Whole-Brain Coaching and the Merlin Effect: Lessons from Advancing Neuroscience

R Forbes Jr. International Journal of Coaching in Organizations 2006

The legend of King Arthur provides an excellent perceptual lens for viewing the untapped performance potential of present-day coaching clients. Arthur rose to greatness with the help of the wise -wizard, Merlin, possibly one of one of history’s first successful executive coaches. as a point of departure, this paper uses the release of Arthur’s enchanted sword, excalibur, from the stone in which it was magically embedded, as a metaphor for the release of client potential through the coaching process. Continuing advances in neuroscience offer practicing coaches the promise of discovering new magic in working with clients. science fiction writer Arthur C. Clark once remarked that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. one such neuroscience-oriented approach, whole-brain coaching, is discussed in this article.