History of Coaching
Coaching in some form or another has been around
for many years, indeed probably for as long as man
has walked the earth! Who could deny that the
earliest caveman didn't perform some kind of
coaching in passing on tips on how to obtain food!
The most recent origins of Coaching and the
rationale behind the current upsurge of interest
in Life Coaching are worthy of a quick analysis.
Dr Norman Vincent Peale is oft considered to be
the 'founding father' of positive thinking, and
indeed, in his book, 'The Power of Positive
Thinking', first published in 1952, Peale outlined
his motivation. He could see the pain and struggle
of human existence. He could see how positive
thinking through faith could overcome defeat and
enable anyone to achieve worthwhile goals. The
importance of mindset was demonstrated in his
quote:
'You are not what you think you are. But what you
think - YOU ARE!'
Peale's book was a breakthrough and taken further
by the likes of Dale Carnegie, however, there have
been many people before and after Peale
suggesting that you need a positive mindset, a
clear target and a commitment to action to
achieve what you want in life.
Consider the following examples:-
'We think too small. Like the frog at the bottom
of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as
the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have
an entirely different view'. Mao Tse-tung
'It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves'.
Sir Edmund Hilary
'All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream
at night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake
in the day to find that it was vanity: but to
dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they
may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it
possible.' T.E. Lawrence
'It concerns us to know the purpose we seek in
life, for then….we shall be more likely to attain
what we want'. Aristotle
Positive Thinking is at the heart of personal
achievement. Coaching is the art of helping others
achieve whatever they want to achieve. By helping
the coachee to understand the power of positive
thinking, and determining where they want to get
to, the coach will encourage them to set clear
targets, to explore options and then to take the
necessary action to achieve their target.
So, if Peale talked about positive thinking in the
early 1950's, how does this relate to Coaching?
Indeed, is coaching just about positive thinking?
Well, I believe all the founding principles of
Coaching can be attributed to the power of
positive thinking. It is, though, much more than
that.
Coaching is an art whereby the Coach guides the
coachee to achieve whatever is important to them.
Sometimes, it might just be enabling the coachee
to 'see the wood for the tress', whereas in other
situations there may be a need to help the coachee
to explore and redefine their own limiting beliefs
and to understand their real values, as a
pre-requisite of aiding the coachee to achieve
what is important to them - their own definition
of success.
'I stand on the threshold of something
extraordinary. Throughout my life I have
'survived'. I have been successful in many
respects, particularly in the eyes of others.
However, in my own eyes, the road to success
stretches out far into the future. Having
discovered why I am here, I now move with haste
along the path. To help others reach the same
feeling of freedom and their own destiny, to make
the world happier, healthier and safer, and to
leave the world just a little better positioned
than when I joined it'. Malcolm Rose
'I know this now. Every man gives his life for
what he believes. Every woman gives her life for
what she believes. Sometimes people believe in
little or nothing, yet give their lives to that
little or nothing. One life is all we have and we
live it as we believe in living it. And then it is
gone. But to sacrifice what you are and live
without belief, that's more terrible than dying'.
Joan of Arc