Balancing business empathy and psychology in coaching practice

Abstract

The skills-based session at the 2nd European Coaching Psychology Conference prompted coaching psychologists who work with businesses to reflect on three areas: where they may focus their continuing development as a business coach; how to manage their boundaries more adequately or to provide different support to clients; and how they present their coaching practice to clients. The session used some practical, unpublished frameworks called the ‘three-legged stool’ to consider the different knowledge and experience bases business coaches draw on and the ‘supply and demand framework’ for exploring the dynamics of offering a successful service to clients. Finally, the session used Sull and Houlder’s (2006) article ‘How companies can avoid a mid-life crisis’ to explore how knowledge and application of a business tool can add value to a coaching psychologist’s coaching range.