In recent years, the inner game concept has not enjoyed such prominence, but this looks set to change. Over the next few months, Gallwey will be rolling out a number of inner game events. On 11-12 July, Performance Consultants International (PCI) kicks off the UK inner game relaunch with its first inner game coaching and leadership open programme at The Queen’s Club in London.
It will be led by Gallwey and Valerio Pascotto, Gallwey’s facilitator partner. The pair also plan to run a corporate leadership programme with one or two organisations.
Meanwhile, PCI has joined forces with Leeds Metropolitan University to deliver an inner game conference on 5-6 September. Whitmore, Gallwey and Bob Kriegel will share their experiences and demonstrate the inner game in action.
The inner game approach was originally developed in the sporting world but found favour in business, with its talk of “flow” and “performance equalling potential minus interference”.
Whitmore sees the inner game as “the purest basis of workplace coaching. It is predicated upon us recognising and eliminating the internal obstacles to our becoming what we may be, and fear is the greatest of those obstacles”.
Coaching must use ‘real play, not role play’ to survive
‘Engaging Action and Learning in Turbulent Times’, 12-13 May, Stratford-upon-Avon
By Veronica Hannon
The recession could see the closure of a third to a half of coaching practices and consultancies, warned Peter Hawkins, founder of the Bath Consultancy Group.
While organisations are still spending on coaching and development, they will only continue if the organisation not the individual benefits, said Hawkins, speaking at the Bath Consultancy Group conference on 12 May.
He said coaches should look at “coaching the relationship space between CEOs and their teams or their chairs”.
It was about “taking training away from the classroom to where the problems are – real play, not role play”.
Mike Pedler, a leading academic and consultant on management and leadership issues, agreed that coaching, action learning and organisational development risk defaulting to a limited focus on private and individualistic outcomes.
“Development has become like a sticking plaster, looking at how we put up with the ludicrous demands of those above and below, and managing the failures of management,” he said.
Shannon Banks, who runs Microsoft’s “high potential development leadership in action program”, shared how she developed an intensive programme allowing first- tier sales, marketing and services leaders to work on urgent issues.
Eirwen Williams and Wyn Owen from Menter a Busnes based in Wales described an action learning programme with more than 100 action learning sets for 1,000 Welsh farmers and families.
Is that a fact?
Coach supervision hasn’t taken off in Australia
Despite a swift rise in coaching, supervision has not emerged as popular in Australia, with few coaches regularly engaging in it as part of their professional practice.
“Honour the diversity in coaching approaches globally,” by Jonathan Passmore www.tiny.cc/SLzjt