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Written by David Drake

Are Coaches Artisans?

In whatever way coaching resembles the Professional culture as identified by Bill Bergquist and Vikki Brock in our forthcoming coaching anthology, it may indeed be useful to think about coaches as artisans. In a paper I wrote recently, I described it as follows, "it is a new era in which ... Read More

Virtual Dialog on World Changing: A Narrative Model

As a resource for our telecall today, I offer the following model based on my narrative coaching practice, my research on holistic sustainability, and my writing on a new era for coaching. I will cover the model in greater depth on the call and offer comments in this space once ... Read More

Virtual Dialog on World Changing: Some Pathfinders

In support of the Virtual Dialog on March 13th, I offer the following links. Each one represents an experiment in changing the world. More are being launched every day as a growing number of people around the world are seeking innovative ways to collaborate in addressing the issues we face. ... Read More

When Have You Felt Deeply Satisfied While Coaching?

I appreciated Francine's comments about discerning "what's right for me?" as she reflected on learning opportunities from her coaching work. It seems to me that part of understanding one's legacy is to be courageously mindful about what actions and encounters bring us deep satisfaction. I would certainly contend that satisfaction—along ... Read More

Manifesto Musings: What Research is Important for You Right Now?

Last week, I introduced the proposition that there are four domains of knowledge that guide all coaching. This week, I'd like to drill down a bit on the research (in the broadest sense of that word) that is important to you. The question in the manifesto is, "What elemental questions ... Read More

What Do You Have Energy For?

I was reminded the other day of this Native American poem as I sat with the notion of what it takes to create a legacy. In this age of relentless change and what Linda Stone called "continuous partial attention", how can we sufficiently gather and focus our energy and ... Read More

What Does “Legacy” Mean for You?

I dedicate this first post to a late mentor, Will McWhinney, a former faculty member at Fielding (where I got my doctorate). While not always the easiest of people with whom to work, he was a great, creative thinker and a passionate, heartfelt man. While most noted for his work ... Read More

M1: What do you need to know to be effective as a coach?

We begin our manifesto-inspired conversation (hence the M in M1), with a curiosity about what we need to know as coaches to be effective in and for the future. I would suggest (p. 2) that there are four primary domains of knowledge which contribute to mastery in coaching. However, we ... Read More

What’s next? A Manifesto on the Future of Coaching

The manifesto was born from conversations with peers; it is intended to spark more of them by engaging people in shaping the future of coaching. I will use one manifesto question each week as the basis for a blog post in which I offer some commentary and invite you to ... Read More