How do training institutions & accrediting bodies prepare coaches for their ongoing professional development?

Are they fit for purpose?

There seems to be a continuum…

On the one hand we have a formulaic approach with completely defined processes and tools. This can be a great foundation for a novice coach & provides the templates for the basic disciplines of coaching. Holding fast to this authoritative structure provides the warm assurance that we will be safe if we just follow the path. It protects us from being overwhelmed by our anxiety & the anxiety of our clients. This is ‘domesticated coaching’

However, people are complex & unpredictable, particularly when working with questions of identity or transition. ‘Coaching by numbers’ can deny the individuality of our clients as we do not meet them where they are, but instead insist on them meeting us where we are. It can become a sort of neurotic defence, sucking all the life and spontaneity out of our coaching relationships. We lose the ability to play & adapt...and our clients follow us down that path. It can also reignite early life trauma & remind clients that they are not seen & not understood by the coach.

On the other hand we have a bespoke & unstructured approach with a completely spontaneous process. Here the coach works without limits, relying on their intuition and impulse. It assumes that the coach is able to magically transform their clients through a combination of natural brilliance & instinct, with no particular need for discipline, technique or boundaries. I have seen this approach applied particularly in relation to neurodiversity. This is ‘wild coaching’.

However, we are not magicians & while this freeform play may be thrilling for both coach and client, it often reflects an inflated narcissism on the part of the coach. It seems to sidestep the often demanding inner journey of reflective practice. It may be an uninformed & ungrounded 'acting out' of our mutual coaching fantasies. We have no boundaries to contain us & our anxiety intensifies & spills out, often causing lasting harm not just to the coach & client, but to those around them.

We are then walking a narrow path.

How do we know when to cling to structure & when to let go? When do we play the score & when do we improvise? At what point & with which clients are we ready to do this?

Very few institutions & accrediting bodies seem able to face these questions. They seem unwilling to provide the support participants need to develop a reflective practice & find their own answers in a grounded & thoughtful way.

As an industry, are we willing to have an open discussion about our practice & professional (and personal) evolution? What are we doing to equip coaches for this journey from the very beginning?