Establishing a Learning Network of Leadership Coaches: A Patchwork Process

Networks often have unclear starting points, rather influences to come together to form a focus of interest, energy and will to do something. The Ashridge Leadership Coaching Network was just like that. It started when the flagship Leadership Development Programme came to the end of its long life, and a new, six-month leadership development process was being designed and piloted. Coaching was conceived as an integral part of the new learning design. There were questions about who could and should do coaching? What sort of coaching? How could you establish and sustain the quality of coaching and therefore this leadership development process? Andrew Lambert points out that in recent years there has been a huge scaling up in demand for executive coaches and although ‘the desirability of a technique such as coaching to boost capability may be compelling, where are all those high quality coaches to be found? ’ There are no specific qualifications nor commonly recognised standards. In fact there is an extensive and inconclusive discussion about the differences between mentoring and coaching, not to mention counselling and consulting. In this environment establishing a learning network of leadership coaches we are discovering is a patchwork process. You start with a design, albeit sketchy and pieces get added, new forms and activities appear and it gains and loses energy as events and experiences shape thoughts and activities. We have defined three phases so far that contribute to the learning of this community: Phase 1 Why leadership coaching? Phase 2: How the network becomes established Phase 3: Sustaining momentum and becoming a learning network