Over twelve months of international dialogue, starting in 2006, over two hundred and fifty people contributed to ten working groups to address key areas for development of the coaching field. This led to the Global Coaching Convention in Dublin, the first meeting of its kind. At the conclusion of the event the participants issued the following Declaration.

“We have found ourselves inspired by the diversity of the participants, both cultural and professional. We have discovered also an exciting degree of common ground, beginning with a belief in the power of coaching to unlock the potential of people, organisations, and society.

We are coaches from many backgrounds who have gathered in Dublin to dialogue on the state of our emerging profession. Recognizing the value of creating global cohesion and clarity while honouring diversity, we are drawn together by a sense of urgency to capture the essence of the power of coaching in a world where people everywhere are encountering a time of critical change.

Grounded in a profound belief in the value of what we do, we are 63 individuals from 16 countries, defined by our commitment to the profession that energises us, our concern to see it through this pivotal moment in its development, and our desire to discover, dream, design, and deliver our shared vision for its future.

Additionally we have encountered a yearning for the kind of cooperation for which this dialogue process might serve as a model, and a desire to play a part in nurturing the growth of our profession in this dynamic stage of its development.

We acknowledge with gratitude the ongoing interactions of individuals and groups that are leading to the emergence of a high degree of coherence and significance of this young profession. We affirm our commitment to the Global Coaching Community that includes practitioners, academics, business people, administrators, and professional organizations to continue pursuing this dialogue.

At the same time we recognize the challenges that face our emerging profession, the conflicting approaches that might diffuse its energy, as well as the moves to control it from within and without that threaten to limit its ability to make its full contribution to individuals, organizations and society. We affirm the immediate imperative for the coaching community to come together to define and regulate itself.

Therefore, we, the delegates of the Global Coaching Convention, hereby declare that the individuals and organizations that comprise the Global Coaching Community need to:

o Establish a common understanding of the profession through creation of a shared core code of ethics, standards of practice, and educational guidelines that ensure the quality and integrity of the competencies that lie at the heart of our practice.

o Acknowledge and affirm the multidisciplinary roots and nature of coaching as a unique synthesis of a range of disciplines that creates a new and distinctive value to individuals, organizations and society. To accomplish this we need to add to the body of coaching knowledge by conducting rigorous research into the processes, practices, and outcomes of coaching, in order to strengthen its practical impact and theoretical underpinnings.

o Respond to a world beset by challenges for which there are no predetermined answers by using coaching to create a space wherein new solutions can emerge. In doing so we are stepping into the power of coaching as coaches and inviting our clients to do the same.

o Move beyond self-interest and join with us and other members of the Global Coaching Community in an ongoing dialogue to address the critical issues facing our field, beginning with those that were identified by the ten working groups [see the appendices from the groups appended to this Declaratio”.

Signed by coaches present at the Global Convention on Coaching,

Dublin, July 11th 2008

The Declaration also included a number of Appendices which captured the conclusions from the dialogues on the 10 discussion papers. These included: Professional Status; Knowledge Base; Research; Core Competences; Codes of Ethics; Education and Development; Selection of Coaches and Evaluation of the Assignments; Mapping the Field and Coaching and Society.

dublin declaration

Last updated 1189 days ago by Mark Lester