Values and Ethics in Coaching
Ioanna Iordanou, Rachel Hawley and Christiana Iordanou
SAGE
978 14739 1956 3
5 out of 5
The authors have written a book that our profession has needed for some time. I believe it’s essential reading for coaches, mentors, supervisors and their trainers.
The book has a clear structure to help us identify and reflect on our taken-for-granted beliefs. The structure facilitates discussion, with boxes throughout depicting activities and pauses for reflection alongside recommended reading, making it invaluable for individual practitioners and as a
catalyst in group/classroom settings.
Those who want an instant solution to ethical dilemmas may be disappointed. As the book argues, “values are socially constructed” and it is “impractical to talk about a universal and uniform set of values and ethics that underpin behaviours and actions in coaching practice” (p140).
There were alternative views – for example, some organisational clients do treat coaching as a legitimate, standalone profession. But the book creates the conditions and conversations to bring ethical issues to the surface.
- Eve Turner is a coach, supervisor and author
- eve@eve-turner.com
- www.eve-turner.com
Translating Coaching Codes of Practice
Yvonne Thackray (ed)
Blogpress Publishing
978 09954 8951 6
5 out of 5
Having been in coaching and mentoring for three decades, it takes a unique text to stop me in my tracks and go “wow!” This book does that.
It is written with heart and passion by 20 coaches who share their insights in the form of poetry and prose of various lengths and styles.
This diversity is unsurprising as these are mini auto-ethnographies drawn from blogs posted over a two-year period on: https://the-goodcoach.com
Put simply, these coaches talk about what they really do, offer opinions on the field and discuss what they care deeply about. Their intention is to reflect on their practice, share this with peers and validate their work. The desire is to push back the boundaries of the coaching frontier with integrity – they do just that.
It is a true collaborative and multi-vocal work. It is creative, bold and courageous and should be the ‘go to’ title (and blog) for anyone embarking on coach training. It may also inspire practitioners to write about their experiences for the blog.
It will help build a much richer picture beyond the plethora of textbooks, to capture the lived experience of what, day-to-day, it means to coach and be coached.
- Margaret Chapman-Clarke is a chartered and registered psychologist, EI (Emotional Intelligence) Coaching & Consulting. Contact: mc@eicoaching.co.uk