Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book gathers together the author's reflections, built up over 25 years of coaching leaders in the private and corporate sector, in the political arena, in the arts and media, civil society and professions, in the UK and globally. It builds on their pioneering work to make the case for coaching to go beyond the instrumental, to encompass spirituality, philosophy, a social justice and a global perspective. The book explores a coaching profession that has more progressive ambitions than the development of master craftsmen and women. It refers to coaching throughout for the sake of simplicity, but the reflections here are relevant for all those engaged in the work of leadership development: those who accompany leaders on a journey of transformation and thereby of more conscious action in the world.