The Coach as Philosopher: Perspectives on a Philosophically-Based Process Of Organizational Coaching

C McCullough International Journal of Coaching in Organizations 2005

Coaching is a commitment to identifying plans and strategies designed to achieve specific goals, whether the one being coached is a football team, a corporate executive or a small business organization. And, as every good coach knows, action is only productive when two other elements precede it: (1) Having a clear perception of the nature of the issues, and (2) Adequate assessment of the variables to be taken into account in designing the strategies. Simply put, good coaching must involve: (1) Looking, i.e., what is the nature of the situation (2) Analyzing, i.e., why is the situation what it is? (3) Acting, i.e., how can the situation be effected in the desired way? Although coaching has established itself as a distinct profession, its theories and methods overlap with many other disciplines. The view put forth here by a philosopher/psychologist is that organizational coaching is enriched, not diminished, by inviting input from other disciplines—and philosophy in particular.