ABSTRACT
Individuals at different levels within both public and private sector organizations are increasingly employing coaches who work outside their organizations. This chapter focuses on a coaching style that has grown out of systemic and psychoanalytic traditions and can thus be placed within the emerging field of systems-psychodynamics. The mid-stage of the coaching journey is characterized by the creation of a working relationship between coach and client that tolerates the capacity to both know and not know. The experience and feelings that are generated between client and coach, together with dreams, metaphors, and free associations, are used to enhance understanding. The insights gained and the connections made between these layers of meaning are used to design actions and strategies that link the person, role and organization together towards productive outcomes. Working towards termination of the coaching relationship also links to issues that clients will have to negotiate in their organizations.
