This is a photo of a group of adults during a discussion.

13th ESMT Coaching Colloquium

In cooperation with:

Human Sustainability: Reflections in Executive Coaching
Friday afternoon & Saturday, December 15-16, 2023 at ESMT Berlin.

Stanford’s professor, Jeffrey Pfeffer, wrote that decisions made in organizations can have a profound effect on human health and even longevity. He lamented the fact that the companies, while getting concerned about the sustainability of our physical environment, kept the human sustainability less salient in their agendas. Recent practitioner publications (e.g. Deloitte, 2023) argue that today human aspects of sustainability get to the fore of corporate agendas. Historically concerned with the questions of human fragility, vulnerability, resilience, capacity to bounce back, and other human sustainability topics, coaching practitioners and researchers are among those who can advance our understanding of how executives can spearhead development of organizations where humans can thrive and prevent unnecessary work-related suffering. We invite you to contribute to our examination of human sustainability topics through the lens of your coaching experience.

We originally designed the ESMT Coaching Colloquium to serve as an opportunity for academics, practicing leadership coaches, HR/L&D professionals, and management consultants to enhance their knowledge, skills, and networks through intensive collaboration and peer-consultation on challenging or unusual cases in the practice of executive coaching.

Throughout the years, we have explored hundreds of cases of tough coaching situations from the perspective of the coach and experimented with our own learning about coaches, coaching, and leadership. Each time we met, we situated our discussion within a broad topic of importance to society, organizations, or the coaching profession. Regardless of the topic, we always went beyond the conventional wisdom and dared take risks in our discussions, while trying to make it safe to talk about the not so easy things. The power of the Colloquium has always been in the willingness of the participants to bring their difficult experiences to the analysis by the others, and to bring themselves as tools for working on the questions of interest.

During the Colloquium, we will be working with real cases presented by real coaches and commented upon by fellow professionals. We will continue building on our previous experience of creating a real coaching development laboratory with an opportunity to learn and to contribute to the learning of others. Participants are expected to maintain confidentiality of the discussions and will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement with regard to the cases explored during the Colloquium.

To take part in the Colloquium, participants need to submit a short paper describing a difficult, exciting, or unusual leadership coaching case from their practice and a separate description of their way of handling that particular situation. The “Human Sustainability: Reflections in Executive Coaching” theme gives the authors an opportunity to reflect on their own sustainability in a coaching relationship or to explore challenges associated with working with executives (un)concerned about the impact of the workplace on their and others’ subjective wellbeing. We specifically invite cases that can reflect the coach’s struggles, temptations, anxieties, hopes, and choices. As usual, we at ESMT are more interested in finding out what is really taking place, rather than what some of our colleagues fantasize about.

Key points

Call for papers
To take part in the Colloquium, participants need to submit a short paper describing a difficult, exciting, or unusual leadership coaching case from their practice and a separate description of their way of handling that particular situation. The “Human Sustainability: Reflections in Executive Coaching” theme gives the authors an opportunity to reflect on their own sustainability in a coaching relationship or to explore challenges associated with working with executives (un)concerned about the impact of the workplace on their and others’ subjective wellbeing. We specifically invite cases that can reflect the coach’s struggles, temptations, anxieties, hopes, and choices. As usual, we at ESMT are more interested in finding out what is really taking place, rather than what some of our colleagues fantasize about. The paper should consist of two parts:

Part 1

The authors are asked to briefly describe the context of the leadership coaching intervention, outline the challenge that they faced in working with the particular client, and put together the questions that they may have regarding this particular situation, and regarding their own feelings or behavior in this situation. Obviously, the authors should take care of the necessary client identity protection measures, while providing enough information for the colloquium participants to be able to work with the situation at hand. Let us emphasize once again: the case is NOT about the difficulties of the coachee, it is about the difficulties of the coach.

Part 1 should not exceed 2,000 words.

Part 2

This part of the paper should contain a description of the steps taken by the coach and the out-come of those steps. Please make sure that part 2 covers the following aspects:

What was the approach taken to handle the challenge?

What could or couldn’t the coach deal/cope with?

What are the questions that still remain unresolved for the coach?

Part 2 should not exceed 1,000 words.

All the submitted papers will be reviewed by the Colloquium Convenors for acceptance for discussion at the 13th ESMT Coaching Colloquium. Acceptance will be based on the perceived match of the submission with the topic of the Colloquium and expected interest for those who attend it. Authors of the accepted papers may be asked for additional revisions or editing of their submissions for actual presentation at the Colloquium. The Convenors reserve the right to reject submitted papers without explanation. Please note that the submission of the paper means the submitter’s willingness to have their case made available to other participants of the Colloquium and to have it discussed as part of the event.

Reference

Examples of cases presented in the past Colloquia can be found in:

Korotov, K., Bernhardt, A., & Radeke, J. (Eds.) (2021) Cases in Executive Coaching: From the Annals of the ESMT Coaching Colloquia. 2^nd Edition. Berlin. ISBN: 9798769553929

Korotov, K., Kets de Vries, M.F.R., Florent, E., & Bernhardt, A. (2012). Tricky Coaching: Difficult Cases in Leadership Coaching. New York: Pagrave McMillan. ISBN: 9780230280229.

To submit

Please send your papers to CoColl@esmt.org.
Best Coaching Practice Case Award

The convenors may acknowledge one or several cases submitted to this Colloquium with the Best Coaching Practice Case Award. The Award winner(s) will be selected based on the case’s originality, learning and developmental impact on the coaching community, and the ability to demonstrate self-reflection on the part of the author.
Fee structure
Understanding the need for professional development of coaches, ESMT Berlin establishes a minimal fee for participation in the event.

Authors of the accepted papers are offered a heavily subsidized “Participant” fee of €349.

A very limited number of coaches, academics, consultants, HR and L&D professionals, as well as interested executives may be accepted to the Colloquium as Observers.

An “Observer” fee is €1,600. To be considered for admission as an Observer, please email: coaching@esmt.org.
Travel and logistics

Participants will be responsible for their own travel arrangements. A contingent of rooms at preferential prices will be reserved at a nearby hotel. Participants will be responsible for making their own hotel bookings using a provided code.
Important dates
Final Deadline for Submission of Papers: October 30, 2023

Notification of the Authors of Accepted Papers: November 15, 2023

Submission of Final Accepted Papers (in case of requested revisions): November 30, 2023

Registration for the Colloquium Fall 2023: Exact dates to be announced