Greta Thunberg has shown that anyone can be a catalyst for change. As coaches we are close to a turning point, so let’s start sharing what we care about
By Neil Scotton
This column is eight years old. Massive thanks and respect to Liz and Stephen for hanging in there and supporting Alister and I in its exploration of the role of coaches and coaching in addressing the big issues of our times. It’s been a joy for this to be a channel for many coaches to be heard.
In eight years the world has moved on. It no longer feels Three Minutes to Midnight (and thanks to Marianne Craig for the name) – 30 seconds maybe?
Has coaching moved on as much? Did we learn from the financial crisis? Will we be asking: “Where were the coaches when the environment, politics and society went to rats?” Maybe. Maybe not. There’s a strong perspective of: “We’ll talk about this when the client wants to talk about it.”
But it feels close to a turning point. I know that movers and shakers across professional bodies care deeply about this; I’ve spoken and listened to many. You can see an increasing number of new and familiar coaches stridently speaking out.
Change is coming.
Clients increasingly want to talk about these things. If you’re not in soon, there will be a danger of looking like you ‘weren’t there’.
One of the main drivers, after years of passionate advocacy and science from millions, has been a Swedish schoolgirl. Greta has changed the game. She has proven age, gender, location, (dis)ability, training or standing in society, are not obstacles to being a catalyst. In fact, these have all been to her advantage. She’s clear, honest, direct. The system doesn’t know how to fight her. When she says, “How dare you..?” people listen.
For years, we’ve been banging on about legacy thinking, and the importance of looking at our work from the perspective of a wider world and future generations. A future generation is now speaking. If you want to respond, here are some learnings.
As a professional, be honest and tell people what your values are and what you care about, not to persuade, but to inform. Your coaching skills will give you all you need from there.
Know that younger people want a future and older people love their children, and we all like making a difference and want a sense of purpose. The current crises are opportunities for people to be real, and show they care. Talking about what deeply matters to them, and the role that life and work can have on family, colleagues, communities, the wider world and the planet, is a legitimate invitation – a gift. At least ask: “Is this part of your agenda?”
Confronting the dominant me-more-now paradigm and lifestyle can be confusing and scary. Don’t do it alone. Join together. Get involved. Don’t feel you have to solve it all; just find your piece of the puzzle.
You have agency as a citizen and as a professional. Look at how you work and live. Choose joy, and model and advocate what healthy means in terms of food, travel, downtime, relationships, compassion for others, time in nature, etc – in work and life.
If you’re a leader in the profession, come out. Share what you care about. Stand for something, create opportunities for the community to explore these big subjects, help us revisit our code of ethics from the perspective of a world where our actions ripple out, recognising we have an unavoidable social and environmental responsibility in all we do.
As Greta asks us: Don’t hope. Act. And from the action, hope will come.
- www.coachingprofessionals.com
- Neil Scotton PCC is, together with Dr Alister Scott, cofounder of The One Leadership Project. Their book and e-book,
The Little Book of Making Big Change Happen (Troubador Publishing), is available from Amazon and other booksellers. - Neil Scotton: neil@enablingcatalysts.com
- Alister Scott: alister@enablingcatalysts.com
- www.enablingcatalysts.com