Alignment Coaching: The Missing Element of Business Coaching with Commentary

J Lazar, W Bergquist International Journal of Coaching in Organizations 2007

Coaching in organizations often focuses on either how to address issues effectively or how to perform well in a situation, given a decision to move forward and a strategy to meet success criteria. sometimes these interventions will prove ineffective. There is, however, another possible focus of coaching, one that confronts making sense of one’s life and the fundamental values and meaning that get expressed through choice and action. This is alignment coaching. This article offers a fresh perspective on business coaching, distinguishing alignment coaching from its performance and executive coaching brethren. Using a case study illustration, further distinctions are drawn about the types of issues clients face and the type of business coaching that, when matched, can provide ‘best fit’ to achieve desired results.