THECOACHINGLANDSCAPE 19
A Message on Ethics and Responsibilities
Before we turn matters over to our editors, our 50 coaches, and our other spe-
cial contributors, we’d like to end our introduction with a brief discussion of
the significance and responsibility of coaching. We think that coaching plays a
critical role in driving performance improvement in leaders and organizations
today. But we also think that coaching is an awesome responsibility. Coaches
enter engagements as experts and sometimes saviors. The organizations they
work with have opened not only their doors and their budgets, but also their
vulnerabilities and secrets. The coach gains privileged access to critical infor-
mation relating to financial situations, career concerns, strategies, challenges,
fears, hopes, and, most of all, dreams. Organizations, careers, and lives are at
stake. As Frances Hesselbein has said, the primary rule of the coach must be:
“First, do no harm.” Or, as Phil Harkins advises for those who enter organiza-
tions, above all, “Don’t make it worse.”
We a dvocate for coaching that is done in the spirit of the moral responsi-
bility—responsibility that the people and organizations affected by our work
deserve. Coaching, unlike management science, academic theory, or consult-
ing, is an exciting interpersonal journey. Coaches and clients form strong
bonds built on trust, openness, confidence, and achievement. We hope that
we enhance the coaching experience for all who read this book, whether
they are coaches by profession, or using coaching as a tool. For inspiration,
career enhancement, and thrill, the ride is incomparable. We believe that it
should be the time of your life.