Coaching Beyond Method and Technique

Article by Adam Klein , Managing Partner and Faculty member at New Ventures West

Over the last year, I’ve had the pleasure of hosting many free introductory events whose attendees are interested in exploring the topic “What is Integral Coaching?”

Such a fantastic, living question!

At first blush, that may seem like an odd statement. Surely, this is an easily answerable question. 

Isn’t it as simple as laying out and describing the method, going into the various differences of this approach as opposed to others, speaking about the moves the coach can make and how to make them, and so on?

Only I submit that this is a larger, richer question that has an ever-expanding answer. 

It is, as Rilke would say, a question to live. 

"Live the question now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer." - Rainer Maria Rilke

It points to the intention infused in the method and the greater purpose for which Integral Coaching is in service. 

This inquiry also opens the doorway to the intersection of Integral Coaching and you, the reader.

First, a warm thank you to all who have participated in these events— your questions, comments, concerns, and hearts of openness contributed greatly to what is arising and what I am attempting to articulate. 

In what follows, my hope is to give expression to what has been emerging in these gatherings with all of you.

What is Integral Coaching’s Purpose?

The Purpose at the heart of our work is:

Everyone uncovers their ability to continuously awaken and deepen so that life flourishes and is saturated with meaning, belonging, and contribution.

Or, alternatively expressed:

You uncover your ability to continuously awaken and deepen so that life flourishes and is saturated with meaning, belonging, and contribution.

This single statement encapsulates the possibility at which Integral Coaching is aimed.

It is about supporting people so that they become more aware of their unique beauty and genius in its fullness and nuance. 

Alongside this awakening, each person also increases their ability to express and experience the various facets of who they are. 

As each one of us does this, we discover we have a special place in the choir of humanity—and as each one of us sings our notes, the full texture of the music comes through. 

This is Integral Coaching

It is about working with aspiring coaches in such a way that they can skillfully, compassionately, and wisely accompany individuals and groups in this very human endeavor. 

For the coach, the answer to the question “What is Integral Coaching” calls forth a way of being that embodies these attributes beyond being pro-forma or applying a mere technique. 

The very mind, body, and heart of the coach are transformed as they seek to serve the client. 

This intention and dedication to service are cultivated in the very way the coach lives.

As such, Integral Coaching is a way of life: one in which the coach surrenders themselves to service, taking on activities of the body, mind, and heart that support their intention. 

It is in this act of surrendering to something larger that coaches discover that the work they do with clients is something they can’t take complete credit for since it’s the alchemical process of surrendering to service that allows coaching to take place. 

Coaching helps the client become more aware of their unique voice and have more access to the competencies and capacities that allow them to experience meaning, belonging, and contribution.

This is just one take on a response to this alive, ever-changing question. 

Regardless of what form your service to the world takes (coach, poet, teacher, healthcare worker, etc.), may you find the living questions that animate and connect you more richly to the gift that you are and thereby bring.

Getting Practical

One of the best ways to be of service to others is by becoming an Integral Coach, either for personal or professional development. If you are not ready and  want to try on how to think like a coach, try the following:  

• Reflect on your purpose: Take time to reflect on what you do, who you are, and what drives you.  Ask yourself how your work contributes to connecting, awakening, and the flourishing of yourself and others.
• Embody compassion: On a daily basis, look for what you have in common with those you encounter. What unifies the human experience? Allow this to deepen your connection with others and what fundamentally we share. 
• Support others: Consider how your presence can compassionately support individuals in their journey. You can take this a step further and step into the practice of Lojong .
• Explore your unique contributions: Identify the ways your unique gifts and talents contribute to helping others and practice bringing them to the forefront of interactions.

Become a person of service, discovering Integral Coaching

A core tenet of Integral Coaching is cultivating the capacity to provide the highest level of service, bringing forth their abilities, talents, and uniqueness and to more powerfully experience the full range of life. 

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About New Ventures West

From its humble beginnings to one of the top accredited coaching schools in the world, New Ventures West pioneered one of the deepest, most transformative forms of human development available for coaches, leaders, and anyone looking to bring people alive in possibility.