Coaching Is Dead. Long Live Coaching!

D Drake International Journal of Coaching in Organizations 2009

The articles in this issue trace some of the central threads and players that have shaped coaching. This closing article offers a number of provocative reflections on the contributions and challenges from coaching’s past and the opportunities and requirements for coaching’s future. It identifies some of the key internal and external issues facing coaching and it proposes three important distinctions (coaches, coaching services and coaching approaches) as a way of advancing the conversations and deliberations on how best to address these issues. Finally, four domains of knowledge crucial to coaching mastery are explored further as a means to articulate what is needed in order to develop coaches and coaching. The article concludes with some recommendations for next steps.