Initial Impressions of Translating Coaching Codes of Practice by Aurora Aritao (Guest)
“Translating Coaching Codes of Practice is a grown-up, mature book that puts the finger on the pulse on what coaching is, in all its diversity and richness."
My approach to using this book
I don’t always have the time to read from beginning to end of reference or nonfiction books. I have two spirited kids under 7. I’m building a business. I’m writing a masters thesis. When I’m pressed for time, I go to the synopsis then the table of contents and have a feel for what the book is about. I let the chapters jump at me, based on how relevant they might be at that moment in time. I pick the most relevant sections to read in one sitting. The rest I skim through for their key messages. I scan for topics that spark an emotional connection.
This is my approach to this book. It’s big, it’s deep and it will stay with me a while.
The reader who reads it all will enjoy the dynamic switching in topics. In one section, the book focuses on practitioners’ ways of relating their coaching, which is reflective and quite personal, in the next, it covers topics about feedback, structure and contracting, which are more objective, concrete and formulaic.
A book of short stories and companion to a coach’s tools
This book can supplement a coach’s toolbox by lending beautiful short stories from other practitioners. It is in essence a collection of short stories created originally as blogs, seen through the eyes of practitioners with varying domain knowledge and at different stages in their coaching career.
The editor rightly explains it in the introduction that this is a really different and fresh approach. It’s not a book that dictates what coaching is rather it does a great job of showing how multi-faceted and eclectic coaching truly is today.
The importance of the on-going sharing on coaching
Because of all the variation and evolution that we are seeing in the practice of coaching, I continue to refine that concrete, all-encompassing definition of coaching in my mind that works for me. I’m always interested in feedback from practicing coaches around the world on how they have come to define coaching in their minds.
Books like Translating Coaching Codes of Practice are so valuable to practitioners, students and clients of coaching, because I believe that there still exists a perception of complexity in coaching, especially in the executive and corporate space. Questions like how do we measure success remain open for debate. It’s still evolving.
This book helps to capture the essence as well as the evolution of coaching at this moment, in all its diversity, complexity and richness.
To connect with Aurora:
Leadership Coach and Consultant
twitter: thriveinmind