Inspired by the Conference on Coaching in Medicine and Leadership I am co-director of a new Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School and the weekend of September 25, 2009 we held our second Harvard Medical School Coaching in Medicine and Leadership Conference. We brought together international coaching leaders to share the theory, research, and science-based practices of coaching with healthcare professionals, executive/leadership coaches, and professional coaches in healthcare.
The conference featured speakers from a variety of fields who inspired all of us to move forward vigorously our paths of development and growth so that we are more impactful in helping our coaching clients improve health, well-being, and performance:
• David Cooperrider, PhD delivered the opening keynote with a call to action for positive change in organizations based on his development of the field of Appreciative Inquiry.
• World-renowned Harvard professor of psychology, Ellen Langer, PhD, presented her work in mindfulness.
• Benjamin and Rosamund Zander featured live coaching of a vocalist and a cellist based on the inspirations in their book The Art of Possibility.
• Robert Kegan, PhD presented a workshop on change and transformation that applies cognitive restructuring called "The Immunity to Change."
• Diane Coutu, past senior editor of Harvard Business Review interviewed Stanford Business School professor Rod Cramer, PhD discussed issues of trust in leadership and coaching.
• John Ratey, MD and Nancy Ratey, MA presented on research from neuroscience and ADD coaching in facilitating change.
• Mark Rittenberg, EdD drew on lessons from the acting profession to highlight the power of communication in coaching and in our lives.
• Author and consultant, Sunny Stout Rostron explored issues of diversity and power, asking us to challenge our assumptions about groups and our own identities.
• Bob Tschannen-Moran invited us to think differently about our stories as a means to designing actions that support resilience.
• Nick Craig encouraged us to reflect upon our own "crucible stories", the events in our lives that redefined our values and behaviors.
Over the next several weeks, I will share highlights from the conference presenters and suggest ways to integrate their lessons into our daily lives. The first is a quote I shared in my presentation on Coaching as Applied Positive Psychology and how important it is to mine for the good things in our lives:
One's own self is well hidden from one's own self: Of all mines of treasure, one's own is the last to be dug up. - Friedrich Nietzsche
Next up, learn more about Appreciative Inquiry and David Cooperrider's vision for changing the world...
