Please let me know what other books you think important to add.

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (1997) ISBN 978-1-878424-31-0
I heard Don Miguel Ruiz speak in Tucson somewhere around 2002.  I had not read the book yet but attended the talk with a friend who had.  Ruiz was not your typical motivational speaker.  He was very quiet and a bit boring – until something he said struck a chord and I thought, “Pay attention!”  These 4 Agreements – so simple and so profound.  They are agreements I continue to practice and strive to live by.

Good to Great by Jim Collins (2001) ISBN 0-06-662099-6
Great work!  Collins uses simple terms and clear writing to give insight into his research and findings of what it takes to be a “level 5 leader.”  My copy of this book is quite worn from my frequent review, reference and recommendation.  I love this stuff!

Leadership on the Line by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky (2002) ISBN 1-57851-437-1
One of my clients recommended this book and each time I recommend it, I am reminded of a great leader.  I am especially fond of Chapter 3 – Get on the Balcony. It is so easy to be caught up in the chaos of our daily lives.  It is critical to find perspective.

The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge (1990) ISBN 0-385-26094
I moved to Tucson in 1991 and to join a new organization.  As part of our formation as a team, our CEO assigned the leadership to present “team building” activities or concepts to the group.  I had recently read Senge’s “The Fifth Discipline” and was hooked.  I vividly recall my presentation, which was about enrollment and commitment.  This work continues to resonate and serve as a guide in my own work with individuals and organizations.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (1999) ISBN 0-439-06486-4
 I really enjoyed all of the Harry Potter books.  My daughter was quite young when the first book came out and I remember reading it with her.  We have enjoyed the series as a family that really extended to a community of her friends and their families.  I especially like Albus Dumbledore’s message to Harry in Chamber of Secrets (p. 333) when he says, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Shortly after initiating my first policy, one of my organizational clients requested I present a declarations page demonstrating ‚ÄúEvidence of Insurance.”

While coaches are not in the business of advice giving and generally include a disclaimer of liability within the coaching contract, professional liability insurance offers protection in the event of a claim against you as a professional. Claims and lawsuits against coaches are not rampant at this point, though they can occur and are more likely as coaching continues to grow. This concern is not limited to the US, which is why professional coaching bodies have sought out insurers from various parts of the world.

In 2002, professional liability insurance was not so prevalent for coaches. Those who came from psychology and therapy backgrounds were sometimes able to find coverage through their previous professional associations. My first policy had a $1,500 annual premium and subsequent years increased to nearly $3,000 annually through a private insurance company.

Today professional coaching bodies have arrangements with insurers to underwrite professional liability policies specifically for coaches, and premiums average between $300 and $600 annually for a $1,000,000 claims made policy.

Over the past several years, I have found organizations hiring coaches to work with executives and teams are more consistently requesting evidence of professional liability insurance.

More recently, I have seen and heard from other coaches about organizations detailing the amount of coverage required for professional liability and other types of business and liability insurance as part of their request for proposal.

Concern around professional liability is not limited to work within organizations. Individual clients coaches work with can create risk as well, particularly around issues of agreement and expectations.

Bottom line is that as coaching grows, so does the risk and expectation that we see occur in other professional fields such as law and medicine. Depending on the focus of your work or the legal system within your part of the world, professional liability may not be a focus at this point.

However, it is something to consider.

What are you seeing related to professional liability insurance for coaches?

Are you someone who carries this type of insurance? Have you always been a coach or have you come from a field where professional liability insurance was expected?

What do you anticipate for the future?

I am including a writing here that Gerry shared with me when we spoke. There are so many possibilities coaching opens up in the world. At the core is our own development, awakening and learning. We welcome your comments!

Coaching – A Possible Future?
Gerry Ryan, PCC, MICF

All of us involved in coaching are only too well aware of the powerfully positive impact it has on us as coaches, clients and as people. We have the regular experience of how good it is to be with groups of coaches when we are all authentic and accessing the best of ourselves.

We recognize that this is the impact of being guided by values of trust, respect and non-judgment. Of working from the belief that each person is creative, resourceful and whole and of applying the premise that they are responsible for their own lives, decisions, growth, actions, etc.

We are equally aware of the rapid development and growth of coaching worldwide over the past twenty to thirty years or more and how the questions of what it is, how to define it, how to talk about it, how to explain it and how to categorize it continue to occupy practitioners on a regular basis. Coaching associations work to develop standards, professionalism and credibility while the debate as to whether it should be a ‚Äòprofession’ rages on.

Those of us who are open or awakening to our spirituality (I suspect this might be a growing number) and who access the guidance of your angels and spiritual guides might also be noticing some interesting patterns:

ÔÉò There is an apparent rapid development and growth in spirituality worldwide going on over the past twenty to thirty years or more with more and more people awakening to this part of their being and the interconnectedness of everything

ÔÉò That our angels and spiritual guides are with us in a way that is characterized by unconditional love, nonjudgment, trust and respect. A knowing that we are creative, resourceful and whole and absolute adherence to the principle of our free will.

ÔÉò They work with us to help us develop, grow and achieve our life/soul purpose. They never tell us what to do, they provide us with and use our experiences, helping us to reflect and learn from them.

ÔÉò They work at our pace with infinite patience and are always there for us.

There is, in summary, a striking parallel between both coaching and spirituality in terms of what is happening in both and how they are lived or practiced.

Is this just a major coincidence or is something else going on here?

Is it that ‚Äòcoaching’ is our way of being with each other when we are fully spiritually awakened and connected?

Maybe the true purpose of coaching is to help all people be with each other in this way all of the time.

Maybe that highly trained and accredited ‚Äòcoaches’ are here to enable and support ‚Äònormal’ people in their struggles with this challenge in life, business, organizations, etc.

Maybe that ‚Äòcoaches’ are the new human ‚Äòspiritual guides’ in our future as a society, a people and as human beings.

Maybe that these ‚Äòcoaches’ are the ones who need to be professional – well trained, accredited and availing of supervision – to perform this role.

That the rest of humanity just need to be trained, supported and enabled to be with each other in a way that is characterized by unconditional love, nonjudgment, trust and respect, acceptance that we are all creative, resourceful and whole and absolute adherence to the principle of free will.

? ? ? …………….

What this means for what we do with coaching and how we guide its ongoing development is a case for dialogue between all its stakeholders. I trust this might prompt a thought or two and add value to the ongoing dialogue.

Gerry Ryan
7TH April 2009

I have had the privilege of talking with or visiting with thousands of coaches in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. This year I am the immediate Past President of ICF and while I am still very involved with ICF, the level of intensity has dropped substantially which means I have time for a few new activities.

It is a great place to be!

As I thought about what to write for this first post, the word respect came to mind. I travelled around quite a bit in my role as ICF President and had the opportunity to interact with coaches, human resources professionals, organization leaders and individuals considering coaching in several parts of the world.

As I engaged in conversations and demonstrations around coaching or observed others in this process, I am struck by the respect the people I met had for coaching and coaches. Organizations are embracing coaching (See Bennett and Bush article ‚ÄúCoaching in Organizations: Current trends and Future Opportunities” OD Practitioner vol. 41. No.1, 2009).

A legitimacy and respect were not very common when I started coaching in 2000.

The public knows more about what coaching is today than they did a few years back. When I say, ‚ÄúI’m a coach,” I am not asked, ‚Äúwhat sport” anymore. There is respect for this emerging profession building outside the coaching community.

What is happening within the community?

Coaches come from different backgrounds and experience. Coaches come from various fields including psychology, counseling, management, organizational development, human resources, education, law, business among others. The diversity of experience within this community allows for lots of opportunity for expanding perspective and learning.

From my interactions with coach training organizations and universities providing coaching as part of their curriculum, I suggest we are seeing people take a more professional track to become a coach than what may have occurred in the early days where people hung out their sign to say, John Smith Coach, without any training or experience.

Over the last few years, I have spoken with a number of students who planned to use their learning to assist their organizations in navigating change, achieving corporate goals, improving personal or professional effectiveness or as a step in moving toward a coaching culture.

These individuals may decide to go out on their own one day, or they could become the purchasers of coaching for their organizations. They are people with an inside appreciation and respect for what coaching really is, how skills are developed and what people need to know.

Interesting to think about and consider where we might go from here. What do you see? Where do you think we might go from here?