One of the best things for me about being part of a coaching community is witnessing the ripple effect of our work – at an individual, ‘micro’ level with our clients and each other (through sessions, feedback, training and supervision) and at an organisational and cultural, ‘macro’ level.
The latter is less immediately visible and cannot be easily captured directly through feedback forms or in sessions. But every time a client tells me that she came to coaching because her ‘best friend’ recommended it, or her ‘sister tried it and it changed her life’ – that’s the ripple effect at work.
When a young woman reports back that she found the courage to speak up at work, to finally have that difficult conversation she’d been dreading, and the sky didn’t fall in; but that the act of speaking up gave others in her team permission to also use their voices – that’s the ripple effect at work.
And when, two or three years down the line, we receive a flood of enquiries and realise that our former clients are recommending coaching from within their own organisations and businesses, or are implementing coaching programmes, or are undergoing coach training themselves – that’s the ripple effect at work.
In their lead article for this issue, authors Amy Tarrant and Sue Noble focus on the next generation of leaders – those 20 and 30-somethings known as ‘Generation Z’ or ‘millennials’. As a community of practitioners, whether we work in organisations, in private practice, or the third sector – what is our collective responsibility for helping to create the culture that will support our future leaders?
How can we influence and create our own ripple effect through our work, and our practices? How do we work together to support and inspire each other in creating our own ripples? And importantly – how can we celebrate each other?
'As a community of practitioners... what is our collective responsibility for helping to create the culture that will support our future leaders?'
As I read the articles in this issue, I was reminded that, like the ripples that spread when we throw a pebble into a pond, through our work we influence each other and the world around us, creating a ripple effect. Some of the influence ripples out to a few, some to many; some of it effects change, some inspires; some of it lasts a moment, some a lifetime. Until next time…
Diane Parker coachingtoday.editorial@bacp.co.uk
