ABSTRACT
We investigated the differences previously found between coach and coachee descriptions of critical moments in coaching, by (1) interviewing coachees and coaches immediately after one of their coaching sessions, and (2) asking coach and coachee in a longitudinal case study for critical-moment descriptions after each coaching session. The new collection of critical-moment descriptions given by coaches and coachees immediately after shared sessions appeared to show largely the same patterns as the coachee descriptions we examined before (in Chapter 4), with new insight and realisations prominent in the descriptions. We also found around 50% overlap in the choice of critical moments by coachees and coaches. In the case study, we were able to show that most new learning in the critical moments occurred in the first few sessions, after which the number of new insights gradually decreased. It seems that the critical-moment descriptions in this chapter relate mainly to the “everyday" learning that takes place in generally positive coaching relationships, whereas Chapters 2 and 3 identified coaching moments and events that may occur only a few times in the career of an executive coach, and especially in the beginning.
