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July 2, 2010

Coaching Teams and Leaders

Coach Training, Community of Coaching, Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Organizational Wholeness, Human Wholeness,  

Did you catch the story on NPR Declaration of Independence Audio this morning that included the various commentators reading the words of Thomas Jefferson in honor of US Independence Day? I am more inspired than ever in our work as a generative leadership coach because I see the possibility in our world for that type of boldness to source a fresh approach to leading, to business, to community, to government.

And since I am preparing to teach an Introduction to Team & Leader Coaching course starting July 12th, I want to share a poem we use in that course to perhaps inspire you too! 

When we are generative, we contribute to a cycle of renewal.

Our synergy, something more than the sum of its parts starts a positive spiral of intelligent growth.

This is what life is all about: it is living with the highest goal.

To be of service and make the contribution only you can make to the universe, you must become a generative leader – no matter what your role in life.

You can be a leader to yourself, to one other person or to the world.

And, if you start right now with an intention of being generative, of letting your creativity create creativity around you, of giving and receiving, you will see remarkable things happen.

              From The Highest Goal, Michael Ray, Stanford University

I believe coaches are generative leaders and by our model, our clients are called forward to exercise more boldness.  Teams, made of up leaders are actually present in work life in greater numbers than individuals.  Why? Because as individuals we work on multiple teams, forming, reforming, transitioning on a regular basis and often working globally and virtually with activity that stretches 24x7.  This context of the workplace is important to factor into the way we coach, with individual leaders and, when leaders are gathered in team activity. By the way, the definition for the term generative is: having the power of producing or originating.  I know I am grateful that Thomas Jefferson was a generative leader who along with others like him originated our United States of America!  Happy Independence Day!