Barnabas File

While management thinker Marshall Goldsmith did not coin the phrase "egocentric to ecocentric," his coaching philosophy emphasizes this approach.     Having been exposed to   Murray Bowen’s Family Systems Theory   in my post-seminary education, I have developed a tendency to look at most situations systemically.     Although Goldsmith’s emphasis is on the critical transition from self-serving leadership to systemic, planet-first leadership, he challenges us to remember that when we coach a person, we are also coaching a person within a system—a family, a church, an organization, a nation state, a global ecosystem.    Here are three coaching areas to consider under this sub-heading:  Inclusivity & Relational Contexts, DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging), Team and Group Dynamics.   Cross-Cultural Engagement   The ability to coach effectively across diverse cultural norms, values, and worldviews is ess...

Coaching in various forms is increasing, so it is getting more attention.  This means that change is at hand.  In a recent blog, Edmée Schalkx addressed “Trends in Coaching2017-2022” and specifically noted what this means for users and coaches. As one who believes both in the effectiveness of coaching and its usefulness in religious settings, I suggest what these changes in coaching means for those of us who work with churches. First, faith communities will recognize that they need trained coaches.  Churches, judicatories, and other faith-based institutions will discover that coaching promotes retention, provides focus, and maximizes use of resources.  With less to work with, coaching will increase the impact of the work of faith-based organizations in all areas of ministry. Second, seminaries will give more attention to teaching coaching skills and integrating coaching into the curriculum. Seminaries and church related colleges will...

The International CoachFederation is made up of over 20,000 members around the world. Although it does not train life coaches, ICF has developed professional standards so that it can certify the level of achievement and competence of those in the coaching profession. In addition to a Code of Ethics, ICF has identified 11 Core Competencies that a coach should master. Some experts are suggesting that it is time to add number 12 to that list:  a cross-cultural competency.  In an increasingly global economy and interconnected world, people of varying cultures find themselves occupying the same space.  This provides both the potential for misunderstandings and opportunities for growth. First, we should acknowledge that all coaching is, in a sense, cross-cultural.  If an Anglo woman in Atlanta is coaching an African-American man in Milwaukee, the conversation is as cross-cultural as that of an American coaching a Korean.  Each of us operates o...

In a Doctor of Ministry seminar recently, I addressed one particular topic for the first time—coaching across cultures.  With the increasing interest in multi-culturalism, cross-cultural communication, and globalization, professional life coaches are asking if their processes translate well into other cultures.  One reason that I raised the issue was that the majority of the class members were Korean-speaking listening through simultaneous translation! Our culture molds us in significant but often subtle ways.  As we coach people from another culture or teach coaching principles to individuals from a non-Western cultural background, we must be sensitive to varying concepts such as time, authority, and communication styles.  In his book Coaching Across Cultures:  New Tools for Leveraging National, Corporate & Professional Differences , Philippe Rosinski identifies a number of cultural orientations that must be considered in a coaching relationship...