The emerging profession of personal and business coaching is an exciting new arena in which to study the will and to cultivate this vital function in the life of humanity. The will has an even more central and explicit role in coaching than it does in psychotherapy. The rich understanding of the will that psychosynthesis offers can, I believe, make an important contribution to the field, In this paper I will introduce the coaching paradigm and discuss some ways in which the will is used in coaching.

The field of coaching came into its own in the final years of the 1990's (see Ellis, 1998; Fortgang, 1998; and Whitworth, Kinsey-House, and Sandahl, 1998). Enthusiasts believe that having a personal coach will soon be viewed as a necessity by anyone who aspires to a life of success and fulfillment. At the present rime, it is estimated that there are about 3,000 trained coaches with 100,000 clients. The numbers arc growing by leaps and bounds. At the time of this writing, one of the popular books in the field, Take Time for your Life, by Cheryl Richardson (1999) just made the New York Times Best Seller List; and Fortune (February 1, 2000) recently featured an arricle on executive coaches which stated, "The hottest thing in management is the executive coach."

Coaching has roots in disciplines such as counseling, consulting, and organization development. In the last few years it has begun to articulate itself as a discipline in its own right with professional organizations and standards of practice. The primary resource for business and personal coaches and for those seeking a coach is the International Coach Federation (ICF). The ICF’s mission is to support the community spirit and professional development of its members as well as ethical self-regulation of the profession. It is currently developing an accreditation process.

Personal coaches often liken their work to that of a sports coach. Just as an Olympic coach prepares athletes to reach for the gold medal, so a personal coach partners with clients to bring out their best in their personal and business lives. The ICF defines coaching as "an ongoing relationship which focuses on clients taking action toward the realization of their visions, goals, or desires." The definition goes on to state, "Coaching uses a process of inquiry and personal discovery to build the client’s level of awareness and responsibility and provides the client with structure, support, and feedback. The coaching process helps clients both define and achieve professional and personal goals faster and with more ease than would be possible otherwise." (ICF brochure)

There are various specialty areas within the field such as executive coaches; career coaches; relationship coaches; coaches for children, entrepreneurs, and almost any conceivable market niche. Coaching that addresses all areas of a person’s life is usually called "personal coaching" or "life coaching."

Coaches work in a variety of formats. Most commonly coaching takes place by telephone for weekly sessions of 30 minutes. Between sessions, clients take action steps toward goals they define with the assistance of their coach. Progress is reported at the following session. Communication may occur between sessions by e-mail, fax, or brief telephone calls. Teleclasses in which students call in to a common bridge number are frequently used for group coaching. Our virtual-age technologies now enable us to work very effectively at a distance. I find it exciting to be able to work with people from around the world from my home office, free from the constraints of geography.

Recently I woke up in the night from a dream that movingly portrays my vision of coaching. In the dream a woman was walking along a road, an archetypal life path. I was struck by the unusual quality of her energy. She had an amazing clarity of purpose and her intent was unwavering, as though she was carrying out a sacred mission. I felt that nothing could deter her from her purpose, yet she was not driven in an ego-based way. Her energy was peaceful and balanced. She walked with ease, grace, and quiet confidence, in what could be described as a "flow state." She appeared to receive strength and be moved along her path by an energy that came from beyond herself, as though from a higher power. I was inspired by her presence and remarked to my companion in the dream, "This woman must have a coach."

As I reflect on this dream, several points strike me significant from a coaching perspective:
* The person is connected to her life purpose or spiritual mission.
* She is able to stay on track with this and not get sidetracked.
* She is so aligned with higher will that this power moves through her without resistance, propelling her forward in a seemingly effortless way.

The sections that follow will discuss how coaching addresses these various aspects of the will.

 

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