Systemic Coaching

This book is hugely timely and important. As Hawkins and Turner quite rightly point out, as coaches and leaders, we no longer have the luxury of changing the world one person at a time. This era calls for a highly nuanced systemic coaching approach, and for those willing to step up, this rich and wise book will be the ideal companion to help them do so.

Liz Hall, coach and editor of Coaching at Work and author of Mindful Coaching (Kogan Page), and Coach the team (Penguin), UK

Hawkins and Turner masterfully challenge us as coaches and leaders to engage in a necessary revolution to become ‘future-fit’ for the ever-growing complexities of the 21st century. Shifting our focus from the individual to the wider ecology, cultivating a system view and regularly disrupting ourselves with an eye to the longer view in these most formidable times. This book is truly a tour de force and must read for all of us!

Pam McLean, Ph.D., CEO Hudson Institute of Coaching, USA; Author, Self as Coach, Self as Leader & Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching

It is time to question everything we thought we knew about coaching. The future of coaching lies not in one narrow cultural or philosophical domain but in diverse responses to complexity, in the aspirations of new generations, in wider social impact and in coach-AI partnerships. Peter and Eve capture this challenge admirably.

Professor David Clutterbuck, David Clutterbuck Partnership, UK

As our profession takes shape, and evolves, coaches’ pursuit of Excellence and Mastery – and the wider systems that we serve – needs to stay relevant so that we create the biggest ripples, or collective impact, within both business and society. The authors of Systemic Coaching convey this beautifully, as an essential read for any practitioner or leader coach, looking to find greater meaning in their work.

Katherine Tulpa, Group CEO, Chair & Co-founder, Association for Coaching; and Executive Director, Wisdom8, UK

This is truly a book for our age. Hawkins and Turner deliver a rich and insightful exploration of the systemic coaching model, emphasising that coaching is not just for the highly privileged few, but for the benefit of all. They highlight the collective change which is needed in our approach towards coaching, and the need to respond to the future in a more informed, compassionate and conscious way. We all need to take responsibility for our place in the world and for our ecological crisis. Applying the ‘Ecological Awareness Model’ to coaching will be crucial in coming years. As Hawkins and Turner rightly point out, the ecological dimension is present in every coaching session, overtly or covertly, consciously or unconsciously.

Clive Mann, Executive Coach working with senior leaders and their teams, Managing Director of Ridler & Co and Author of the Ridler Report, UK

Hawkins and Turner’s Systemic Coaching powerfully addresses what continues to be, sadly, a consistent failing in the coaching industry. All too often we find coaches trapped in the vacuum of the individual, blind to organisational and market system dynamics. This malaise renders a lot of coaching into nothing more than a fancy counselling session, for ten times the price. However, when coaching is delivered systemically, in the way that Hawkins and Turner beautifully elucidate in this book, it has the potential to be one of the most profound value creating interventions available in the business world of today. This is a must read. Every coach should have a copy on their bookshelf with dog ears and margin notes.

Dr Marc Kahn, Global Head of HR & OD, Investec Plc, and Visiting Professor of People, Organisation and Strategy Practices, Middlesex University, London, UK

A tour de force! Essential reading for every OD consultant, HR specialist, coach and supervisor! It addresses the issue of our time, liberating coaching from the shackles of individual development to integrate the wider organisational, eco and ethical system in which we all exist.

Tony Worgan, Head of BBC Coaching and Mentoring, BBC Leadership & Personal Development, UK

Coaching was once the domain of the privileged few, or perhaps reserved as a tool to be used for remedial cases. However, both the coaching industry and organisations have matured and now coaching is increasingly seen as way of achieving substantial and sustained change. As coaches, we are arguably uniquely placed to influence organisational thinking – to pierce the organisational conscience. Without doubt, coaching is a force for good, and this book, ‘Systemic Coaching’ challenges us all to be an even greater force for good. Whether you are an Individual, team coach or a supervisor, through the themes explored, through the well thought through questions asked together with the case studies, the book holds up a challenging mirror to our practices. Like any well-placed coaching questions, they are designed to make us sit up and think. Many coaches work as individuals or in small practices, perhaps ploughing a lonely furrow, maybe wondering if they are actually making a difference. I was delighted therefore to read in the final chapter about the ‘call to action’ and for each of us to ‘raise our game’. We often encourage our coachees to dream big, to imagine what might be possible, and so on. Well, just imagine what kind of paradigm shift we could achieve by collectively rising to the challenge of the ‘call to action’.

Tim Dench, Head of Coaching & Mentoring, Euroclear, UK

This book offers a blueprint for the next stage in the evolution of coaching. It blends a call to coaches for deeper personal development with an expansion of Peter’s highly regarded systemic approach to include an ecological commitment. May it inspire you to join the necessary revolution.

Dr David Drake, CEO, Moment Institute, founder of narrative coaching, USA

Systemic Coaching: Delivering Value Beyond the Individual" takes coaching to a whole new level. It challenges coaches to raise their game further by focusing on the positive difference they are and could be making in the human and more-than-human world. I highly recommend this to coaches, mentors, supervisors and leaders.

Dr Marshall Goldsmith, World-renowned business educator, coach and author, USA

This splendid new book from master coaches Peter Hawkins and Eve Turner is a major contribution to the growing field of New Generation Coaching: coaches committed to partnering with leaders in service to a better world. Clearly structured, addressing their theme of systemic coaching from every angle, and offering a rich range of examples, case studies and guidelines, the authors pull no punches. They address the key questions we need to ask ourselves at this critical juncture in the planet’s history and in the development of coaching: What and who is coaching for in the face of our huge, complex global challenges? How can coaches help organisations become 'future fit' in an interdependent, volatile and uncertain world? How might coaches work together with leaders to develop an eco-systemic vision and multi-stakeholder perspective? What does it take to deliver coaching value beyond the individual? This is a riveting read and a landmark publication that should be in every coach’s library.

Hetty Einzig, author of The Future of Coaching: vision, responsibility and leadership in transforming times, UK

Systemic Coaching breaks open the box of traditional coaching to show us a new vision and role for the profession. Hawkins and Turner then lay out the tools, models and method to make it real. From a place of passion and purpose they challenge all coaches to see more, be more and do more for individuals, teams, organizations and the planet. This book will shift your horizon and enrich your work.

Phillip Sandahl, coauthor of Teams Unleashed: How to release the power and human potential of work teams, and Co-Active Coaching: The proven framework for transformative conversations at work and in life, USA

A profound and essential read for anyone who is engaged in and with the field of coaching. The book highlights the importance of coaching becoming increasingly aware of the social, ecological and political changes in order to peer and partner with clients beyond the individual or the team. Having worked in a global matrix organisation for many years I believe this is critical for the future, as is the point the book makes on redistributive coaching and echo empathy, brilliant!

Claire Davey, Former Head of Coaching & Leadership Development, Deloitte UK; Director at CDPerformance Ltd,UK

This challenging book shows how organisations today face some daunting challenges in their quests to be successful, including the rapid evolution of technology, the disintermediation of industries and an ever more pressing need to learn and adapt. Also how those coaches who desire to contribute to the ongoing, unceasing transformation of society must embrace the same challenges, viewing them as opportunities rather than threats. The role of the future coach will evolve, as organisations re-insource the functions of the traditional coach. The future coach will be adept at working with groups and teams. If it is to be useful, the coaching industry will move beyond the current narrative around coaching competencies and its desire to become a profession. Instead it will focus on learning how to navigate change in a complex world and will invite thought leaders from other disciplines and domains to engage in dialogue. The authors show how coaches can reinvent themselves and provide many practical insights, case examples and approaches to help us coaches on our way. All coaches who want to be ‘future-fit’ need to read it.

Dr Paul Lawrence. Centre for Coaching in Organisations, Lecturer in Coaching at Sydney Business School (UoW). Sydney, Australia

Not a book for the shelf, but a book for every day – on each page there is something that will resonate with thoughtful Coaches, Supervisors or OD Practitioners who are ready to stretch and embrace systemic coaching. This book will challenge your thinking and transform your practise.

Dr Colleen Harding, Head of Organisational Development, Bournemouth University, UK

Hawkins and Turner offer provocative new thinking for a complacent world. If you want to be challenged about your coaching practice and how you deliver value to individuals and organisations this book is a great place to start your thinking journey to develop Horizon 3 thinking about the future of coaching.

Jonathan Passmore, Director Henley Centre for Coaching, UK

Oxford Saïd Business School and Meyler Campbell recently announced the Ignite partnership, to help leaders tackle the existential challenges almost all sectors face: this book opens up many of the issues faced by those working systemically and is warmly welcomed.

Anne Scoular, Founder Meyler Campbell and Associate Scholar, Oxford Saïd Business School’s Ignite Programme, UK

Systemic Coaching is a must read for all coaches in training as well for experienced, mentors, coaches, and coach supervisors who are committed to use system thinking in their work and be prepared to meet the future needs of our societies. The authors, through a dialogical approach, invite readers to a reflective space that provides an extraordinary learning opportunity and challenge them to think beyond traditional frameworks. They create awareness of the critical role of the coaches, not only at supporting leaders to be prepared for the future but also their ethical responsibility of revolutionizing the coaching practice to meet these needs.

Dr Damian Goldvarg, MCC, CSP, ESIA. President, The Goldvarg Consulting Group, Inc. International Coach Federation Global Past President (2013-2014), USA

This book is a passionate and persuasive appeal for the coaching community to keep the needs of the whole world rather than one person in front of us in the core of our philosophy. In the current state of the world, the values that the authors advocate are incredibly important for all of us, not only for coaches. At the same time, I recall that after one of the author’s presentations a coach from the audience thanked him for reminding about such importance. I wish we knew why such a reminder is needed and why we forget! I suspect that the answer to this question brings us back to the individual and how they face what is happening within and around them.

Professor Tatiana Bachkirova, Director of the International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies, Oxford Brookes University, UK

Peter Hawkins and Eve Turner have co-authored a tour de force of Systemic Coaching. The approach goes beyond coaching as we know it and highlights the importance of looking at the whole picture. This comprehensive book is thorough and covers everything a trainee or experienced coach will need to know about the theory and practice of Systematic Coaching. It’s great to see that the authors have included an exciting chapter on Eco-systemic coaching.

Professor Stephen Palmer, University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, UK

The central challenge of coaching has always been: who is it for: the person or the organisation they work for? At last, we have a clear-sighted view of where the answers lie. Hawkins and Turner understand the delicate and complex interplay between people and place and skilfully, wisely disentangle it. At its best, coaching makes organisations and the individuals in them smarter, braver, more alert and farsighted. It’s a lofty goal and never achieved without effort. But this book gets you started in the right place: knowing the ultimate destination.

Margaret Heffernan, CEO and author, Wilful Blindness, UK

How fortunate we are to benefit from Peter’s wisdom on systemic coaching. It is a very profound and future-fit philosophy. It reinvents the traditional approach in individual coaching, team coaching and organizational coaching. Leaders can make breakthrough once their view shifts from ME to WE with stakeholder engaging into coaching process. Coaches can make larger impact to the world with ecological mindset and the grounded process, methods and tools introduced in this book.

Karen Wu, CEO, Co-wisdom Coaching Center, China

Time to think again about coaching and our contract as coaches with the wider world, with this journey into the future, providing inspiration and challenge in equal measure. Warmly recommended.

Erik de Haan, Director of Ashridge Centre for Coaching and Professor of Organisation Development, UK

A book of awakening. Peter and Eve provoke us to redefine what success means in tomorrow’s world. They trigger our minds in se