Reflections on A Celebration of 15 Years of Coach Education at MSLOC
Last month, we were thrilled to gather over 85 coaches and coach educators for a celebration of nearly 15 years of coach education through MSLOC, OLCC’s 10th anniversary, and ELOC Coaching’s 5th anniversary. We know no better way to celebrate than by bringing together learners, leadership scholars, and coach practitioners to exchange instructive ideas, experiences, and reflections.
Below are three big themes drawn from the sessions and conversations among our coaching community.
In contracting for coaching engagements and sessions, consider “who” and “where” clients are.
Speakers and participants discussed expectations and techniques for bringing coaches’ and clients’ identities, roles, and contexts to the core of designing each coaching engagement, alliance, and session.
- In their session on “Inclusive Coaching,” Shelena Johnson (OLCC ‘21) and Jennifer Yang (MS23, LEIOC ‘20, OLCC ‘21) spoke about perspective taking in the coaching relationship. They spoke about doing so to not only understand each situation (and each person’s relationship to the situation) but how coach/client lenses, identities, and contexts (internal, interpersonal, organizational, and structural) affect approaches and outcomes of coaching.
- In a session on “Working with Disabled and Neurodiverse Coaching Clients,” Anna Cechony (MS24, OLCC ‘24) provided extensive practical counsel to coaches on how to discover, discuss, and address each client’s access needs. As she shared, “the only way to know what access needs your clients have is to ask,” while reinforcing that everyone has access needs, whether or not we are prepared to recognize and share them. Cechony reinforced the coach’s responsibility to make access needs a part of the initial coaching consultation and real-time contracting at the start of each coaching session.
- Courtney Bass Sherizen (OLCC ‘16) facilitated a session on “Coaching Clients through Crisis,” shedding light on what crisis coaching is, how to do it, and when to offer this service to clients. Distinct from executive coaching, crisis coaching is appropriate when an individual or team seeks support to work through a situation or moment that could have a lasting negative impact on the person or their organization. Among its many differentiators from other types of coaching, Bass Sherizen discussed that crisis coaching is “more directive,” and is more limited in scope, while it still avoids advising or becoming a substitute for therapy or legal counsel. Both coach and client will need to demonstrate “increased presence, vulnerability and strength,” which also means the coach must prioritize self-care and community care as non-negotiable. To perhaps a greater degree, crisis coaching requires the coach to understand not only where the client is but where the coach is themselves, including “saying no to crises that are too personal” to the coach.
Like any client, each coach’s business and practice deserves (and requires) a coach’s meaningful and structured attention.
In a recent survey of our coaching community members, 56% indicated that they own and operate an independent coaching practice. Whether independent or working as an internal coach, consultant, and/or manager, every coach must commit to working on their practice for their and their clients’ mutual benefit.
- In a discussion moderated by Cathy Lieberman (CLPC ‘14), panelists John McGonigle (MS24, LEIOC ‘24, ELOC Coaching ‘22), Eric Fridman (OLCC ‘15), and Shereen Sater (MS21, OLCC ‘20) discussed “The Business Side of Coaching.” They generously shared their stories of launching their practices, their client profiles and marketing/outreach approaches, and details about the financial structures and outcomes of their businesses. True to form in our community, panelists shared intimate details of both successes and failures, as well as specific rate and income information. Across a variety of practice types and years of experience coaching, the panelists stressed the need for clarity of business purpose, actionable understanding of the value exchange between coach and client, and the importance of strategic planning to each coach’s business.
- Ellen Johnson (MS21, OLCC ‘21) shared tips and techniques for how to “Reflect + Reset: Assessing and Recharging Your Coaching Practice.” Johnson recommends regular (quarterly, monthly, etc.) business and practice reviews while continuously measuring progress toward goals throughout the year. During business reviews, Johnson recommends using a review template that includes expandable questions and reflection prompts to uncover (a) what is already working in the business/practice, (b) the current status of your coaching work, (c) action planning, and (d) integration for future use.
Coaching is neither a solitary act nor a pure 1:1 proposition.
Stock photos of coaching typically depict two people sitting across a table or conversing via a laptop screen. Despite the way coaching is often portrayed and visualized, it is not always a solitary act or “solo sport,” as several of our presenters illustrated.
- Erin Lazarus shared “Leadership Insights from Hogan Assessments” and used several helpful analogies to demonstrate what we can learn about coaching from other arenas. In team sports coaching, athletic performance coaching, and fitness training, we see how critical the collaborations are between and among coaches, clients, and other participants. In all of these arenas, coaches/trainers leverage individual assessment, give constant feedback, and watch game tape. They go beyond the 1:1 to bring together information and context to enrich and deepen coaching outcomes.
- In a session titled, “Coaching SUPER-Vision: Leveraging Multiple Viewpoints to Support Yourself as Coach and Lifelong Learner,” Kelly Ross (MS09) shared multiple frames and lenses (forgive the pun) for coaches to use in receiving support from a supervising coach or group. They include, but are not limited to, seeking coaching as a coach, managing internal conflict and external context with coaching clients, getting recommendations for approaches to a specific client situation, and discussing aspects of a coach’s practice that are relevant to many, if not all, of a coach’s clients.
- Debbie Plager (MS06) facilitated a session, “Greater than the Sum of its Parts – Unlocking the Potential of Teams through Team Coaching.” During the session, Plager reviewed several team coaching models, noting the attributes they all share, including viewing the team as a system, working with the team as the client, having theories of what a team needs to be successful (e.g., clear purpose, clear roles), and committing to a belief that the client does not need to be “fixed.” While team coaching often includes 1:1 sessions with individual team members, it can also expand beyond the team and bring in additional stakeholder perspectives.
We are grateful to each of our speakers, attendees, and partners for their enthusiastic participation. Special shout-out to our sponsors, Hogan Assessments, Association Forum, Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), and IndeCollective for not only helping to make the reunion event possible but making it even better through their partnership.
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MSLOC: MS Learning and Organizational Change
OLCC: Organizational and Leadership Coaching Certificate
ELOC: Executive Learning and Organizational Change
LEIOC: Leading Equity and Inclusion in Organizations Certificate
CLPC: Coaching for Learning and Performance Certificate (predecessor program of OLCC)