There is a provocative and important discussion going on around what are possible and desirable next steps for the field and profession of coaching, which we spoke into in our last post entitled The Future of Coaching and one of our speakers, Doug Silsbee, sparked a lively discussion with his blog post entitled Repurposing Coaching.
There I contributed a little that I would like to share with you here to further this dialogue and exploration of what is next for us and our field.
So here you go….
Hello Doug and all!
Thanks so much for igniting this important discussion and calling the field of coaching and its practitioners forth to really explore its value and purpose in the world.
Let me dance with some of the themes and threads raised here and hopefully contribute a bit of my own.
Stepping into the unknown……
There’s a huge need for global transformation on many levels. Personally and professionally, ecologically and economically, politically and spiritually.
On all these fronts the world is challenging us to step into the unknown and discover new ways of being and doing that not only allow us to cope with the current crises, but use them as catalysts for profound growth and global transformation.
Coaches and change facilitators are often uniquely equipped to facilitate these kinds of shifts, because we have been trained to help others courageously and compassionately explore the limits and beauty of their current way of being. And from that space try on new ways of being that are more appropriate for where they find themselves in life and what the world asks of them.
Over the past decades powerful methodologies have been developed that effectively and skillfully facilitate this kind of transformative change and developmental shifts.
There are two further threads I would like to offer here: one more developmental, and another one, which I feel speaks more directly to the very core of our humanity and living a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Center of Gravity…..
We now know not only from our own direct experience but also from a strong body of research that the way we show up and make sense of the world evolves through specific stages (Wilber, Kegan, Cook-Greuter, Torbert, O’Fallon). Each new stage offering an expansion and deepening of our capacity to take on more and more perspectives and to experience ever more fully the interconnectedness of our being and world.
More specifically, as adults we all have the potential to gradually evolve from egocentric (what is good for me) to sociocentric (what is good for me and mine) to worldcentric (what is good for all of us) and what has been called kosmocentric (what is the Divine will that is expressing itself through all of us). Each level honoring but expanding the needs of the previous level. We may have flashes of higher states throughout our lifespan, but the question is where our center of gravity resides.
This suggests that coaching and change facilitation approaches that successfully tap into and work with this developmental or evolutionary impulse, might be particularly suited to facilitate the shift of consciousness and capacity for global leadership that you speak into.
Our deepest humanity……
At the same time, no matter what level of development we are on and where we find ourselves on life’s journey, when pushed and probed by someone who sees our potential and is willing to explore our deepest humanity with us, few of us will not light up and be inspired to action by the idea of using our unique gifts in service of the world. A world that includes me and my needs.
Now what that gift and service will actually look like depends completely on the rich and unique tapestry of who we are and where we find ourselves.
For some it will involve first clarifying their unique gifts and needs. For others it will be taking on big commitments in the world. However, it is my experience and belief that all of us benefit from being asked some version of the following question and being held compassionately accountable for it:
What are your unique gifts and how will you use them in service of your highest self and the world?
Some may initially shy away. Some will step up immediately. Others will simply need to be with the question longer before they can fully relate to its depth, and use it to find direction. So that’s where we meet them.
But as change facilitators I do believe we have the responsibility to ask the big questions.
Whether we decide to engage them or not, the bigger agendas of transformative change, our higher Self and what the world asks from us, are always there.
Waiting…
With much love and respect,
Laurens
Coaches Rising
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