Coaching in a Distinctive Government Agency: Interview of Susana Isaacson

B Bergquist International Journal of Coaching in Organizations 2008

Those who have the joy and privilege of knowing and working with Susana Isaacson will often describe her as a “force of nature.” Her level of commitment to the welfare of the men and women she coaches is truly remarkable—and the field in which she has chosen to coach for many years is also remarkable: the clandestine operations of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Unites States. In this richly-textured interview, Susana Isaacson identifies and explores unique challenges associated with coaching men and women who must build trust, while also betraying established trust, who must work in the grays (rather than the black and whites) of the international intelligence community. We welcome you, the reader, to an exploration of coaching in a world that most of us only know through newspaper accounts or spy novels. The interview is conducted by William Bergquist, Co-Executive Editor of IJCO.