaching psychologists.

Lindsay Oades’ stimulating paper grap-ples with the application of coaching andpositive psychology approaches to the signif-icant challenges within mental healthsystems. This paper is unique in that itprovides us with a demonstration of leader-ship coaching in action. Lindsay demon-strates how coaching psychologists areleading thinking, practice and reform withinthe mental health sector by living andbreathing the positive, strengths basedmethods that they use with their clinicalclients. This case study provides a meta-perspective on the application of leadershipcoaching methods within traditional clinicalcontexts within the public health system andstretches our perceptions of what is possible.

Continuing in the strengths coachingtheme, Alex Linley, Linda Woolston andRobert Biswas-Diener provide practitionerswith a valuable framework and method formaking weaknesses irrelevant; an innovativeand powerful adjunct to strengths basedmethods with leaders. The authors alsograpple with the often problematic chal-

lenges leaders face when overplaying theirstrengths

David Drake’s paper examines the appli-cation of attachment theory to narrativecoaching models and provides us with valu-able insights into the application of bothpsychodynamic and narrative methods toleadership coaching. David is widely recog-nised for his work with narrative techniquesand his current paper provides an excellentillumination of the phenomenology ofnarrative providing the reader with excellentexamples of psychodynamically informednarrative in action with leaders .

The challenge of developing coachingcapability within leaders themselves isexplored by Annie McKee, Felice Tilin andDelores Mason. Annie has co-publishedextensively with Richard Boyatzis and DanielGoleman in thought leading realms ofemotionally intelligent leadership and reso-nant leadership. This paper provides us witha privileged insight into a coaching capa-bility development based leadershipprogramme conducted within a major inter-national bank. The case study provides uswith insights into the commercial realitiesand limitations of using external leadershipcoaches within large organisations and theopportunity that is provided from devel-oping managers’ as in-house coaches.

From the United States we travel then toFrance for Elizabeth Florents illuminatingpaper. Here we are taken ‘behind the scenes’of the Identity Lab experience at INSEAD.Elizabeth’s paper explores the application ofPsychodynamic approaches and philoso-phies to leadership development. Pioneeredby Kets de Vries (2006), this psychodynamicapproach is illuminated in Elizabeth’s paperwhich both bridges the gap between therapyand coaching and provides us with valuableinsight into a field of applied coaching thatremains contentious.

The third of the programme-basedpapers is presented by Barbara Wood andSandy Gordon. They share with us a uniquecoaching skills development programmeembedded in the MBA curriculum at the

Guest Editorial

University of Western Australia. This paperprovides us with valuable insights and devel-opmental data over a two-year period whichdemonstrated clear support for the positiveleadership impact of developing positivecoaching skills within my leadership skillsrepertoire.

In the final chapter, I propose a futuredirection for research in leadership andcoaching. Whilst many authors and practi-tioners alike recognise the similaritiesbetween coaching and leadershipbehaviours, few have investigated thephenomenon and impact of the unique rela-tionship that is created between both coachesand leaders and their people. The coachingand leadership alliance accounts for a signif-icant component of variability withincoaching engagements and some argue it isthe central mediating variable in achievingsuccessful coaching and leadershipoutcomes. The final paper provides a theo-retical framework that acts as a guide todeveloping and growing the leader-ship/coaching alliance and calls for greaterinvestigative focus on this phenomenon inthe peer-reviewed literature.

Together, this issue has captured a stimu-lating group of papers that I trust will stimu-late thought, enthusiasm and host of newquestions that will give rise to deeper andbroader thinking and practice in the field ofleadership coaching. In closing, I would liketo personally thank the contributors to thisedition and the significant efforts that theyhave made in making this special issue areality. I would also like to personally thankStephen Palmer and Martin Reeves (TheBritish Psychological Society) for theiroutstanding support throughout thisprocess.

CorrespondenceTravis J. KempUniversity of Adelaide.University of Sydney.University of South Australia.The Teleran Group Pty Ltd.E-mail: [email protected]

ReferencesBurdett, J.O. (1998). Forty things every manager

should know about coaching. Journal ofManagement Development, 17(2), 142–152.

Kets de Vries, M. (2006). The Leader on the Couch: A clinical approach to changing people andorganisations. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.

8 International Coaching Psychology Review ● Vol. 4 No. 1 March 2009

Travis J. Kemp


ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVID-UALS seek executive coaching toenhance the effectiveness of leaders

and, by extension, to improve the perform-ance of organizations. Depending upontheir own theoretical orientation and thecontext in which coaching takes place, prac-titioners can offer interventions rangingfrom strengths-based to solution-focused tonarrative to developmental coaching (seeCavanagh, Grant & Kemp, 2005; Peltier,2001; Stober & Grant, 2006; for excellentsummaries of the range of strategies avail-able to executive coaches). Coaching is arelatively young field. As a result, somesuggest that the rationale for executivecoaching is poorly specified and thatcoaching lacks a cohesive conceptual foun-dation and firm research base to guidepractice (Barner & Higgins, 2007; Berman &Bradt, 2006; Feldman & Lankau, 2005;Kilburg, 1996; MacKie, 2007; Passmore,2007; Passmore & Gibbes, 2007). Still, Grant(2005) documents the exponential increasein scholarly papers devoted to executivecoaching in recent years. The outcome datacollected to date reveal that coaching gener-ally does help executives become more effec-tive leaders (Dagley, 2006; Kampa-Kokesch &Anderson, 2001) and can offer a substantialreturn on an organization’s investment inthe coaching effort (McGovern et al., 2001).

All coaches assess those with whom theywork. At times, assessment is primarily

impressionistic, based on interviews with theexecutive and others in his or her work envi-ronment (peers, superiors, etc.). Filteredthrough the coach’s expertise, and adaptedto the context in which coaching occurs,these impressions form the basis for thecoaching relationship and its goals. Struc-tured assessment (e.g. through personalitytesting, 360-degree feedback, etc.) offers amore systematic strategy for identifying aleader’s strengths and developmental oppor-tunities (cf. Cronbach, 1960). Standardizedmeasures are becoming more widely used incoaching (Alworth & Griffin, 2005; Pass-more, 2008), and we believe that psycho-metrically sound, well validated measurescan enhance and accelerate the coachingprocess.

Assessment in executive coaching is notmerely an intellectual exercise; rather, validassessment will provide the coach usefulinformation on which an intervention canbe based. Personality characteristics predictleadership effectiveness and, by extension,organizational outcomes. In this paper wereview briefly the literature linking person-ality to occupational performance, focusingon characteristics that can degrade executiveeffectiveness – the ‘dark side’ of personality(R. Hogan & Hogan, 2001). These aredysfunctional interpersonal and self-regula-tory patterns that interfere with the leader’scapacity to build and maintain high-performing teams. Awareness of these ‘dark

Coaching on the Dark SideEric Nelson & Robert Hogan

Dysfunctional personality characteristics can derail the career of an otherwise competent executive.Personality predicts both leadership effectiveness and derailment, and assessment of these characteristics iscritical for effective coaching and leader development. This paper reviews the relationship betweenpersonality and leadership and offers a taxonomy of flawed interpersonal strategies that can degrade aleader’s capacity to build and maintain high-performing teams. Assessment of these dysfunctionaldispositions facilitates the coach’s ability to build an effective coaching relationship, enhance the executive’sstrategic self-awareness, and identify appropriate targets and strategies for intervention.

Keywords: Executive coaching, leaders, leadership, personality, derailers, dark side.

side’ tendencies, and the underlying ‘mentalmodels’ with which they are associated,allows the coach to design interventions thatwill mitigate their impact on leadership and,indeed, on the coaching relationship itself.

Personality and LeadershipCompetent leaders build and maintain effec-tive teams that compete successfully withothers (R. Hogan, Curphy & Hogan, 1994).Research indicates that effective leadersunderstand their subordinates’ needs, abili-ties, and aspirations, and can persuade themto share the leader’s vision for the organiza-tion as a whole. This is, of course, the essenceof the ‘transformational’ leadership style(Avolio & Bass, 1995; Avolio et al., 1996; Bass,1985) that complements the equally impor-tant focus on ‘taking charge,’ communicatingclear expectations, and maintaining account-ability. Indeed, the capacity to move seam-lessly between ‘enabling’ and ‘forceful’ styles– without overdoing either – appears to becritical for effective leadership (Kaplan &Kaiser, 2006). Coaching and leadership devel-opment help executives remain versatile intheir leadership style, and resolve flawedinterpersonal strategies that impede theirability to motivate subordinates effectively.

Poor leadership is not simply an absenceof technical, cognitive, and strategic skills.Rather, dysfunctional dispositions (and theflawed interpersonal strategies associatedwith them) can degrade whatever skills andcompetencies a leader might otherwisepossess. At their worst, such leaders may beexperienced as ‘destructive’ (e.g. Einarsen,Aasland & Skotgstad, 2007; Tepper, 2000;Tierney & Tepper, 2007) or even ‘toxic’(Frost, 2004; Padilla, Hogan & Kaiser, 2007)by their subordinates and the organizationas a whole. Managerial incompetencecreates great misery for those associated withthe dysfunctional leader (R. Hogan & Kaiser,2005). Thus, recognizing and modifying thedestructive interpersonal strategies ofleaders will improve the competitive advan-tage of the team and the satisfaction andwell-being of the executive’s subordinates.

Bad management exists at all levels ofmost organizations. Hogan (2007) estimatesthat the base rate for bad managers mayrange from 65 per cent to 75 per cent, andone recent survey of managers and execu-tives suggests that as many as 27 per cent oftheir subordinates who have been rated ashigh potential are at risk for ‘derailment’(i.e. being either demoted or fired) forperforming below the level expected ofthem. Such findings are consistent with theresults of earlier reviews (e.g. Bentz, 1985;Dotlich & Cairo, 2003, Leslie & VanVelsor,1996; McCall & Lombardo, 1983) whichidentified insensitivity, abrasiveness, micro-management, and other dysfunctional inter-personal behaviours as the primary causes ofmanagerial failure. Bad leadership is bothcommon and highly consequential for theproductivity of organizations, and the resolu-tion of flawed interpersonal strategies isanother important goal of executivecoaching and leadership development.

An executive may seek out or be referredfor coaching for many reasons (Giglio,Diamante & Urban, 1998; Stern, 2004). Insome cases, superiors may identify an execu-tive as being at risk for derailment; in thesecases the organization may provide theopportunity for coaching. In other cases, anorganization may create a programme for allof their senior leaders, ‘high potential’middle managers, or others to enhance theirpersonal development as leaders. In eitherinstance, knowledge of potential dysfunc-tional interpersonal patterns is critical forcoaching success. In the case of the‘derailing executive,’ the flawed interper-sonal style may itself be the reason forreferral. For those referred for assistance inenhancing existing skills (in order to helpthe high potential manager move moreeffectively up the corporate hierarchy),assessment of potential derailing characteris-tics allows the coach to offer ‘preventivemaintenance’ that will reduce the likelihoodof problems emerging in the future.


Eric Nelson & Robert Hogan

The nature of dysfunctional dispositionsDysfunctional dispositions are part ofeveryone’s personality. We prefer to think of‘personality’ in terms of a person’s ‘reputa-tion’ among those in his or her social envi-ronment. Personality trait descriptors (e.g.conscientious, flamboyant, volatile, confi-dent, etc.) summarize how a person is seenby others. The ‘strength’ of any personalitycharacteristic reflects the likelihood that aperson will behave (and be perceived) in acertain way during social interaction. Thewidely accepted ‘Five-Factor Model’ (FFM)of personality (Goldberg, 1981; John, 1990;McCrae & Costa, 1987; Wiggins, 1979) iden-tifies primarily positive characteristics, andassessments based on this model predictsuccess in a wide variety of employmentcontexts (Barrick & Mount, 1991; Bono &Judge, 2004; Hogan & Holland, 2003; R. Hogan, 2007; R. Hogan & Hogan, 2007;R. Hogan, Hogan & Roberts, 1996; Judge etal., 2002; Mount, Barrick & Stewart, 1998;Tett, Jackson & Rothstein, 1991). The predic-tion of occupational performance improveswhen the dimensions of the FFM are alignedwith the competencies judged to be impor-tant for a specific job (Anderson et al., 2006;Campbell, 1990; J. Hogan & Holland, 2003;Hough, 1992; Hurtz & Donovan, 2000).

Assessments derived from the FFM revealwhat might be described as the ‘bright side’of personality. Dysfunctional dispositions, incontrast, reflect the ‘dark side’ (cf. Conger,1990; R. Hogan & Hogan, 2001). Thesebehavioural characteristics degrade executiveperformance and interfere with the indi-vidual’s capacity to capitalize on the strengthsrevealed through FFM assessments. The past20 years have produced a growing interest inthese dark side characteristics, particularlyfor people in leadership roles (Furnham &Taylor, 2004; Goldman, 2006; Judge, LePine& Rich, 2006; Khoo & Burch, 2008;McCartney & Campbell, 2005; Moscoso &Salgado, 2004; Najar, Holland & VanLanduyt, 2004). These studies have repeat-edly found that managers who derail are astechnically skilled as those who do not.

Instead, managerial incompetence is prima-rily associated with ‘personality defects,’ trou-bled interpersonal relationships, inability tobuild a team, lack of follow-through, anddifficulty making strategic transitions (cf.Lombardo, Ruderman & McCauley, 1988;McCauley & Lombardo, 1990).

Flawed interpersonal behaviours reflectthe influence of underlying mental modelsor ‘schemas.’ Schemas are organized knowl-edge structures through which we encodeour perceptions of social interaction,allowing us to make sense of our ownbehaviour and the behaviour of others(Fong & Markus, 1982; Kihlstrom & Klein,1994; Markus, 1977; Sedikides, 1993; Young,Klosko & Weishaar, 2003). Personal schemasreflect our basic beliefs about ourselves andthe world – beliefs that are based on early lifeexperiences. Schemas function automati-cally outside conscious awareness, serving asperceptual ‘filters’ that cause individuals tointerpret social information in ways that fitschema-relevant expectations (Baldwin,1992). Thus, schemas tend to be self-perpet-uating. For example, individuals who werefrequently criticized early in life may developbelief structures – schemas – that they arelikely to be criticized in current interper-sonal encounters. These people may eveninterpret innocuous feedback as critical, andthey may become overly perfectionistic oraccommodating to minimize the risk ofanything they might construe as criticismfrom others.

Several variables affect the likelihoodthat dysfunctional behaviour will emerge inany given social or leadership context. First,the probability of dysfunctional behaviourreflects the strength of the relevant under-lying schema; certain ineffective interper-sonal patterns are simply more likely forsome people than for others because therelevant underlying schema exerts a morepervasive influence on overt behaviour.Second, situational factors will affect theemergence of dysfunctional behaviour. Mostpeople can manage dysfunctional tenden-cies most of the time. But stress, work over-


Coaching on the Dark Side



load, fatigue, high emotion, and lack ofsocial vigilance can increase the probabilityof maladaptive behaviour. Furthermore,dysfunctional behaviour is more likely toappear in situations that are ambiguous(Green & Sedikides, 2001; Koch, 2003),where leaders have too little structure andtoo much discretion (Kaiser & Hogan,2007), or that resemble the situations thatproduced the relevant schema in the firstplace. Finally, organizational culture canpotentiate dysfunctional behaviour (Balt-hazard, Cooke & Potter, 2006; VanFleet &Griffin, 2006). Thus, personality, situational,and organizational influences interact toinfluence the emergence of dysfunctionalbehaviour in any given performance orinterpersonal context (cf. Tett & Barnett,2003; Tett & Guterman, 2000).

Assessment of the dysfunctional disposi-tions that commonly appear in interpersonalrelationships – performance risks – allows usto predict the likelihood that such risks willimpair an executive’s success. To facilitatesuch predictions R. Hogan and Hogan(1997; see also R. Hogan & Hogan, 2001)created an inventory (the Hogan Develop-ment Survey; HDS) that assesses 11 of thesecharacteristics. Constructs included in theHDS were identified through an exhaustivereview of material ranging from research onmanagerial derailment to the ‘personalitydisorders’ section of the Diagnostic andStatistical Manual of Mental Disorders,fourth edition (American Psychiatric Associ-ation, 1994; see Hogan & Hogan, 1997, 2001,for a description of the links between certainpersonality disorders and the scalescomprising the HDS). Hogan and Hogan(1997) designed the HDS to addresscommon interpersonal themes in the workcontext that can undermine an individual’seffectiveness. Each theme is associated withan underlying cognitive schema that facili-tates understanding of the expectations,attributions, and mental models thatunderlie interpersonal strategies that ulti-mately prove counterproductive. Listedbelow are the 11 constructs comprising the

HDS and a brief description of the schemasassociated with each pattern of dysfunctionalinterpersonal behaviour:

Excitable. High Excitable individuals areemotionally volatile and easily disappointedin projects, people, or organizations. Theyalienate employees through unpredictabledisplays of anger or frustration. These exec-utives seek understanding and respect, butconditions early in life led them to believethat others will ultimately disappoint orexploit them. As a result, they are constantlyvigilant for signs of possible rejection, givingup easily and ready to strike out emotionallyor withdraw from those whom they expectwill let them down. Strong displays ofemotion allow the person an illusion ofcontrol while simultaneously keeping othersat an emotional distance where they are ulti-mately less threatening.

Skeptical. High Skeptical executivesmistrust others’ motives and doubt theirintentions. They expect mistreatment; as aresult, they are quick to find it. In such situa-tions, they may recoil in an angry orcombative manner to gain control anddistance themselves from others. In theworkplace, they are often shrewd, politicallysensitive, and difficult to fool. However, theircynicism leads them to distrust authority andto fear that subordinates will attempt tocircumvent them. These beliefs underlie acontentious interpersonal style character-ized by irritability, argumentativeness, andinsensitivity to criticism.

Cautious. High Cautious individuals fearcriticism and are quick to feel rejected. Theyare careful, conservative, and worried aboutmaking mistakes. They attribute unsuc-cessful experiences to an inherent defectthat sets them apart from others. They avoidgiving other people the opportunity to seetheir deficiencies. Even positive feedbackcan be distorted or discounted. While noone enjoys criticism, these individualscannot tolerate the unpleasant feelings asso-ciated with making a mistake; as a result,they seek to avoid unpredictable events suchas social interactions and decision making.



Reserved. High Reserved leaders prefersocial isolation. They dislike working inteams or meeting new people. Others findthem difficult because they tend to be with-drawn and uncommunicative. They lacksocial sensitivity – the capacity to notice andrespond effectively to the needs and feelingsof others. They believe that life is best livedon a purely rational basis. As a result, theyare typically impervious to both praise andcriticism and rarely offer such feedback toothers. They prefer that others perceivethem as tough, resilient, and self-sufficient.

Leisurely. As a result of early socializationexperiences, the high Leisurely leader avoidsdirect expressions of annoyance and frustra-tion. He or she expresses such feelings inindirect ways. Persons in positions ofauthority are typically perceived as eitherincompetent or unfair. In reaction, the highLeisurely person believes in the right topursue a personal agenda at his or her ownpace. He or she envies those who aresuccessful but at the same time resents themand maintains an illusion of self-sufficiencyand self-respect by covertly resisting expecta-tions.

Bold. High Bold individuals believe theyare unique or exceptional in some way. Thehigh Bold executive was often the ‘goldenchild’ of the family, lacking the boundariesand discipline that help children learn andrespect their own and others’ limits. Thisindividual believes that he or she should nothave to accept subordinate positions andshould be exempt from difficult or dull tasks.The high Bold leader is sublimely insensitiveto the impact of his or her behaviour onothers, believing that subordinates shouldeagerly contribute to the leader’s personalprogress.

Colourful. High Colourful persons arenaturally extraverted and gregarious.However, they often mistake attention foraccomplishment. Historically, attention andaffirmation were predicated upon charm,appearance, and the capacity to entertain.Far less attention was paid to competence,persistence, and achievement. These individ-

uals covertly doubt their real abilities andfear that others will notice their ‘weak-nesses.’ Under stress, the high need forapproval leads to exhibitionistic and ‘enter-taining’ behaviours in place of real produc-tivity.

Imaginative. The high Imaginative personshares with the high Reserved individual aninsensitivity to social cues. As the Reservedperson withdraws, however, the high Imagi-native leader relishes social interaction as anarena for sharing novel ideas, opinions, andstyles. High Imaginative individuals believein their own uniqueness and a need toemphasize creativity over practicality. Theyvalue inner experience to define reality, notwhat others might consider rational or objec-tive. Viewing themselves as special, they aretypically immune to criticism and rejection.

Diligent. High Diligent individuals grewup in environments that valued high levels ofperformance, criticizing work that wasjudged to be substandard in some way. As aresult, these individuals believe that only twooptions are possible in any performance situ-ation: perfection and failure. There is noroom for ‘shades of gray.’ Indeed, they oftenhave difficulty judging the realistic impor-tance of any given task. They distrustautonomous thinking; as a result, they valuerules, standards, and social custom to definethe appropriate response in a performancesituation.

Dutiful. High Dutiful leaders enjoyed anurturant environment early in life;however, caregivers failed to ‘pull back’ asthe child became more capable of self-suffi-ciency. Lacking mastery experiences, thisindividual did not develop a sense of compe-tence and self-efficacy, continuing to believethat he or she must rely on others for impor-tant decisions. The unpredictable orunknown is avoided, as the high Dutifulperson doubts his or her capacity to copesuccessfully with novel challenges or situa-tions. Belief in the self as ‘weak’ impairs thisexecutive’s capacity to think independently.



‘Dark Side’ characteristics and coachingPersonality predicts leadership effectiveness.Knowledge of an executive’s personalityshould facilitate coaching efforts and theultimate success of a leadership develop-ment programme. It is somewhat surprising,therefore, that very little attention has beengiven to the links between personality andcoaching. Two recent papers are exceptions.Stewart et al. (2008) assessed the relation-ship between an executive’s scores on a five-factor personality measure and ‘transfer oflearning’ from the coaching environment tothe workplace. Coaching appeared to bemost effective for executives scoring high inemotional stability, conscientiousness, andopenness to experience, and conscientious-ness was a robust predictor of the executive’suse of newly developed skills in his or herday-to-day managerial activities. In a similarvein, McCormick and Burch (2008) offereda taxonomy of coaching targets linked specif-ically to the executive’s scores on assessmentsderived from the five-factor model. Forexample, McCormick and Burch (2008)recommend that executives scoring low onExtraversion be encouraged to work toremember people’s names, learn conversa-tion skills, create enthusiasm and excitementwithin their teams, etc.

Many authors have suggested that avariety of ‘intrapersonal’ factors maydegrade managerial performance andshould, therefore, be addressed in thecontext of executive coaching. Kaiser andKaplan (2006) and Johnson (2008), forexample, argue that dysfunctional interper-sonal behaviours frequently reflect distortedbeliefs and flawed ‘mental models’ that anexecutive may have about the self and othersin the environment. Kaiser and Kaplan(2006) suggest that effective coaches must beprepared to confront the subtle fears offailure, inadequacy, and rejection that cancloud the executive’s judgment and impairinteractions with subordinates and peers.This viewpoint echoes Kilburg’s (2000, 2004)emphasis on the value of psychodynamicconstructs in coaching. Indeed, the popular

concept of ‘emotional intelligence’ assumesthat effective coaching allows executives totranscend flawed views of the self and othersto create a management style marked by self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal sensi-tivity (Salovey & Mayer, 1990; Goleman,1998).

Assessment of dysfunctional dispositionsenhances the precision and potential effec-tiveness of coaching in at least three ways.First, the relationship between the coachand the executive is an interpersonal rela-tionship that the coachee is likely to findsomewhat stressful. As such, dysfunctionalinterpersonal strategies tend to emerge inthe relationship. Knowledge of the execu-tive’s potential responses allows the coach toanticipate problems and craft the relation-ship accordingly. Second, enhanced ‘self-awareness’ is an essential precursor tomeaningful change. The results of a ‘darkside’ assessment can help the executivemake sense of any negative feedbackreceived from others (e.g. the results of a360-degree assessment). Third, being awareof the executive’s typical dysfunctional inter-personal patterns will allow the coach tochoose specific targets for developmentalintervention and identify the interventionstrategies most likely to be effective. Weexamine each of these domains in moredetail.

Crafting the coaching relationshipThe quality of the relationship between thecoach and the executive is critical for theultimate success of the coaching effort. Firstand foremost, the coach must create anatmosphere of trust so that the executive canrisk being honest about his or her concerns,perceptions of others in the organization,and expectations for coaching itself. Second,the coach must be perceived as an expert infacilitating change and knowledgeable aboutbusiness processes, the status of the execu-tive’s organization, and the nature of effec-tive leadership. Finally, the coach must beable to respond empathically to coachees,allowing them to feel respected and under-



stood even as they develop new self-percep-tions, understand how others perceive them,and learn how to lead more effectively.Kemp (2008) notes that, although thecoaching relationship is important for thesuccess of developmental efforts, little atten-tion has been directed to this aspect ofcoaching. The relationship between thecoach and the executive is a ‘real relation-ship.’ If the effectiveness of coaching is influ-enced by the quality of the relationship, thenit is important to consider the qualities thatthe coach and the executive bring to theinteraction.

As we suggested above, people organizetheir interpersonal experiences in terms ofschemas. These schemas influence percep-tions, information processing, attributionsabout the causes of events, etc. It makessense, then, to assume that the executive willbring to the coaching process a set of beliefsand expectations that will influence his orher reactions to the coach and, ultimately,readiness for change. These expectationsmay be shaped by a number of factors: thecontext in which the executive was referredfor coaching, the attitudes communicated(either implicitly or explicitly) by seniormanagement about the value of coaching,and the extent to which others in the organ-ization are concurrently receiving coaching(Gilpin-Jackson & Bushe, 2006; Ruvolo,Petersen & LeBoeuf, 2004). But the execu-tive also brings to coaching the sameschemas and interpersonal strategies thatinfluence his or her other relationships. Tothe extent that these schemas are associatedwith dysfunctional interpersonal strategies,these strategies are likely to emerge in thecoaching relationship as well. Awareness ofthis allows the coach to anticipate road-blocks to the development of a productiverelationship and ways the executive is likelyto ‘push back’ against developmental recom-mendations. The coach can then craft therelationship to reduce the influence of thesefactors.

Consider, for example, an executive witha high score on the Excitable scale of theHogan Development Survey, a ‘dark side’measure. This executive seeks affirmationbut expects disappointment, and occasion-ally uses emotional displays to createdistance from others. He or she may initiallyrespond to coaching with enthusiasm,leading the coach to be optimistic abouthis/her readiness for change. But the execu-tive is also likely to be easily discouraged withcoaching, perhaps even responding angrilyto negative feedback or to the coachingprocess itself. In contrast, an executivescoring high on the HDS Mischievous scale islikely to be charming and overtly responsiveto the coach’s efforts. But high Mischievousindividuals have difficulty taking responsi-bility for their behaviour and tend to ignorethe expectations that others hold for them.Such people often perceive coaching as irrel-evant and show little follow-through or‘transfer of learning’ into the day-to-daywork environment. In both examples, knowl-edge of the executive’s scores on scalestapping ‘flawed interpersonal strategies’ willallow the coach to predict problems andplan the coaching effort accordingly. For thehigh Excitable individual, the coach couldpredict disillusionment early in the relation-ship, offer heightened empathy inpresenting feedback, and take steps toensure that commitment to the process ismaintained. For the high Mischievouscoachee, the coach could remain construc-tively skeptical of the executive’s expressedenthusiasm, building into the coachingprocess multiple ‘accountability checks.’

The flawed interpersonal strategies thatmay be problematic (or potentially problem-atic) in the executive’s work environment arelikely to recapitulate in the coaching rela-tionship. As the old saying goes, ‘forewarnedis forearmed.’ Assessment of ‘dark side’ char-acteristics prior to or early in the coachingprocess allows the coach to be sensitive tothese self-defeating behaviours and planaccordingly to minimize the extent to whichthey can interfere with effective coaching.



Enhancing strategic self-awarenessMuch of our behaviour is automatic andrepetitive: we tend to do what has seemed towork in the past. It is the novel, the unex-pected, and the discomforting that motivateself-reflection and change. Correspondingly,expanded self-awareness is a cornerstone ofmost coaching interventions. R. Hogan andBenson (in press) argue that meaningfulself-awareness (which they label ‘strategic’self-awareness) requires, first, understandingone’s strengths and limitations and, second,understanding how they compare with thoseof others. Hogan and Benson note thatintrospection alone cannot meaningfullyenhance strategic self-awareness; rather,such awareness requires performance-basedfeedback derived from structured assess-ment. In other words, executives need feed-back on their habitual ways of dealing withpeople. Armed with this information, leaderscan devise plans to expand their capabilities(add new skills), expand their capacity(improve existing skills), or compensate forshortcomings. Information that focuses onlyon the positive fails to address genuine limi-tations – performance improves only whenpeople know what they are doing wrong, andeven strengths can turn into problems after apoint (Kaplan & Kaiser, in press).

Most coaching includes some type ofperformance evaluation highlighting theexecutive’s strengths and weaknesses. Oftenthese evaluations are in the form of 360-degree ratings derived from assessmentsoffered by higher-level executives, peers, andsubordinates. Multisource feedback ratingscorrelate well with other measures of leader-ship effectiveness (Smither, London & Reilly,2005); indeed, Shipper and Wilson (1991)found that subordinate’s ratings of a leader’sperformance are more highly associatedwith team effectiveness than either peer orsuperior ratings. Thus, ratings offered bythose who work for the executive may be crit-ically important in facilitating strategic self-awareness and identifying areas for potentialchange. But feedback derived from others’perceptions is typically insufficient in itself to

motivate lasting change in leader behaviour(Craig & Hannum, 2006; Gregory, Levy &Jeffers, 2008; Kluger & DeNisi, 1996; London& Smither, 2002). Executives at risk forderailment are unlikely to benefit from feed-back alone, as they are typically self-absorbed, unwilling to take responsibility,and reluctant to learn from their mistakes (J. Hogan, Hogan & Kaiser, in press).

This, of course, is where coaching can beparticularly important. Armed with bothmultirater and personality assessment data,the coach can assist the executive in makingsense of the perceptions of both subordi-nates and others. Consider, for example, anexecutive who is referred for coachingbecause the team’s productivity is decliningand staff morale is low. Multirater assessmentreveals that subordinates view the executiveas too forceful and inadequately facilitative.Assessment of ‘dark side’ characteristics canhelp pinpoint the behaviours that contributeto negative staff perceptions. For example, ifthe leader scores high on the Reserved scaleof the HDS, we can conclude that the execu-tive tends to withdraw, to appear tough andcold, and to lack empathy for staff concerns.In contrast, if the executive scores high onthe Bold scale, it is likely that he or she is self-centered, fails to accept responsibility formistakes, and sees staff as a tool to further hisor her career progress. To the degree thatthe coach can help the executive make senseof the subordinates’ ratings, this will increasethe client’s strategic self-awareness.

Identifying targets and strategies fordevelopmentA cursory review of the executive coachingliterature reveals a wide variety of develop-mental interventions. Coaching strategiesrange from deep-muscle relaxation to askingcolleagues for ongoing feedback to assertive-ness training to instruction in strategicproblem solving. Riggio and Lee (2007)provide an extensive review of techniques tohelp executives develop the competenciescritical for effective leadership. The ques-tions, of course, are what techniques to



employ, where to begin, and how. In manycases, the answers to these questions will beshaped by the context of coaching, theagreements reached between the clientorganization and the coach, etc. In othercases, the coach will have more latitude inidentifying both the targets for coaching andthe intervention strategies employed.

There is considerable debate in the liter-ature on the difference between coachingand psychotherapy: is the coach a counselloror a technical consultant on matters ofbehaviour change (Hart, Blattner & Leipsic,2001; Joo, 2005; Witherspoon & White,1996)? Although there are differencesbetween coaching and therapy (Gray, 2006;Levinson, 1996), effective coaches movealong the continuum between them to dealwith the needs of the executive and his/herorganization. Further, the coach has aresponsibility to identify and intervene withthe factors most likely to enhance the execu-tive’s leadership – despite what he, she, orthe organization think the executive’s needsare. Any development target will be theproduct of several different causal processes.Coaching tends to emphasize proximalrather than distal causes (which are oftenthe focus of traditional psychotherapy). Evenso, a development issue can be cased byfactors ranging from insufficient social skillsto faulty cognitive schemas. The distinctionis important: skills development approacheswill fail if the problems are a result of deficitsin intrapersonal self-regulation or flawedinterpersonal strategies. Coaching is notsimply ‘a technology followed by a formula’(Schein, 2003, p.80).

Assessment provides the key for decidingbetween the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of executivedevelopment. Consider an executive whosemultirater feedback indicates insufficient‘forceful’ leadership. This person has diffi-culty being appropriately assertive, settingclear expectations, and holding staffaccountable for their performance. Seniormanagement fears that this talented execu-tive may derail if she cannot find a balancebetween enabling and forceful leadership.

The coach might design a programme ofrole-playing, behaviour rehearsal, and grad-uated practice to help the executive becomemore appropriately assertive. This is a wellresearched and widely accepted behaviouralintervention for unassertive individuals. Butwhat if assessment of dysfunctional interper-sonal dispositions reveals this executive behighly Cautious? In this case the executivewould be influenced by fear of failure, aver-sion to risk, and expectations of criticism.Although behavioural techniques can some-times ‘work backward’ to modify existingschemas, it is usually more effective toaddress the schema directly using well estab-lished cognitive techniques (cf. Ducharme,2004; Grieger & Fralick, 2007; Young et al.,2003). When the executive becomes aware ofhis/her possible mistakes and flawedbehaviour, behavioural interventions arelikely to be significantly more effective.

Thus, if a ‘dark side’ assessment indicatesthat potential derailing patterns are ‘withinnormal limits’ a coach may use directive inter-ventions targeted to improving existing skillsor the acquisition of new ones. In this case,the coach may be functioning as a ‘technicalconsultant.’ But if the assessment reveals theinfluence of distorted cognitive schemas,these will need to be addressed beforebehavioural interventions will be productive.In this case, the distinction between coachand counselor blurs considerably.

ConclusionCoaching is intended to help executivesbecome more effective leaders. Ineffectiveleadership is more common than manybelieve, and bad leaders not only reduce theproductivity and profitability of the businessunits for which they are responsible, theyalso create misery, anxiety, and hostilityamong those who report to them. Person-ality predicts both effective and ineffectiveleadership. Dysfunctional characteristics –flawed interpersonal strategies that canderail an executive’s career – are associatedwith specific cognitive schemas that causethe behaviour of self and others to be

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CorrespondenceEric Nelson & Robert HoganHogan Assessment Systems,2622 East 21st Street,Tulsa, OK 74114,USA.E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]



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S AN EXECUTIVE COACH, I am askedto work with extremely successful

leaders who want to get even better.I work with these leaders to achieve positive,measurable, long-term change in behaviour.

The challenge, and the reason executivecoaches are often hired, is that the leader-ship behaviour that was associated withyesterday’s results may not be the behaviourthat is needed to achieve tomorrow’s innova-tion. In almost all cases, even the mostsuccessful leaders can increase their effec-tiveness by changing certain elements oftheir behaviour. And, while we can easily seethe need to change the behaviour of others,we often have great difficulty in changingourselves!

Executive coaches have the challenge ofhelping leaders help themselves and ofhelping them make the changes that willtake their teams to the ‘next level’.

This definition of an ‘executive coach’wasn’t always so apparent to me. It is a defi-nition more than three decades in themaking. As a matter of fact, I began my exec-utive coaching career by accident! I wasworking with a CEO who said, ‘We have thisyoung guy working with us who is smart,dedicated, hardworking, driven to achieve,entrepreneurial, and gets results. He is alsoan arrogant, stubborn, opinionated know-it-all. We don’t think he is living our values. Itwould be worth a fortune to me if we couldturn him around.’ I heard the word fortuneand said, ‘Maybe I can help!’ He said, ‘I doubt it.’ That’s when I came up with myidea: ‘I will work with him for a year. If hegets better, pay me. If he doesn’t get better,

it’s all free!’ The CEO said, ‘Sold!’ Perhapsthe biggest challenge I faced was getting overmy own ego. It finally dawned on me that myclients don’t get better because of me. Theyget better because of themselves and thepeople around them. If their drive toimprove doesn’t come from them, it won’thappen.

Follow-up or failMy partner, Howard Morgan, and I meas-ured the impact of leadership developmentprogrammes on increased leadership effec-tiveness, as judged not by participants, but bytheir co-workers six months later. We foundthat participants who do not follow-up makeno progress, while those who return fromthe programmes, practice what is taught,discuss what they learn with co-workers, anddo regular progress checks are seen asbecoming more effective leaders.

The people who improve the most have asupport group or network that holds themaccountable. Many executive coaches arepaid for activities – not results. They get paidbased on the time they spend and becausetheir clients like them. I don’t get paidbecause my clients like me nor do I get paidfor spending time. I get paid if my clients getsignificantly better on pre-selectedbehaviours, as judged by the people whowork with them and their managers.

My mission is helping successful leadersachieve a positive long-term change inbehaviour. I don’t work on reformation pro-jects. If companies are thinking about firingan executive, I don’t want to work with thisperson. I no longer try to convince anyone to


Expert Opinion:

Executive Coaching: A real worldperspective from a real-life coachingpractitionerMarshall Goldsmith

A

do anything. I just say, ‘Ask yourself. Is thisthe right thing to do? If it is, do it. If it’s not,don’t do it.’ There are two elements of whatI do in coaching: one is required; the secondis optional. If my clients don’t want to do therequired; then I don’t work with them. I justsay, ‘Why waste my time and yours?’ Therequired part is that my clients must agreethat I will interview all of their pre-selectedco-workers. The CEO either picks the co-workers or agrees that they’re the right co-workers.

After interviewing my clients’ co-workers,I develop a profile of their leadershipbehaviour. My report contains confidential,anonymous feedback. I then spend time withthe co-workers to help them help my client.I tell the co-workers, ‘I’m going to beworking with my client, Joe, for the next year.I won’t get paid if Joe doesn’t get better.Better is not determined by Joe (or by me) –better is determined by you.’ I then continue,‘I have four requests for you: (1) Let go ofthe past (simple but not easy); (2) Swear totell the truth (it increases the odds they will);(3) Be a positive and supportive coach formy client – not a cynic, critic, or judge; and(4) Pick something that you want to dobetter. My client will reach out to you andsay, ‘I want to get better at X.’ You can thensay, ‘Please help me get better at Y.’ This wayhundreds of people end up getting better –all because we decide to help more andjudge less.’ After reviewing their feedback,my clients talk with each of their co-workers.

My client says, ‘Here are the positivethings that I have learned about myself. Hereis what I want to change.

I can’t change the past, so please give meideas on how I can do a better job in thisbehaviour in the future.’ I tell my clients:Never promise to do everything that your co-workers suggest. Leadership is not a popu-larity contest.

Just listen. Be quiet, think about what youare learning and then say ‘thank you.’ Tellthem, ‘I can’t promise to do everything yousuggest, but I can promise to listen and dowhat I can!’ After my clients talk with their

co-workers, they talk with me. I review whatthey have learned and give them my ideas.Not all of my ideas are brilliant.

I reserve the right to be wrong. I ask myclients to only use the ideas that work forthem. They have a disciplined follow-upprocess with their co-workers.

They then get measured on theirimprovement in identified behaviours, lead-ership effectiveness, and their follow- up witheach co-worker. Leaders who stick with theprocess get better.

People who careRather than force people to participate inleadership development, set strict guidelineson who is allowed to participate. If partici-pants won’t commit to follow up and applywhat they learn, don’t waste time, money,and energy on training them. Put all yourenergy into those people who care.

Successful people want to win, and it’shard for them not to win. I asked one of myCEO clients, ‘What have you learned sincebecoming CEO?’ He sighed, ‘My suggestionsbecome orders.’ If you’re the CEO, youalways win. You need to learn to let otherswin.

My typical client is a multi-millionaire,brilliant, dedicated, hardworking personwho sincerely wants to get better. Each onewill admit that none of this stuff is easy. It’shard to change! I find it ironic that compa-nies say, ‘We’re going to transform ourleaders by having them sit through a two-dayprogramme.’ Yeah, right! This compulsiveneed to win at everything you do can easilybecome a habit.

To help leaders break the habit, I tellthem, ‘Your co-workers and I will give youideas. Even if you think our ideas are stupid,don’t argue with us or critique our ideas. Justsay, ‘thank you’. If you don’t like our sugges-tions, don’t do them.’

People listen much better when theydon’t have to prove how smart they are. So I teach my clients how to listen withoutcomposing their next comment to provehow smart they are.


Executive Coaching: A real world perspective from a real-life coaching practitioner

Another leadership challenge is thetendency to add too much value. Forexample, if I come to you, my boss, with anidea, and you think it’s a great idea, you’lllikely say, ‘That’s a great idea, but let’s addthis to it.’ Well, the quality of the idea may goup five per cent; however, my commitmentto execution may go down 50 per cent. It’snot my idea anymore. It’s now become youridea. It’s hard for smart, successful peoplenot to constantly add value. You need to ask,‘Is it worth it?’ before you speak.

Everyone around the people I coachknows exactly what my clients are trying toimprove. If you want others to develop, startwith yourself and let other people watch youtry to get better.

Almost all executive education is basedon the myth: If they understand, they will do.Somehow we pretend that if you post theright word, say the right phrase, or talk aboutthe right technique, people will do the rightthings. If that were true, then why are somany people fat? Go on a diet and work outevery day! It’s not hard to understand. It’shard to do! The challenge in leadershipdevelopment is not making sure that leadersunderstand the practice of leadership – it ismaking sure that leaders practice theirunderstanding.

Why measure it?Part of being an effective leader is setting upsystems to measure everything that matters,including important soft-side values: howoften we’re rude to people, how often we’repolite, how often we ask for input, how oftenwe bite our tongue rather than say an inflam-matory remark.

If you track a number, you remind otherpeople that you are trying. It’s one thing totell your employees or customers that you’llspend more time with them. It’s another ifyou attach a real number to that goal,measure it, and make people are aware of it.

Everything is measurable, from daysspent communicating with employees tohours invested in mentoring a colleague. Allyou have to do is look at your calendar orwatch – and count.

Setting numerical targets makes youmore likely to achieve them. Creating anincome statement for the soft stuff will makeyou a better leader.

Behavioural coaching for executivesBehavioural coaching is just one branch inthe coaching field. This process can be verymeaningful and valuable for both top execu-tives and high-potential future leaders.

People often ask me, ‘Can executives, oranyone, really change their behaviour?’ Yesthey can. If they didn’t we wouldn’t get paid.And, when it comes to changing behaviour,even a seemingly small, positive change froma top executive can have a huge impact onthe rest of the organization. The fact that theexecutive is trying to change may be evenmore important than what the executive isactually trying to change. In even attemptingbehavioural change, the executive is being agreat role model for personal developmentand that is what coaching for leadership is allabout.


Marshall Goldsmith


THE TRADITIONAL STEREOTYPE of aperson with a mental illness in a mentalhospital is not one that is usually

congruent with the stereotype of a high func-tioning leader. In fact, some coachingpsychologists and proponents of positivepsychology may use the ‘positive focus’ oftheir endeavours to conveniently sidestepthe sustaining challenges of serious mentalillness. The organisational and personalchallenges within mental health systems andpersonal recovery from mental illness arehowever major opportunities for effectiveleaders to have an impact. Important ques-tions emerge. What leadership is required atorganisational, staff and patient levels in thearea of serious mental illness? What oppor-tunities does the recovery movement bring?

What does this all have to do with coachingpsychology, leadership coaching and appliedpositive psychology?

In this paper we will introduce the‘recovery movement’ in mental health that ischallenging the policy and practices in manynations regarding mental health serviceprovision (Slade, Amering & Oades, 2008).Key aspects of this movement will be relatedto components of positive psychology, partic-ularly Dweck’s (2006) construct of a growthmindset and the strengths focus.

The Collaborative Recovery Model(Oades et al., 2005) is then introduced as astaff development model for mental healthpractitioners, working with people withserious mental illness. The model was specif-ically designed to be consistent with the

Leadership coaching transforming mentalhealth systems from the inside out:The Collaborative Recovery Model asperson-centred strengths based coachingpsychologyLindsay G. Oades, Trevor P. Crowe & Melanie Nguyen

Mental health service provision is being transformed by a call for ‘recovery oriented care’. Rather than thetraditional medical meaning of cure, the term ‘recovery’ refers to the personal and transformational processof patients living with mental illness, moving towards a preferred identity and a life of meaning – aframework where growth is possible, and the fixed mindsets around diagnoses such as schizophrenia arechallenged. At an organisational level, however, organisations and their service providers have typicallyoperated on a framework that is fixed in terms of the potentialities of the mental health patients. This paperdescribes the ongoing transformation of a large tertiary inpatient mental health unit in Ontario, Canada,through a parallel staff and patient implementation of a person-centred strengths based coachingframework, known as the Collaborative Recovery Model (CRM). Consistent with developments in positivepsychology, the model focuses on strengths and values, goals and actions, within a coaching framework,with an emphasis on the alliance between staff and patient, and the growth potential of the patient. By using the principles of coaching psychology, mental health staff members are leading change in theorganisation by personal use of the principles and practices that they are also using to coach patients. The leadership and organisational change challenges are described and future directions are discussed.

Keywords: positive leadership, strengths coaching, mental health recovery, growth mindset.


recovery movement due to its strength, goalsand growth focus. The use of the CRM isconceptualised as a form of person-centredstrengths coaching. The use of a parallelprocess is then introduced, in which mentalhealth staff use the same protocols (e.g.strengths/values identification, goal setting,action planning and homework) as thepatients. That is, patient coaching by staffmirrors the coaching staff receive in bothprocess and form. Staff members are empow-ered to use the positive principles of leader-ship coaching in their personal andprofessional life, and with their patients.This leadership from ‘the inside-out’(Bianco-Mathis, Nabors & Roman, 2002) isconsistent with the personal responsibilityemphasised within the recovery movement(Andresen, Oades & Caputi, 2003). Specificexamples are then provided of coachingpatients and how this method is differentfrom traditional mental health care.

The challenges of transforming mentalhealth service provision are then describedwith specific reference to coaching staff in alarge inpatient mental health unit inOntario, Canada, and how coaching may beused to overcome poor transfer of training.It will be argued that the concept of ‘positiveleadership’ is particularly relevant to thechallenges of mental health organisations-due to their vulnerability to burnout andscepticism regarding human potential(Cameron, 2008; Kase, 2009). Future direc-tions for this unit are described.

Mental health recovery, positivepsychology and the growth mindsetSlade, Amering and Oades (2008) assert thatwhilst there has been a significant increase inthe use of the term ‘recovery’ in Englishspeaking mental health systems, that there isa need for conceptual clarity around theterm. These authors refer to ‘clinical recov-ery’ as the definition traditionally used inmental health services, which refers tosustained remission. The authors argue thatthis locates the term within an illness frameof understanding, and equates recovery with

long-term reduction or ideally removal ofsymptomatology, accompanied by functionalimprovement. The second definition,‘personal recovery’, emerged from patientswho have lived with long term illness. Thisdefinition emphasises the individualised,lived experience. To assist clarification of thedefinition of recovery, particularly personalrecovery, Slade et al. (2008) offer aconsensus statement involving 10 principlesand descriptions as follows: (1) Self-direction– Consumers lead, control, exercise choiceover, and determine their own path ofrecovery; (2) Individualised and Person-Centred – There are multiple pathways torecovery based on the individual person’sunique needs, preferences, and experiences;(3) Empowerment – Consumers have theauthority to exercise choices and make deci-sion that impact their lives and are educatedand supported in so doing; (4) Holistic –Recovery encompasses the varied aspects ofan individual’s life including mind, body,spirit, and community; (5) Non-linear-Recovery is not a step-by-step process butone based on continual growth with occa-sional setbacks; (6) Strengths-Based-Recovery focuses on valuing and building onthe multiple strengths, resiliency, copingabilities, inherent worth, and capabilities ofthe individual; (7) Peer Support – Theinvaluable role of mutual support in whichconsumers encourage one another inrecovery is recognised and promoted; (8)Respect – Community, system, and societalacceptance and appreciation of consumers -including the protection of consumer rightsand the elimination of discrimination andstigma – are crucial in achieving recovery;(9) Responsibility – Consumers havepersonal responsibility for their own self-careand journeys of recovery; and (10) Hope –Recovery provides the essential and moti-vating message that people can and do over-come the barriers and obstacles thatconfront them.

Examination of the 10 principles ofpersonal recovery outlined by Slade et al.(2008) reveals convergence with the assump-

Lindsay G. Oades, Trevor P. Crowe & Melanie Nguyen

Leadership coaching transforming mental health systems from the inside out


tions of positive psychology, with ‘strengthsbased’ and ‘hope’ being the most obviousoverlaps. Resnick and Rosenheck (2006)have described parallel themes and potentialsynergies between recovery and positivepsychology, with particular emphasis onstrengths. The importance of hope inpersonal recovery was documented byAndresen, Oades and Caputi (2003), paral-leled by Hope Theory (Snyder, 2000) withinpositive psychology literature. LikewiseJoseph and Linley (2008) have developedthe concept of post-traumatic growth, partic-ularly relating to post-traumatic stress. Keyes’(2002) work on flourishing and the mentalhealth continuum has significant conceptualconsistency with personal recovery.

Dweck (2006) differentiates between thefixed mindset and the growth mindset.People with fixed mindsets believe that theirbasic qualities like intelligence or talent arefixed traits. They may then spend time docu-menting their intelligence or talent ratherthan developing it. They may also believethat talent alone creates success, withouteffort. Dweck contrasts the fixed mindset,with a growth mindset. A person with agrowth mindset believes that his/her mostbasic abilities can be developed throughhard work, leading to a love of learning andresilience.

It is our proposition that mental healthsystems and diagnosis of serious mentalillness, such as schizophrenia, have rein-forced fixed mindsets, that is ‘a person withschizophrenia cannot function because ofthe illness, it is fixed’. The ‘recovery’ move-ment, however, a term co-opted by mentalhealth patients to say it is ‘our recovery’ so‘we will use the term how we please’ hasbegan to emphasise that growth and devel-opment is possible, despite symptoms ofillness. The challenge remains, however, tochange the mindset of staff and patients whomay have developed fixed mindsets aboutthe abilities of patients. The existence of amedical condition is not being questionedhere, rather the assumptions around theperson’s abilities with the medical condition

is at question. The leadership question ishow to transform mental health organisa-tions and cultures towards such a change.

The CRM now described emphasises thegrowth focus of recovery, and directly includestraining on staff and patient mindsets towardsdeveloping abilities. This focus, combinedwith a strengths coaching framework areapplied positive psychology principles inaction within environments and organisationsthat are not construed as positive.

Collaborative Recovery Model asperson-centred strengths coachingpsychologyOades et al. (2005) first described the CRMas a model that assists clinicians to useevidence based skills with consumers in amanner consistent with the recovery move-ment. In its origin the CRM informed theCRM training programme and was focusseddirectly on training mental health staff. Themodel has now expanded to be used as astaff development programme, involvingtraining and coaching. Moreover modules ofself-development for consumers (Oades etal., 2008) have been developed, as has carercomponents and the need for whole oforganisation transformation has been recog-nised. The key principles and components ofthe CRM are illustrated in Table 1.

Observation of Table 1 will reveal thatonly Guiding Principle 1 makes any refer-ence to illness (i.e. Recovery) and the rest ofthe model, based within a collaborative rela-tionship, is effectively a goal striving cycle-consistent with previous life coaching with ahope focus (Green, Oades & Grant, 2006). It is for this reason we refer to it also as aperson-centred (Joseph, 2006) and strengthsbased coaching model (Linley &Harrington, 2006a, 2006b).

Crowe et al. (2006) reported significantimprovements in staff attitudes when trainedin the CRM. However, Uppal et al. (in press)report the significant difficulties in transferof training in multiple Australian mentalhealth services aiming to implement thismodel. For this reason, a coaching pro-


gramme has been implemented with staff tosupplement the training component. More-over, protocols have been revised to furtheremphasise the coaching nature of the inter-vention itself.

The training and coaching competenciesfor mental health staff are illustrated inTable 2. In addition to the six modules oftraining, there are three modules forrecovery champions (i.e. the group respon-sible for initiating and sustaining organisa-tional change). Table 2 also illustrates theexplicit inclusion of the growth mindset,which we view as central to staff developmentif recovery oriented care is to be possible.

Table 2 refers to three key protocols,illustrated in Figure 1, to assist implementa-tion of the coaching model (Oades & Crowe,2008). The ‘Camera’ is a simple strengthsand values clarification exercise that is usedin collaboration with mental healthconsumers, and used for the professionaldevelopment of mental health staff.Coachees are asked to list a personalstrength or value clockwise around the ‘lens’of the camera and then indicate how effec-tively they have been utilising that strength,or implementing that value in the last 30days. The ‘Compass’ is a visioning and goalsetting instrument, adapted from previouswork on the CRM (Clarke et al., 2006), basedon established goals striving evidence(Sheldon & Elliott, 1998, 1999; Sheldon,2001). The ‘Compass’ assists people to setspecific, measurable, realistic and time-framed goals by asking them to identifythree levels of goal attainment, for a goalthat is consistent with values identified

within the ‘Camera’. The ‘MAP’ is an actionplanning instrument based on behaviouralchange and homework principles (Kelly etal., 2006). The ‘MAP’ includes identifyingspecific actions required to achieve one ofthe goals listed in the ‘Compass’, identifybarriers to that action, possible solutions,and aspects of social support and how theactions will be monitored. The protocols aredeliberately colourful, simple and non-pathologising in contrast to standardmedical record forms.

To a practicing coaching psychologist,working with individuals in life coaching,workplace or executive coaching, the imple-mentation of the Camera, Compass, MAP islikely to appear straightforward. To imple-ment these, however, in an inpatient mentalhealth unit, with a long tradition of medicalassumptions represents significant organisa-tional change, requiring significant leader-ship. One key strategy has been the use of‘parallel process’. This concept has been wellestablished in supervision of psychotherapy(Grey & Fiscalini, 1987; McNeill & Worthen,1989; Miller & Twomey,1999). Originally, thekey idea was that processes occurringbetween a therapist and client were likely tobe mirrored, often unconsciously betweenthe supervisor and the therapist. In our view,as CRM is a coaching model, we believe thatmany of the issues that staff report withconsumers, become reflected in how theyrelated with their own coaches or supervi-sors, and indeed in their sense of hopeful-ness, growth orientation, motivation andsense of empowerment. Moreover, in suchsettings, patients and staff may still carry

Table 1: Key components of the Collaborative Recovery Model.

Guiding Principle 1 Recovery as an individual process

Guiding Principle 2 Collaboration and autonomy support

Component 1 Change Enhancement

Component 2 Strengths and values clarification

Component 3 Collaborative Visioning and Goal Striving

Component 4 Collaborative Action Planning and Monitoring




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ptur

es.

Role

pla

y in

pai

rs t

oco

nduc

t of

a d

ecis

iona

lba

lanc

e ex

plor

atio

n,fo

cuss

ing

on w

heth

er t

ow

ork

tow

ards

rec

over

y or

not,

and

othe

r co

nflic

ting

mot

ivat

ions

- el

icit

ing

som

ethi

ng in

eac

hqu

adra

nt t

hat

incl

udes

func

tion

al a

nd s

igni

fica

ntot

her

cost

s or

ben

efit

s.

●D

ocum

ent

trai

l of

com

plet

ed S

ISTR

.●

Cons

umer

rep

ort

of

expl

anat

ion

ofre

cove

ry f

rom

sta

ff.

●Co

nsum

er r

epor

ts o

fst

aff

beha

viou

rs(e

.g. C

onsu

mer

Eval

uati

on o

f Co

llabo

rati

veRe

cove

ry M

odel

,Re

cove

rySe

lf-A

sses

smen

t).

●Co

nsum

er R

atin

g of

Wor

king

Alli

ance

Inve

ntor

y (o

r si

mila

r).

●Co

nsum

er r

epor

ts o

fst

aff

beha

viou

rs

(e.g

. Con

sum

erEv

alua

tion

of

Colla

bora

tive

Reco

very

Mod

el,

Reco

very

Self

-Ass

essm

ent)

.

●D

ocum

ent

trai

l of

com

plet

ed d

ecis

iona

l ba

lanc

e pr

otoc

ols.

Mod

ule

Know

ledg

e Do

mai

nsPr

otoc

ol, S

kills

and

Com

pete

ncy

Trai

ning

Exe

rcis

eSt

aff

Perf

orm

ance

Atti

tude

sM

anag

emen

tIn

dica

tors


Tabl

e 2:

Tra

inin

g an

d Co

achi

ng C

ompe

tenc

ies

for

the

Colla

bora

tive

Rec

over

y M

odel

(con

tinu

ed).

Colla

bora

tive

val

ues

and

stre

ngth

s id

enti

fica

tion

(Com

pone

nt 2

)

Colla

bora

tive

life

vis

ioni

ngan

d go

al s

triv

ing

(Com

pone

nt 3

)

Colla

bora

tive

act

ion

plan

ning

and

mon

itor

ing

(Com

pone

nt 4

)

Valu

es c

larif

icat

ion.

Stre

ngth

s id

enti

fica

tion

.

Pers

onal

life

vis

ion.

Valu

ed d

irect

ions

.G

oal i

dent

ific

atio

n, s

etti

ngan

d st

rivin

g.M

eani

ng/m

anag

eabi

lity

trad

e-of

f.Au

tono

mou

s go

als.

Prev

enti

on a

nd P

rom

otio

ngo

als.

Prox

imal

and

dis

tal g

oals

.

Hea

lth

beha

viou

r ch

ange

.Ac

tion

pla

nnin

g.H

omew

ork.

Self

-eff

icac

y.M

onit

orin

g.Se

lf-m

anag

emen

t.

Atti

tude

: To

take

par

tial

resp

onsi

bilit

y fo

r ro

le in

inte

ract

iona

l asp

ects

of

mot

ivat

ion.

Prot

ocol

: ‘Ca

mer

a’ v

alue

san

d st

reng

ths

clar

ific

atio

nm

etho

d.Sk

ill: A

ssis

t a

cons

umer

to

elic

it p

erso

nal v

alue

s an

dst

reng

ths

and

asse

ss h

oww

ell t

hey

have

bee

nim

plem

ente

d re

cent

ly.

Atti

tude

: To

valu

ere

flec

tive

exe

rcis

esno

twit

hsta

ndin

g cu

rren

tdi

ffic

ulti

es o

r sy

mpt

oms.

Prot

ocol

: ‘Co

mpa

ss’ v

isio

nan

d go

al s

triv

ing

met

hod.

Skill

: Elic

it m

eani

ngfu

lvi

sion

and

man

agea

ble

goal

s.At

titu

de: T

o be

per

sist

ent

wit

hin

the

face

of

obst

acle

s.

Prot

ocol

: ‘M

AP’ a

ctio

npl

anni

ng m

etho

d.Sk

ill: T

o as

sist

wit

h th

ede

velo

pmen

t of

com

preh

ensi

ve a

ctio

npl

ans.

Assi

stin

g co

nsum

ers

tocl

arif

y va

lues

and

stre

ngth

s an

d th

en u

tilis

eth

em in

the

her

e an

d no

w.

Pers

ists

fle

xibl

y an

dco

llabo

rati

vely

wit

h th

eco

mpo

nent

s w

ithi

n th

eCo

mpa

ss t

o as

sist

rec

over

yby

way

of

the

deve

lopm

ent

of a

nin

tegr

ated

mea

ning

ful l

ive

visi

on, v

alue

d di

rect

ions

,m

anag

eabl

e go

als,

whi

chpr

ovid

e a

broa

der

purp

ose

for

acti

ons.

Syst

emat

ical

ly a

ndco

llabo

rati

vely

ass

igns

acti

ons,

and

mon

itor

spr

ogre

ss t

owar

d ac

tion

com

plet

ion

and

goal

s, to

enha

nce

self

-eff

icac

y of

cons

umer

.

Role

pla

y in

pai

rs o

nas

sist

ing

a co

nsum

er t

ous

e th

e Ca

mer

a –

follo

win

g al

l ste

ps.

Role

pla

y in

pai

rs o

nas

sist

ing

a co

nsum

er t

ous

e th

e Co

mpa

ss –

follo

win

g al

l ste

ps.

Role

pla

y in

pai

rs o

nas

sist

ing

a co

nsum

er t

ous

e th

e M

AP –

follo

win

gal

l ste

ps.

●D

ocum

ent

trai

l of

com

plet

ed C

amer

apr

otoc

ols.

●D

ocum

ent

trai

l of

com

plet

ed C

ompa

ss

prot

ocol

s.●

Team

-bas

edpe

rfor

man

ce a

sses

sed

by

Goa

l-IQ

aud

it o

f fi

les

to

exam

ine

qual

ity

of g

oals

do

cum

ente

d in

ca

se n

otes

.

●D

ocum

ent

trai

l of

com

plet

ed M

AP

prot

ocol

s.

Mod

ule

Know

ledg

e Do

mai

nsPr

otoc

ol, S

kills

and

Com

pete

ncy

Trai

ning

Exe

rcis

eSt

aff

Perf

orm

ance

Atti

tude

sM

anag

emen

tIn

dica

tors




Tabl

e 2:

Tra

inin

g an

d Co

achi

ng C

ompe

tenc

ies

for

the

Colla

bora

tive

Rec

over

y M

odel

(con

tinu

ed).

Prom

otin

g Re

cove

ry

Trai

ning

Rec

over

y

Coac

hing

Rec

over

y

Reco

very

orie

nted

car

e.Co

nsum

er p

arti

cipa

tion

mov

emen

t.

Tran

sfer

of

trai

ning

.Ex

perie

ntia

l Lea

rnin

gTh

eory

.Ba

sic

grou

p fa

cilit

atio

n.

Evid

ence

bas

ed c

oach

ing.

GRO

W m

odel

of

coac

hing

.Pa

ralle

l Pro

cess

.

Atti

tude

: To

valu

e ‘sm

all

acti

ons’

betw

een

the

mee

ting

s of

sta

ff a

ndco

nsum

ers

(bet

wee

nse

ssio

n ac

tivi

ty).

Skill

: To

prom

ote

a ‘g

row

thm

inds

et’ t

owar

ds h

uman

deve

lopm

ent.

Atti

tude

: To

poss

ess

a‘g

row

th m

inds

et’ t

owar

dshu

man

dev

elop

men

t.

Skill

: To

com

mun

icat

e th

epr

inci

ples

and

rel

ated

prac

tice

s of

rec

over

y to

men

tal h

ealt

h w

orke

rs in

am

anne

r un

ders

tand

able

to

them

.At

titu

de: T

o vi

ew a

dult

lear

ning

as

mut

ual s

harin

gof

idea

s.

Skill

: To

assi

st c

olle

ague

spa

st ‘s

tuck

poi

nts’

inre

cove

ry o

rient

ed p

ract

ice

in s

hort

mee

ting

s.At

titu

de: T

o va

lue

the

auto

nom

y of

the

coa

chee

.

Mai

ntai

ning

a p

osit

ive

and

hope

ful a

ppro

ach

to t

heph

iloso

phy

of r

ecov

ery

orie

nted

car

e de

spit

e:(a

) crit

icis

m t

hat

it is

over

ly o

ptim

isti

c;(b

) tha

t it

will

not

wor

k in

a pa

rtic

ular

uni

t be

caus

eco

nsum

ers

are

‘too

sick

’.

To b

e ab

le t

o co

mm

unic

ate

the

key

aspe

cts

of t

here

cove

ry p

hilo

soph

y an

d it

sim

plic

atio

ns f

or c

onsu

mer

s,ca

rers

, men

tal h

ealt

hw

orke

rs a

nd o

rgan

isat

ions

.

To a

ssis

t co

lleag

ues

in t

heir

pers

onal

and

pro

fess

iona

lde

velo

pmen

t in

a m

anne

rco

nsis

tent

wit

h w

orki

ngw

ith

a co

nsum

er.

To r

ole

play

a s

itua

tion

wit

h sc

epti

cal c

olle

ague

sre

gard

ing

oppo

siti

on t

ore

cove

ry o

rient

ed c

are

that

it is

: (a)

a f

ad;

(b) ‘

polly

anna

ish’

;(c

) pro

vidi

ng f

alse

hop

e –

and

dem

onst

rate

ref

lect

ive

liste

ning

and

a p

osit

ive

stat

emen

ts, u

sem

otiv

atio

nal e

nhan

cem

ent

stra

tegi

es.

To r

un a

gro

up t

rain

ing

sess

ion

wit

h co

lleag

ues

–an

d pr

ovid

e a

vide

o sa

mpl

ew

ithi

n co

achi

ng w

ith

self

-ev

alua

tion

fro

m c

oach

ee.

To c

ondu

ct c

oach

ing

sess

ions

wit

h co

lleag

ues

and

rece

ive

feed

back

, sel

fev

alua

tion

and

to

mod

ify

base

d on

fee

dbac

k.

●D

emon

stra

ted

part

ners

hip

wit

h co

nsum

er/p

atie

nt

advo

cacy

gro

ups

rega

rdin

g re

cove

ry

orie

nted

car

e de

liver

y.●

Refl

ecti

ve jo

urna

l do

cum

enti

ng t

imes

w

hen

indi

vidu

al

‘spok

e up

to

prom

ote

a gr

owth

min

dset

’.

●N

umbe

r of

tra

inin

g ho

urs

cond

ucte

d.●

Part

icip

ant

eval

uati

on

of t

rain

ing.

●W

illin

gnes

s to

com

plet

e pe

rson

al C

amer

a,

Com

pass

, MAP

.●

Mea

sure

of

‘coa

chin

g al

lianc

e’ r

ated

by

coac

hee.

Mod

ule

Know

ledg

e Do

mai

nsPr

otoc

ol, S

kills

and

Com

pete

ncy

Trai

ning

Exe

rcis

eSt

aff

Perf

orm

ance

Atti

tude

sM

anag

emen

tIn

dica

tors

Colla

bora

tive

Rec

over

y Ch

ampi

on


Figure 1: Camera, Compass and MAP Coaching protocols within CRM.




internalised stigma regarding mental illness;closely related to the fixed mindsets alreadydiscussed.

The parallel process strategy being usedwith CRM is for staff to use the Camera,Compass and MAP as part of their ownprofessional development coaching – exactlythe same protocols that they are asked toused with mental health consumers. This isthe use of leadership coaching principleswith self and with patients leading from theinside-out (Bianco-Mathis, Nabors & Roman,2002). Bianco-Mathis et al. (2002) describe acoaching leadership model that includes‘Coaching the Leader Within’ – coaching aleader on the alignment of who and whathe/she is and wants to be ‘Coaching theLeader with Others’ – the leader in relation-ship with others; and ‘Coaching the Leaderwith the Organization’ – coaching the leaderto lead change and transform the organiza-tion. This leadership coaching frameworkfits closely with the use of CRM with staff andpatients at the mental health organisation tobe described further.

There is an implicit normalisingrationale here that staff and patients all havestrengths, values, goals, actions, and requirea growth mindset. This is significantlydifferent from historical paternalisticassumptions of psychiatric care. Couley andOades (2007) have described how manymental health teams feel that they are also inrecovery, searching for a growth focus. Thisdifference represents the leadership chal-lenge to implement recovery oriented care.This is now discussed.

Developing recovery oriented care:Leadership coaching fortransformationDavidson et al. (2006) have described thetop 10 concerns about recovery in mentalhealth services, with the first concern beingthat recovery oriented care increases expo-sure to risk and liability. Further concernsinclude a perception that it may devalueprofessional expertise, and increase theneed for resources. In addition to issues

related to recovery specifically, there is thegeneral challenge of implementing change-particularly the transfer of training problem.The transfer of training problem is wellestablished, and becomes more difficult withcomplex interpersonal skills, as required inservice industries such as mental healthsystems (Gist, Stevens & Bavetta, 1991).There are multiple challenges to transfer-ring evidence-based recovery practices intoroutine practice and we found that mentalhealth workers endorse institutionalconstraints as the most frequent barriers totransfer of the CRM training into practice(Deane et al., 2006; Uppal et al., in press).Institutional constraints include elementssuch as insufficient staff (e.g. ongoingrecruitment and training) and positive rein-forcement for patients, restrictive adminis-trative practices, inadequate resources andfunding, poor data management, and pooralignment of organizational values/goals tostaff training. It has been consistentlyreported that training transfer and diffusionof innovation are significantly influenced bythese elements (e.g. Rogers, 2003; Turner &Sanders, 2006).

We have observed many instances wherethere is strong managerial and organisa-tional support for recovery oriented prac-tices, yet clinicians have still notimplemented skills in practice. If institu-tional constraint barriers are not the mainfactor preventing transfer of training, it maybe philosophical or attitudinal opposition ofstaff toward practice change. The top 10concerns encountered in implementingrecovery-oriented care include potentialchallenges to the beliefs and philosophicalorientation of staff (Davidson, 2006). Forexample, recovery philosophy encouragesincreased self-management and autonomyamongst patients. This raises concernsamongst mental health workers thatrecovery increases risk-taking by patients andexposes providers to risk and liability. Sincetraditional care models tend to be predomi-nantly risk aversive, it is possible that thisphilosophy may be a barrier to implementa-


tion. Alternatively, it has the potential to be afacilitator for those staff with whom itresonates. Many mental health staff reportrecovery-oriented values, but based onprevious evidence, the transfer of recovery-based training into clinical behaviour hasbeen poor.

In the same way that personal recoveryresearch and practice may be informed bypositive psychology principles, the disciplineof positive organisational scholarship(Cameron, Dutton & Quinn, 2003) andspecifically positive leadership (Cameron,2008) provide useful frameworks to under-stand the organisational challenges in devel-oping recovery oriented mental healthservices. Positive leadership emphasises theneed for positive climate, positive relation-ships, positive communication and positivemeaning. For this reason, the implementa-tion of a strengths-based coaching model(Collaborative Recovery Model), in parallelfor staff and patients is consistent with thepositive leadership model. The mentalhealth organisation in Ontario, Canada, and this implementation process is nowdescribed.

The mental health organisation is a largetertiary inpatient mental health facility inOntario, servicing approximately 330 adoles-cent, adult and elderly inpatients and over440 outpatients with enduring mental illness,particularly schizophrenia spectrum disor-ders. The organisational employs 1200 staff,with 700 clinical staff including nurses, occu-pational therapists, psychiatrists, psycholo-gists, recreational therapists, service providerswho have been patients and social workers.The 500 non-clinical staff including house-keeping, maintenance and administration.

In November, 2008, the organisationembarked on a new initiative, ‘Recovery andRediscover – the Shared Journey’. Consistentwith the parallel process of growthdescribed, the staff professional develop-ment training and coaching (‘rediscovery’)is being run directly alongside changes tothe service delivery model (i.e. to berecovery focussed). The positive leadership

involves a commitment to training all 1200staff in the principles of the CollaborativeRecovery Model, including growth mindset,hope, etc. This educational initiative was offi-cially launched in January of 2009 and willbe implemented throughout the hospitalover the next 18 months, bringing patients,clinical and non-clinical towards a commondesired goal: a recovery-based organization.All clinical staff will receive a five-daytraining module followed by ongoing work-place coaching. The practice model forpatients will mirror this coaching throughthe use of the CRM. Recovery championswere nominated from each unit, and havereceived the training and coachingdescribed in Table 2 and the protocols illus-trated in Figure 1.

In addition to the CRM being a coachingmodel used in parallel, within the organisa-tion there is a clinical coaching role whichwill provide support for clinical practice asinter-professional teams work to integratethe recovery philosophy into the everydaycare that they provide. Historically, mentalhealth clinicians have felt undervaluedregarding the highly specialized care andskill set needed to work with patients withmental illnesses. As staff continue to work inenvironments with increasingly people whohave acute illness, staffing issues, unpre-dictable and potentially volatile situations,the opportunity for positive and transforma-tional leadership is crucial. Change agents(such as an Advanced Practice Nurse/Clinical Coach or a Recovery Champion)influence practice and collaborationthrough direct relationships with patientsand through supportive and consultativeroles with staff. These individuals are allacting explicitly as leadership coaches, whilstall staff and patients are encouraged toemploy the principles of coachingpsychology, and lead themselves.

Broader organisational initiatives havealso included changing policy documents toreflect the positive growth recoverylanguage, including recovery based metricsinto balanced scorecard reporting, changing




electronic documentation to reflect themodel. Staff incentives and recruitment arealso currently being examined to exploretheir congruence with the recovery andgrowth orientation. The patient advocacygroups are also being supported to interpretand implement the programme.

The implementation of the programmeis being evaluated over an 18-month periodwith a repeated measures design, focussinginitially on staff outcomes, to be followed byexamination of patient outcomes and satis-faction.

ConclusionThe principles and practices of coachingpsychology, particularly leadership coaching,combined with those of positive leadershipcan have important applications, includingenvironments that would be stereotypicallythought of as clinical and not growthoriented, namely tertiary inpatient mentalhealth units. This paper has described howcoaching psychology, positive psychology andpositive leadership can be combined with anemerging movement in mental health serviceprovision, the recovery movement. The appli-cation in this environment rejects any asser-tion that coaching psychology or positivepsychology only applies to ‘non-clinical’populations, claiming rather that they repre-sent a collection of attitudes, concepts andpractices that value growth.

The authorsLindsay OadesSchool of Psychology &Illawarra Institute for Mental Health,University of Wollongong,NSW, Australia.

Trevor CroweIllawarra Institute for Mental Health,University of Wollongong,NSW, Australia.

Melanie NguyenWhitby Mental Health Centre,Whitby,Ontario, Canada.

CorrespondenceDr Lindsay OadesSchool of Psychology,University of Wollongong,NSW, Australia 2522.E-mail: [email protected]

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POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY and coachingpsychology share much of a commonheritage, in that they have both devel-

oped in response to the status quo of thefield, which was deficit-based, pathology-focused, and driven by fundamental assump-tions about human nature that were lessthan positive, to put it mildly. In contrast,positive psychology and coaching psychologyare abundance-based, solution-focused anddriven (typically) by fundamental assump-tions about human nature which hold thatpeople have within them a natural tendencyto want to grow and develop their potential,and when their environment supports themin doing so, they thrive (Linley &Harrington, 2005).

This shift in emphasis and assumptionhas led many practitioners of positivepsychology and coaching psychology tooperate in ways different to traditionalapproaches to leadership and organisationalcapability development (see, for example,Biswas-Diener & Dean, 2007; Linley &Harrington, 2006). In this article, we willshow how we have blended positivepsychology, strengths approaches, andcoaching psychology to develop leadership

strengths coaching programmes and prac-tices that are focused on developing seniorleaders and enhancing the organisationalcapability of the corporations that employthem.

We begin our article by introducing someof the history of strengths approaches inmanagement and organisations, beforegoing on to look specifically at how this hasprovided the foundation for our currentwork in strengths coaching for leaders.Having provided the background for ourapproach, we then describe some of our keypractices, illustrating them with a number ofshort composite case examples, demon-strating the effects that they have had on ourleadership clients and their organisations.To begin, though, we focus on one specificelement of the leadership challenge wherecoaching psychologists can have a significantimpact: leaders as climate engineers.

Leaders as climate engineersLeaders have a unique role in organisations.Not only do they have operational require-ments to deliver (as does any employee), butthey also have strategic direction to set andpeople to manage (amongst many other

Strengths coaching with leadersP. Alex Linley, Linda Woolston & Robert Biswas-Diener

Positive psychology and coaching psychology share a number of common themes and fundamentalassumptions. Blending positive psychology, strengths approaches and coaching psychology, our work instrengths coaching with leaders enhances both leadership and organisational capability. In this article, weexplore the role of leaders as climate engineers and provide a brief history of strengths approaches, togetherwith definitions of what we mean by strengths and strengths coaching, and how we use these in practice.We introduce the integrative Realise2 model of strengths and weaknesses which distinguishes between thesix areas of realised strengths, unrealised strengths, regular learned behaviours, infrequent learnedbehaviours, exposed weaknesses, and unexposed weaknesses, before going on to demonstrate how leaders canmake weaknesses irrelevant through role shaping, complementary partnering, strengths-based team-workingor personal development. We examine the golden mean of strengths use, looking at strengths both overplayedand underplayed, before concluding with a view on the benefits of strengths coaching for both leadershipand organisational capability. The Appendix provides 10 summary points in a strengths coaching checklistfor leaders.

Keywords: Coaching, strengths, leadership, organisations, positive psychology.

P. Alex Linley, Linda Woolston & Robert Biswas-Diener

things!). But one of the leadership roles andrequirements that is often not recognised,let alone understood or developed inleaders, is their position as what might becalled ‘climate engineers.’ Simply put, howleaders operate, what they pay attention to,how they respond to challenges and oppor-tunities – in short, their attitudes and theirbehaviours – combine to hold great swayover the psychological climate that existswithin the organisation (Hogan, 2007;Naumann & Bennett, 2000). This leadershipshadow was recognised as long ago as thesixth century BCE, by the Chinese philo-sopher Lao Tsu (cited in O’Toole, 2008,p.70), who posited:

‘A great nation is like a great man:When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.Having realized it, he admits it.Having admitted it, he corrects it.He considers those who point out hisfaults.As his most benevolent teachers.He thinks of his enemy as the shadowthat he himself casts.’

Recognising this, we contend that leadershave a seminal role in creating a strengthsculture in their organisations, and it is to thisthat much of our strengths coaching inter-ventions have been targeted. These interven-tions have typically had a dual focus that ischaracteristic of strengths coaching (seebelow). First, the strengths coaching hasfocused on enabling leaders to recognise,identify and develop strengths in themselvesand others. Second, it has focused onenabling leaders to enhance organisationalcapability through strengthspotting in theirteam and down their reporting line, andthen allocating people and resourcesaccording to individual and collectivestrengths as they go about buildingstrengths-based organisations more broadly.

Harnessing strengths at work makessound business sense: the Corporate Leader-ship Council (2002), in a study of 19,187employees from 34 countries across sevenindustries and 29 countries, using standard-ized measures of individual performance,

found that managers who operated with astrengths emphasis unlocked 36.4 per centhigher performance from their employees,whereas managers with a weakness emphasisunwittingly contrived to reduce theiremployees’ performance by 26.8 per cent.And in our own work with Norwich Unionand BAE Systems, we have seen substantialbusiness bottom-line benefits through theadoption of strengths approaches (Smedley,2007; Stefanyszyn, 2007).

A brief early history of strengthsapproachesGiven the fanfare which is now starting to beaccorded strengths-based ways of working,one could easily be forgiven for believingthat strengths research and applications onlybegan with the advent of positive psychology,or at least not before the pioneering work ofDonald Clifton at The Gallup Organization –especially since in the last few years morethan two million people have completedeither the Clifton StrengthsFinderTM

(www.strengthsfinder.com; Clifton &Anderson, 2002; Rath, 2007), the VIA Inven-tory of Strengths (www.viastrengths.org),developed by Peterson and Seligman (2004),or the Inspirational Leadership Tool(www.inspiredleadership.org.uk), developedby the British DTI (Department of Trade andIndustry) and Caret, a management consul-tancy (see Morris & Garrett, in press). TheClifton StrengthsFinderTM and the Inspira-tional Leadership Tool use an ipsativeapproach to assess 34 and 18 strengthsrespectively, whereas the VIA Inventory ofStrengths uses a normative approach toassess 24 character strengths (for the VIA-ISnorm data for the UK population, see Linleyet al., 2007). Both StrengthsFinderTM and theVIA Inventory of Strengths typically reportback one’s ‘top five’ strengths, whereas theInspirational Leadership Tool reports backon all 18 characteristics.

Notwithstanding this recent growth ofinterest, strengths approaches have existedexplicitly in the management literature formore than 60 years, beginning – as far as our


historical researches have been able to estab-lish so far – with the seminal work of BernardHaldane (1911–2002), who went on tobecome a legendary figure in career devel-opment circles, but sadly (at least as far as wehave been able to establish), largelyunknown and unacknowledged by laterstrengths and positive psychologyresearchers.

Writing in the Harvard Business Review in1947, Haldane set out what he believed to bethe core reason for people’s lack of effi-ciency at work – which was that seniormanagement and leadership were not suffi-ciently well equipped to identify thestrengths, talents and aptitudes of theirpeople:

‘One of the reasons for this neglect andwaste of manpower is that very few top-management men know and recognisethe varieties and number of humanaptitudes. Another is general lack ofinformation on how these aptitudescombine to form personality and workpatterns. A third reason is a failure torealise the results of misapplication orneglect of talents.’ (Haldane, 1947,p.652).

Some 20 years after Haldane – but still over40 years ago from today – Peter Drucker(1909–2005) picked up on this theme,positing that ‘the unique purpose of organi-zation is to make strength productive’(Drucker, 1967, p.60). Organisations wereformed, Drucker contended, in order tomake the whole more productive and valu-able than the sum of its parts – by identifyingand combining the strengths of differentindividuals in a way that made their weak-nesses irrelevant:

‘[Making] strength productive…cannot,of course, overcome the weaknesses withwhich each of us is so abundantlyendowed. But it can make themirrelevant.’

Building on these illustrious forefathers, ourwork on strengths at the Centre for AppliedPositive Psychology has been developingover the last decade, and it is to a closer

exploration of strengths and strengthscoaching in practice that we now turn,including a specific focus on how we buildon Drucker’s advice about using strengths tomake weaknesses irrelevant – a concept wehave developed through CAPP’s Realise2model, which goes beyond traditionalstrengths identification approaches, to differ-entiate between each of realised and unre-alised strengths, regular and infrequentlearned behaviours, and exposed and unex-posed weaknesses, while also providingmethodologies for the applications ofstrengths in a range of settings.

Defining strengths and strengthscoachingWhen working with strengths and strengthscoaching, it is important to be clear what oneis talking about, and what we mean bystrengths. We define a strength as a ‘a pre-existing capacity for a particular way ofbehaving, thinking, or feeling that isauthentic and energising to the user, andenables optimal functioning, developmentand performance’ (Linley, 2008, p.9). As ourprevious research and applications havedemonstrated, people who use theirstrengths more are happier and morefulfilled, and feel as if they have more energyavailable to them (Govindji & Linley, 2007),they achieve their goals more effectively(Linley, 2003, 2008), they are more engaged(Harter, Schmidt & Hayes, 2002), and theyperform better at work (Smedley, 2007;Stefanyszyn, 2007; Woolston & Linley, 2008).It is for all of these reasons that we promotestrengths coaching as an effective, value-adding organisational intervention, and whyLinley (2008, p.47) went so far as to proposethat ‘realising our strengths is the smallest thingwe can do to make the biggest difference.’

Our work on strengths coaching has simi-larly evolved in the context of our widerapplications of positive psychology andstrengths with organisations and individuals.Writing in the Encyclopaedia of PositivePsychology, Dominic Carter and Nicky Page(in press), noted how strengths coaching

Strengths coaching with leaders



could be understood both as an approach andas an outcome, describing it as being:

‘concerned with facilitating theidentification, use and development ofstrengths to enable optimal functioning,performance and development. It may beunderstood as an approach to coaching,where the focus is on achieving othergoals through harnessing strengths, or itmay be understood as an outcome ofcoaching, where the intention is for thecoaching client to gain a betterunderstanding of their strengths, or todevelop particular strengths more fully.Most often, strengths coaching is acombination of both of these.’

An integrative understanding ofstrengths and weaknesses:The Realise2 modelOne of the key ways in which we work withstrengths in our leadership coaching isthrough the use of CAPP’s Realise2 model,which distinguishes between realisedstrengths, unrealised strengths, regularlearned behaviours, infrequent learnedbehaviours, exposed weaknesses and unex-posed weaknesses (see www.realise2.com).

Realised strengths are those strengths thatyou recognise and use regularly – but therecan still be surprises here, in that there maybe many things we have as strengths, butwhich we don’t automatically recognise andaccept as such (Kaplan, 1999). Unrealisedstrengths are those strengths that may be lyingdormant in us, waiting for the opportunity toarise or for the right situation to call themforth (Lyons & Linley, 2008).

Regular learned behaviours are thoseactivities that we do often and at which wemay be very good, but which are not ener-gising for us. Regular learned behaviourscan present a real psychological trap ofwhich we need to be aware, since we can dothings regularly – and be asked to do themmore – because we are good at doing them,yet to do so repeatedly over time would leadto an increasing sense of feeling disenfran-chised and disengaged, because the critical

energising component is missing. Infrequentlearned behaviours follow exactly the samepattern, with the exception that they arebehaviours practiced less frequently and so –as long as they remain practiced infrequently– present a lesser risk to our psychologicalhealth and well-being.

Exposed weaknesses are those weaknessesthat are out in the open and causing youproblems. As we go on to explore below,these are the weaknesses that need to bemost effectively managed to make them irrel-evant. Unexposed weaknesses are those weak-nesses that could trip you if the situation orcontext changed, but at the moment that aresafely irrelevant to what you need to deliver.As long as they are kept that way, they can besafely ignored. But if the situation changesand they are pushed into the foreground(becoming exposed weaknesses) then theywill need to be managed quickly and effec-tively if performance is not to be under-mined – all of which provides fertile groundon which to work for the strengths coach.

With our coaching clients, we have foundthat this more comprehensive positioning ofstrengths, learned behaviours and weak-nesses is well-received by senior leaders, whotypically are fairly self-aware and have expe-rienced a variety of psychometric personalityassessments in the past as they haveprogressed up the leadership ladder, and asa result of which are familiar with a lot ofwhat traditional assessment approaches canreveal to them. In contrast, the Realise2approach provides a more holistic frame-work and tool for the identification, assess-ment and development of strengths,together with the identification, assessmentand management of both learnedbehaviours and weaknesses.

The fact that we don’t automatically glossover weaknesses by calling them ‘develop-ment areas,’ but instead tackle them head onas weaknesses, as well as dealing with thetraditionally confusing anomaly of learnedbehaviours (we’re good at doing it but don’tenjoy it and aren’t energised by it), leads toa franker and more authentic conversation


with our clients, and one that is perfectlysuited to coaching scenarios. Talking aboutweaknesses as weaknesses, and labellingthem as such, enables a much more honestand open acceptance and ownership of theproblem area, rendering it much morepliable through the weakness managementinterventions that we then work throughwith our senior leader coaching clients.

Building on the advice of Goffee andJones (2006), we are very explicit in our workthat leaders should be able to reveal weak-nesses – appropriately – and then go on tomake them irrelevant. By revealing weak-nesses appropriately, leaders are exercisingyet another example of their role as climateengineers. First, they are being authenticand setting a trend for honesty and openness

within their organisation, by which theyenable and give others permission to do thesame. Second, they are inviting help andsupport, since by acknowledging their ownweaknesses and limitations, they arereaching out for others to step up and helpthem – a first step in complementary part-nering or strengths-based teamworking as wego on to discuss below.

Making weaknesses irrelevantTaking his lead from Drucker’s (1967)advice that one should focus on makingweaknesses irrelevant, Linley (2008, p.171)sets out how to go about doing so, providinga framework that we have used to great effectin our strengths coaching with senior leaders(see Figure 1).

Figure 1: The Making Weaknesses Irrelevant Decision Tree.

Weakness identified: Is it relevant?

Mission accomplished:The weakness is made irrelevant and is not

undermining performance

Role shaping

Complementary partnering

Strengths-based team working

Training and development tomitigate weakness

Yes No

Or?

Or?

Or?

If effective

If effective

If effective

If effective

Source: Linley, A. (2008). Average to A+: Realising Strengths in Yourself and Others.Coventry, UK: CAPP Press. Reproduced with permission of CAPP Press.




Case Study 1: Role shaping. First, one shouldexamine the leader’s role. Is this somethingthat they absolutely have to do, or can therole be shaped and crafted in such a way thatthe weakness-inducing activity is made irrele-vant? For example, one client found himselfdeeply de-energised by the number ofmanagement meetings that he found he wasrequired to attend, with the attendantbureaucracy and loss of time on other activi-ties. One of his key strengths lay in hiscapacity for deep thought and analysis whenhe was able to create the space and time tobe on his own, since this then enabled himto step back and look objectively at thebigger picture.

In doing so, this client was able to seethat the way in which various business unitswere being reviewed was ineffectual and inef-ficient, and to make recommendations forchanges to the review process as a result.These recommendations were accepted andled to a significant reduction in the numberof management meetings required. In turn,this led to substantial savings in time, bothfor those who would have attended the meet-ings and also for all those who would havebeen involved in preparing the financial andmanagement data to be reviewed at themeetings.

The strengths coaching also enabled thisclient to see more clearly what he was goodat – specifically, thinking and analysing – andto find more time to do this, while also iden-tifying those things that de-energised himand creatively finding ways to delegate theseactivities to others. Through his strengthscoaching, the client not only increased hisown contribution through finding the timefor effective thinking, but also increased theamount of productive, value-adding time formany of his colleagues, resulting in thesaving of many 10s of person-days over thecourse of a year.

It is important to acknowledge that withsenior leaders such as this one, role shapingis something that will happen almost natu-rally, through the combination of autonomy,discretion and attention. By autonomy, we

refer to the fact that leaders are largely incharge of their own destiny and direction –and further, that of the organisation as awhole. By discretion, we refer to the fact thatleaders – much more than almost any otheremployees – are able to choose what theyspend their time on. By attention, we refer tothe fact that leaders are similarly able todecide where they focus their attention –and, critically, that attentional focus willalmost always be according to where theirstrengths and natural preferences lay,notwithstanding a concerted (but de-ener-gising) effort to deliver other necessaryoutcomes (that may be calling on learnedbehaviours and/or weaknesses).

Of course, it is probably utopian to believethat it is always possible for a person – even asenior leader – to design their work in such away that they are only ever working from theirstrengths. This being so, is there anything thatcan be done to make working from weak-nesses more effective and less draining?Unfortunately, there is no ‘magic bullet’ solu-tion for circumstances such as this.

In practice, however, we have often takenone of two approaches. First, we explore ifthe activity can be recast or redesigned in away that it is playing to a different strength orstrengths that the person may have. If theleader is not good on detail, but has to spendtime doing detailed checking that cannot bepassed off to someone else, explore if there isa Persistence strength upon which they cancall. Reframing something as requiringPersistence (a strength they have) versusDetail (a learned behaviour at best, a weak-ness at worst) can enable a subtle yetpowerful psychological shift. As strengthscoaches, we can be highly effective in helpingour clients to reframe their activities in thisway where it is possible for them to do so.

Second, if even these sleights of mind arenot possible, we recommend that the weak-ness-inducing activity is buffered by otheractivities that will recharge one’s energy andengagement. Doing something that is enjoy-able and fulfilling either side of somethingthat is draining and disengaging provides a


way to counteract the negative impact ofhaving to work from our weaknesses. Theseactivities and approaches, whether theyinvolve shaping our role or buffering ourweaknesses, are effective not only for indi-vidual leaders themselves, but also for thosepeople around them. Ideally, we should seekto find ways in which the strengths of oneperson may be used to buffer the weaknessesof another, as we explore next in relation tocomplementary partnering.

Case Study 2: Complementary partnering.Second, Linley (2008) suggested, one shouldlook at the opportunity for complementarypartnering in making weaknesses irrelevant.Directors and their PAs are often quintessen-tial examples of complementary partnering,with many senior directors freely admitting –in private conversation at least! – that theywould not know where to be, or what to do,without the steady, guiding hand of their PAto assist them.

One organisation with which we work hademployed a superb negotiator and sales-person, but a superb negotiator and sales-person with a challenging flaw – he found itexcruciating to complete the spreadsheetsthat were necessary to log and track his salesand negotiation activities. Many traditionalorganisations would have sent him on therequisite spreadsheet training course, withthe attendant loss in motivation and moraleas he worked through his spreadsheet issues.In contrast, this progressive organisation didquite the opposite. Recognising his value-addthrough sales and negotiation – this was thereason they had employed him – they simplyhired an assistant who took care of thespreadsheets on his behalf, her strengths inDetail and Structure being used to comple-ment his talent for sales and negotiation.

Far too often, organisations strive tocreate the mythical well-rounded individualwho is good at everything, but serve only incrushing the potential brilliance of theirleaders as they create stultifying mediocrity,while commending themselves on the factthat everyone has reached the minimum

required standard of the organisationalcompetency framework. But at what price?

Coaches have an important role to play inhelping senior leaders stand up against themarch of mediocrity that competence frame-works have spawned, countering themthrough a recognition that spikes of bril-liance deliver far more value than does amarginal performance increase from slightlyless than average to average. In this way, theywill be helping to play their part in shiftingorganisations from their deficit-focusedmindset to one that is better characterised bythe abundance approach that informs posi-tive psychology and coaching psychology, andwhich proffers the potential to transformworking life and organisational performance(Linley, Harrington & Page, in press).

Case Study 3: Strengths-based teamworking.Third, taking complementary partnering astep further, its principles can be appliedacross an entire team – and as Drucker(1967, p.60) has argued, ‘to make strengthproductive is the unique purpose of organi-zation’ – and, we extend, the uniquepurpose of teams. Working with senior lead-ership boards, we have been taking astrengths-based team coaching approachwhich we have evolved over the last threeyears. In essence, this involves ensuring acommon understanding of strengths-basedways of working across the senior leadershipteam (SLT), identifying the strengths of thatsenior leadership team both as individualsand as a group, and then allocating roles andresponsibilities according to those strengths.In an early assignment where we used thisapproach with BAE Systems, our interven-tion to identify the strengths of the SLT andthen to allocate work according to thosestrengths led to significant advances inproject delivery and the completion of anumber of business-critical organisationalchange initiatives (see Smedley, 2007).

The team coaching intervention wasfocused very much on the enabling ofstrengths identification and recognition inindividuals themselves as well as across the




wider team, and the creation of project pair-ings and teams according to strengthscomplementarities, leading to peopleworking together who previously would nothave done on a functional basis, but werenow invited to do so on a strengths basis. Onthis basis, we were acting as what Clutterbuck(2007) would describe as an ‘external teamcoach,’ bringing a wider perspective to theprocess and interpersonal issues of the wayin which the team could work together mosteffectively.

Fourth and finally in the ‘Making Weak-nesses Irrelevant’ decision tree, Linley (2008,p.171; see Figure 1) recognises that there aresome instances where none of these threestrategies described so far can be applied.The role cannot be crafted differently, thereis no one with whom one can partner, thereis no wider team to share the burden – andstill the weakness-inducing task must be over-come, the necessary output delivered. Whenthis is the case, the coaching psychologist ispresented with yet another opportunity todemonstrate the value of their practice, sincewhen nothing else can make the weaknessirrelevant, one is left with the need fortraining and development.

This training and development may takethe form of coaching, skills training,behaviour modification, didactic instruction,or any number of other training and devel-opment interventions – but the essentialpoint being to ensure that the weakness isdeveloped so far as is necessary to make itirrelevant, such that it no longer underminesperformance, rather than it being developedto the level of mastery that so many compe-tency frameworks seem to demand, andwhich as such extract a heavy price fromlimited L&D budgets that would otherwisebe better spent on turning good into bril-liant through realising the strengths of thepeople and the organisation, rather thanspending time fruitlessly on fixing weak-nesses beyond the level to which they needto be fixed. Coaches and coaching psycholo-gists can become powerful advocates of thisnew developmental focus in organisations,

that of achieving high performance throughunderstanding what works and building onit, rather than focusing on weakness andforever trying to plug the gaps.

Strengths under-played and over-played:Finding the Golden MeanAnother recurrent theme in our strengthscoaching with senior leaders – and a goldenthread for the coach who is looking for asimple intervention that will have powerfuldevelopmental outcomes – is helping leadersto calibrate their readings of strengths inthemselves, understanding more aboutstrengths underplayed and strengths over-played.

We have seen these themes in our workwith so many leaders that we might hesitantlycontend that – like the leader’s role asclimate engineer – they may constitute amajor blind spot for the leader’s otherwisevigilant eye. The evolution and developmentof leaders seems to render their vulnerabilityto strengths over- or under-played as almostinherent. Either leaders discount somethingthey are good at because they simply don’trecognise it in themselves, taking it forgranted, or they take a strength too farbecause, thinking that this is what got themwhere they are today, they don’t recognisethe signals that the environment haschanged and so need they. Essentially, asargued by Goffee and Jones (2006), leadersneed to be excellent at situation sensing,knowing what is the right thing to do andwhen, a key part of which is ensuring theactive calibration of their strengths.

‘Versatile leadership’ is the phrase usedby Kaplan and Kaiser (2006) to convey this,making the case that we all tend to veer toone or other pole of any leadershipdichotomy – with ‘forceful-enabling’ and‘strategic-operational’ being the people andprocess parameters on which Kaplan andKaiser focus. Quite simply, leaders who cando both – versatile leaders – perform muchbetter than those who cannot – as the datashow, leadership versatility predicts as muchas 42 per cent of the variance in overall lead-


ership effectiveness (Kaiser, Lindberg &Craig, 2007).

Tracing this idea of optimal balance backto Aristotle (1998), Linley (2008, p. 70)introduced the idea of the ‘golden mean [ofstrengths use]: the right thing, to the rightamount, in the right way, and at the righttime.’ By helping leaders both to appreciateand to apply this golden mean, coaches andcoaching psychologists are mining a richseam of powerful leadership developmentthat enjoys the beautiful asymmetry of asimple intervention with profound effects.

Case Study 4: Strengths over-played. One clientwith whom we have worked provides anexample of how he was able both to dial backon a strength when he was taking it too far,and how he was able to dial up a strengthwhen he recognised he could be doing morewith it. This particular coaching client hasstrengths in Incisive and Questioner –amongst many others – but these combinedmean that he asks great questions that driveright to the heart of the matter. In oneinstance, he was questioning a juniorcolleague about a sensitive issue, and recog-nised that he was at risk of probing too far.Remembering the dangers of strengths over-played, he dialled back and toned down hisquestioning, thereby achieving a positiveoutcome that would otherwise have been at risk.

In a contrasting example, working with ajunior team as they grappled with a majorsystems problem, he was able to deploy hisQuestioner strength in tandem with hisability to solve problems, a strength we callResolver. The result: an intervention withthis junior team that not only solved theproblem with which they were grappling, butin the process, he calculated, had saved theorganisation more than £1,000,000 in costs(of course, this can only be his estimate, butit conveys the point) – and all as a conse-quence of his learning from coaching thatsometimes one should ‘turn up’ a strengthand do it more.

Case Study 5: Appropriate work allocation. In another example of the valuable perspec-tive that coaches can introduce throughrecognising strengths underplayed and over-played, a coaching client was helped to shifthis traditional view of work allocation thatthings should be divided equally. Having asmall and specialist team – of two people –this leader had always divided the workequally between them – the problem being,he recognised in retrospect, that he did sowithout consideration for what that workinvolved or what their aptitudes were [one isreminded, notwithstanding our great respectfor this leader, of Haldane’s (1947) assess-ment about senior management and their(in)ability to identify the aptitudes of theirpeople].

Through strengths coaching, his perspec-tive and understanding shifted, such that hewas able to develop a richer view of what was‘fair’ in relation to work allocation, namely,first, that it was not unfair to allocate workdifferentially according to the strengths andabilities of different employees, and second,that it was entirely legitimate to ask a lotmore from someone when they were oper-ating from an area of strength. When peopleare working from their strengths, they aremore energised and more effective, and socan be legitimately relied upon to achievegreater output than when they are beingdrained by working from their weaknesses.

Strengths Coaching: A powerfulapproach with value-adding outcomesAs we have demonstrated throughout thisarticle, strengths coaching is both a powerfulapproach to coaching, whereby strengths areused more effectively in the attainment ofgoals, and a value-adding outcome ofcoaching, whereby the coaching is used toenable the realisation and development ofan individual client’s strengths. Applied tosenior leaders, strengths coaching can beused both to develop individual leadershipeffectiveness and to enhance wider organisa-tional capability, the former through therealisation of individual leaders’ strengths,




and the latter through the identification andco-ordination of the strengths that existthroughout the organisation.

Given their unique role as organisationalclimate engineers, leaders have a tremen-dous power and a sobering responsibility forsetting the corporate tone, establishing the‘way things are done around here.’ As Ulrich(2008) contends for HR practitioners, welikewise believe that a core role of thecoaching psychologist working in organisa-tions can be ‘to use their strengths tostrengthen others’ – particularly, we contend,the senior leadership population - who arethen enabled to use their role as climate engi-neers positively and effectively in strength-ening the organisation more broadly. Byenabling leaders to realise strengths in them-selves and others, strengths coaches can helpleaders to unlock the best of what the peoplethroughout the organisation have to offer,and thereby to guide the organisation to thehigher plateaux of organisational perform-ance to which all leaders aspire.

The authorsP. Alex Linley, Linda Woolston &Robert Biswas-DienerCentre for Applied Positive Psychology.

CorrespondenceP. Alex Linley, PhD,Centre for Applied Positive Psychology,The Venture Centre, University of Warwick Science Park, Coventry, CV4 7EZ, United Kingdom.E-mail: [email protected] www.cappeu.org



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psychology coaching: Putting the science of happiness towork for your clients. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Carter, D. & Page, N. (in press). Strengths coaching.In S.J. Lopez (Ed.), The encyclopaedia of positivepsychology. Oxford: Blackwell.

Clifton, D.O. & Anderson, E.C. (2002).StrengthsQuest: Discover and develop your strengths inacademics, career and beyond. Washington, DC:Gallup Press.

Clutterbuck, D. (2007). Coaching the team at work.London: Nicholas Brealey.

Corporate Leadership Council (2002). Performancemanagement survey. Washington, DC: Author.

Drucker, P.F. (1967). The effective executive. London:Heinemann.

Goffee, R. & Jones, G. (2006). Why should anyone be ledby you? What it takes to be an authentic leader.Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Govindji, R. & Linley, P.A. (2007). Strengths use, self-concordance and well-being: Implications forstrengths coaching and coaching psychologists.International Coaching Psychology Review, 2(2),143–153.

Haldane, B. (1947). A pattern for executiveplacement. Harvard Business Review, 25(4a),652–663.

Harter, J.K., Schmidt, F.L. & Hayes, T.L. (2002).Business-unit-level relationship betweenemployee satisfaction, employee engagement,and business outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journalof Applied Psychology, 87, 268–279.

Hogan, R. (2007). Personality and the fate oforganizations. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Kaiser, R.B., Lindberg, J.T. & Craig, S.B. (2007).Assessing the flexibility of managers: A comparison of methods. International Journal ofSelection and Assessment, 16, 40–55.

Kaplan, R.E. (1999). Internalizing strengths: Anoverlooked way of overcoming weaknesses in managers.Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

Kaplan, R.E. & Kaiser, R.B. (2006). The versatile leader:Make the most of your strengths – without overdoing it.San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Linley, P.A. (2003). Unpublished data set – VIA strengthsand goals. University of Leicester, UK.

Linley, P.A. (2008). Average to A+: Realising strengths inyourself and others. Coventry, UK: CAPP Press.

Linley, P.A. & Harrington, S. (2005). Positivepsychology and coaching psychology:Perspectives on integration. The CoachingPsychologist, 1(1), 13–14.

Linley, P.A. & Harrington, S. (2006). Strengthscoaching: A potential-guided approach tocoaching psychology. International CoachingPsychology Review, 1(1), 37–46.

Linley, P.A., Harrington, S. & Page, N. (in press).Finding the positive in the world of work. In P.A.Linley, S. Harrington & N. Page (Eds.). Oxfordhandbook of positive psychology and work. New York:Oxford University Press.

Linley, P.A., Maltby, J., Wood, A.M., Joseph, S.,Harrington, S., Peterson, C., Park, N. &Seligman, M.E.P. (2007). Character strengths inthe United Kingdom: The VIA Inventory ofStrengths. Personality and Individual Differences,43, 341–351.

Lyons, L.S. & Linley, P.A. (2008). Situationalstrengths: A strategic approach linking personalcapability to corporate success. Organisations andPeople, 15(2), 4–11.

Morris, D. & Garrett, J. (in press). Strengths: Yourleading edge. In P.A. Linley, S. Harrington, & N.J.Page (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychologyand work. New York: Oxford University Press.

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O’Toole, J. (2008). Speaking truth to power. In W.Bennis, D. Goleman & J. O’Toole (Eds.),Transparency: How leaders create a culture of candor(pp.45–91). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Peterson, C. & Seligman, M.E.P. (2004). Characterstrengths and virtues: A handbook and classification.New York: Oxford University Press.

Rath, T. (2007). StrengthsFinder 2.0. New York: GallupPress.

Smedley, T. (2007). The powers that BAE. PeopleManagement, 13(22), 40–43.

Stefanyszyn, K. (2007). Norwich Union changes focusfrom competencies to strengths. Strategic HRReview, 7, 10–11.

Ulrich, D. (2008). Use your strengths to strengthenothers. Workforce Management, 87(5), 28–29.

Woolston, L. & Linley, P.A. (2008, Autumn).Strengths coaching at work. People andOrganisations at Work, 8–10.


Appendix: Strengths Coaching Checklist for Leaders1. Act according to the golden mean of strengths use: do the right thing, to the right amount,

in the right way, at the right time. 2. Use your strengths volume control to dial strengths up, or to dial them down, as the

situation requires.3. Hone your situation sensing skills, so that you know better when to do more and when to

do less. Asking others and inviting feedback can be helpful here.4. Reveal your weaknesses appropriately, because you then give others permission to do so,

as well as extending an invitation to them to help you with yours.5. Having revealed your weaknesses appropriately, work on making them irrelevant through

role shaping, complementary partnering, strengths-based team working – or if reallynecessary – putting in the necessary hours and effort to develop yourself to the point ofcompetence in your weak areas.

6. Play to people’s strengths as a way of enabling you to manage their weaknesses and makethem irrelevant. This applies to you as an individual, to your team and wider business unit,and to the organisation as a whole. What are your organisational strengths? How can youbuild on them to make your organisational weaknesses irrelevant?

7. Be mindful of where you apply yourself. Leaders enjoy the power of autonomy, discretionand attention, all of which will predispose you to spend your time using your strengths –great news for you, as long as it is also the right thing for the organisation.

8. Every day, be mindful of your leadership role as a climate engineer. Even without realisingit, your actions, attitudes, and behaviours set the tone for ‘the way things are around here.’

9. Leverage your leadership role as a climate engineer by becoming an expert strengthspotter– identifying and developing your own strengths, as well as those of your team and yourwider organisation. Celebrate success while still dealing effectively with failure.

10. Enhance your organisational capability by ensuring the strategic alignment of strengths –in your employees, your teams and business units, your organisation as a whole – with yourcorporate goals. At what do your collective strengths enable you to be the best?



Using attachment theory in coachingleaders: The search for a coherentnarrativeDavid B. Drake

Attachment theory is a well-established body of work in developmental psychology. In this article, I providean overview of the key elements of the theory and demonstrate how it can be used in coaching leaders. In connecting the ‘working models’ they use as adults with the cognitive and interpersonal patterns theydeveloped as children, attachment theory provides an important lens on development and change in leaders.Drawing from Bowlby’s (1988) work and current neuroscience research, five strategies are offered on how touse attachment theory in coaching leaders. In particular, there is an emphasis on working with client storiesand helping them develop greater narrative coherence in how they talk about and live their lives.

[It is] what Freud called the ‘repetition compulsion,’ the magnetic summons of an old woundin our lives that has so much energy, such a familiar script, and such a predictable outcomeattached to it that we feel obliged to relive it or pass it on to our children. (Hollis, 2005, p.81)


COACHES routinely encounter vestigesof long-held patterns that continue toecho across their client’s stories and

lives. In tracking these patterns, coaches arelooking for the ways in which clients areliving the same ‘story’ over and over again;e.g. remaining stuck in the same role orresponse in the belief that – this time – it willget them the connection and confidencethey have been seeking. It is not about thepast, though, as much as about appreciatingthe long arc of change in adults. A key rolefor coaches is to provide a safe space inwhich clients can be witnessed for more ofwho they are, experience themselves at theirbest, and learn new ways of seeing them-selves and relating to others. I have found mystudy of attachment theory very helpful indeepening my narrative approaches tocoaching and developing leaders.

Attachment theory is based on the studyof the patterns of connection and communi-cation between parents (or other primarycaregivers) and infants and how they shapethe latter’s cognitive, emotional and socialdevelopment (Ainsworth & Bowlby, 1991;Bowlby, 1973, 1969/1982). Infants’ devel-

oping brains instinctively drive them to seekphysical closeness and resonant communica-tion with the people closest to them, usuallybeginning with the mother. The adaptivepatterns that are established early on basedon the responses an infant experiencesshape the unique ways in which his/herparasympathetic nervous system moderatesthe once dominant sympathetic nervoussystems’ drive to reach out and connect(Badenoch, 2008).

Attachment theory helps us understandthe cognitive schemas, somatic reactions,behavioural preferences and narrativepatterns that children carry into adulthoodas a result, in part, of what happens inresponse to these primal drives. In doing so,the case is made for a correlation betweenpatterns of response in our early relation-ships, patterns of narration in our develop-ment of identity, and patterns ofengagement (or not) in our relations withothers. In particular, attachment patternsreflect people’s tendencies, particularlyunder stress or perceived threat, to movecloser or farther away from others. KarenHorney’s (1945) work on the origins of

David B. Drake


neurosis in children supports this thesis inseeing attachment-related challenges asemerging from frustrations in trying to fulfillthe needs for both safety and self-expression.In time, young children’s ad hoc strategiesoften become cognitive schemas, charactertraits, and behavioural patterns. As a result,coaching adults involves helping themresolve any of their subsequent ‘dividedwishes’ (Horney, 1945) so they can investwholeheartedly and authentically in their lifeand work.

This paper takes a look at how coachescan use attachment theory in their work. Itprovides a brief overview of attachmenttheory, the patterns of attachment, the bene-fits of secure attachment, and some strate-gies for coaching leaders from anattachment frame. In particular, we will lookat the role of narrative coherence in bothdevelopment and in coaching leaders.

The narrative and behavioural patternsthat appear in a leader’s life and work arequite often vestiges of patterns of attachmentfrom childhood. As leadership is increas-ingly seen as relational, contextual, andinterdependent in nature, attachmenttheory provides an important frame forrecognizing patterns in their ways ofengaging with others. Without venturing toofar into a more purely psychotherapeuticspace, qualified coaches can certainly usetheir understanding of attachment theory toguide their interventions with clients.

A narrative approach works particularlywell along these lines as a result of the strongconnections between schemas, stories andbehaviours. Clients’ stories can be exploredas indicators of their attachment preferencesand their subsequent needs for develop-ment. For example, a coach may find thatbeneath a client’s stories of his great accom-plishments lies a fixation on past events toavoid present relational demands and agreat fear of relying on others for help that ishindering the leader’s further advancement.The goal for coaches is to help leadersdevelop a secure sense of attachment thatwould yield more coherent narratives about

the past, present and future and enableleaders to be more resilient, flexible andempathic. These are critical attributes inleaders, particularly in these challengingtimes.

What is attachment theory?Siegel (1999) defines attachment as ‘aninborn system in the brain that evolves[largely in the first two years of a child’s life]in ways that influence and organize motiva-tional, emotional, and memory processeswith respect to significant caregiving figures’(p.67). Being able to freely express theiremotional state and have others perceiveand appropriately respond is vitally impor-tant for the development of an infant’s brainand the growth in their ability to regulatetheir internal states, attune and adapt tovarious environments, and communicateabout and influence their external states(Siegel, 1999). Attachment theory speaks towhat happens for infants – emotionally,cognitively and socially – as a result of theirearly experiences in seeking to reach out forand connect with significant others (particu-larly the mother). In this process, the devel-opment of a felt and stable sense of a safehaven and a secure base are critical for thedevelopment of a secure attachment inchildren (Bowlby, 1969/1982, 1988).

Safe haven The sense of a safe haven results from theproximity of and access to a trusted caregiverwhen the child feels anxious or sensesdanger. One of the key ways in which youngchildren develop a sense of a safe haven,form attachment bonds, and increase theirrange of tolerable distance, is through whatis called, ‘contingent communication.’ Thismutual sharing of non-verbal signals andmutual influence through their interactionscreates a sense of emotional attunement andmental state resonance and forms the basisfor healthy, secure attachment (Siegel,1999). Over time, this attuned communica-tion enables the child to ‘develop the regu-latory circuits in the brain that give the

Using attachment theory in coaching leaders


individual a source of resilience as he or shegrows … and the capacity for engagementwith others in empathetic relationships’(Siegel, 2007, p.27). When feeling threat-ened, people engage in adaptive mental andphysical responses they believe are necessaryto manage internal and external demandsand feel safe. A reinforcing loop is formed inwhich the degree to which there is a sense ofa reliable safe haven affects the perceptionsof ‘demands’ and ‘threats and one’s abilitiesto meet one’s needs’ which in turn rein-forces one’s current sense of safety.

Secure baseThe presence of a sufficient safe havenprovides a child with a sense of a secure basefrom which to increasingly and confidentlyexplore the world – and to which he or shecan return as needed as part of ever-widening circles. This is important for devel-opment because, as researchers have noted,the more threatened an individual feels, ‘themore ‘primitive’ (or regressed) becomes thestyle of thinking and behaving’ (Perry et al.,1995, p.274). A secure base reassures thechild’s need for ‘familiarity-preserving,stress-reducing behaviours [and emboldensthe child’s need for] exploratory and infor-mation-seeking behaviours’ (Mikulincer &Shaver, 2007, p.16). The strength that comesfrom having a reliable and resonant securebase enables children to feel both internallyintegrated and interpersonally connected toothers as they move out into the world(Siegel & Hartzell, 2003).

Working modelsAs children grow, they begin to rely less onexternal figures for safety and more on therepeated experiences they have encoded intheir implicit memory as ‘working models’(Bowlby, 1988), the mental models of attach-ment they will increasingly carry withinthemselves. The early somatic experiencesbecome cognitive structures reinforcedthrough the narrative identities that form inour first relationships and shape the way wesee and process our world. These models are

especially activated (and made visible) whenwe need to provide or receive support. Ifthere is not an internalized sense of secureattachment, a person’s engrained responsemay lead them to seek or avoid proximity (orsome chaotic state in between) as part of along-ago set of strategies for coping withincomplete attachment.

These schemas are especially apparentunder stress because of their central role inaffect regulation (Cozolino, 2006) and mayresult in the use of secondary strategies(hyperactivation, deactivation, or both) if theprimary one (proximity seeking) is not effec-tive. For example, they may cling to theparent – and subsequently other authorityfigures later in life – rather than face the sepa-ration distress necessary for the developmentof a healthy ego. Much of what we see asdefensive or resistant behaviour is betterviewed as a suboptimal attempt to get legiti-mate needs met. A reliance on secondarydefensive strategies is required when a personis unable to build the secure foundationnecessary to be clearly mindful of internaland external events (Mikulincer & Shaver,2007). Coaching provides an opportunity foradults to surface, examine and adjust theiroften taken-for-granted models in order toincrease their capacity for intimacy, authen-ticity, maturity and mindful choice.

Patterns of attachmentFrom the initial experiments (see Ainsworth& Bowlby, 1991) involving the observationsof reunions of children with their mother,four primary patterns of attachment wereidentified: secure (about 70 per cent in theoriginal studies), and three insecurepatterns – avoidant, anxious, and disorganized(Siegel & Hartzell, 2003). Research by MaryMain indicated that about 85 per cent of thetime there was a correlation between thesefour categories of the children’s reunionbehaviour and the attachment styles of theirmothers (see Hesse, 1999). These findingsmake sense in the light of our growingunderstanding from the neurosciencesabout the vital role of approach patterns and

David B. Drake


resonance between parent and child inshaping the structure of developing brains(Siegel, 1999).

The four patterns have held up wellacross decades of subsequent research andare described briefly below. ● Children who were seen as secure

generally had mothers who rated as freeand autonomous, emotionally available,and perceptive of and responsive to thechild’s needs, states and signals. Asecurely attached child feels safe,understood and confident that most ofthe time the parent is a reliable source ofnurture, protection and meeting theirneeds (Siegel, 1999).

● Children who were seen as avoidant intheir attachment generally had caregiverswho were dismissing; emotionallyunavailable, imperceptive and/orunresponsive; and perhaps even rejectingof attempts at proximity. As a result, thesechildren tended to avoid dependence bypursuing self-reliance, avoid discomfortwith closeness and, therefore, preservedistance, and avoid their needs by usingdeactivating strategies (Mikulincer &Shaver, 2007).

● Children who were seen as anxiousgenerally had caregivers who werepreoccupied; inconsistently available,perceptive, and responsive; enmeshedand entangled; and frequently imposingtheir state. As a result, these childrentended to manage their uncertaintyabout independence by pursuingcloseness and protection, and managetheir anxiety about the availability of andtheir intrinsic value to significant othersby using hyperactivating strategies(Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007).

● Children who were seen as disorganizedgenerally had caregivers who werefrightening and frightened, disorienting,and alarming. As a result, these childrentended to simultaneously approach thecaregiver for security and avoid her forsafety, resulting in a conflicted, and evendissociated, state (Cozolino, 2006; Siegel

2007). Fortunately, this is the leastcommon attachment pattern.

It can be useful in coaching to use these fourattachment patterns as a way to understandleaders’ cognitive and interpersonalresponses – both in the session and athome/work. While many leaders have soft-ened the rougher edges of an insecureattachment, their habitual but less-func-tional responses often have roots in thecompensatory strategies they developed aschildren. For example, in my work teachingleaders how to coach their peers and staff,people with avoidant attachment issues oftenhave difficulty asking emotive questions incoaching others out of a fear that they will beunable to adequately handle the imaginedresponses. They are already primed for theneed to deactivate and, as a result, will oftenunconsciously steer their coaching conversa-tions away from difficult or sensitive topicsthat may threaten their equilibrium. In thesesituations, I work to expand the emotionalrange in our conversations so as to increasetheir ability to feel secure in conversationswith others. Coaches can help these leadersreframe their internal dialogue, attune withtheir somatic states, and learn new skills ininteracting with others in order to movetoward a greater sense of ‘earned security.’

Attachment in adulthoodAlthough attachment processes are mostevident in children given their underdevel-oped defenses, adults continue to employtheir initial schemas in varying degreesbased on their sense of internalized security.In part this is because these adopted patternsoften impact the affective styles, narrativethemes, and patterns of engagement ininterpersonal relationships (Siegel, 2007).However, rather than seeing these connec-tions in linear, causal terms, coaches canwork dynamically with clients’ stories as atableau of elements of their past and futureat play in their present.

In doing so, coaches can draw out storiesthat are illustrative of (or reactivate) aleader’s dominant attachment strategies so



as to provide opportunities for the develop-ment of new strategies that are moreconducive to their development and well-being. For example, I worked with amarketing executive who realized that hekept finding himself in roles where he wouldbe drawn into conflicts between a seniorleader and his team. His growing resentmentat taking on this role led to a realization thatit also served as a means to manage his ownanxieties – as this behaviour had done forhim in his own family of origin. As part of myown work as his coach, I recognized that itwas a pattern that was familiar in my own life.

Benefits of a secure attachmentAttachment theory suggests that the moreeffective people are in regulating, communi-cating and leveraging their inner state toremain connected and agentic in their outerworld, the more able they are to be a goodleader. With a secure sense of attachmentand coherence in their life stories – whetherit is continuous from childhood or earned inadulthood – leaders no longer have to holdon to old patterns in an outdated and dispro-portionate effort to survive. Instead, they canbecome much more conscious, flexible andpowerful in their internal reactions andexternal responses. When a secure sense ofattachment, a person learns that ‘distanceand autonomy are completely compatiblewith closeness and reliance on others. Thereis no tension between autonomy and relat-ednesss’ (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007, p.14).As a result, they are more able to handle tothe full range of the emotional demands ofleadership.

In reviewing the literature, securelyattached adults tend to have the followingcharacteristics:● Are sustained by positive yet mature

beliefs about themselves and the world(Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007);

● Have a greater cognitive capacity for andexperience with receiving empathy, and,therefore, are more perceptive of,sensitive to, and able to respond to theneeds of others (Begley, 2007);

● Organize and utilize their cognitive andemotional memory functioning to a highdegree (Cozolino, 2002);

● Have a high tolerance for ambiguity andtend to be less dogmatic in their thinkingand communicating as a result of theirintellectual openness (Begley, 2007);

● Can constructively (re)appraisesituations so as to maintain an optimisticsense of self-efficacy (Mikulincer &Shaver, 2007);

● Are mindful and mature enough torepair ruptures as needed in theirrapport and communication with others(Siegel, 2007);

● Engage in new, growth-promoting, self-expanding experiences and addressexistential concerns such as aging, loveand freedom rather than having to beperpetually on guard (Mikulincer &Shaver, 2007).

Are not these many of the qualities we coachfor in leaders? We can both assess and shiftthe level of attachment security in leadersthrough working with the coherence of theirstories as a lever for change.

Narrative coherenceThe stories that leaders tell in coaching areoften windows into the larger narrativepatterns in their life and a rich source ofmaterial for their development. Attachmentstudies reveal that one of the best predictorsof a child’s attachment to a parent is thedegree to which the parents’ life stories have‘narrative coherence’ (Siegel, 2007), e.g. ameaningful integration of difficult events, atraceable plot line, and minimal ‘unfinishedbusiness.’ I would also offer that the level ofcoherence in their stories—about the past,present and future – often reflects leaders’own attachment experience and the way inwhich they lead and interact with others atwork. Secure and autonomous leaders havelife stories that allow them to ‘live fully in thepresent, unimpaired by troubles from thepast, denial in the present or attachment-related worries about the future’ (Siegel,1999, p.91).

David B. Drake


As such, coaches can explore with leadersthe gaps in narration, relations betweennarrative elements, and signals for develop-ment in their stories to help them to shift theconnections between their attachment-shaped schemas and actions in support of amore coherent narrative, secure attachmentand effective leadership. For example, acoach can work with avoidant-attachedleaders to fill in the gaps in their stories withthe more difficult emotive information theytypically dismiss, normalize or rationalize. A coach can work with anxious-attachedleaders to notice how they tend to be preoc-cupied with and enmeshed in their stories asa way to support them to build greater trustin themselves and others. Leaders’ storiesoften reflect the unresolved developmentaldynamics they have brought forwardthrough their life – and will continue to doso until they are integrated into their psychesin new ways.

Therefore, a core practice in narrative-based coaching is to increase clients’ reflec-tive capacity so they can become more awareof these narrative traces and the ways inwhich they shape their ways of seeing theworld and acting in it. As Fonagy and Targethave suggested (cited in Siegel, 1999), thisreflective function is more than mere intro-spection; it directly influences their wholeself-organizational process. I will often askclients to tell the same story at several pointsin our work together as an informal meansfor assessing improvement in their ability tobring coherence to their experience andaccessing leverage points for their develop-ment. For example, in coaching a client onhis work/life balance I asked him at severalkey points in our work together about what itis like for him when he comes home fromwork – particularly in light of stories he hadshared about his own experience as a child.As Wallin (in Wyatt & Yalom, 2008)observed, the attachment categories providea way to understand the states of mind inwhich clients get stuck sometimes and theearly relationships from which they may havearisen. Narrative coherence provides a way

of understanding these patterns as seen inthe stories that clients tell about their lives.

Coaching leaders from an attachmentframe‘If my team just [took more initiative], thenI would not have to be so [demanding].’While each of us can fill in the blanks withplenty of our own client stories, the beauty ofsuch lines from clients is that they provide anopportunity to help them deconstruct theirexperiences to get at their underlyingassumptions, attachment orientations andaccountability. This is not always easy to do,particularly around elements of their iden-tity and behaviour that are deeply engrainedand well defended. Like many coaches, I used to try to push past this resistance fromparticipants and clients so we could makemore ‘progress.’ However, in recent years, I have begun to question the value of ‘push-ing’, the existence of ‘resistance,’ and themeaning of ‘progress.’ I have come toincreasingly agree with Hillman (1983) thatthe task ‘is not so much breaking downdefenses and overcoming resistances as it isone of rediscovering the necessity of thesemanoeuvres which are the psyche’s veryresponses to its weakness’ (p.99).

In doing so, I am increasingly interestedin exploring each client’s unique ‘manoeu-vres, the edges and texture of their defenses,and the shadows on the other side that areessential for the next steps in their develop-ment. Defenses begin as an intrinsic andhealthy part of development early in life;they are there to protect the differentiatingand adaptive ego. As Gagan (1998)observed, they ‘work on our behalf, alteringreality by creatively rearranging conflictsinto more manageable situations. Theresulting distortions give us time to accli-mate to life’s contingencies until the anxietyof the threatening situation can be borne’(p.140). However, when these once essentialdefenses are used repetitively and inflexiblyin the face of threats that are perceived asunmanageable they can become a barrier todevelopment, resilience and flexibility.



Current neuroscience research seems toindicate that the over-reliance on these earlydefense structures tends to interfere with thedevelopment of more complex neuralnetworks (Dougherty & West, 2007).

As a result, I have moved to a ‘pulling’strategy in trusting that clients will find theirown path, reframed ‘resistance’ as thediscovery of a self-definitional boundary tobe explored, and withdrawn my attachmentsto ‘progress’ to make room for greaterawareness. Rather than waging Sisypheanbattles with our clients, coaches are betteroff engaging them about what they areseeking to attain or accomplish – albeit oftenin non-conscious ways – through their storiesand their actions. In doing so, coaches willbe able to more fully appreciate the under-lying aims behind their behaviours and seethem as adaptations that once had survivalvalue at an egoic level and still have none-goic value at deeper levels. The ability torecognize clients’ attachment patterns intheir stories – and help them to do the same– is the first step in helping them develop amore coherent narrative and attain greaterearned security.

A ‘push’ coaching strategy with theleader who is seen as demanding might focuson setting behavioural goals to be less so withhis team. A ‘pull’ strategy would, instead,start from the story of what happens for himwhen others do to take sufficient initiative(from within his view of the world), whatfears this triggers now (and has triggeredbefore), the nature of what he is defendingagainst (usually an anticipated internalfeeling state and/or a perceived externalthreat), and what roles and responses heinstinctively takes as a result. In addition toaddressing specific interpersonal dynamics,coaches can also help leaders learn how todeal with high levels of environmental andemotional stimuli and still retain highdegrees of integrity and functioning. Inorder to support this ‘broaden-and-buildcycle’ of attachment security (see Mikulincer& Shaver, 2007) coaches can assist clients tosurface and evaluate their defensive strate-

gies so as to develop alternatives more in linewith their current goals.

One way that coaches can do this is bylooking for points of breakdown in thecoherence – of their clients’ stories – thoseplaces where the old story doesn’t workanymore or is incomplete, but that serve asopenings for breakthroughs in a client’s life.For example, I worked with a client whocomplained about the lack of co-operationand consultation from his executive team. Indoing so, I helped him to notice the placesin his stories where he turned away offers forhelp – and rationalized doing so – such thathe continued to stand alone. While this wasa familiar place for him to be, it was nolonger satisfying for him personally orsustainable for him professionally. Thesebreakdowns can be seen and used as open-ings to the developmental edges in clients,those in-between spaces (Drake, 2008, inpress) where growth most often occurs.

Many of the issues leaders bring tocoaching are ‘embedded in their characterarmor, shaped during development as anadaptation against real or imagined danger.… This armor is largely preverbal and organ-izes during the first years of life’ (Cozolino,2002, p.60). This is exacerbated by the factthat many organizational leaders have beenacculturated to ‘get over it’ in the face ofdifficulty or grief, such that elements of theirauthentic personalities and true potential arepushed aside or diminished. As a result, theydevote precious life energy in remaining vigi-lant to protect those aspects of themselvesaround which they feel less secure. However,the defenses they develop to avoid someexperiences prevent them in the end fromseeing reality clearly and restrict their rangeof affect and action (Fulton & Siegel, 2005).Coaching can re-create experiences thatprovide leaders with opportunities tocandidly observe their attachment-relatedpatterns, explore their origins, and seek outnew, more secure, options.

David B. Drake


Five narrative strategies In A Secured Base, Bowlby (1988) proposed amodel of change based on ‘helping a clientunderstand his or her accumulated, andoften forgotten or misunderstood, attach-ment experiences, identify and revise inse-cure working models by transforming theminto more secure models, and learn aboutways to achieve both comfortable intimacyand flexible autonomy’ (Mikulincer &Shaver, 2007, p.406). He discussed five ther-apeutic tasks that contribute to the revisionof insecure working models and the achieve-ment of positive therapeutic outcomes. I have revised and extended this list toprovide a guide for coaches who want tounderstand and facilitate the developmentof their clients using attachment and narra-tive frames. 1. Provide clients with a sense that the coaching

sessions are like a safe haven and a secure basefrom which they can explore their defensivestrategies (both beliefs and behaviours). Thisprovides leaders with a ‘holdingcontainer,’ a ‘safe place,’ where they canrelax their narrative grip (Boscolo &Betrando, 1992), often for the first time,and adopt less defended positionsrelative to their developmental,interpersonal, and leadership demands.It is important for most clients toexperience the primal comfort of righthemisphere to right hemisphereresonance – as they did to varyingdegrees as infants – as the basis for thefelt sense of a safe haven and a securebase for further work (Badenoch, 2008;Siegel, 1999). The goal is to move themto a ‘sweet spot’ where there is sufficientjuice to activate their awareness andengage them but sufficient safety so theycan stay present to their defenses andmake new choices. For example, I spenttwo months coaching Jim1, a leader inlocal government, to observe his healthhabits before he was ready to deal with

his highly avoidant relational patternsand what this was costing him personallyand professionally.

2. Use the rapport that is gained to help leaderstake a good look at how they currently relate toothers, how they currently narrate theserelationships, and the biases inherent in theirconstructions. This aspect of the work isbased on the need for an increasedtesting and facing of ‘reality’ as the basisfor change. This is important because asDougherty and West (2007) point out,‘our woundedness, our individuality, andour gifts are directly related. Within ourcharacter structure is the essence of whatis needed for transformation andindividuation’ (p.2). Once Jim and I haddeveloped sufficient trust – such that thetriggers related to his attachmentavoidance patterns relaxed – I helpedhim examine the impact of his relationalstyle on his significant relationships andthe hidden assumptions behind histendency to overwork (as one of hiscompensatory strategies). In doing so, hebegan to soften his defenses and broadenhis stories to include more of hiscompassionate nature.

3. Use your coaching sessions as a laboratory forthe study of clients’ attachment-relatedbehaviours, inevitably including thetransference and projection of establishedworking models onto you and the coachingrelationship, and the opportunity toexperiment with new, more secure, relationalpatterns. If we think of coaches as‘mirrors’ for clients, it is essential that wedo our own development work on aregular basis so we remaincompassionate, clean, and clear in ourreflections. Doing so will give clients theexperience of being understood and thepositive feelings associated with securerelationships. As time goes on, bridgescan be made between what goes on in thecoaching relationship and what can

1 The name and some details have been changed to preserve anonymity while providing sufficient integrity andutility as a case.



happen in a leader’s other importantrelationships – in the past, present orfuture (Wallin in Wyatt & Yalom, 2008).For Jim, it was about making agreementswith me to have heart-to-heartconversations with key members of hisextended family as we had done in oursessions together.

4. Help leaders to reflect on how their workingmodels and their subsequent interpersonalpatterns – particularly around the roles andpositions they tend to take relative tosignificant others – are rooted in childhoodexperiences with primary attachment figures.In doing so, it may be useful then toconsider Cozolino’s (2004) advice onthree key messages for clients, ‘thisdefense was once very important, butnow is hurting you, and it may no longerbe necessary’ (p.145). The aim is to helpclients recognize that although theirworking models may once have beenadaptive, or at least seemed better thanthe alternatives when interacting withnon-optimal attachment figures, they areno longer sufficient in meeting thedemands of leadership or even of theirown drive for wholeness and growth. ForJim, it was important to finallyacknowledge the lifelong patterns withhis own father and to connect theprofoundly dismissing treatment heexperienced throughout his life with theways he showed up as a husband, parentand boss that were both distant and over-involved. It was not about either blame ora direct causality, but rather to help himgive voice to the pre-verbal roots for thepatterns of relating and behaving hesought to change.

5. Position yourself as a coach as a ‘good enough’and available caregiver to help leadersexperience other attachment orientations andbehaviours. One way to do so is to ‘react toclients’ attitudes toward proximity inways that collide with their demands anddisconfirm their expectations andmaladaptive patterns of relatedness. Thiscollision provides an opportunity for

corrective emotional experiences thatseem to be beneficial for both alliancestrength and client functioning’(Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007, p.423). Youcan look at coaching as a relationship inwhich coaches, as surrogate attachmentfigures, make room for experiences thepatient’s original attachment figurescouldn’t make room for. The researchindicates that the relationships that yieldthe most resiliency are those that aremaximally inclusive of the depth andbreadth of clients’ feelings, desires, views,behaviours, etc. (see Wallin in Wyatt &Yalom, 2008). In this way, coaching is avenue for liberation such that leaders canlearn to breathe into greater integrity,authenticity and resiliency. For Jim, it wasthe eventual decision to take earlyretirement and relocate to be near hisgrown children, but to leave with a smileon his face for the first time in years.

ConclusionAccording to recent research, approximately55 per cent of children are securelyattached, a decrease of about 10 per cent inthe last 10 years (cited in Badenoch, 2008,p.63). Given that these children are theworkers and leaders of tomorrow, it is imper-ative that we take notice of what this figuremeans for our organizations and our soci-eties. As the global community wrestles witha disruptive economic crisis and ecologicalturning point, the time is now to think againabout how to develop the leaders we willneed for a brave new future. Given theemotional, technological and socialcomplexities of the challenges we face, it ismore important than ever to develop leaderwho have a secure attachment. As such,coaching is a gift for leaders as a sanctuary inthe midst of organizational and civic cultures‘with fewer and fewer psychic homes, placesand moments, persons and situations whereone can take off the armor, put down thedefenses’ (Paris, 2007, p.121). It is my hopethat more coaches will take up attachmenttheory as a resource for assessing and

Ainsworth, M.D.S. & Bowlby, J. (1991). Anethological approach to personalitydevelopment. American Psychologist, 46, 331–341.

Ainsworth, M. & Bowlby, J.J. (1991). An ethologicalapproach to personality development. AmericanPsychologist, 46, 331-341.

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Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss (Vol. 2). New York: Basic Books.

Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Clinical applications ofattachment theory. London: Routledge.

Cozolino, L. (2002). The neuroscience of psychotherapy:Building and rebuilding the human brain. New York:W.W. Norton.

Cozolino, L. (2004). The making of a therapist.New York: W.W. Norton.

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Dougherty, N.J., & West, J.J. (2007). The matrix andmeaning of character: An archetypal anddevelopmental approach. London: Routledge.

Drake, D.B. (2007). The art of thinking narratively:Implications for coaching psychology andpractice. Australian Psychologist, 42(4), 283–294.

Drake, D.B. (2008). Thrice upon a time: Narrativestructure and psychology as a platform forcoaching. In D.B. Drake, D. Brennan & K. Gørtz(Eds.), The philosophy and practice of coaching:Insights and issues for a new era (pp.51–71). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Drake, D.B. (in press). Narrative coaching. In E. Cox,T. Bachkirova & D. Clutterbuck (Eds.), The Sagehandbook of coaching. London: Sage.

Fulton, P.R., & Siegel, R.D. (2005). Buddhist andWestern psychology. In C.K. Germer, R.D. Siegel& P.R. Fulton (Eds.), Mindfulness andpsychotherapy (pp.28–51). New York: GuilfordPress.

Gagan, J. M. (1998). Journeying: Where shamanism andpsychology meet. Santa Fe, NM: Rio ChamaPublications.

Geertz, C. (1978). The interpretation of cultures.New York: Basic Books.

Hesse, E. (1999). The Adult Attachment Interview:Historical and current perspectives. In J. Cassidy& P.R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment:Theory, research and clinical applications(pp.395–433). New York: Guilford Press.

Hillman, J. (1983). Healing fiction. Woodstock: SpringPublications.

Hollis, J. (2005). Finding meaning in the second half oflife. New York: Penguin Books.

Horney, K. (1945). Our inner conflicts: A constructivetheory of neurosis. New York: W.W. Norton.

Mikulincer, M. & Shaver, P.R. (2007). Attachment inadulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change.New York: Guilford Press.

Paris, G. (2007). Wisdom of the psyche: Depth psychologyafter neuroscience. London: Routledge.

Perry, B.D., Pollard, R.A., Blakley, T.L., Baker, W.L. &Vigilante, D. (1995). Childhood trauma, theneurobiology of adaptation, and ‘use-dependent’development of the brain: How ‘states’ become‘traits’. Infant Mental Health Journal, 16(4),271–291.

Siegel, D.J. (1999). The developing mind. New York:Guilford Press.

Siegel, D.J. (2007). The mindful brain: Reflection andattunement in the cultivation of well-being. New York:W.W. Norton.

Siegel, D.J. & Hartzell, M. (2003). Parenting from theinside out. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher.

Wyatt, R.C. & Yalom, I.D. (2008). An interview withDavid J. Wallin, PhD: Attachment in psychotherapy(December 16), 20.Retrieved from:www.psychotherapy.net/interview/David_Wallin

helping leaders develop greater attachmentsecurity, bring more coherence to theirnarratives, and find their path to moreauthentic and mature leadership as a result.

CorrespondenceDavid B. Drake, PhDCenter for Narrative Coaching,675 Robinson Road,Sebastopol,CA 95472 USA.E-mail: [email protected]


David B. Drake

References

OBERTO NICASTRO, CEO andGIOVANNI ‘GIANNI’ CHELO, VP ofHR, realised they were sitting on a gold

mine at UniCredit Banca (UCB). As a resultof an innovation leadership developmentprogramme, there was now a cadre of ener-gised, well-trained internal facilitators andthousands of inspired, eager managersarmed with a new set of ideas and experi-ences. Managers saw the facilitators astrusted advisors and regularly called themfor advice and counsel after programmeswere completed. It became clear that therewas an opening for more intensive work onleadership at UCB.

The Teleos Leadership Institute was askedto develop a coach training programme forthese facilitators, and in retrospect GianniChelo describes the goals this way: ‘The ultimateaim was to create a coaching culture among theleaders at UCB. In order to achieve this we created aunit totally dedicated to coaching. The ResonantLeadership for Results© (RL4R) programme1 andcoaching represent the ‘UniCredit Way’ to be a leader,and we decided that as we merged with differentbanks, we would begin with RL4R and thencoaching to give people a common leadership culturethat would have results’ (Teleos, 2008).

As it happened at UCB, more and moreorganisations are recognising the value ofcoaching for senior leaders. Executivecoaches help the busy executive identify andevaluate strategic decisions, clarify his or herown values in relation to the organisation’svalues and goals, and prepare leaders to takethe reins as champions and models ofchange. The executive coach creates an envi-ronment where a leader can explore coreaspirations, reduce the effects of power stressand unleash true potential.

Even CEOs and senior executives see thebenefit of acquiring an executive coach tohelp them navigate through the often turbu-lent changes in our global, complex world.After seeing the benefits for themselves,senior executives are often enthusiasticabout having other leaders and managersinvolved in a coaching process. But there is acatch: Despite the obvious benefits ofcoaching, it can be a co-ordination night-mare to provide consistent, high-qualitycoaching for dozens, maybe hundreds ofmanagers. And the cost of external coachesfor large numbers of managers can be asignificant obstacle.


Coaching from the inside: Building aninternal group of emotionally intelligentcoachesAnnie McKee, Felice Tilin & Delores Mason

While many senior executives can both afford and benefit from world class external coaching, this may notbe an affordable or manageable option for many leaders in large organizations. Developing a cadre ofinternal coaches has the benefits of: (1) cost containment; (2) internal capacity to create a coaching culture;and (3) coaches make better managers. In a case study of a large European bank implementing a culturechange the authors trained coaches how to coach using emotional intelligence and a change model calledintentional change. Surveys and interviews of the leaders who were coached by internal coaches revealedfive tangible results: (1) an increase in the speed of managers’ leadership growth; (2) an increase inmanager loyalty to the company; (3) improved communication among people; (4) increased ability to solveconflicts; and (5) a renewed passion and awareness that part of their ability is to develop others.

R

1 A Teleos leadership programme based on emotional intelligence, used by UCB.

Annie McKee, Felice Tilin & Delores Mason


One way to reduce cost and managequality is to build internal coaching capacityamong HR professionals and highly talentedline managers. This was what Gianni Cheloat UCB decided to do. UCB, part of theUniCredit Group network of Europeanbanks and financial institutions, is the largestbank in Italy. In 2004, UCB was at a turningpoint, transforming from a mid-sizednational bank to a global financial institu-tion. Through mergers and acquisitions theywere knitting multiple institutions together,working toward building a shared cultureand an organization focused on excellentcustomer service and great results.

Top executives were convinced thatleading with emotional intelligence andresonance would be critical to this transfor-mation and to business results (Goleman,1995; Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002;Boyatzis & McKee, 2005; McKee, Boyatzis &Johnston, 2008). They were impressed byresearch showing that emotional intelli-gence competencies, not IQ, distinguishoutstanding leaders from average. As a wayto quickly bring leaders up to speed, seniorleaders embarked on focused coaching andengaged in lively dialogues about how totransform their individual leadership prac-tices. Concurrently, a process was designedto engage over 3000 managers in leadershipdevelopment. This programme, ResonantLeadership for Results©, was intended first todevelop leaders’ emotional intelligence andstrategic thinking. Second, and also impor-tant, the programme developed the capacityof a group of carefully selected HR and linemanagers. These individuals became facilita-tors – delivering over 200 programmesduring a 12-month period.

Phase Two involved targeted programmedelivery and continued individual coachingfor executives. Together with Gianni Chelo,we also worked to find a way to make high-quality coaching available to large numbersof directors and managers across the entirebank. Specifically, we decided to develop aprocess to train the facilitators to be execu-tive coaches, and then to deploy them across

the organization. Our collaborative venture,described in this article, demonstrates thatbuilding this internal capacity to ‘coach fromthe inside’ is indeed possible and is apowerful way to develop large numbers ofleaders over a short period of time.

Why consider coaching from the inside?While many C-suite executives can bothafford and benefit from world class externalcoaches, coaching is not always affordable ormanageable for many leaders in large organ-isations. Good external coaches charge from$10,000–$100,000 per coachee for approxi-mately nine months (Rock & Donde, 2008).Although the time span varies, a typicalengagement includes six to 12 face-to-facemeetings with telephone calls, ad hoc meet-ings, and e-mails in between.

The complexity of managing a largecadre of external coaches is also significant.First, there is huge variance in approaches tocoaching and to the skill levels of coachestoday. From both a quality and results stand-point, it is extremely hard to identify whatexactly happens in the coaching process andhow managers benefit. Second, we find thatoften, coaches work with very few managersin a given company and have little or noother exposure. It is likely, therefore, thatthey do not understand organizationalculture or politics, or the goals or expecta-tions of their clients’ managers and leaders.At best, they only have the view from theperspective of their coachee(s) and a fewothers.

So, aligning external coaches to yourorganisational needs and values is enor-mously challenging and takes strongcompany focus and the resources to create,sustain and evaluate results (ibid). Time andagain we find that HR leaders in large corpo-rations have no idea who is being coached,who the coaches are, or what outcomesresult from the coaching assignments. Infact, The Center for Effective Organizationsat the University of Southern Californiasurveyed 55 companies and only 50 per centof the firms provided any central co-ordina-

Coaching from the inside


tion of coaches (Levinson, McDermott &Clarke, 2004).

In large organisations, developing acadre of internal coaches has multiple bene-fits: (1) cost containment; (2) internalcapacity to create a coaching culture; and(3) coaches make better managers. Costcontainment is obvious. Depending on avail-ability of internal personnel, the cost ofsalaries and the level of coaching expertise,the cost of coaching 20 individual managerscan be as little as $120,000 per year (Rock &Donde, 2008) – that’s $60,000 less than theaverage for external coaching.

The second reason to develop internalcoaches is that the group of talented peoplewho are trained as coaches can subsequentlyserve multiple purposes in the organisation.They can spread a coaching culture,organise coaching around company valuesand leadership competencies, and providecoaching deeper into the organisation yearafter year.

And third, research shows that whentrained employees take on other business orHR roles, they demonstrate the best leader-ship and retain more direct reports due to thefact that they have developed and practicedcoaching. This coaching leadership style hasbeen shown to have a positive impact onorganisational culture (Goleman, 2000).

Coach development at UniCredit BancaIn 2004, UniCredit Banca (UCB) requesteda leadership programme grounded in theprinciples of resonant leadership andemotional intelligence. UCB had recentlyacquired several banks in Italy. They werelooking for ways to build a leadership culturethat would permeate the organisation. Incollaboration with senior executives, wedeveloped Resonant Leadership for Results©

(RL4R) that was intended to support theshift towards a customer-focused, serviceoriented, global bank.

The opportunity to become ‘faculty’ andwork for up to two years in this programmewas advertised internally. Several hundredline managers and human resource profes-

sionals applied, and through a rigorousselection process, 30 were chosen. Theseindividuals participated in two weeks ofintensive Train the Trainer programme thatfocused on emotionally intelligent leader-ship, adult learning, facilitation skills andpractice, group dynamics, organisationalpower and politics, and resonant leadership.Once trained, the UCB facilitators deliveredthe RL4R programme to over 3000 bankmanagers. At the end of the process, therewas marked improvement in customerservice, managerial communication, andmorale. There was now a ‘shared language ofleadership’ and the beginning of a commonculture. Moreover, the facilitators gainedinvaluable experience, profoundly devel-oped themselves, and built many ongoingrelationships with managers across thebusiness. The programme was deemed asuccess. And it was clear that the RL4Rprogramme had opened the door tobuilding internal capacity that could – andultimately would – support managerial devel-opment across the organisation.

Beginning with introductory sessions,selected facilitators engaged in experientialcoach development workshops thataddressed topics such as coaching compe-tencies (Boyatzis, 2005), presence (RaineyTolbert & Hanafin, 2006), ethics, and theboundary between coaching and therapy.The programme ultimately involved 15 daysof intensive training, supervised coachingassignments, coaching clinics under thesupervision of an expert executive coach,and focused individual feedback. Qualitycontrol continued post-training, andcoaches were ultimately deployed acrossUCB, engaging with hundreds of managers.

Chelo attributes the success of theinternal coaching programme to fourfactors: (1) Assisting people in developingemotional and social intelligence competen-cies and the capacity for resonant leadershiphas profound and lasting positive impactthroughout the organisation; (2) Managersvalued an approach that focused on thedevelopment of each leader as a whole

Figure 1a: Emotional and Social Intelligence Competencies.



person; (3) Coaches were carefully selectedand trained, and are very passionate aboutcoaching; and (4) The power of the Teleosapproach to coaching was a complement tothe core values of the company.

(1) Assisting people in developing emotionaland social intelligence competencies and thecapacity for resonant leadership hasprofound and lasting positive impactthrough the organisation. The coachesparticipated in intensive training to developtheir own emotional and social intelligenceand resonant leadership while simultane-ously learning to apply these skills in theircoaching engagements. They learned how toapply the research-based emotional andsocial intelligence competencies whichemphasise Self-Awareness, Self-Manage-ment, Social Awareness and RelationshipManagement (see Figure 1a).

(2) Managers valued an approach thatfocused on the development of each leaderas a whole person. Coaches learned andpracticed ‘coaching with compassion’, whichwe define in the book Resonant Leadership as

helping others in their intentional changeprocess (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005). In ourapproach, coaches help people to seek theirpersonal dreams and aspirations rather thanthe instrumental goals assigned to them bymanagers in a typical performance develop-ment process. In order to be able to do thiswith and for others, the coaches embarkedon their own two-year quest to get in touchwith their personal dreams and passions andengaged in activities and exercises thatstrengthened the practice of compassionwith others.

(3) Coaches were carefully selected andtrained, and are very passionate aboutcoaching. UCB engaged in one of the mostcareful selection processes we have everseen. Each facilitator for RL4R, and theneach coach, had to formally apply to theposition. They had over 600 applicants for 24 positions in the RL4R leadershipprogramme and 200 applicants to fill 12coaching positions. Each candidate partici-pated in a behavioural event interview basedon a set of pre-defined criteria and was putthrough specially designed assessment



centre activities. Last but not least, eachperson was interviewed to determine theirpassion about coaching and leadership. Intraining coaches, as with coaching leaders,we have found that passion for coaching isthe fuel that drives them to keep learning,stay dedicated to the needs and wants oftheir coachees and to achieve results that areconsistent with what the coachee/clientwants for themselves.

(4) The power of the Teleos approach tocoaching was a complement to the corevalues of the company. Our Coach CapacityBuilding Programme focused on emotionaland social intelligence, resonant leadership,and intentional change2. These foundationscomplemented UCB’s commitment topeople, service and results, as well asbuilding a healthy organisational cultureand encouraging life-long learning.

Furthermore, we ensured that coacheslearned how to coach, as opposed to givingadvice. Many of the coaches were formerbank managers or HR professionals. In thesepositions, they were valued for their contentand technical knowledge and ability tomentor or give advice. As internal coaches,these individuals brought knowledge of thebusiness and the culture, which was tremen-dously valuable. However, if they had over-relied on these strengths or consistentlydelivered ‘expertise’ in the form of advice,they would not have been as effective. It cannot be over-emphasised that internal coachcandidates need a great deal of practice andfeedback in order to unlearn some of theiradvice-giving habits. This means learning tolisten, learning to ask powerful questions,and creating a safe environment based ontrust and confidentiality.

Coaching from the inside at UniCreditBanca: The resultsThe outcomes of coaching at UCB weremeasured by a survey that contained open-ended questions and a Likert scale for ratingspecific questions. We have noted fivetangible results from developing internalcoaching as relayed to us by Gianni Chelo: 1. ‘An increase in the speed of personal leadership

growth – people now grow into their roles morequickly and more successfully. Almost allmanagers and leaders say that they haveincreased awareness, that they need to beconstantly ‘on the road’ of personaldevelopment and that this is the best way togrow and be able to meet the challenges ofconstant changes.’ Most leadershipdevelopment and learning experts joinus in our belief that those who can learnwill succeed. In today’s environment it isimperative that leaders are curious, openand ‘on the road’ to new ways ofmanaging themselves, others andchange.

2. ‘Managers are more loyal to the company.’People felt valued as a result of theinvestment coaching represented. Thefact that people were given this support,whether they had been in the companyfor years or they were merging fromanother bank, signalled great care andcompassion. Managers have reciprocatedwith loyalty to and increased pride intheir jobs and the company.

3. ‘Communication among people has improved.’In 2004, in our initial research of UCB,we found that a main area of difficultywas communication as new banksmerged into UniCredit (Teleos DynamicInquiry Research Study, 2004). Throughthe coaching process, there was a markedimprovement in interpersonal communi-cation as well as communication betweenmanagerial levels. We attribute this tocoachees learning to listen and be moreempathetic with their colleagues.

2 The Teleos Leadership Institute Coach Capacity Building Programme is ICF-accredited at the ACTP level.



4. ‘An increased ability to solve conflicts.’ In addition to increasing empathy, thecoaching process gave managers anothersounding board (the coach) toconfidentially discuss difficulties andconflicts and to explore alternativesolutions to these issues. Alternativemethods of conflict resolution could beweighed, practiced and thenimplemented. Today, managers havemore and better methods in their ‘tool kit’.

5. ‘Leaders have a renewed passion andawareness that part of their job is to developothers.’ This is perhaps the most subtleoutcome. When the company offered toprovide a coach for people’s develop-ment, managers felt more compelled toadopt that coaching style in their ownleadership and develop others. Thisincreased leadership capacity at everylevel of the organisation.

Finally, Gianni Chelo shared additionaladvice for others who want to implement asuccessful internal coaching function:‘Coaching is basically an investment in people.The results come at a personal level and on acompany level. To ensure this I would suggest astrong and clear top management sponsorship andthe largest number of managers, especially middlemanagers, be involved in the process.’

Coaching for emotional intelligenceand the power of resonant leadershipAs executive coaches and trainers ofcoaches, we find ourselves coaching anincreasingly sophisticated audience ofclients that need all of the above and more.Today’s leaders have a multitude of complexneeds that span a wide range: addressingspecific leadership challenges; leading teamsthrough multiple levels of change; recon-necting with personal values and goals. Inorder to keep up, stay emotionallyconnected, flexible, authentic and inspira-tional, outstanding leaders must continuallybe on a journey of intentional change.

Meaningful and important changes donot happen by chance. Part of the challenge

of creating and sustaining excellent leader-ship is to recognise, manage, and even directone's own process of learning and change.People who manage their own developmentintentionally are poised to make goodchoices about what they need to do to bemore effective and more satisfied with theirlives. Drawing on decades of research, muchof it conducted by Richard Boyatzis of CaseWestern Reserve University, we can now saywith certainty that the Intentional ChangeModel can help people to engage inpersonal transformation successfully, andwith excitement and enthusiasm (Boyatzis,2006). Needless to say, intentional change isthe foundation of our coaching process.

The Intentional Change ModelLongitudinal research studies in the last fewyears have shown that sustainable changeoccurs as we focus on five major discoveries.These discoveries, as discussed in Goleman,Boyatzis and McKee’s 2002 book, Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of EmotionalIntelligence, are as follows:1. The Ideal Self. The last 20 years have seen

considerable research done on the powerof positive imaging and visioning. Theresearch in sports psychology,meditation, and biofeedback indicatesthat we can access and engage deepemotional commitment and psychicenergy if we engage our passions andcatch our dreams in our ideal self-image(Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002).Focusing on what we want out of life andwho we want to be is the most importantstep of intentional change. Surprisingly,even though we know the importance ofconsidering a positive view of ourselvesand our future, we often skip this step.We take on others’ hopes for us, or wesimply let ourselves become numb to ourown dreams. So, the first challenge is tofind our dream, our own vision forourselves and our lives.

2. The Real Self. To move from where we arenow to where we want to be, we need tohave a sense of how others see us, and



how that image matches, or not, with howwe see ourselves. This requires deep self-awareness, mindfulness and thewillingness to be vulnerable. Becomingclear about oneself and how othersexperience us can be difficult and takescourage. Why is this? Because over time,we build a certain – and usually positive –self-image, and our psyche activelyprotects that image from harm or changeby preventing us from taking in all of theinformation about ourselves, especiallynegative or disconfirming information.This defence mechanism serves toprotect us, but it also conspires to deludeus into an image of who we are that feedson itself, becomes self-perpetuating, andeventually may become dysfunctional(Goleman, 1985; Paulus & Levitt, 1987).So in order to really see ourselves as weare, we have to let our defences down.The comparison of the real self to theideal self results in identification of ourstrengths and weaknesses – leading toour learning agenda.

3. A learning agenda helps us capitalise onour strengths and move us closer to ourpersonal vision while possibly working ona weakness or two – or working tomaintain the ideal current state of ourlife and work. This third step in theintentional change process, developmentof a learning plan, helps us focus onmoving toward the desired future.

While performance at work orhappiness in life may be the eventualconsequence of our efforts, a learningagenda focuses on the process ofdevelopment itself. It focuses our energyon learning first, outcomes second. Theorientation to learning arouses a positivebelief in one's capability and the hope ofimprovement (Beaubien & Payne, 1999).

A major threat to effective goal settingand planning is that we are already busyand cannot add anything else to our lives.So, we can only succeed in the changeprocess, then, if we determine when tosay ‘no’ in order to make room for new

activities. Another potential challenge orthreat is the development of a plan thatcalls for people to engage in activities atodds with their preferred learning style.When this occurs, we lose motivation andoften stop the activities, or becomeimpatient and decide that the goals arenot worth the effort (Kolb, 1984). Forinstance, an executive who learns best byjumping right in to try possible solutionsin order to analyse what might work best,will not be motivated to read a detailedtextbook or analytical documents. Ifreading such documents is part of thisexecutive’s learning plan, he or she mayavoid that task and not achieve learninggoals.

4. Experimenting with and practicing new habitsor reinforcing and affirming our strengths.Once our agenda or plan points us in theright direction, we have to practicesufficiently to go beyond comfort tomastery of new habits. Our new attitudesand behaviours have to becomeunconscious responses. To develop newbehaviours, we must find ways to learnmore from current or ongoingexperiences. That is, experimentationand practice do not always requireattending courses or engaging in newactivities. It may involve trying somethingdifferent in a current setting, reflectingon what occurs, and experimentingfurther in this same setting. RobertThomas refers to this as ‘practicing whileyou perform’ (Thomas, 2007).

Interestingly, people often downplayexperimentation and rush to try newbehaviours in ‘hot’ settings, like work. Itis easy to become discouraged if we dothis, because it is not necessarily safe totry new ways of being in settings whereperformance is constantly measured. Infact, experimentation and practice aremost effective if they are done inconditions in which we feel safe. Thissense of psychological safety creates anatmosphere in which we can try newbehaviour, perceptions and thoughts



with relatively low risk of shame,embarrassment or serious consequencesof failure (Wheeler, 2008). Early winsspark hope which in turn engendersenergy and commitment to the process.For example, if an executive wants topractice developing his interpersonalskills, he might make an arrangementwith a friend or peers to support him inpracticing one-to-one conversations, orrole-play with a coach.

This is one reason that executivecoaching can be so helpful. A good coachcan provide perspective, feedback,guidance, and confrontation, all withinthe confines of a safe and confidentialenvironment. Also, a good coach cancoax and goad us to continue thepractice in the same way a fitnessinstructor will push us for ‘five more’repetitions of an exercise.

Hopefully, following a period ofexperimentation in a safe setting (such aswith a coach or in personal activities), wewill want to practice new behaviours in theactual settings within which we wish to usethem, such as at work or at home. Duringthis part of the process, intentionalchange and learning begins to look like acontinuous improvement process.

5. Developing and maintaining close, personalrelationships. Successful personaldevelopment always involves others.Connection is essential. Based ontheories of social identity our socialsetting, our culture, our referencegroups, and our relationships mediateand moderate our sense of who we areand who we want to be. We develop andelaborate our ideal selves from thesecontexts, as well as label and interpretour real selves. We recognize and valuestrengths (things we consider part of ourcore and wish to preserve) and identifygaps (things that we consider weaknessesor that we wish to change) fromrelationships as well.

Sometimes, this is really the first step:finding a coach or perhaps a colleague

who is on a similar quest helps us to getstarted on our learning journey. Talkingto people, checking our reality withtheirs, and opening ourselves to theirviews helps us to clarify our vision and seereality too. Honest dialogue can sparkour own creativity, new ways ofunderstanding ourselves and others, andhelp us stay the course.

Involving others, even supportiveothers, takes courage and persistence. Itis not easy to seek others’ opinions,expertise, and help. By involving others,we turn up the heat. It is a lot harder tostop the process of developing ourselveswhen we have other people invested inhelping us change.

The five discoveries of intentional changeare shown in Figure 1b as a cyclical process.Cycling through these discoveries allows usto integrate beliefs, ideals and passions withwho we are. As we learn, we become more intune with ourselves and with others and ulti-mately develop the capacity for resonantleadership

Resonant leadershipWe all recognise resonant leadership whenwe experience it – leaders who are able toinspire those around them, create a positivework environment and produce greatresults. But even the best leaders havetremendous difficulty sustaining resonanceduring tough times (Boyatzis & McKee,2005).

The reality is that leaders cannot remaineffective if they cannot sustain themselves inthe face of the inevitable stress inherent inleading others to achieve results. Powerstress is an integral part of being a leader –the unending day-to-day crises, complexdecisions, responsibilities and the lonelinessthat comes with occupying a top spot putshuge pressure on leaders and adds up to achronic, slow burning strain that is ofteninterrupted by bouts of acute stress. Stress is,of course, always part of the leader’s realityand always will be. It is not power stress thatis the problem in itself, but the lack of

Figure 1b: Intentional Change Model.



recovery time (renewal) or the effectivemanagement of stress. Many leaders burythemselves in their jobs at times of crisis andtrouble, often compounding the problem.They fall victim to the sacrifice syndrome:giving and giving, and leaving no time forrenewal. When this happens dissonancebecomes the default for leaders personallyand for those around them.

Leaders need to learn how to manage thecycle of sacrifice and renewal to avoid slippinginadvertently into dissonance (see Figure 1c).Dissonant leaders wreak havoc. They are atthe mercy of volatile emotions and reactivity.They drive people too hard, for the wrongreasons, and in the wrong directions. Theyleave frustration, fear and antagonism in theirwake. And they are often completely unawareof the damage they have done.

We have identified three experiencesthat are essential in supporting the toughwork of becoming and sustaining resonantleadership. These elements: mindfulness,hope and compassion, are discussed inBecoming a Resonant Leader (McKee, Boyatzis& Johnston, 2008).

Mindfulness means being awake andaware of ourselves and attuned to the worldand people around us. It is comparable tothe coaching concept of ‘presence.’ Theability to focus your thoughts and emotionsin an appropriate manner at the appropriatetime is a core element of mindfulness.People who cultivate mindfulness improvecognitive flexibility, creativity, and problem-solving skills. In other words, leaders whopay attention to the whole self – mind, body,heart, and spirit – can literally be quicker,smarter, happier, and more effective thanthose who focus too narrowly or only onshort-term success. Being mindful is the verything resonant coaches learn to do, and whatthey need to help their clients learn to do intheir day-to-day work.

One of the most powerful aspects ofcoaching is the attention the coach gives tothe client. It is rare that someone listens asattentively, supportively and actively as acoach. We encourage coaches to practicemindfulness, whether it’s by preparing for anupcoming coaching session, doing abreathing meditation, listening to music or

Figure 1c: The Cycle of Sacrifice and Renewal.



doing a physical activity. These practicesenable the coach to be present. Throughmodelling and conversations, the coachhelps the coachee learn the same mindfulpractices.

Hope enables us to believe in an attain-able and optimistic vision of the future andto move towards goals while inspiring othersto do the same. It is not just optimism; it isthe energy within you that moves you andothers to believe in a better future. The latestresearch in neuroscience shows that theexperience of hope actually causes changesin our brains and hormones that allow us torenew our minds, bodies, and hearts(Groopman, 2004; Snyder, Rand & Sigmon,2002).

Hope engages and raises our spirit,mobilises energy, and increases resilience.Beyond this, hope and the vision of thefuture that comes with it are contagious.They are powerful drivers of others’behaviour. Resonant coaches inspire hopeand energise clients to awaken to a betterfuture. They start from a place of abun-dance, not from deficiency. Our approachfocuses on the coach helping the client iden-tify his or her strengths, and to build a visionthat motivates and inspires.

Compassion is a state that enables us tobetter understand people’s wants and needs,and to be motivated to act on our feelings.

Like hope, compassion is also contagious.Compassion parallels empathy, and takes itone step further: compassion is empathy inaction. The resonant coach sparks positiveemotions in the coachee and enableshim/her to do the same in his/her leader-ship capacity. We work with coaches to havecompassion for themselves, for their ownimperfections and for each other.

Our coaching model taps into anddevelops the coach’s compassion. A resonantcoach is genuinely concerned for others’welfare and future. He or she not onlyunderstands the client’s needs, but is moti-vated to act on his or her own feelings. Bylearning to communicate effectively andarticulately, coaches allow others to vent orclear the situation without judgement orattachment in order to move on to the nextsteps in the coaching relationship. Thecoach achieves this while maintaining theappropriate business relationships andboundaries, meaning he or she never forgetsthis is first and foremost a professional rela-tionship. Most importantly, a resonant coachmaintains a positive outlook. He or sheremains optimistic despite setbacks and isable to inspire trust and commitment withhis or her clients.

ConclusionCoaches trained in emotionally intelligentleadership, intentional change and resonantleadership can make a difference. Forleaders and the organisation, the investmentin coaching from the inside can increase thespeed and depth of leadership development,create organizational loyalty, improvecommunication, enhance manager’s abilityto solve conflicts, and make developing ofother employees a part of every leaders’ job.

No one knows the outcome of ourcurrent global economic crisis. We believethat if organisations are to survive andflourish, they need to tap the talent,creativity and leadership at every level.Today, more then ever, leadership counts. Asan integral part of the solution, well selectedand trained internal coaches can be criticalto developing effective leaders at every levelof the organisation.

The authorsAnnie McKee Founder, Teleos Leadership Institute.Adjunct Professor, Graduate School ofEducation, University of Pennsylvania.

Felice TilinSenior Consultant and Managing Director,Teleos Leadership Institute.

Delores MasonDirector of Client Services, Teleos Leadership Institute.

CorrespondenceAnnie McKee, PhDTeleos Leadership Institute7837 Old York Road, Elkins Park,PA USA 19027.E-mail: [email protected]



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Boyatzis, R. (2005). Core competencies in coachingothers to overcome dysfunctional behaviour. In V. Druskat, G. Mount & F. Sala (Eds.), Linkingemotional intelligence and work performance(pp.81–95). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Boyatzis, R. (2006). Intentional change: A complexityperspective. Journal of Management Development,25(7).

Boyatzis, R. & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership:Renewing yourself and connecting with others throughmindfulness, hope and compassion. Boston, MA:Harvard Business School Press.

Frederickson, B.L. (2001). The role of positiveemotions in positive psychology. AmericanPsychologist, 56(3).

Goleman, D. (1985). Vital lies, simple truths: Thepsychology of self-deception. New York: Simon &Schuster.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it canmatter more than IQ for character health and lifelongachievement. New York: Bantam Books.

Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results.Harvard Business Review, March–April, 79–90.

Goleman, D., McKee, A. & Boyatzis, R. (2002). Primalleadership: Realizing the power of emotionalintelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business SchoolPublishing.

Groopman, J. (2004). The anatomy of hope: How peopleprevail in the face of illness. New York: RandomHouse.

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Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience asthe source of learning and development. EnglewoodCliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Levinson, McDermott & Clarke. (2004). Whatcoaching can do for your organization … andwhat it can’t. Center for Effective Organizations,Marshall School of Business CEO Publication G-04-20(472).

McKee, A., Boyatzis, R. & Johnston, F. (2008).Becoming a resonant leader: Develop your emotionalintelligence, renew your relationships, sustain youreffectiveness. Boston, MA: Harvard BusinessSchool Press.

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References


Identity and the world of work

TRANSITIONS in working identities,while common, can be quite destabi-lizing – particularly when a person is in

a position of organizational leadership. Itcan be very difficult for leaders to find timefor self-reflection, to gather honest feedbackfrom a group of trusted peers, and to takethe distance and perspective needed to eval-uate options and test new alternatives. Oneresponse to this problem has been to createexecutive leadership development program-mes that have a component of identity workas a part of the process.

In general, executive programmes aredesigned for mid- to high-level professionalsin their early 30s to late 50s, who are contem-plating career change or advancement.Thus, it is not surprising that people join

executive education programmes not onlyfor the content, but also for another, oftenundeclared motive, which is to create thetime and space to take stock of their life andexplore their personal agenda (Kets de Vries& Korotov, 2007). Indeed, taking a class inan educational institution can be seen as anexample of transitional space (Carson,1997). Although this may not be apparent asthey enter the programme, many partici-pants find that what was originally seen as aneducational opportunity eventually becomesthe first step in developing a new workingidentity (Ibarra, 2003, 2005), particularly ifthey are able to set aside ‘central, behav-iourally-anchored identities’ – their internalcompass – and experiment with provisionalselves, shaped by task, social and emotionalfeedback (Ibarra et al., 2008). Mirvis (2008)

Behind the scenes in the identitylaboratory: Participants’ narratives ofidentity transition through groupcoaching in a leadership developmentprogrammeElizabeth Florent-Treacy

This study explored written narratives of 28 participants’ experience in one executive leadershipdevelopment programme, to shed light on the way participants explore and experiment with new workingidentities in the leadership development identity laboratory. The study adopted a mixed-method approach.A series of six programme-related case studies per individual was analysed. These narratives were writtenover a period of 15 months. Findings from this study were presented to the group after the end of theprogramme. As the author was also a participant in the programme, the methodology was qualitative andhermeneutic, with the author using ‘self as instrument’. The narratives were studied through a conceptualinterpretation approach. The narratives show participants moving through an epigenic process similar togroup psychotherapy. This study shows that group psychotherapy can be adapted to create an identitylaboratory experience for executives. In addition, this study shows that the process of writing can be acritical success factor in executives’ passage through an identity lab experience.

Keywords: identity laboratories, identity transition narratives, leadership coaching, executivecoaching, leadership development, evaluation of leadership development programmes, grouppsychotherapy.


relates a similar observation, suggesting thatexecutive programmes may be, under somecircumstances, ‘consciousness raising’ expe-riences which cultivate participants’ self-awareness, deepens their understanding ofothers, and helps them to relate to society.

However, many questions remain aboutwhat exactly happens inside this transitionalspace; in fact, it is very difficult to prove thatanything happens at all. Of course, leader-ship development programmes are certainlypopular, and everyone wants to believe theyare getting their (considerable amount of)money’s worth. Studies of leadershipprogrammes have shown that experientiallearning can be quite profound when itstretches boundaries and takes participantsto the limit of their comfort zones(McCauley, Moxley & Van Velsor, 1998). Butthe design of most ‘transformational’programmes is fairly new, and the resultshave not yet passed the test of time, not tomention other empirical outcome measures.True, participants tend to rate executiveleadership development programmes highly– a phenomenon arguably related to the factthat, to a certain extent, the participants whoattend these programmes are self-selected,and then pre-selected as good candidates byprogramme directors. Given their highdegree of motivation and expectations, theseparticipants are predisposed to seeing a posi-tive outcome. They are top performersbefore the course even begins, and at theend of the course when the evaluation formsare filled in, they are in a ‘feel good’ phase.But what happened to them during theprogramme to make them feel this way?

With the objective of enriching knowl-edge about the identity laboratory outcome,the research described in this paper is basedon a qualitative, interpretive paradigm. I focused on the identity transition experi-ence of participants in a 15-month, sevenmodule executive development programmeat a global business school. (I was also aparticipant in this programme, but I did notwork on this research question until after theend of the programme.) This programme

Consulting and Coaching for Change(CCC), is designed to help senior executivesto improve their coaching and leadershipskills. My fundamental research question – Isthere any indication that identity workoccurs during a multi-module executivedevelopment programme? – has been askedbefore, so to add to the existing body ofknowledge, I searched for insights in adifferent kind of dataset. Twenty-eight of the35 participants in the 2007–2008 CCCprogramme agreed to let me use theirwritten case studies for this research (I didnot include myself or my case papers in thisstudy). I collected and studied the series ofsix case papers (one after each module 1 to6) each person was required to write duringthe programme.

The focus of the programme I studiedremains on the world of work – in this holistic,systemic approach, both the micro (the indi-vidual) and the macro (the organization) areconsidered to be equally important. A psycho-dynamic framework is taught, and a clinically-oriented form of executive coaching(Kilburg, 2004) is applied, as essentialconcepts in the pedagogical design. Theclinical paradigm has been recognized as asolid foundation for the study of organiza-tions (Zaleznik & Kets de Vries, 1975; Kets deVries & Miller, 1984; Kets de Vries & Korotov,2007; Kilburg & Levinson, 2008). This lensallows participants to dig deeper into theirown identity, to decipher the reasons under-lying irrational behaviour, and to seek out andunderstand the ambiguities inherent to anychange initiative (Miller & Rollnick, 2002).

Building on research and practicefocused on applying the clinical paradigm toorganizational dilemmas and leadershipdevelopment, and on Ibarra’s (2005) modelof identity transition, which describes theprocess of liminality or the state of being‘between identities,’ Korotov developed atheory of transitional environments, whichhe called identity laboratories (Korotov,2005, 2007). He hypothesized that in someleadership development programmes anidentity laboratory is created. Participants

Elizabeth Florent-Treacy

Behind the scenes in the ID lab


enter the laboratory and, at some point,begin to experiment with new roles andbehaviours. This transitional space isenhanced as participants learn to watch forthe irrational, intra-psychic and interper-sonal undercurrents that may influence theway people behave in dyads and groups.Korotov suggested that the identity labora-tory is a safe space that is both physical andmental, the boundaries of which consist of atemporal demarcation, a spatial demarca-tion (a consistent use of the same physicalspace), and a psychological demarcation(guidelines are set to establish trust). Onceinside the identity lab, he found, people areaccompanied by, and experiment with,guiding figures and transitional objects. Ininterviews he conducted after the end of theprogramme, participants reported that notonly had they identified and experimentedwith new possible identities, but that theyhad also developed a belief in their ability toimplement these new ideas.

And yet key questions remain. Theconcept of transitional space environments isstill ill-defined and poorly understood; rootedin individuals’ personal experience; complexand conceptually difficult to relate; and deli-cate, sensitive, and sometimes intangible(Ritchie & Lewis, 2003). Participants whohave attended a clinically-oriented leadershipdevelopment programme or group coachingmodule often say that the experience was ‘lifechanging’ or ‘a powerful personal transfor-mation.’ But how can we be sure that thetransformation is more than skin deep?Although these questions are rather ambi-tious, the scope of this study is modest andlimited; it is intended to be a conceptualinterpretation of participants’ here-and-nowexperiences in one clinically-oriented execu-tive leadership development programme.This paper is not meant to be prescriptive; it is simply descriptive of what I saw behindthe scenes in one particular ID lab.

Figure 1: Korotov’s model of identity laboratories (Korotov, 2005, 2007).


The Consulting and Coaching forChange programme designAlthough Consulting and Coaching forChange (CCC) candidates are pre-screenedin that each one has an entry interview witha programme director, and in addition mustanswer a number of essay questions thatrequire a certain amount of self-reflection,these activities are only a warm up. Virtuallyfrom day one of the programme, the CCCparticipants are thrust into the strange andawkward state of learning and applying newtheories and coaching tools, and at the sametime detaching themselves from the fires ofthe action to fine tune their own observingego.

From the beginning, the temporal andspatial demarcations of the ID laboratory areset. The course is always taught in the sameclassroom, and each module begins with areflective space open only to the participantsand the faculty coaches. At the end of eachmodule, the subsequent module is evoked,reminding participants that, step-by-step,they are progressing through a programmethat will one day come to an end.

Another critical element of this ID labo-ratory is the psychological demarcation. Theprogramme directors, who are also thefaculty coaches, are not only business schoolacademics, but are also trained and experi-enced psychotherapists. They have a highlevel of skill in coaching competencies,including knowledge of organizational andgroup dynamics, leadership, strategy andeconomics, and family systems. In additionto their capacity as teachers, they are theguiding figures described by Korotov. Theirpresence helps to create the ID lab boundaryof safety and containment. They also serve asrole models for the nascent coaching andchange experimentation of the participants– and finally, they provide a constantreminder that the guiding philosophy of anyreflective change agent must be: Do no harm.

In the first and second modules, thefaculty coaches introduce the clinical para-digm, and basic skills, like effective listening,are tested. Here, participants step into the

ID laboratory, and learn to use the space. Inaddition, in module 1, participants formsmall groups, and each person is asked to tellthe others in the group about an event,personal or professional, that changed his orher life in a significant way. This early expe-rience of self-disclosure serves to set the IDlab boundary of trust and encourages self-reflection. The faculty are not present forthis exercise, and so the participants areforced to seek safety and comfort in theirsmall group. (Not all small groups have apurely positive experience, however; thereare sometimes personality clashes, which thesmall group must learn to deal with.)Although the participants subsequentlychange groups several times during theprogramme, most of them are able toquickly recreate a feeling of security in theirnew group. (There is some intentionaloverlap, such that an individual will alwaysfind him- or herself in the new group withone member from the previous group.)Thus, from the earliest days of theprogramme, the participants become accus-tomed to what is in effect a group therapydesign.

Although a great deal of informal one-to-one coaching occurs during the programme,most of the coaching interactions take placein small groups, as the above descriptionindicates. Within the context of thisprogramme, the term ‘group coaching’refers specifically to a psychodynamicallyinformed and highly personal develop-mental process in which a group of execu-tives are coached in each of the sevenmodules by the programme directors (theguiding figures in the ID laboratory); and bytheir peers in their small coaching groups.Themes presented in lectures are taken outof the classroom into the group sessions,where they are immediately discussed andlater tested in the real working world; exam-ples of themes include human and organiza-tional lifecycle, family systems, emotionalintelligence, and group dynamics. In addi-tion, in module 4 each small group workswith an executive coach trained in the group


Behind the scenes in the identity laboratory


coaching process for an intensive leadership360° feedback coaching day. This approachis both didactic and applied, as the partici-pants coach and are coached within eachmodule. There is an emphasis on both theindividual and the system, as groups discusslifecycle issues (Levinson, 1977) and organi-zational role analyses (Newton et al., 2006).

Like group psychotherapy, groupcoaching in this context helps to establish afoundation of trust, commitment to change,and accountability. Within the boundaries ofthe programme, as individuals work togetherand observe each other over time, the groupbecomes the pillar that supports coachingwork; the relationships among learning part-ners become, and remain, very meaningful.Through discussion with faculty coaches andpeer coaches, and by reflecting on theirpeers’ life stories in small group sessions,participants become more aware of the inter-personal role(s) in which they consciously orunconsciously cast themselves. They begin tosee patterns from their childhood or youngadult experiences reoccurring in their work-place relationships.

Later, as participants work on actionplans for leadership development in smallgroups of trusted peers, three powerful moti-vating forces – shame, guilt, and hope –come into play. Participants initially feelshame as they admit to certain behaviours,and this prompts them to make a declarationof intent to change. The sense of guilt theyanticipate if they disappoint their peergroup is a strong motivator to continue onthe path of change. Finally, knowing thattheir peer group is supportive and empa-thetic instils participants with a sense ofhope that they will be able to meet theirgoals (Kets de Vries, 2005).

To be sure, some groups work better thanothers. The process sometimes breaks down,which can lead to even further insights andlearning as the group examines thedynamics of that particular situation. Glob-ally, however, all of the emotional experi-ences that come out of the group setting – inparticular as people share and discuss their

own feedback on 360° survey instrumentsand their action plans for future develop-ment – help to facilitate change.

During and after each module, partici-pants explore – in case papers, small groupmeetings, and conference calls – what liesbeneath the surface, and use what theydiscover there to help them re-evaluate theauthenticity of current life experiences.After each module they go back to the ‘realworld’, and often begin to experiment withnew behaviour or identities. In a feedbackloop, they return to the next module, wherevery often the topic of case papers andconversations will focus on their discoveriesand their identity ‘experiments.’

By the third module, in which the focus ison family and family business, people’semotions have become engaged in thelearning process. This is where the hardwork begins, as people have a naturaltendency to resist the ever-tightening focuson their own motivational drivers andbehaviours. Defensive reactions continue –for example, challenging the faculty’scompetency or commitment to theprogramme, or by not writing case papers orfully engaging in the small group discus-sions. The fourth and fifth modules are lesslecture-oriented and more experimental. Inmodule 4, results of participants’ leadership360° feedback surveys are discussed in agroup coaching day. In module 5, a two-daysimulation on group dynamics forces partici-pants to experience the sometimes uncom-fortable experience of regression in groups,and other group processes. The facultycoaches begin to withdraw to the sidelines ina metaphorical sense, as people turn to theirsmall group peers for support and deeperinsights – in fact it is more likely to be a peerthan a faculty member who provides thecatalyst for deep identity work in thesemodules. Here many participants talk aboutdisorientation, confusion, doubt, failure(their own or programme design), or messi-ness – for a period between modules thatlasts several months. Then, after the fifthmodule, participants realize that they have


progressed more than half way through theprogramme, and the temporal aspect of theID laboratory becomes more concrete. Thesixth and seventh modules are designed tobe periods when people consolidate theirinsights, and create narratives to help themdescribe their identity work and their iden-tity discoveries. As this description of thedifferent modules indicates, the design ofthe CCC programme incorporates a short-term dynamic psycho-therapy orientation(Yalom, 2005), not only as a concept to bestudied, but also as a pedagogical frame-work.

An overview of the datasetTwenty-eight of the 35 CCC Wave 7(2007–2008) participants agreed to allow meto use their cases for this study. There were14 men and 14 women of diverse nationali-ties; most were European (Belgian, British,Danish, Dutch, German, Greek, Irish,Russian, and Swiss), but the sample alsoincluded a Canadian, an Indian, two SouthAfricans, and one Zimbabwean. The agesranged from 32 years old (one participant)to over 50 years old (six participants) withnearly half the group (11 participants)between 46 years old to 50 years old.

Participants were required to write a casepaper after each module 1 to 6; there was nopaper required after module 7. Twenty-fourof the case series were complete (N=144cases). Three participants did not write acase after one or several modules; oneperson told me he was stuck at first, and I didnot ask for an explanation from the othertwo people. I considered the fact that thesecases were never written to be valid informa-tion in itself, and I counted these partici-pants’ series as valid (N=12 cases). Oneperson had lost her first case. Because I didnot find a high level of identity work acrossthe other module 1 case studies in mydataset, I considered her case series to bevalid (N=5 cases). The total number of casesI collected and read for this study, therefore,was 161.

Why study written texts?A study of written texts produced during thelimited time period of such a programmeprovides a new and different lens because thecase studies capture the experience of theparticipant as it unfolded. The participant isnot responding to a set of interview ques-tions, is not trying to recollect and recon-struct events after the fact, and has notproduced an evaluation of the CCCprogramme upon demand. The case studyassignment was never to write about the groupcoaching experience, or a personal develop-mental journey, or even about identity work.In fact the only guideline, after all sixmodules, was simply: ‘Write a case studyshowing how you have applied the conceptsor topics learned in this module to yourprofessional or personal context.’

Participants in the CCC programme wereasked to write a case study for severalreasons. First, the papers help the writer toconsolidate theory and practice from thepreceding module. Through writing, partici-pants capture what they are feeling andexperiencing. The case papers become focalpoints for debate, exchanged andcommented on by members of each smallcoaching group. Finally, as previouslydescribed in the psychotherapy context(Pennebaker, 1999), and here in the class-room as well, the act of writing helps partici-pants to uncover and organize complexemotional experiences.

Participants had a great deal of freedomto interpret the assignment in any way theywished, with only a few rules: the papershould be about seven pages long; and itshould be given to the small group peersbefore their conference call, which was typi-cally scheduled for several weeks after eachteaching module. The papers could (anddid) take almost any form the writer feltcomfortable with at the time. Participantsdid not know that they would later be askedfor permission to use their collected casepapers in a research study. Finally, thedegree to which the researcher (me) influ-enced the participants’ writing was minimal,




since I was a participant myself, and had nocontrol over what was written, and noresearch-oriented interactions with fellowparticipants at all during the course of theprogramme.

Another advantage of the CCC writtentexts is that they capture the participants’here-and-now experience of the grouppsychotherapy process. Group members’reports are a rich and relatively untappedsource of information; however, ‘there is anart to obtaining clients’ reports. … The morethe questioner can enter into the experien-tial world of the client, the more lucid andmeaningful the report of the therapy experi-ence becomes’ (Yalom, 2005, p.4). By usingtexts that were not initially written forresearch purposes, I was able to enter thisexperiential world.

Although they were not written to bereflection papers, the case texts were rich andrevealing narratives on four levels. On thefirst level, quite a few of the cases written aftermodules 1 and 2 followed the assignmentfairly closely, recounting incidents at work,and reflecting on them. On the second level,many individual cases were life stories, andsome resembled myths or fairy tales, withdangerous or life changing events. This levelappeared in most cases (but not always) aftermodule 3, the module on families and familybusiness. At the third level, a few of the caseswere ID labs in and of themselves: the indi-vidual seemed to be playing and experi-menting with a new writing style and/ordescribing a possible new identity. Readingyet another kind of case on this level, I feltlike I was like joining the person on a joyfulor fearful exploration of a very private jardinsecret. Finally, I discovered a fourth levelwhich was a surprise to me: reading an indi-vidual’s case series 1 to 6 in order, straightthrough, very often revealed a coherent andcomplete narrative arc, from prologue,through dilemmas and tension, through newinsights and understanding, and finally

reaching a state of denouement and comple-tion. I found this to be true for virtually all 28of the case series, although none of them, ofcourse, had been written with an overallnarrative arc as a fundamental objective.

Many participants reflected in their textson the central importance of the stories theyhad to tell, an experience that sometimeswas accompanied by anxiety:

F8-3* ‘Writing case stories for CCC isabout writing something meaningful tome at this moment in my life. Somethingboth business and personal related andsomething where I can connect both myongoing experiences and personalchallenges into the theory related to themodules.’M9-3 ‘[Previously] I found the constantchanging of my story unnerving andpuzzling. I saw a sort of embarrassmentwith my close others when I tried to givewords to the process and expectedoutcome of my transition. This made meinsecure and I felt very inconsequent andirrational. … After reading Ibarra[Ibarra, 2005] I changed this completely,seeking active feedback and reactions onmy experiences and stories. This mademy transition far less lonely than myearlier transitions …’

One participant (M28-2) included a passagefrom Omar Khayyam that summed up hisimpression of the narrative creation process(and underlined another important charac-teristic of written narratives – their perma-nence):

‘The Moving Finger writes; and havingwrit, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor WitShall lure it back to cancel half a line,Nor all your Tears wash out a word of it.’

Knowing that their small group peers wouldread their narratives and give feedbackcreated a sense of urgency, responsibility,and accountability for participants to moveforward and face the confusion. Shame, guilt

*Participants’ quotes are identified by gender and a number I assigned, followed by the number of the case fromwhich the quote was taken, thus F8-3 is female participant number 8, case 3.


and hope: they must do the work, but thenthey had an empathetic group to help themmake sense of it. This pushed people toexperiment and refine their identity explo-ration. As one participant wrote about a newproject he was developing: ‘I could use thework to write cases for CCC.’ Some used thecases as a means to collect their thoughts,looking for insights or deeper reflection.Others were forthright in admitting that asthey started writing a particular case, theyweren’t sure where the case would end up –an indicator that it was not just a report of IDwork in the real world, but that the case itselfwas a sort of ID lab. There was evidence ofplaying in, or playing with, the case studies incases that followed all six modules:

F11-1 ‘To bring this exercise back to thehere and now, I felt comfortableexperiencing and thinking about thiscase, but uncomfortable writing about it.… I found myself seeking for at least alittle truth which would make my essaysatisfying.’ [NB: the case as anexperimental place in and of itself.]F25-2: ‘It’s a big relief to write everythingdown and look at it from ‘outside’ and bydoing so try to get answers on some openquestions.’ [NB: writing helps bring newinsight.]F11-3 ‘I am writing my essays as lived –from the start onwards.’ [NB: the case asan experimental place in and of itself.]F14-3: ‘What became very clear to me inwriting this down [are] pattern[s] I hadnot been aware of.’ [NB: writingencourages a deeper level of reflection.]F12-4 ‘This paper is has also help me tostep back. It has been cathartic.’ [NB: theact of writing brings some relief.]F3-5: ‘This case is special. Not that theother cases were not, this is specialbecause here I attempt to confront myfears.’ [NB: writing encourages a deeperlevel of reflection.]F2-5: ‘There was no opening to this caseand there is no closure. It is sort of acircle, a merry-go-round.’ [NB: the caseas an experimental place in and of itself.]

F14-6: ‘But where should I begin [in herexploration of the topic she chose for thiscase]? … I will try to follow my owndevelopment over time and try to figureout what brought me to where I’mstanding right now. Even to me thatsounds like a feeble journey. Let’s seewhat will become out of it.’[NB: the caseas an experimental place in and of itself.]

A search for meaning and understandingThe narratives showed that identity experi-mentation and exploration, as described byKorotov, was taking place in this programme.Patterns emerged in the narratives over thecourse of the modules that could be used asevidence that change was occurring (Polk-inghorne, 1983), and these patternspinpointed what was happening, and when. I looked for meaning in these texts througha hermeneutic, interpretive approach,allowing for ‘ambiguity, reflection that inte-grates several interpretations, and doublemeanings, of living with opposed meanings(ambivalence), both of which may be consis-tent with a given situation’ (Loewenberg,2000, p.106). The goal of this kind of inter-pretive social research is to focus on whatevents and objects mean to people, on howthey perceive what happens to them andaround them, and on how they adapt theirbehaviour in light of these meanings andperspectives (Rubin & Rubin, 1995).

In addition, an interpretive approachrequires the researcher to engage and partic-ipate in the context that she is studying inorder to understand it (Schwandt, 1994). Toaccomplish this, I drew on my familiaritywith the phenomena (as a participantmyself) to determine their meaning, in anact of fusion of the researcher’s situation andthe phenomena (Dilthey, 1990). Throughthe lens of an interpretive paradigm, I exam-ined my own experience in the CCC ID labin parallel to the point of view of the subjectsin my study. I was concerned with capturinga subjective reality through a prolongedprocess of interaction, first as participantmyself, and then later as I read the texts.




One of the participants (F4) commentedon using her observing ego in a workcontext, writing: ‘I did not use a rigid, struc-tured interview in order to be able to stan-dardize my answers, but [decided] to go forfree floating attention and listen carefully.’Similarly, my approach to delving deeper wasto apply, as I read, the art of listening, notdirecting my notice to anything in particularand maintaining the same ‘evenly suspendedattention’ in the face of all that I came across(Van de Loo, 2007, p.230).

Reading the narrative arcs of the six casestudies, I felt not as if I was being told aninterpretation or recreation of events, but asif I was living through the events with theparticipant, in a tranquil and private worldthat contained only the two of us. Thesewere tragic-comic tales told using words notcommon in a business school classroom:confusion, catharsis, surprise, anger, pain,fear, disillusionment, discoveries. Ashamed,worthless. Autonomy, hope, freedom.Delight, a lifting of heavy burdens. Accept-ance. Serenity, honesty, transparency.

I listened with my third ear, and not only tomy partner in this intimate journey, but also tomy own emotions. Over and over, as I readthrough the six cases in a series, I would havereal and sometimes even disturbing sensationsof sadness, frustration, tension or stuckness.Occasionally, I found myself skimmingthrough the first few case studies in a series,feeling somewhat detached or even bored. Inthe next, or middle cases, I would sense atension building up, as if the writer had moreto say but was not ready or willing to express it.Then in the last cases, perhaps case 5 or maybenot even until case 6, there would be adramatic change as the writer turned awayfrom a structured, rigid writing style toward afree flowing exploration of deeply personalissues. Although quite often there was no clearcut, narrative conclusion, I had feeling ofrelief, and I realized I had been waiting forand even desiring that denouement.

In other instances, after reading case 5 or6, in which the tone changed or the partici-pant wrote about feeling relieved, unstuck,

or happy, or maybe even still confused butoptimistic about the future, I would findmyself in a state that felt almost euphoric, asif I had lived through the long year that ledhim or her to this state of grace and resolu-tion inside his or her head. The authenticity ofthe sensations (sadness, fear, boredom, frus-tration, relief, optimism …) that I picked upfrom reading the six written texts as a fullydeveloped story, are, I believe, a piece ofevidence that suggests that the case reportsallowed me to enter at least to some degreeinto the experiential world of the partici-pants. In some cases, I watched as identityexperimentation took place on stage. Othertimes, it was like watching kabuki theatre, orsimply hearing ‘voices off’.

Some of the participants had a similarwriting style all the way through, showingeither a high level of poised, calm reflection onself and context from the beginning, or anenergetic self-analysis from page one. In manycases there was self-reported evidence of iden-tity work, that is, people wrote about new proj-ects they had designed, or a new workingidentity they were considering. For some, therewas a dramatic tipping point when theyswitched from a typical business case study to adeeper level of self reflection. A few evencompletely changed their writing ‘voice’ inlater case studies, as if a new identity wasemerging without their being fully aware of, orin control of, this phase of identity exploration.

What struck me as I read the case serieswas that, taken as one narrative, they had areal and coherent logic. I had not predicted,even after re-reading my own case series, thatwhat appeared to be a collection of sixrandom essays about individual insights andevents would turn out to be one story – notrewritten or reframed as an explanatorynarrative in retrospect, but a true, completenarrative in and of itself. Many cases circleddeeper and deeper around one meta-theme,as people looked for identities that they hadsomehow lost or had never fully understood.The unifying narrative theme of these storiesseemed to be to search for, or to rediscover,one’s true self.


For the most part, cases 1 and 2 were theintroductions or prologues, taking the formof typical business cases with varying degreesof linking theories to practice. Case 3, whichfollowed the module on family systems andfamily business, seemed to take peopledeeper, where doubts and fears lay. Defences(in some cases) began to break down, or (inother cases) were reinforced. As F2-3 wrote:‘This case was very difficult for me to writeand that’s why it probably took so long. It stilldoesn’t feel to me as a case, but rather acollection of reflections. The topicsmentioned are touching the core of mypersonality and thus are extremely difficult towork with.’ The ‘low point’ typically beganhere as people felt that they were prisoners oftheir past. Cases 4 and 5 were quite diverse,but almost all demonstrated or reported someevidence of identity experimentation. Case 6was often what I thought of as the ‘epilogue ordenouement’ for most, as they consciouslyended their story and talked about their(specific or open-ended) plans for the future.

The cases of M15, who is a lawyer, wereparticularly reflective. His first case was a freeflowing but introspective case about listeningand family history.

‘During one of the exercises, it becameclear that I think in terms of solutions. Ihardly gave the other person anopportunity to tell his story. How did Idevelop this behaviour? I grew up in anentrepreneurial family, the second son ina family of five children …’

In his second case, M15 begins to think moredeeply about the irrational reasons behindhuman behaviour; and the theme of illusioncomes to the fore:

‘What moves a human being? What is thereason for behaviour and reactions? In this case I describe a number ofsituations which lead to the conclusion:the illusions of life. It is a confrontationwith myself, and very sobering.’

In case 3, M15 picks up the theme of hisfamily again:

‘During module 3 it became clear thatmy personal, lifelong battle to change my

family structures is not realistic and,therefore, a waste of energy. But what ismore important: I can change myself.’

In case 4, M15 reflects on his 360° leadershipbehaviour survey feedback. Here again, hemulls over illusion and reality. He brings upa new theme: ‘Why do I care about otherpeople’s opinions?’ Then in case 5, M15reports that he has ‘broken through a wall’and now feels free to be his true self, eventhough this would have a considerableimpact on both his professional andpersonal identity. ‘I have lost an illusion andI have come another step closer to myself.’In case 6, he confirms that the programmeitself has been a significant catalyst of his newway of thinking about himself. ‘The CCCprogramme has given me insight into what ittakes to come closer to your true self. I amno longer attached to the truths of others.’At the end of case 6, he brings closure to histheme of illusion:

‘We are not captured in the iron grip ofthe past. We are captured in the iron gripof the illusion that we have to protectourselves from what has happened in thepast. When we experience the presentlike it really is, it is surprisinglyunburdened most of the time.’

Another person, M20, had a very differentstyle and approach. His level of self reflectionwas subtle and played out on a larger stage.His first paper is a formal case study aboutthe clinical paradigm, and how he mightapply it to his executive team. In case 2, M20writes at length about leadership in hisorganization. Case 3 begins as a formalreport on his interest in strategy, and its appli-cation to family business; once again, there islittle evidence of personal reflection. In case4, however, it is clear that a tipping point hasoccurred. The title of case 4 ‘Leadership,power, rank and authority, and the collusionsof my competing commitments’ pulls thethemes of the previous cases together andbrings them to a very personal level. In theopening lines of the case M20 writes:

‘These themes crystallised to becomevery clear messages for me to work with.




I was surprised how much the feedbackfrom module four affected me this time.It was as if the time was ripe to really domore about it.’

For M20, understanding begins to emerge incase five. He writes about marginalization ofpeople, communities and nations, anddescribes the recent history of his owncountry. In closing case 5, he writes:

‘Strangely, when I started to write thiscase paper I thought I couldcommunicate some elements aboutmarginalisation and of my own people’splight and struggle in beingmarginalised. I’m not sure I succeededand I don’t actually care anymore.Through this paper I was coming toterms with my own past, trying tounderstand it.’

Case 6 brings M20 closure, as he connects hisnational heritage with his reservations aboutleadership:

‘Writing this paper helped me deal withmy heritage and identity. It was painful,yet it was immensely satisfying. When itwas finished, I felt relieved, peaceful,whole and thankful. It was a catharticexperience and a work of reconciliationand integration.’

A narrative of a future selfAs I read the case series, I had the percep-tion that the individuals had been writingchapters in a narrative of their future selves,informed somehow by a deeper, subcon-scious source that connected it all togetherbefore the individual was able to articulate itas one story. In other words, the cases werenot presented to me, the researcher, as anarrative that described or validated an iden-tity change. The cases were simply classhomework assignments – supposedly. Butthey were not simply an exercise in sense-making but rather, observed at a meta-level,an exercise in unmaking elements of thewriters’ identities that they now believed tobe non-sense – the no-longer authenticpatterns imposed upon them by the figuresin their inner theatre.

There were outliers among the writers.Some seemed to have an inherently greaterself awareness, or were more able to controltheir defensive reactions, or had a strongermotivation to enter the ID lab earlier on(losing a job or strong desire to changecareers), and this was apparent even in cases1 and 2 – they never wrote typical businesscases. A few cases showed evidence of otherkinds of tipping points earlier than most forvarious reasons (one person lost herwedding ring after module 2). A few peopledid not write one or more cases at all, whichis of course silent but eloquent informationas well. At the other extreme, a few case setsremained at cognitive, ‘reported’ level untilcase 6, but it was possible to feel tensionbuilding from case to subsequent case as Iread between the lines. Here, people whohad written thoughtful but very focused andstructured reports (‘on task’ in terms of theoriginal assignment) ‘suddenly’ had acomplete change of writing style and topic incase 6 – the hand on the doorknob effect –sometimes, as they admitted, after hardpushing from their small group peers. Thisusually took the form of a peer saying: ‘Whoare you really?’

In some cases it was possible to tell almostfrom the beginning what the person wassearching for: emotional freedom andexpression; freedom from rigor; freedomfrom certain responsibilities; an explorationof rank and power – these themes would berepeated over and over again in differentforms, as the writer looked both forward andbackward in subsequent cases. Sometimespeople wrote very movingly about exploringor recovering a part of themselves that hadbeen lost or hurt when they were younger –F8-2 wrote: ‘His words felt like sharp knivesand the look in his eyes made me feel a painsimilar to the pain I remembered feelingwhen my mother verbally punished me fornot living up to her expectations duringchildhood. I felt attacked, ashamed andworthless. Not being good enough, notdoing what was expected from me.’ And likeF8, later write about ways to find resolution:


‘The intention of my life, in this presentmoment, has to do with living my identity.And by doing so, the intention is to assistothers in living theirs. It is about inspiringand helping others, both individuals andorganizations in understanding and in livingtheir authentic identity’ (F8-4).

To summarize, the six case studies ineach series gave me six snapshots of the waypeople were perceiving and experiencingtheir time in the ID lab. The meaning thatemerged case by case often became under-standing in retrospect, when the cases werereframed as one set of evolving ideas. AsMcAdams et al. observe: ‘sometimes there isan awareness of a state of being in the transi-tion. At other times, people are unaware ofhaving undergone a time of change untilthey look back and see that they and theirlives are inexorably changed. They maywonder, ‘how did I get here?’ (2001, p.xvi).The cases series, read at a meta-level, help toanswer the question of how the participants‘got there’ – even though ‘there’ was ofcourse a very individual point of reference.

At the same time, I was sensitive to thefact that just because I did not see dramaticevidence of ID experimentation, this did notprove that it had not occurred. Yalomcautions: ‘Keep in mind that it is the subjec-tive aspect of self-disclosure that is trulyimportant. … What appears to be minor self-disclosure may be the very first time [aperson has] shared this material withanyone. The context of each individual’sdisclosure is essential in understanding itssignificance’ (p. 131). This is where havingaccess to the full case series was also valuable.For example, when in case 5, M16 wrote:‘even the writer himself may be ‘stuck’ in anumber of other ways’ I considered this, in context, as a subtle but significant self-disclosure.

The lab reportAs Korotov predicts in his model of ID labo-ratories, I also found increasing examples inthe case studies of surprise, confusion anddefensiveness after modules 1 to 3. The cases

that followed modules 4 and 5 reportedand/or demonstrated ID experimentation,with many mentions of the importance ofthe peer group. Case 6 typifies the termina-tion or stepping out experience. In addition,I noticed two turning points in terms ofnarrative orientation: the first most typicallyin case 3 from ‘external, present’ to‘internal, past’; and the second typically incase 6, from ‘internal, past’ to ‘external,future.’

Comparing the emergence of themes inthese narratives to a framework of grouppsychotherapy gives us a further indicationthat the CCC programme modules/ inter-vention phases have successfully integratedan epigenic group psychotherapy process,and they have a similar direct influence onparticipants. People were indeed movingthrough epigenic stages in their smallgroups: (1) initial member engagement andaffiliation; (2) focus on control, power,status, competition, and individual differen-tiation; (3) a long, productive working phasemarked by intimacy, engagement, andgenuine cohesion; (4) termination of thegroup experience (Yalom, 2005). It alsoappears from reading the case packages thatthere is a secondary epigenic narrativeprocess that takes place during theprogramme: (1) prologue; (2) introduction– focus on external, present; (3) identitydilemmas – focus on internal, past; (4) iden-tity exploration and experimentation –internal focus on reframing past and future;(5) consolidation and denouement – focuson external, future. Most significantly, thereseems to be some relationship between notdeveloping through the epigenic phases ofwriting cases in parallel to the developmentof the group psychotherapy progressionfrom module to module, and stuckness interms of epigenic progression through theID lab (see Figure 2, below).

Although the case papers indicate indi-viduals move through these phases at adifferent rate, the narratives show that formost people identity experimentationbegins after the fourth module. However, it




appears that the groundwork for the deepchange which occurs in modules 4 and 5 islaid in modules 1 and 2, with an intensifica-tion in module 3. For some participants,experimentation does not begin untilmodule 6. This suggests that longer, multi-module executive development programmesare well-suited to identity transition.

Peer support and feedback is reportedand demonstrated to be a key factor in iden-tity experimentation. For most participants,the obligation to write a case study to be readby a small, trusted group of peer coachesseems to prompt, reinforce, and enhanceexperimentation in the ID lab. Participantsthemselves describe cause and effect rela-tionships between their own tipping pointsand: (1) module contents; (2) insights thatemerge while writing cases; and (3) peerfeedback. This implies that laying thegroundwork to train participants to be effec-tive peer coaches in the first modules isworth the time and effort.

The texts also show evidence of internal-ization. If internalization is said to occurwhen people accept the influence of achange situation, environment, or otherindividuals because the content of thischange and the ideas and actions behind itare seen as intrinsically rewarding,congruent with one’s value system, anduseful to meeting one’s needs (Korotov,2005), then, based on an evaluation of thethemes in their papers, we can conclude thatinternalization of behavioural change isindeed occurring for many participantsinside the CCC ID lab. In addition, becausethere is solid evidence that people areprogressing through an epigenic psychody-namic process of group therapy in CCC, wecan posit that this will also correlate signifi-cantly with enhanced productivity andachievement.

For triangulation, this paper and my find-ings were presented to the November, 2008,CCC alumni conference. The audience

Figure 2: Inside a multi-module leadership development ID lab.


included approximately 60 CCC alumni,about one-third of whom were included inmy research. The findings and my ID labmodel (Figure 2) were well received, withthe group expressing a high degree ofconfirmation.

Future researchThis brings us inevitably to a question thatcannot be side-stepped: what do we mean byenhanced productivity and achievement inthe context of executive leadership develop-ment programmes? It would be interestingto conduct a content analysis of the CCCprogramme texts that would test thethematic interpretations in this exploratorypaper – and search there for evidence ofdrivers such as desires for affiliation, powerand achievement that would deepen ourunderstanding of the motivational leversthat support identity work and sustainablebehavioural change. This may have somerelevance to studies on motivation to lead,and whether or not this affects willingness toembark on identity transition. Further, acontent analysis might show that the ID labexperience directly results in a developmentof self-awareness, self-efficacy, increasedemotional intelligence, and team orienta-tion, as this current exploratory studysuggests it does. A test-retest quantitativelongitudinal study could be conducted,using the same 360° leadership behavioursurvey that this sample of CCC participantscompleted. This retest study could becompared to a test-retest study of a group ofsimilar executives going through a leader-ship development programme that did nothave a clinical orientation. Linking theresults of these studies to the emotionalintelligence research stream, these studiesmight show that increased emotional intelli-gence implies better emotional capabilities,and leads to transformational leadership.

LimitationsOn the one hand, this study is like an archae-ological reconstruction: it is possible fromstudying bits and pieces of people’s lives to

understand them a little better, but much oftheir social environment can never beknown. On the other hand, as a researcherexploring the CCC ID lab, I had the advan-tage of knowing the context intimately, sinceI was also a participant and went through thesame process of case writing as did the otherparticipants. Therein lies both a strengthand a weakness: I have undoubtedlyprojected some of my own realities into whatI read. To draw richer insights from theshards of pottery I have collected, a contentanalysis should be done and triangulated.

After this meta-level exploration of the161 case studies, the only conclusion thatcan be proved is that, for most participants,some degree of self-reflection, and indica-tions of identity exploration and experimen-tation, can be found in their written casestudies. However, we cannot draw theopposing conclusion, that is, if there is nowritten evidence of experimentation, thenthis must mean that no experimentationtook place. Similarly, although a tippingpoint may not be apparent in the arc of aperson’s six written case papers, neverthelessit may well have happened.

I did not have a 100 per cent participa-tion rate and I did not ask for reasons fromthe people who did not wish to participate.One person offered the reason that thesooner his cases were forgotten, the better.However, even if we conservatively assumethat the non-participants never entered andplayed in the ID lab (which I intuitively donot believe to be true), all of the participantsin my sample report or demonstrate changein their case papers. Also, the very diversespectrum of case writing styles, from classicbusiness case to free flowing personal reflec-tion, indicates that there was not really anissue of self-selection that prompted peopleto share their cases with me. On the contrary,I felt an extremely high level of trust amongthe group as manifested by their willingnessto allow me to read papers in which theyoften expressed self doubts and very privatefamily matters.




A final word on the act of writingFor many participants, talking over their casewith peers was a real call to reflection andaction – writing + discussion proves to be avery effective way to engage the powerfulforces of peer groups. The cases also servedas ‘objects’ that connected group members,and helped to maintain those connections.For example, the group conference callswere often followed by informal telephonecalls among specific group members whowanted to elaborate on a point or ask furtherquestions about the case study. In addition,group members would also send their casestudies for comments to other participantswho were no longer, or never had been, intheir current peer coaching group.

The tremendous importance of the reit-erative process of writing in the here-and-now about identity experiments, and thendiscussing the case with trusted peers aftereach module, is an element of leadershipdevelopment programmes that has possiblybeen underestimated. In their case studies,participants were not polishing identity narra-tives, they were capturing emerging narra-tives. These stories were often very surprisingeven to the writer. The act of writing thecases seemed to force people to think aboutthemselves more deeply, and over a muchlonger period of time, than they ordinarilywould do in our sound-bite, elevator-talkworld.

Surprise, surprise – it turns out that thewriting process in and of itself plays a criticalrole behind the scenes in the identity lab!Writing – something, anything – for mostpeople seemed to be a key pathway foremotion to emerge and be reframed ortransformed into something actionable

through exactly the process Loewenburg(2000) described; a longitudinal repetitionin mode or content of themes indicated alatent unconscious scenario that, for many CCCparticipants, was indeed heard and inter-preted. In other words, it seemed that theyalready knew, at a subconscious level, whothey wanted to be, and where they wanted togo. But this reality emerged slowly, and pieceby piece, through a long and sometimespainful process of internal detective work,shaped by feedback from guiding figures.The new identities were not a result of thenarratives, they already existed. As M23wrote: ‘Odysseus is you. And me. We all makehis voyage, we travel from life to life, experi-ence to experience. We taste the sweet fruitof Lotus, ease into the oblivion of the Sirens,struggle between Sckila and Charividi, withnostalgia. But at last we return to our realhome.’

The authorElizabeth Florent-TreacyResearch Project ManagerExecutive CoachINSEAD Global Leadership CentreandWendel International Centre for FamilyEntrepriseINSEADFontainebleau, France.

CorrespondenceElizabeth Florent-TreacyINSEADBd de Constance,77305 Fontainebleau Cedex, France.Tel: +33 1 60 72 41 32E-mail: [email protected]


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References


THE CASE for Leadership Coaching iscompelling as it is evident that 21stcentury businesses need leaders at all

levels and from all backgrounds (Clutter-buck, 2007; Hunt, & Weintraub, 2007; Jarvis,Lane, & Fillery-Travis, 2006; Megginson &Clutterbuck, 2005). Budget cuts over thepast decade, which have stripped layers ofmanagement from some public-sector behe-moths and private companies – who never-theless need to operate efficiently andeffectively – now need leadership at levelswhere it might not have been necessary. Inaddition, some people are now being putinto complex management situations thatthey are ill-prepared for and old methods ofleadership by intimidation and top-downcommand chains have become increasinglyineffective. The bottom line requirement forpost-modern organizations, companies andcommunities is that leadership be a coach-able skill.

Several researchers (e.g. Berman &Bradt, 2006; Fillery-Travis & Lane, 2006;Jones & Spooner, 2006; Paige, 2002; Reiss,2004; Stevens, 2005) and authors (e.g.Bluckert, 2006; Bushe, 2001; Harkavy, 2007;Grant & Greene, 2005; Zeus & Skiffington,2006) have examined the efficacy of leader-

ship and coaching at work including Under-hill, McAnally and Koriath (2007) whosuggested that the ‘evolution of coachingrequires organisations to link coaching totheir leadership development and talentmanagement goals’ (p.29). Coachingconnects both the who (talented employees)and the how (leadership development) withorganisational goals and strategies. Clutter-buck and Megginson (2005) also believe thatcoaching-at-work has ‘come of age’ and thatcoaching makes a significant contribution tothe business of organisations. They defined acoaching culture as one where ‘coaching isthe predominant style of managing andworking together, and where a commitmentto grow the organisation is embedded in aparallel commitment to grow the people inthe organisation’ (p.19). Importantly,coaching styles of leadership are also beingassociated with the retention and manage-ment of talented people (Goffee & Jones,2007; Robertson & Abbey, 2003).

The specific elective unit that is the focusof this manuscript was first prepared in 2007in response to requests by Master of BusinessAdministration (MBA) students at TheUniversity of Western Australia (UWA) forthe provision of a leadership coaching


Linking MBA learning and leadership coachingBarbara Wood & Sandy Gordon

This paper describes a five-day intensive leadership coaching course that was recently introduced as anAdvanced Topic in Management within the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program offered byThe University of Western Australia (UWA) Business School. The unit was designed specifically for thosestudents nearing the completion of their MBA studies and curious about coaching and its ability to bringabout individual and organisational transformation. In addition to summarising the course outline,including learning outcomes, teaching and learning strategies, unit delivery and means of assessment,both qualitative and quantitative course evaluation feedback data from students enrolled in 2007 (N=40)and 2008 (N=40) are presented. Results indicated that leadership coaching students expressed astrengthened belief in their coaching skills in response to taking the unit.

Keywords: leadership coaching, talent management, coaching culture, applied positivepsychology.

Barbara Wood & Sandy Gordon


course. The UWA Business School had alsobeen exploring a collection of advancedunits, which were allocated to the MBA lead-ership specialisation and which could beundertaken by students pursuing a Mastersin Leadership. Planning the unit involvedcareful examination of how coach educationwas offered at other Australian Institutions.Subsequently, an intensive format wasdesigned to investigate both the art andscience of coaching, and selected activitieswere chosen to challenge students whenapplying this new knowledge in their owncoaching leadership practice.

AimsThe general aim of the unit was to introducestudents to appropriate theoretical andconceptual frameworks of coaching practice,in combination with strong analytical skillsto practically apply this understanding inrelevant organisational circumstances. Thespecific intent of the courses taught in 2007and 2008 was to enhance students’ skillsnecessary to influence other people as wellas make changes in their own work life.Using evidenced-based theory, studentsexplored why coaching provides an opportu-nity for change and how their own coachingabilities can be enhanced. Students learnedhow the development and promotion ofcoaching skills can complement andstrengthen leadership capacity and organisa-tional strategies.

Learning outcomesThe following general learning outcomes forstudents were identified:1. Develop an understanding of the

theoretical basis of evidence-basedcoaching and understand that leadershipcoaching is a valuable tool for makingpositive and purposeful change.

2. Identify the skills needed to be aneffective leadership coach in a variety ofapplications and feel comfortable both inself-coaching and peer-coachingactivities.

3. Be able to conceptualise coaching withina solution-focused framework andunderstand coaching practice in relationto the student’s own life experience.

4. Acquire sound practical skills throughsupervised practice with expert coachesand receive detailed feedback andassessment of their coaching skills.

5. Understand the requirements foreffectively giving and receiving feedbackand use wide-ranging conceptualcoaching frameworks, models and skillsto facilitate effective goal settingstrategies.

6. Experience personal development andchange by completing a personalcoaching skills development plan.

7. Appreciate the complex processesinvolved in using coaching with teams.

8. Understand coaching practice as aneffective stress management technique inorganisations and apply self-coachingstrategies to the student’s own lifeexperience.

Teaching and learning strategiesA variety of teaching and learning strategieswere used in the implementation of the unit.These included:1. Adult learning principles, which were

integrated into the curriculum withaction learning opportunities regularlyavailable within class activities in the formof coaching demonstrations, role playingsessions and in-class presentations.

2. Wide ranging, multi-faceted coachingframeworks and techniques, which wereintroduced to enable students to selectthe strategies that best worked for them.

3. Local coaching experts (N=5), whodebated coaching in a panel discussion,were regularly used in classes to integratetheir knowledge and skills for students.They also supervised coaching role plays.

Regardless of their starting point in thecourse, co-learning experiences such as expe-riential in-class activities in active listening,exploring moment of choice options, andpractice in giving and receiving feedback

Leadership Coaching Course


were intended to encourage students toreflect on and apply new ways of accom-plishing their goals. MBA student feedback atUWA has consistently reinforced the need forunits to provide ‘real life’ and pragmaticexamples, subsequently coaching expertswere integrated within classes, and wideranging coaching activities were used toexplore coaching concepts and practices.Experiential learning components, such aspeer role play coaching or oral responses tocase studies, were used to evaluate topics rela-tive to the students’ personal and organisa-tional experiences. Each day was intended tobalance conceptual and theoretical compre-hension along with practical implementation.

Unit delivery The leadership coaching unit deliberatelyleveraged off the work-related experience ofstudents. It used prominent coaching theoryto help managers make sense of their experi-ence prompting thoughtful reflection andthe sharing of competencies that encouragedstudents to raise their consciousness abouttheir practice. Research (Dart & Clarke,1991) has suggested that students in experi-ential courses demonstrated deeper levels ofunderstanding and meaningful applicationthan students in conventional units.

The course was delivered over five inten-sive days of classroom contact. Two x twoconsecutive day (Saturday/Sunday) periodswere used in content delivery for the first fourdays with a two-week break between these twoperiods. Day Five occurred one month afterDay Four. Each day was themed around apredominant topic and students wereexpected to complete required course readingfor each day of class. Table 1 summarisestopics and learning outcomes for each day.

Required course readings were posted ona unit WebCT6 website, which also hostedversions of the following documents used invarious assessment activities in the class:Framework to Guide your Coaching Session;Observer Feedback Sheet; Coaching Pre-SessionPreparation Sheet; Coachee Learning Journal;Coach Self-Assessment.

Day OneOn Day One, students were exposed to thebenefits of coaching, specifically addressingideas around making personal and profes-sional change. Through a values exercisestudents were required to select their five keypersonally held values. A model wasdescribed to illustrate the interrelationshipsbetween unconscious core beliefs,values/beliefs, thoughts/emotions andbehaviors specifically when facing chal-lenging experiences. In-class videos wereused to exemplify how the model plays outfor others. A choice framework was used toreinforce the need for selecting proactiveand purposeful responses to work chal-lenges. Students were then asked to evaluatetheir perceived ability to face and respond toorganisational change in their current (ormost recent) employment experience.

The afternoon was allocated to the keyingredients of solution-focused coaching(Berg & Szabo, 2005; Greene & Grant, 2003)and the GROW model (Whitmore, 2003)with specific emphasis on listening abilitiesand building quality conversations. Targetedlistening exercises which blossomed intocoaching conversations were used withinclass to develop an appreciation of coaching.The interrelationships of coaching tomentoring, training, counseling andconsulting were also discussed.

At the conclusion of Day One, studentswere asked to become familiar with the biog-raphies of five expert coaches attending classthe following morning to debate and discussthe benefits of different frameworks used incoaching.

Day TwoA full morning was allocated to a paneldiscussion among five coaching experts whoinitially received questions from the classfacilitator and then directly from students.The conversation focused on three key areas:1. Anecdotal accounts of the benefits

derived from coaching experiences forindividuals, teams and organisations.

Table 1: Topics and learning outcomes for each day.

Day One Topics: ● Introduction to Coaching● Action Learning Model● Solution – Focused Approach● Mental Models and House of Change● Coaching as a Leadership CapabilityLearning Outcomes● Exploring the fundamentals of coaching ● Developing a foundation for sound contemporary coaching practice.● Investigating the solution focused approach in coaching● Distinguishing between remedial, reactive and proactive coaching● Considering the “House and Change”● Understanding Coaching as a Leadership Capability

Day TwoTopics ● Panel Debate● Goal Setting Strategies● Structuring the Coaching Session● Basic and Advanced Questioning● Feedback BridgeLearning Outcomes● Exploring coaching strategies in relation to common applications of coaching workplace

coaching, executive coaching, health and personal/life coaching● Considering effective goal setting strategies● Identifying the key components of a coaching session● Practicing effective questioning skills

Day ThreeTopics● Coaching Role Plays with the Expert Coaching Panel● Giving and Receiving Feedback ● Coaching and the Stages of Change● Transtheoretical ModelLearning Outcomes● Practicing coaching through small group coaching role-plays● Recognising remedial, reactive and proactive issues● Exploring the Stages of Change and how to build commitment● Using Stage-Specific Tactics to foster change



Table 1: Topics and learning outcomes for each day (continued).

Day FourTopics● Corridor Coaching● Coaching as a Tool for Stress Management● Complexity and Coaching in OrganisationsLearning Outcomes● Recognising your own feedback barriers● Implementing a structured feedback process ● Using feedback as a platform for collaborative coaching● Understanding coaching techniques in the corridor● Considering coaching as a stress management mechanism● Learning how coaching can be a useful tool for encouraging team effectiveness

Day FiveTopics● The Future of Coaching for you● What do you need to strengthen in your future coaching● Appreciative Inquiry● Open Space Facilitation● Developing a Coaching Plan for youLearning Outcomes● Recognising your own coaching barriers● Appreciating what you need to do “more of” in your coaching● Understanding what you need to do “less of” in your coaching● Describing how you will use coaching in your future work life● Defining a future coaching plan for you

2. How coaching contributed to wideranging developmental areas such ashealth, exercise/sport, business/workplace, career development, andexecutive development.

3. An indication on how coaches haveresponded to unique challenges such ascross cultural coaching, stressmanagement practices, and lack ofmotivation on the part of the coachee.

Student feedback each year from the paneldebate was overwhelmingly positive. Despitethe student’s relative lack of coaching expe-rience, the debate provided an excellentopportunity to observe how coaches becomepassionate about the opportunities andbenefits of coaching. The expert coaches,many of whom had more than 18 years’

experience, discussed topics very welltogether and built on each others ideas. It isuncommon for coaches from wide rangingareas and independent organisations tounite and share coaching experiences.

The afternoon of Day Two consideredthe needs of goal setting both individuallyand organisationally and the opportunitiesthat coaching offers in encouraging goalattainment. A letter from the future exercisewas used to illustrate the need for fuzzyvision and SMART goals. Targeted exerciseswere used in developing sound questionsthrough the use of a questioning matrix. Theuse of a feedback bridge was exemplified inthe final exercise in preparation for the roleplaying activities scheduled for Day Three.Students undertook a coaching conversation





with a coachee and topic of their choosing.The GROW model framework was providedto guide them in this coaching session.

Day ThreeThe morning session of Day Three was acoach role play activity. Students worked insmall groups with an expert coach from thepanel discussion (Day Two). Predominantlythe role play was designed for each studentto complete a coaching session with onecoachee in the presence of the otherstudents and the expert coach. Studentobservers and the expert coach providedfeedback on the session. A feedback formprovided a framework for the feedback. Therole play activity provided students withpractice in coaching and because the envi-ronment was safe and students werebecoming skilled in providing feedback, therole plays were identified as helpful andthought-provoking.

The afternoon targeted a stages of changematrix with an emphasis on how a coach canshift the perception of the coachee byhelping them to identify the pros and cons ofchange. The key components of positivepsychology coaching (Biswas-Deiner & Dean,2007) were introduced as a means ofpreparing students for making change withintheir own personal and professional life.

Day FourThere were two principle themes to the DayFour programme. First, embeddingcoaching within the organisation (Hunt &Weintraub, 2007) and, second, consideringhow positive psychology can enhancecoaching practice (Biswas-Deiner & Dean,2007). The case study method was used tosupport skill development in embeddingcoaching within an organisational setting.The Boots pharmacy (UK) formed the basisof the case study and students presentedtheir responses to a series of questions to athree person academic panel. Feedback oneach presentation was prepared in sequence.

Day FiveThe programme for Day Five deviated fromearlier curriculum in that it was intended tounify developing coaching skills in thestudent through the use of AppreciativeInquiry (Cooperrider, Whitney & Stavros,2008) and Open Space Technology (Owen,2008). Scheduled a full month after DayFour and held at an inspirational locationoff-campus, students were informed that theformat would include a celebration of signif-icant leadership development to date and tooffer students an opportunity to focus onand discuss specific self-development areas.

The morning of Day Five utilized anappreciative inquiry interview guide(Ludema, Whitney, Mohr & Griffin, 2003)where students engaged in a conversationwith a partner identifying significant leader-ship successes achieved through coaching todate. Pairs then joined small groups at tablesto identify key themes and creative expres-sions symbolizing overarching commonmessages. Students expressed themselves insongs, skits, poems and presentations. Thisled into an afternoon, three-hour openspace session that was guided by the question‘What do you need to focus on to achieveongoing improvements in your coachingskill development and how will you supportyourself in this ongoing growth?’ Studentsprepared a one-page coaching skill develop-ment plan at the conclusion of the openspace technology session. This plan formedthe basis of their fourth assessment.

Assessment components and classactivitiesFour pieces of assessment were used to eval-uate students within the class and eachassessment focused on an aspect of coachingskill development that included both indi-vidual and team oriented activities. Eachassessment was briefly described to studentsas follows:

Assessment No. 1 Criteria HD D CR P Fail80-100% 70–79% 60-69% 50-59% ≤49%

What evidence is there that the studenthas read widely about coaching prior toundertaking this coaching session?

Did the student critically integrate the literature on the subject or merely restate it?

How clearly has the student presented theinformation in a logical and readable fashion?

Is it clear what the student would do at the next coaching session?

Are the statements on ‘lessons learned’ understandable?

Was the paper written well with neither spelling nor grammatical errors?



Assessment No. 1:Summary of a Coaching Session Aim: To practice and apply the basic skills ofcoaching by undertaking a coaching sessionwith a work colleague or another individual.

Method: Identify a work colleague or anotherindividual with whom you plan to have a 45-to 60-minute coaching session. Use theGROW model as the framework for yoursession and for completing the write up ofthe experience. The summary (up to 500words) need not follow a specific format,however, it should include at least threespecific references to the coaching literature

and the questions that you used in yourcoaching session. Your reflections on thefollowing should be highlighted:1. What happened in the coaching session?2. What influenced the outcomes of the

coaching session (e.g. did the discussionfrom Day 1 or Day 2 impact yourcoaching style)?

3. What would you change in your nextcoaching session?

4. What did you learn about your owncoaching style?

The paper will be assessed using thefollowing guidelines.



Assessment No. 2:Feedback from a Coaching role play While this activity was not formally assessed,observations from the expert coach wereforwarded to the facilitator and contributedto the student’s classroom participationgrade.

Aim: To encourage students to skillfully usefeedback from their peers and expert coach.

Method: On Day Three of the coaching unit,you will participate in a coaching role playunder the guidance of your expert coach.Students in pairs will conduct a coachingsession with one student designated as thecoach and the other as the coachee. Eachsession will run for up to 20 minutes withadditional time allocated to the debrief. TheGROW model (used in the first assignment)can guide you in your coaching session. Youare encouraged to integrate questions andtechniques that were effective for you inAssessment No. 1. To prepare for Day Three,you may also wish to consider additionalscoping questions to assist you in your role ascoach.

Examples of Coaching Scoping Ques-tions may include:● When do you feel that you perform best

as a manager/leader/worker…?● What have you accomplished that you are

most proud of?● What do you do to remain renewed,

energised, enthusiastic and inspired inyour work?

● What people, situation or area of life isconsuming your attention and energyright now?

● What relationships would you most liketo create, nurture or celebrate?

● What do others most appreciate aboutyou?

● What opportunities do you need to takeadvantage of?

● What will you use to measure theeffectiveness of this coaching session?

● What is the professional vision you wouldmost wish to realise?

● What do you want to leave for yoursuccessor?

These coaching role plays will occur ingroups. Those not involved as coach orcoachee in the session, will be observers andwill use the observer feedback form toprovide debrief material and information forthe coach.

The purpose of this activity is to give youthe opportunity to receive feedback on yourown coaching abilities and to give you anopportunity as an observer to providecomments to other coaches. To develop yourown coaching, you may wish to considerresponses to the following types of questions:● What does the feedback from others

suggest about my coaching style?● Were there any consistencies and

inconsistencies in the feedback received?● Were there any extenuating

circumstances in the coaching sessionthat influenced the outcome?

● How could I improve my coaching infuture?

● Based on the feedback, what am Iprepared to do to improve my coaching?

● What journal articles or books could helpme to better understand the feedbackthat I have received in this coachingsession?

Assessment No. 3:Peer Coaching Report Aim: To further develop your coaching skillsby undertaking peer coaching sessions.

Method: Identify a team of three or fourstudents with whom you will complete thepeer coaching project. Each session shouldhave one student acting as the coach,another student acting as the coachee andthe remaining student(s) are theobserver(s). The observer(s) should use thefeedback framework already developed inprevious assessments. Each student shouldact as coach for at least two sessions with thesame coachee. For each session, the coachshould complete a:


Is there evidence that the coach worked ontheir coaching pre-session plan, prior to each coaching session.

Did the coach consider the information received from their observers and use it to change their style in latter sessions?

Was there evidence that the coach was committed to each coaching session?

Has the literature been effectively used by the coach in the report?

How clearly has the student presented the information in a logical and readable fashion?

Does the student have a clear perspective on what do to in future?

Was the paper written well with neitherspelling nor grammatical errors?



a. Pre-session plan. Please spend some timewith your coachee prior to each sessionto best prepare yourself;

b. Coachee learning journal; and c. Follow-up session report, which includes

the feedback comments from theobservers.

It is recommended that you use the GROWmodel and appropriate coach scoping ques-tions to shape each session. As you completeyour peer coaching report you may wish tointegrate some of your findings from thecoaching role play summary from Assess-ment No. 2.

The submission for Assessment No. 3 willbe a series of separate reports completed byeach coach and clearly separated with a titlepage for each coach including the word countfor that section of the paper. For eachcoaching session, the coach should summarisetheir use of the pre-session plan, personalobservations of the coaching session includingthe effectiveness of the coachee in completingtheir log, a summary of the observer feedback,a personal assessment of coaching perform-ance and a concluding section reflecting on:

● What worked well in your two (or more)coaching sessions?

● What areas could lead to furtherimprovement and how will you plan toimprove on these areas for futurecoaching sessions?

The paper should be written in essay formatwith minimal use of dot point lists. Thereshould be evidence that the paper hasembraced appropriate literature to guidethe coach in their sessions. Pre-session plans,observer feedback forms, coachee comple-tion logs may be included in appendices foreach coachee. Sections for each coach inyour group should not exceed 1500 words.

Optional inclusion: At the conclusion of thepeer assessment period, you may wish toprovide more general feedback to thecoaches in your group both from theobserver and coachee perspective. This infor-mation, if available, may be included in thefinal section of your peer coaching report.Each coach will receive a separate grade fortheir section of the overall paper, which willbe assessed using the following guidelines:



Assessment No. 4:Personal Coaching Skills Development Plan Aims: First, to provide you with a frameworkin which you develop your future coachingdevelopment plan. Second, to use informa-tion from a variety of sources including yourcoaching role play on Day Three to developa personal coaching skills development plan.

Method: In this assessment, please considertwo or three personal goals that you wish toachieve in the next twelve month period. It isconceivable that you may wish to developthese plans in three, six, nine or 12 monthperiods if this is helpful to you. Clearly artic-ulate these goals and identify a plausibleaction plan that will enable you to achievethese goals. While there is no specific frame-work for this plan you may wish to considerthe following questions to identify your goals:● What skills do you bring to coaching?● What successes have you celebrated in

your coaching skills to date?● What vision do you have for your

coaching skills in the next year?● How would you like others to see you as a

coach?In designing your action plan, you may wishto think about these questions:● What in your goal statement really makes

you yearn for its fulfillment?● What accomplishments would make you

feel as though you have come close toyour goal?

● What have you done previously that youcould do again to move toward yourfuture goal?

● What do you need to pay attention to, tomake you feel supported that you aretaking care of yourself as you embark onthis journey?

● What are small actions that you wouldlike turned into new habits?

● Who has supported you in identifyingand achieving your goals and how do youshow your gratitude and recognition?

● If you were to experiment with oneaspect of your goal, what kinds of thingswould you see yourself trying?

● If you had achieved your goals, what kindof fun are you having?

● How will you continue to foster your owndevelopment?

The paper should consider two to threegoals in coaching development and actionplans for their attainment. The plan forachieving these goals should be carefullywritten in an essay format with only occa-sional use of dot points. You are free to usesubheadings in a manner that easily guidesthe reader of your paper. Relevant literaturethat helped you to ‘fine-tune’ your coachingskills development plan should be includedand appropriately referenced. Your submis-sion should not exceed 2500 words and willbe assessed using the following guidelines.


What evidence is there that the student has read widely about personal development planning prior to writing up their plan?

Did the student critically integrate the literature on the subject or merely restate it in the summary?

Did the student consider the information received from the Day 3 Coaching Role Play in establishing their goals and action plans?

How clearly has the student presented the information in a logical and readable fashion?

How likely is it that the student will undertake this plan in the future (3, 6, 9 and 12 months)?

Do the ‘goal & action’ statements acknowledge SMART principles (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time bound)?

Was the paper written well with neither spelling nor grammatical errors?



Course evaluationCourse evaluation data was purposively gath-ered to test the impact of the unit on thelearning of the students, and to specificallyconsider that learning within the context oftheir work as managers and contributors tobusiness. Chia and Holt (2006) advocate thatbusiness school presenters

should develop and display their true‘scholarship’ not so much in terms of thedispassionate, detached and objectivedissemination of facts and knowledge butin terms of their own emotionallycharged, rhetorical involvement andtheir imaginative capacity for capitalisingon the transient, shifting and ambiguousclassroom and experiential situations inthe transmission of knowledge (p.472).

In addition, Mintzberg (2004) argued thattruly successful and effective managementeducation involves a combination of experi-

ence (craft), insight (art) and analysis(science). As such MBA programmes mustencourage students to learn from their ownexperience, placing less emphasis solely onthe science of management and buildingmore of the craft and art of managing intothe educational process. An underlying keyis the idea of ‘learning in action’ whereparticipants reflect and build on experience,rather than on artificial simulations createdin the classroom. This explains the rationalefor and significance of the data gathered andpresented in the following.

Quantitative data: As the unit focused onpersonal skill delivery, theoretical under-standing of leadership coaching and the util-isation of coaching as a tool for changewithin organisations, it was consideredhelpful to identify the level of experience ofthe student audience. To achieve this a pre-

unit assessment was used to evaluate howmuch coaching experience the students hadprior to taking the unit and how often theyused various coaching skills and techniques.The same inventory was used at the conclu-sion of the unit and subsequent pre- andpost-unit data are illustrated in Table 2.

In addition, students in both years of thecourse were asked to reflect on and evaluateperceived changes in their personal effec-tiveness on performing specific coachingskills and techniques within their workingenvironments in the two-month periodfollowing the course. These data are illus-trated in Table 3.

Qualitative data: Table 4 describes thehigher and lower order themes thatemerged from a content analysis of student(N=80) written responses (N=280) regardingthe overall impact of units delivered in 2007and 2008. Several sub-themes were evidentunder the three main themes of communi-cation, interpersonal skills and overallimpact.

Taken together the data in Tables 2, 3and 4 clearly indicate that students improvedin their individual coaching capabilities. Inaddition, anecdotally, all studentscommented that the course should becomea core unit. In comparison to other courseofferings one student wrote ‘This subject hashad the greatest impact on me out of all theMBA subjects. I wish that it had been avail-able earlier in the MBA programme,however, it could also feature as a wonderfulfinishing unit’.

Future directionsThe leadership coaching course described inthis paper is under review. While the currentoutline, including learning outcomes,teaching strategies and means of assessmenthave been favourably evaluated, bothstudent feedback and observations of localcoaching experts suggest that theprogramme could be augmented in thefollowing two ways:

1. More integration of applied positivepsychology principles by introducingother coaching models such asappreciative inquiry coaching (Gordon,2008; Orem, Binkert & Clancy, 2007;Reed, 2007; Sloan & Canine, 2008),strengths-based coaching (Linley, 2008;Linley & Harrington, 2005, 2006; Pegg,2008), as well as information onstrengths-based leadership (Rath &Conchie, 2008), and organizations(Mohr, McKenna, Lee & Daykin, 2008).

2. More reference to buildingorganisational coaching capability andinfrastructures that might include peercoaching, coaching managers, and bothexternal and internal expert coachingpanels (Rock & Donde, 2008; Whybrow &Henderson, 2007). Hunt and Weintraub(2007) suggest that ‘a coachingorganisation makes effective and regularuse of coaching as a means of promotingboth individual development andorganisational learning in the service ofthe organisation’s larger goals’ (p.15).

SummaryWhat has been presented is a basic outline ofan attempt to link learning from an MBAcourse to leadership coaching. More detailregarding the theoretical and evidence-basefor material used to create course content inthis unit-in-progress can be accessed throughthe references provided. However, theauthors cordially invite readers to makerequests for further information about thecourse, and also to communicate commentsand suggestions on either the currentprogramme or possible future directionsusing the contact details provided. All feed-back correspondence will be gratefullyappreciated.




Self-Assessment1 = Strongly disagree; 7 = Strongly agree

2007 2008

Items Pre- Post- Pre- Post-(N=36) (N=36) (N=39) (N=40)

1. I regularly use coaching to develop my skills as a manager. 3.0 4.7 2.9 5.0

2. I effectively use active listening skills in my workplace. 4.7 6.0 5.0 5.8

3. I consistently seek out feedback from others in 4.3 5.4 4.4 5.4my workplace.

4. I regularly use the GROW model in my workplace. 2.0 5.0 1.9 5.1

5. I consider mental models and how they impact the 3.0 4.8 3.2 5.0interpretations of people around me.

6. I willingly take on risk in my work setting. 4.5 6.0 4.8 5.7

7. I try to assist my co-workers in their goal setting. 5.0 6.0 5.2 5.9

8. I strive to create quality conversations with my co-workers 5.4 6.0 5.5 6.1(and move a discussion from being problem focused to being solution focused).

9. I embrace change in my workplace. 6.0 6.4 5.7 6.2

10. I provide co-workers with feedback that is both supportive 5.0 6.0 5.1 5.8and challenging.

11. I am a better leader in my workplace because of my use 3.4 6.0 3.7 6.1of coaching skills.

12. I use coaching in my own stress management. 2.5 5.8 2.9 5.5

13. I have wide ranging experiences as a coach in 3.0 4.6 2.9 4.3my workplace.

If you agreed to statement 13 (rated it either 5, 6 or 7) and use coaching in your workplace,please consider the following questions:

Pre- Post- Pre- Post-(N=17) (N=20) (N=14) (N=24)

14. I regularly set up formal coaching sessions with co-workers. 3.4 4.4 3.6 4.2

15. I use a coaching approach when working with teams in 4.2 6.0 4.4 5.8my workplace.

16. I am confident in my coaching abilities when supporting 4.0 5.4 4.6 5.7my co-workers.

17. I try to keep my coaching as positive as possible. 5.0 6.0 5.4 6.2

18. I regularly seek out co-workers who can provide coaching 4.0 4.6 3.9 4.7assistance to me.

19. I notice that the people I coach in my workplace have 5.0 5.6 5.3 6.0reached the goals identified from our coaching sessions.

Table 2: Pre- and post-unit reported use of coaching skills and techniques.



Leadership Coaching

In the past two months to what degree do you believe you have increased or decreased youreffectiveness in dealing with the following areas:1 = Much less effective; 10 = Much more effective.

2007 2008

1. Using coaching techniques to develop my skills as a manager - being aware 8.43 8.52of coaching skills and their ability to influence good management practice.

2. Active listening skills – attending to the comments and discussions of others 8.23 8.20and actively displaying strong listening skills.

3. Receiving feedback from others – ability to listen without judgment on the 8.12 8.15thoughts/beliefs/ideas of others about me.

4. Using the GROW model – considering appropriate opportunities to use 7.65 7.49questions from the various GROW components to support a conversation.

5. Mental models – considering how the mental models developed by others 7.75 7.90may impact their interpretation.

6. Willingly taking on risk – ability to actively embrace risk within your work 8.54 8.65responsibilities.

7. Goal setting – interest to support and encourage the goal setting of others. 9.00 9.12

8. Quality conversations – ability to move a discussion from being problem 9.10 9.15focused to being solution focused.

9. Support for change – interest to actively engage in change. 8.08 8.86

10. Providing feedback to others – offering feedback to other people in a way 7.81 8.80that is both supportive and challenging.

11. Enhanced leadership – using coaching skills to fine-tune/improve/develop 8.00 8.45my leadership skills.

12. Using coaching as a stress management technique – I consider and use the 7.32 7.75skills of coaching to manage my own stress or the stress of others.

13. Using coaching skills in the workplace – I am committed to using coaching 9.34 9.34skills within my work environment.

The following statements relate to various abilities within the work environment. Please reflect on these skills and indicate to what degree you have increased or decreased your effectiveness in dealing with the following areas based on your coaching experiences during the past two months.

14. Motivation and commitment – hard-work ethic, internal motivation, 7.32 7.34commitment, drive and determination.

15. Self-belief and Optimism – unshakeable self-belief and ability to remain 7.84 8.04positive and optimistic even when faced with difficulties or failure.

16. Positive Perfectionism – set high standards, experience few doubts about 8.02 8.00abilities, pursue perfection but settle for excellence.

17. Resilience – ability to bounce back from set-backs and perseverance 8.46 8.24(never quit in adversity).

Table 3: Post-unit self-assessment of changes in coaching effectiveness.


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ly li

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and

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cent

ly w

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reac

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suc

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as w

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of m

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aff.

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tive

out

look

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e fo

und

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tern

al c

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dial

ogue

now

cha

lleng

es t

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egat

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voic

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ve b

ecom

e a

prob

lem

solv

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nd a

sol

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n se

eker

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in g

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ve b

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muc

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tive

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com

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ore

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s le

ader

of

a te

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akin

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(cla

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all t

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need

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mag

nifi

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colle

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so I

have

bee

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to ‘g

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’ the

mom

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be t

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achi

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posi

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and

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ore

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othe

rs.

Ove

rall

impa

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ngua

geI’v

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arne

d a

new

lang

uage

and

now

eng

age

in m

ore

posi

tive

con

vers

atio

ns w

ith

my

fam

ily, f

riend

s an

d w

ork

colle

ague

s. I h

ave

also

lear

ned

thin

gs a

bout

my

own

valu

es a

nd g

oals

tha

t ar

e po

tent

ially

lif

e ch

angi

ng.

Tabl

e 4:

Sum

mar

y of

wri

tten

fee

dbac

k fr

om s

tude

nts.




Them

eSu

b-th

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Repr

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tati

ve q

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as

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gage

men

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used

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uni

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ally

cla

rifie

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e th

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his

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tyle

wha

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ant

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. Coa

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wel

l on

my

daug

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and

add

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men

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rela

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inte

nd t

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tegr

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a co

achi

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am a

t w

ork

as I

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see

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outc

omes

it c

an d

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onal

and

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now

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h m

ore

cons

ciou

s of

coa

chin

g op

port

unit

ies

in t

he w

orkp

lace

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or e

xam

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m c

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ngag

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y w

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team

appr

oach

and

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atte

rs in

gen

eral

.

Focu

s on

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engt

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ths,

valu

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nd p

osit

ive

inqu

iry a

nd a

ppre

ciat

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are

way

s of

livi

ng. I

am

tru

ly ‘a

ppre

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ive’

of

bein

g in

trod

uced

to

appl

ied

posi

tive

psy

chol

ogy

prin

cipl

es.

Inva

luab

le t

ools

and

I now

hav

e a

shar

pene

d qu

esti

onin

g te

chni

que

and

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oing

mor

e ‘d

eep

liste

ning

’. Gro

up p

roce

sses

for

tech

niqu

essu

cces

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d us

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the

Gro

w M

odel

to

stru

ctur

e co

nver

sati

ons

are

also

key

lear

ning

s fo

r m

e.

Tabl

e 4:

Sum

mar

y of

wri

tten

fee

dbac

k fr

om s

tude

nts

(con

tinu

ed).


The authorsBarbara WoodBusiness School, UWA.

Sandy GordonSchool of Sport Science,Exercise & Health, UWA.

CorrespondenceBarbara WoodBusiness School M 404,The University of Western Australia,35 Stirling Highway, Crawley,Western Australia, 6009.Tel: +618 6488 3820E-mail: [email protected]


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Is coaching an evolved form of leadership?Building a transdisciplinary framework forexploring the coaching allianceTravis J. Kemp


IT HAS BEEN ARGUED previously thatfacilitating effective coaching outcomesfor clients may in part be impacted by

coaches ability to they themselves engage inthe process of reflecting upon ‘self’. Thisintrospective process involves identifying,surfacing and managing one’s own uniquebehaviours, cognitions, perceptions,emotions and schemata within the coachingrelationship (Kemp, 2008). Furthermore, itis hypothesised that effective coach’s activelyutilise this awareness to manage both thepositive and negative impacts of these traitson their clients’ developmental processes(Kemp, 2008). Similarly, the current paperproposes that effective and impactful leadersalso engage in an ostensibly similar processas their coaches, often within the context ofleadership coaching. Indeed prominentleadership theorists such as Boyatzis andMcKee (2005) have proposed that coachesworking within the context of leadership,like the leaders they are coaching, mustbuild resonant relationships with those withwhom they lead. Most importantly, thisrequires the ability of the leader and coachto develop the core competencies of compas-sion, mindfulness and hope within oneselfprior to attempting to support others intheir growth and performance efforts. If thisis the case, the conceptual and functionalstructures observed within effective coachingrelationships and effective leadership rela-tionships may well be very similar. Hence, inan effort to stimulate future thinking andresearch into the coaching and leadingalliance, this paper outlines a theoreticalproposition that highlights the similarities in

development process, structure and functionof the coaching and leadership alliance. Thepaper proposes a schematic framework forthe building of effective coaching and lead-ership alliances and concludes by encour-aging both researchers and practitioners toreflect upon the coaching and leadershipalliance from the phenomenological contextof relationship in support of our efforts tobroaden and deepen our understanding ofboth practices beyond the current limita-tions of models and competencies.

The Coaching-Leadership InterfaceCoaching relationships have been conceptu-alized previously as unique forms of helpingrelationship and hence, share many of thecommon structural and interpersonal char-acteristics as the related helping professionsof psychotherapy and counseling (Kemp,2008) with this perspective continuing togain strong practice based support (Coutu &Kauffman, 2009). Indeed, some authors(Horvath 2000, 2001, 2006; Horvath &Symonds, 1991) have both argued for anddemonstrated the central function of thetherapeutic alliance in achieving effectiveclient growth outcomes. Likewise, leadershipcan be seen as a series of structured relation-ships through which a leader facilitates andguides performance the growth, develop-ment and performance of her followers.These conceptual similarities provide acompelling opportunity to explore the appli-cation of the bodies of knowledge from therelated helping professions to the develop-ment of a deeper understanding of the lead-ership and coaching alliances.

Travis J. Kemp


The importance of leaders activelyengaging in a process of continuous intro-spective reflection and self-management mayappear obvious to some however followingGreenleaf’s (1970) early ground-breakingwork on Servant Leadership, focus shiftedaway from the internal world of the leaderbeing central to leadership effectiveness andtowards competency and trait basedapproaches such as Situational Leadership(Hersey & Blanchard, 1977) and contin-gency models of leadership such as thosepresented by Fiedler (1967) and House(1971). Greenleaf’s radical propositionsuggested that the essence of leadership wasthe desire to serve another and to servesomething greater than ourselves. This,Greenleaf suggested, required the leader todevelop and nurture such traits and virtuesas acceptance, empathy, growth, healing,serving, persuasion, awareness, perception,stewardship, calling, listening and under-standing. Indeed Greenleaf himself wasamongst the first leadership theorists topropose that relationships were the funda-mental key to leadership effectiveness.

However, it was not until relatively recentlywith the publication of Jaworski’s (1996) para-digm shifting work Synchronicity and the latteremergence of emotionally intelligent leader-ship (Goleman, McKee & Boyatzis, 2002), thatthe notion of introspection and self-manage-ment being central to leadership effectivenesstransitioned from being ‘new-age’ and fringe-dwelling hype to self-evident truth. Likewise,it was about this time that early authors in thefield of executive coaching such as Burdett(1998) tentatively proposed that coachingcould be seen in and of itself as a more highlyevolved form of leadership. Since that time,this perspective has continued to gainmomentum amongst leadership and withinthe leadership and coaching literature alike(Boyatzis & McKee, 2005; McKee, Boyatzis &Johnston, 2008).

Whilst there is growing support for thisrelatively new form of leadership andcoaching development approach, there is adearth of discussion within the peer-

reviewed literature on the topic of thecoaching or leadership alliance. In addition,little time has been devoted to capturing andexploring the phenomenon of the relation-ship in regards its structure, function andprocesses inherent in its development. Inresponse to this situation, the coachingalliance framework was constructed. Whilstoriginally conceptualized to provide insightsand structure to building the coachingalliance, the framework also demonstratessolid and direct applied utility for use indeveloping leadership alliances betweenleaders and their teams and organisations.

The Coaching and Leadership AllianceFrameworkThe human change process is complex(Gilbert, 2002) and both leaders andcoaches face a perplexing conundrum. Howcan leaders and coaches be expected to leadand facilitate change and performancewithout having first developed their own inti-mate and personal understanding of theirboth themselves and their responses tochange? In addition to there being littleguidance for coaches and leaders in theirown continuing journey of growth and devel-opment, frameworks and tools to supportthis process are difficult to find. It is for thisreason that the Coaching and LeadershipAlliance Framework was developed toprovide a framework for coaches and leadersto contextualize the self-managementprocess and clarify its role in supportingclients and team members maximize theimpact of their coaching and leadershipeffectiveness. The framework explains theprogressive antecedents and buildingprocess common to the majority of effectiveand professionally impactful coaching orleadership relationships. The frameworkalso positions the process of self-manage-ment itself at the centre of all successful lead-ership and coaching alliances. Thisframework highlights the importance of thecoach or leader’s own self-focused develop-ment in ensuring the effectiveness of thecoaching and leadership relationship.

Co-Created Opportunities

Co-Supported Action

Self-Management

Sharing for Relationship

Reflecting for Meaning

Introspection & Surfacing for Awareness

Shared Meaning,

Purpose & Commitment

The Coaching/ Leadership

Alliance

Shared Trust,

Respect & Empathy

Engagement

Questioning for Insight

Client/Organisational Growth

The Coaching and Leadership Alliance Framework

Is coaching an evolved form of leadership?


Introspection and surfacing forawarenessThe foundation of the alliance framework liesin the active process of introspection. Thisprocess represents the progressive surfacingof the coach and leader’s pre-existing beliefs,values, biases and prejudices. The core chal-lenge of the coaching and leadership rela-tionship lies in the inherent subjectivity andbias that exists within the coach and leaderherself. A leader or coach’s unique experien-tial and psychological constitution inherentlyinfluences her perceptions of her followers orclients so whilst the surfacing of these internalstructures is critical within this phase of selfexploration, it is the validation and confirma-tion of one’s self-concept that provides thefoundation for understanding and subse-quent ability to manage her external impacton those around her. This validation andconfirmation process is often achievedthrough formal and informal external feed-back and in the case of coaching psycholo-gists, professional supervision.

It is this initial introspection, surfacingand awareness raising phase that enables thecoach or leader to firstly identify, thendevelop, a deeper understanding and aware-ness of her unique strengths and weaknessesas a professional helper.

Reflecting for meaningOnce surfaced, the coach or leader’sgrowing awareness of her ‘self’ becomes afoundation for continuing reflection andprocessing. As the coach or leader raises hisawareness of his thinking, behaviour, feelingor perception, these insights provide thecontent for deeper reflection and progres-sively more complex and intimate under-standing of self. It is here that the leadershipcoach facilitates significant gains in theleader’s ability to see and understand theirown unique self-concept. In the case of thecoach, this is again achieved through thesupervision process. During this phase, thecoach or leader actively explores and framesher biases, complexes and the underlying

Travis J. Kemp


schemas driving her current repertoire ofbehaviour.

Self-managementOnce deeper meaning has been establishedon the foundation of new awareness, a ‘Self-Management Plan’ (SMP) can beconstructed. Whilst this may often be infor-mally within long term memory, for others itcan be documented and referred to on anon going basis. By mapping her potentialbiases, blind spots and conditioned beliefs asthey manifest in the relationship at hand, thecoach or leader actively creates mechanismsand strategies for limiting their negativeeffect and maximizing their positive effect inher coaching or leadership relationships.Broadly, this may include identifying triggersor cues for problematic behaviour, scriptingthought disrupting dialogue or practicingpositive affirming self statements duringtimes of doubt or anxiety when coaching orleading.

Sharing for relationshipOnce the self-management plan is in place,the coach or leader begins to develop adeeper capability to listen to the intentbehind the client or team member’slanguage and literal dialogue to the core ofwhat is being communicated. They are ableto in effect, create the time, space and intentto listen a far deeper level than what isnormally afforded general conversation.This process of ‘listening with the third ear’(Macran, Stiles & Smith, 1999, p.426.) allowsthe coach or leader to begin to develop amore complete picture of the client or teammembers unique commitments and passion .As the coach or leader’s perceptual filtersand processing biases are more mindfullymanaged within the conversation a greaterappreciation for the richness of the client orteam member’s experience can be harnessedwithin the alliance relationship. In short, thecoach or leader is able to listen, hear andrespond to the client or team member in away that minimises his subjective influencesof the his own life experiences, personal

values, opinions and judgements and hence,develop a greater depth of understanding ofhis client or team member. When bothleader and lead, coach and coachee progres-sively share this reflective and deep listeningspace, the opportunities for deeper sharingand meaning making increase proportionateto the increases in trust, respect andempathy in the alliance.

Questioning for insightThe importance of questioning as a contrib-utor to raising introspective self-awarenesshas been emphasised previously (Clarkson,2000). Indeed, authors such as Overholser(1996) have argued for adopting a positionof ‘ignorance’ by utilizing a broadly Socraticmethod of personal enquiry. Translated, thisignorance can be conceptualised as the adop-tion of the mindset of an inquisitive andcurious learner, underpinned by genuineinterest, concern and unconditional positiveregard. By adopting this position in one’squestioning approach, the coach or leadercreates a conversational within the alliancethat allows for the client’s or team member’sneeds and reflections to surface, be voiced,heard and deeply understood. As the alliancedeepens, the coach or leader is able tocontribute progressively more refined andinsight-surfacing questions. Insight-surfacingquestions are those that stimulate a cumula-tive and generative effect and motivationwithin the questioned and subsequently illicitdeeper personal awareness and reflection.

The shared experience of relationship –The birth of the AllianceThe cumulative impact of engaging in theseprogressive phases within the framework isthe establishment of a relationship betweencoach and client, leader and team member,that has at its foundation a deep sense ofshared meaning and contextual clarity. Onceestablished, this becomes the catalyst forachieving transformational results throughthe alliance. By embracing and demon-strating the three ‘pillars’ of Carl Roger’sperson-centered therapy – empathy, congru-

Is coaching an evolved form of leadership?


ence and unconditional positive regard(Barrett-Lennard, 1998) the alliancesurfaces a deep sense of shared trust commit-ment and purpose.

Alliance outputsAs a result of engaging fully, consistently andpersistently in the initial five phases of thealliance building process, the coach orleader can now freely facilitate client or teammember driven conversations and outcomesin vastly accelerated timeframes. As trust,respect and empathy build and sharedmeaning emerges, shared purpose andcommitment subsequently surface, allowingfor high levels of mutual engagement todrive new opportunities and new andcreative ways to realize these opportunities.With trust and respect comes support forendeavor and a progressive dissipation offear, resistance and ambiguity. This broad-ening movement toward client and or organ-isational growth allows for a rapid expansionof possibilities and opportunities to surfacefor the client and team member. Probabili-ties of new levels of performance becomeapparent and are seen as achievable, furtherfueling the client’s or team member’s moti-vation for continuing focus and effort. Like-wise, the leader and coach herselfexperience these outcomes in parallel withher team and clients. The alliance in effect,becomes the source of motivation andenergy for continuing growth of not onlythose within that alliance, but of those posi-tively impacted by the outputs within theclient’s broader circle of relationships or inthe case of the leader, the culture of thewider organisation. By engaging courageousand persistently in the foundational phasesof the alliance building process, the possi-bility of accelerated and transformationalleadership and coaching outcomes areincreased and the likelihood of growth andperformance success greatly increased.

ConclusionThis discourse has been designed to providean impetus for the next wave of explorationwithin the coaching psychology literature.The current special issue of the Interna-tional Coaching Psychology Review hasbrought together many of the world’sleading thinkers in the field of leadershipand coaching and has provided us with abenchmark of current thinking and progresstowards deepening our understanding of thephenomenon of leadership coaching. Wehave come a long way in developing models,practices, programmes and methods withinthe context of leadership coaching andindeed, coaching in general, and the nextwave of exploration is sure to surface newand exciting insights into leadership morebroadly. Coaching and leadership alliancesprovide an exciting opportunity for thatexploration which actively bridges the gapbetween coaching psychology and leader-ship development. The apparent centralityof the coaching and leadership alliance toachieving successful client and organisa-tional performance outcomes beckons us toexplore this phenomenon with energy, focusand rigor in the future.

CorrespondenceTravis J. KempUniversity of Adelaide.University of Sydney.University of South Australia.The Teleran Group Pty Ltd.E-mail: [email protected]

Burdett, J.O. (1998). Forty things every managershould know about coaching. Journal ofManagement Development, 17(2), 142–152.

Clarkson, P. (2000). Gestalt counselling in action (2nded.). London: Sage.

Barrettt-Lennard, G. (1998). Carl Rogers’ helpingsystem: Journey and substance. London: Sage.

Boyatzis, R. & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant Leadership.Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Coutu, D. & Kauffman, C. (2009). What can coachesdo for you? Harvard Business Review, January,91–97.

Fiedler, F. (1967). A theory of leadership effectiveness.New York: McGraw-Hill.

Gilbert, R.L. (2002). How we change: Psychotherapy andthe process of human development. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Goleman, D., McKee, A. & Boyatzis, R. (2002). Primal Leadership: Realizing the power of emotionalintelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business SchoolPublishing.

Greenleaf, R. (1970). The servant as leader.Indianapolis: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center.

Hersey, P. & Blanchard, K.H. (1977). Management oforganizational behaviour: Utilizing human resources(3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NY: Prentice Hall.

Horvath, A.O. (2000). The therapeutic relationship.From transference to alliance. Journal of ClinicalPsychology, 56(2), 163–173.

Horvath, A.O. (2001). The alliance. Psychotherapy,38(4), 365–372.

Horvath, A.O. (2006). The alliance in context:Accomplishments, challenges and futuredirections. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice,Training, 43(3), 258–263.

Horvath, A.O. & Symonds, D. (1991). Relationbetween working alliance and outcome inpsychotherapy: A meta-analysis. Journal ofCounselling Psychology, 38(2), 139–149.

Jaworski, J. (1996). Synchronicity: The inner path ofleadership. San Francisco: Berrett-KoehlerPublishers.

Kemp, T.J. (2008). Coach self-management: The foundation of coaching effectiveness. In D.B. Drake, D. Brennan & K. Gortz (2008),The philosophy and practice of coaching: Insights andissues for a new era. Wiley.

Macran, S., Stiles, W. & Smith, J.A. (1999). How doespersonal therapy affect therapists’ practice?Journal of Counselling Psychology, 46, 419–431.

McKee, A., Boyatzis, R. & Johnston, F. (2008).Becoming a resonant leader: Develop your emotionalintelligence, renew your relationships, sustain youreffectiveness. Boston, MA: Harvard BusinessSchool Press.

Overholser, J.C. (1996). Elements of the SocraticMethod: V. Self-improvement. Psychotherapy,33(4), 549–559.


Travis J. Kemp

References


Book Review

The Leader’s WayHis Holiness the Dalai Lama & Laurens Van Den MuyzenbergLondon: Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2008.202 pp; AUD 32.95.Reviewed by Travis J. Kemp

There has been a growing interest in theapplication of applied positive psychologymethods to the context of coaching inrecent times. Indeed, a special issue of theInternational Coaching Psychology Review(Linley & Kauffman, 2007) was devotedentirely to this theme. Since that time,momentum has gathered in the applicationof positive psychology to coaching, forexample, the mindfulness-based meditationpractices outlined by Kabat-Zinn (2005)have been of particular interest to manypracticing coaching psychologists. Publica-tions in this area have ranged from the moretheoretical applications of mindfulness-based training to coaching (Collard &Walsh, 2008) to more robust randomisedtreatment-control group designs such asthose reported by Spence, Cavanagh andGrant (2008).

These methods have been employed inEastern philosophical traditions for thou-sands of years and recently, through theconvening of special interest groups withinprofessional psychology associations such asthe Australian Psychological Society, broaderBuddhist practices are being explored aspotential positive applied psychologicalinterventions within mainstream practice.

Hence a collaboration between theBuddhist tradition’s highest office holder,His Holiness The Dalai Lama and interna-tional management development consultantLaurens Van Den Muyzenberg may be ofinterest to the coaching psychology practi-tioner working within the leadershipcoaching context.

The Leader’s Way opens with The DalaiLama and Muyzenberg illuminating their

respective interests in the other’s domain ofexpertise. Of course, Buddhism is nostranger to business and leadership, withprevious insights into this marriage ofphilosophies being eloquently captured byBuddhist authors such as Roach (2000).However, The Dalai Lama’s explicit inten-tion of contributing to this book is madeclear in his introductory declaration:

‘Why am I writing this book now? Because I feel we all should have a sincere concern andtake responsibility for how the global economyoperates, and an interest in the role of businessin shaping our interconnectedness.’ (p.1)

Prophetic and enlightening words from asimple monk as we now settle in to the worstperiod of economic turmoil in world history.

The book is organised into three broadsections. Leading Yourself; Leading yourOrganization; and Leading in an Intercon-nected World. Each of these sections hasthree unique chapters outlining the applica-tion of a specific Buddhist principle to lead-ership and organisations.

The dialogue within the chapterscaptures the flowing discourse between TheDalai Lama and Muyzenberg as the applica-tion of the broader Buddhist principles ofliving to the challenges of leadership areprogressively explored.

Part one, Leading Yourself, explores theprocess of developing wisdom and introducesthe reader to the Buddhist philosophies ofdependent origination, interdependenceand impermanence. Muyzenberg articulatelytranslates the application of these principlesto the leader’s unique context and challengesand simplifies these often complex andmulti-layered concepts into tangible anduseable insights and practices for leaders.Staying positive, accepting reality and takingethical actions are each explored in the firstthree chapters but perhaps the most immedi-ately accessible and intriguing element of thisopening part is the explorations of the SixPerfections; Generosity, ethical discipline,


Book Review

patience, enthusiastic effort, concentrationand wisdom. These six perfections, albeit increative Western business vernacular, havebecome a central concern and focus forcontemporary leadership theorists. The finalchapter in this part outlines the importanceof training one’s mind in achieving effectiveleadership. As one would expect, meditationfeatures heavily here and the reader is intro-duced at a very basic level to the basic struc-ture, function and outcomes of meditationpractice.

Part two, Leading Your Organization,turns its attentions to discovering and articu-lating purpose. The importance of values arehighlighted and the tricky subject of theleader’s character is explored in the contextof understanding principles and theBuddhist notions of causation. Again, theimportance of understanding oneself lies atthe core of understanding ‘other’ and thistheme is consistently reinforced throughoutthe book. The place of consistent andconstant mindfulness and self-managementemerge as consistent themes for leadingeffectively. The concluding chapter in thispart focuses on integrity in business andethical conduct and the importance of trans-parency and integrity in transacting businessis highlighted from the core Buddhist prin-ciples from whence they emanate.

Part three extends the conversation tothe challenges of globalization and the lossof diversity within a global market. Theimplications of environmental change arealso touched upon but it is at this point thatthe book begins to deviate subtly from itsbalanced and pragmatic approach torelating Buddhist learning to leadership andstrays towards becoming a platform for artic-ulating a considered yet values influencedview. I stress at this point that this shift issubtle, however, as the emerging challengesof globalisation are explored, there surfacesa hint of the political and the human-rightsactivist in both authors perspectives. Strongsocialist philosophies relating to enterprise,property ownership and the banking systemare postured and a diagnostic approach to a

dysfunctional world economy begins tosurface. Whilst theoretically sound, the latterchapters grapple with maintaining thebalance between pragmatism and idealismwhich the reader must ultimately resolve ontheir own terms.

In summary, this is an accessible andeasily digestible book for all those interestedin leadership and leadership developmentregardless of their level of familiarity withBuddhist philosophy. For those coachingpsychologists working with positive appliedmethods, it provides a basic foundation inone Eastern philosophical source and itstheoretical application to Western businesschallenges. As a result, it can provide a valu-able entry point for clients who are open andinterested in exploring an alternative para-digm for leadership development. Whilst thebook could be seen by its harsher critics asstraying into a values laden duologue, thediscerning and well self-managed reader willattend to the timeless core messages it articulates and derive a degree of insight andperspective on the complexity and challenges inherent in the role of leader.

Travis J. KempUniversity of Adelaide.University of Sydney.University of South Australia.The Teleran Group Pty. Ltd.

ReferencesCollard, P. & Walsh, J. (2008). Sensory awareness

mindfulness training in coaching: Acceptinglife’s challenges. Journal of Rational-Emotive &Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 26(1), 30–37.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Coming to our senses. PiatkusBooks.

Linley, P.A. & Kauffman, C. (Eds.). Special Issue:Positive Psychology. International CoachingPsychology Review, 2(1), 1–112.

Roach, M. (2000). The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha onmanaging your business and your life. New York:Three Leaves.

Spence, G., Cavanagh, M. & Grant, A. (2008). Theintegration of mindfulness training and healthcoaching: An exploratory study. Coaching: AnInternational Journal of Theory, Research andPractice; 1(2), 145–163.

ELLO and a warm welcome from theSGCP Committee and those involvedwith the work of the SGCP.

We have another busy and exciting yearahead and are well under way with workingtowards our aims for this year. We arecommitted to bringing our members evenfurther benefits this year, in spite of the chal-lenges of the current climate. Thoseinvolved in the work of the SGCP all givetheir time voluntarily, but continue to pulltogether during these difficult times toensure that we can deliver what we committo. Many many thanks to all those involved.

Connecting our membersOne of our main aims this year is to developchannels for bringing together our membersto create a strong community and network toenable debate and discussion of issues andideas, swap information, practice skills, etc.

This will include an online forum forinteractive discussion, which can be accessedvia our website and will be launched immi-nently. The website in general is being givena new look and feel this year to provide amore attractive and user friendly source ofinformation for existing and new visitors tothe site.

We will also be supporting and developingguidelines for our members to create theirown practice groups, where individuals cancome together and discuss ideas and issues,practice coaching, learn from each other, etc.We have a working party that are currentlyscoping out the requirements and we expectthis initiative to be launched by mid-2009.

We have other ideas in the pipeline thatwe are exploring too. We are pleased to havehad some great input into ideas for eventsand networking from our Australian

colleagues in the InterestGroup in CoachingPsychology (IGCP).

EventsOur events team haveput together anotherreally interesting and engaging schedule ofevents for this year, including workshopswith topics focusing on ‘Psychology ofWisdom’ with Julie Allan, ‘Working withUncertainty’ with Ernesto Spinelli, and ‘GoalSetting’ with Bruce Grimley. The team willalso be scheduling a number of tele-eventsthis year. Details of all the events can befound on our website.

ConferenceThe conference team are in the throes oforganising our annual conference forDecember 2009. This will be our 2nd Euro-pean conference and will focus on ChangingPerspectives, with particular themesincluding: Hope and Wisdom, Engagement,Transition, Performance, Health and Well-being, and Developing Practice. A call forpapers has been issued, with a deadline of15th June. Full details are available on thewebsite.

AccreditationIt is now clear that we are not going to beable to offer an option for accreditingpsychologists who work in this area withinthe existing structure of the SGCP. As theBritish Psychological Society moves towardsaccrediting qualifications, and HPC movestowards taking responsibility for certifyingwhether individuals are fit to practice, a twopronged development is going to berequired to provide Coaching Psychologists


SGCP & IGCP News Update

Special Group in Coaching Psychology NewsVicky Ellam-Dyson

H

with the full range of options that are opento other areas of applied psychologicalpractice. In the meantime, we are looking atworking with other accreditation providersfor this area of psychological practice. For anupdate please see the SGCP website.

Relationships with other coachingpsychology bodiesDuring the last year we had a great opportu-nity to develop some close links to the IGCP,with visits to the UK by Peter Zarris (NationalConvenor) and David Heap (New SouthWales State Co-ordinator). It has been reallyencouraging to realise that not only can welearn from each other’s experiences, but alsothat both sides are extremely open andwilling to do so. For example, the SGCP hashad much experience with scoping outoptions for accreditation, which could be ofgreat use to the IGCP in helping them makesteps forward without having to reinvent theproverbial wheel. Whilst the IGCP haveoffered some inspiring and exciting ideas forhow the SGCP can bring together members,particularly around networking. As Petermentions in his news piece, there are alsoopportunities to input to each other’s eventsand conferences where we find ourselves oneach other’s ‘turf’.

The SGCP has also developed close linkswith other coaching psychology professionalbodies around Europe, including Irelandand Denmark. These links have provedreally useful, again for the sharing of infor-mation and for strengthening the awarenessof possibilities locally. We are happy toacknowledge that discussions are happeningin other parts of Europe regarding the possi-bilities of developing local coachingpsychology bodies.

Finally, on behalf of the SGCP I’d like toexpress many thanks to Kasia Szymanksa,who we’re sorry to say is stepping down fromher role as Editor of The Coaching Psychologist.Kasia was involved in establishing andlaunching TCP and has done a fantastic jobin its continued development. Kasia will,however, be staying with us as Book ReviewsEditor, and we are happy to announce thatSiobhain O’Riordan will be working with usas Acting Editor for TCP.

As always, we welcome input from ourmembers and readers of our publications.Please do get in touch.

Best wishes.

Vicky Ellam-DysonChair, SGCPE-mail: [email protected]



WE ARE PROUD to continue ouralliance with SGCP – our partnersin the UK. This new bulletin offers

a great opportunity for the NationalCommittee to increase our communicationwith you, our members.

This new section to the ICPR allows us toshare the key issues and ‘news items’ for theIGCP. We think this a wonderful initiativeand sincerely thank Prof. Stephen Palmerfor this opportunity.

The Symposium – past and futureAs we have already communicated to you –the 3rd ICGP Symposium last year (2008)was a resounding success with nearly 200delegates attending and a great responsefrom all those who attended.

Next year’s conference will be inMelbourne and the head of the MelbourneSymposium is Nic Eddy – the Victorian StateCo-ordinator. We are hoping to developsome innovative and creative approaches tothe next Symposium.

As some of you may know the 27th Inter-national Congress of Applied Psychology willbe held in Melbourne on 11–16 July, 2010.It’s expected that this event will attract manyhundreds of overseas delegates, some ofwhich will be travelling a long way.

We will be exploring the possibilities oflinking our Symposium with this event. Wewill be calling for expressions of interest forpresentations later this year. We are very keento have a strong representation from theSGCP and other coaching groups as bothpresenters and delegates so start thinking nowabout coming down to Melbourne in 2010!

New Member Groupand Changes

CanberraVicky de Praser hasvolunteered to convenean ACT chapter of theIGCP. This has been rati-fied by the NationalCommittee. Vicky will be strongly supportedby the New South Wales state committee andwe hope they will continue to work in closealliance as we build our member basemoving forward.

Nanette McComish has had to stand downas the state convenor for South Australia forpersonal reasons. Nannette has been one ofthe absolute rocks of this group – she hasworked tirelessly and has so much funda-mental knowledge about the group that wehope her absence is short lived. At a personallevel she has been invaluable and I can’tthank her enough for her help and support.

We have a new National Treasurer – Mr.Henry McNicol who took over the role fromKen Richards. Henry now joins the NationalCommittee and is another person who hasextended his great contribution on a statecommittee to the national level.

Professional Development EventsI am staggered by the amount of volunteerwork being done by the State Co-ordinators,symposium subcommittees, and NationalExecutive team members. The amount ofwork and commitment these people putforward can only be described as inspiring.

We will continue our work in bringing youopportunities for development and the acqui-sition of Professional Development points butwe need your support via attendance.



Interest Group in Coaching Psychology NewsPeter Zarris



We also want your input and feedback onwhat you are seeking from IGCP and will beproviding the opportunity for this via anonline survey we will soon be sending out toa sample of our members. We are looking atsome innovative approaches. Optionsincluding Webinars and other strategies tocomplement our existing events arecurrently being examined. The ICPR willcontinue to be made available to ourmembers electronically. Again we encourageyou all to take advantage of our website.

The December 2008 London Visit –David Heap’s report:As part of our on-going commitment todeveloping our most important coachingpsychology alliance – we had the opportunityto send a representative to the SGCPNational Conference.

David Heap, our NSW State Co-ordinatorand our last Symposium Chair was chosen torepresent our group. This built on the devel-opment of the alliance with the SGCP viameeting I had with them in London last yearand the visit by the then SGCP NationalChair Dr Alison Whybrow, who was also awonderful keynote speaker at our last IGCPsymposium. David’s report to the nationalcommittee follows below.

Accreditation This is an area we are going to be activelyengaged in developing this year. We plan toliaise with the SGCP's Accreditation WorkingParty to see how we might build on eachother’s work.

ConferencesI was very impressed with a number of thespeakers (Prof. Stephen Palmer, Prof. AlexLinley, Dr Ho Law, Prof Siegfried Greif andDr Michel Moral amongst others) at the 1stEuropean Coaching Psychology Conferencewho would enhance our 2010 event. Weshould explore ways to increase the inter-change of speakers and participants at eachother's conferences. Most people I spoke towere very keen to come to Australia, given

our strong reputation in the coaching world.Cost and distance are potential barriers,especially if we are all to become destitute asit would seem at the moment.

Publications and Research Our joint management of the ICPR iscurrently covered under a Memorandum ofUnderstanding, with Dr Michael Cavanaghand Prof. Stephen Palmer at the helm as jointCo-ordinating Editors. We will continuediscussions this year about extending thedistribution of the journal, including thepossibility of providing printed copies to ourIGCP members, subject to demand and costs.

CPD Events A number of the speakers such as Dr Ho Lawand Prof. Stephen Palmer will be travellingthis way in 2009 and we made some informalarrangements to organise opportunities forthem to speak or run workshops whilst in thecountry. It may worthwhile for us to set upsome system so that visiting (in either direc-tion) coaching psychologists who are inter-ested in presenting a CPD event whilst in thehost country could organise this through theIGCP/SGCP. We run many of our events inNSW this way but at a more opportunisticlevel. I don’t think this list exhausts theopportunities and I’d welcome suggestionsfor other areas of collaboration.

Other resources and institutionsThere seems to be a lot more infrastructurefor coaching and coaching psychologytraining and accreditation in the UK. Thissuggests a gap in the Australian market thatmay be an opportunity for the IGCP to fill.Some UK examples are below:

Coaching at Work: a coaching magazinepublished by Chartered Institute ofPersonnel and Development(AHRI/AITD). An easy read, rather thanan academic journal. Association for Coaching: An associationfor those who coach. Founded in 2002 inthe UK with a full range of services.Seems to be a good alternative to the ICF.



Impressive Honorary Officers includeCary Cooper, Marshall Goldsmith, TonyGrant and Stephen Palmer.

Routledge publishers had a big presence atthe SGCP’s 1st European CoachingPsychology Conference. Wide range of rele-vant publications with two stand outs. Youmay already be aware of this but the Handbook of Coaching Psychology by StephenPalmer and Alison Whybrow is a great ‘every-thing you ever wanted to know but …’ typereference. I bought one and I’d consider itan essential purchase. They also publish theAssociation for Coaching's journal –Coaching: An International Journal of Theory,Research and Practice. Also looks good. Thesite is: www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/17521882.asp.

We will be posting more informationregarding David’s trip on our website overthe coming months.

Our websiteWe will keep you posted on our website. To access this go to:www.groups.psychology.org.au/igcp/about_us/

Final wordAs you can see there is much happening.Coaching Psychology is here to stay and it isone of the most rewarding interesting anduntapped areas of Psychology. We encourageyou to stay involved and come along to ourlocal events and thereby support your localcommittees.

Peter ZarrisNational Convenor, IGCP.E-mail: [email protected]

THE SPECIAL GROUP IN COACHING PSYCHOLOGY

2nd

European Coaching Psychology Conference 15th and 16th December 2009

Changing Perspectives

In a climate of change and uncertainty, one thing that can be assured is that we consistently offer an excellent, engaging and professional event that brings together a diverse community of coaching psychologists and coaches to network, develop their

practice and deepen their knowledge base.

We are inviting you to consider presenting your work at the 2nd European Coaching Psychology Conference.

We know you will enjoy taking part Participants in previous years’ events describe their experience as one of warmth, openness and energy. We have masterclasses, keynote papers, research and case

study presentations, skills-based sessions and discussion sessions.

Call for Papers: Deadline 15th

June 2009

This year, the themes of the conference are:

Hope and Wisdom Engagement

Transition Performance

Health and Wellbeing Developing practice

We are calling for symposia on these topics.

We encourage you to use the SGCP resources to network with colleagues to create symposia. Individual papers are welcomed as poster submissions.

For further information and submission details see the SGCP website:

http://www.sgcp.org.uk/conference/conference_home.cfm or email [email protected]

The 2009 membership fee to join SGCP is £8.50. SGCP membership benefits include membership rates at our events and free copies of the ‘International Coaching Psychology

Review’ and ‘The Coaching Psychologist’.

Join now and obtain the discounted conference fee.



THE SPECIAL GROUP IN COACHING PSYCHOLOGY

New Editor required for

The Coaching Psychologist

The new editor will be responsible for the content and design of

The Coaching Psychologist, published by the British Psychological

Society Special Group in Coaching Psychology, commissioning articles and for ensuring it meets the current publication deadlines

of twice a year. The editor will liaise with a team of consulting

editors, European editorial advisory board, the British Psychological

Society’s office, and have ex-officio membership of the committee of the Special Group in Coaching Psychology and the

Publications and Communications Sub-Committee.

The Editor’s role is initially a two-year post (commencing in

August, 2009, and reviewed after 12 months) subject to review with the SGCP Publications and Communications Sub-Committee.

Applications are invited from Chartered Psychologists with

appropriate experience and who are members of the SGCP.

If you are interested in applying for the post, please e-mail a copy

of your CV and accompanying letter to:

Elouise Leonard Cross, SGCP Honorary Secretary at

[email protected]

Applications to be received by 31st May 2009.

For an informal discussion about the post please e-mail the former

editor at [email protected]


E-mail or blog – it’s your choice

The Society’s free Research Digest service features cutting-edge researchreports, links to the latest journal special issues, and to the best

psychology-related newspaper and magazine articles available on theweb. You can subscribe to the fortnightly e-mail, or visit the blog.

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