Where did the coaching field first get started and who started it?
In the past, many people did a form of coaching, but did not call themselves coaches. The field as we know it started in the early 1980s. Here’s an account by Thomas Leonard, one of the first coaches and Founder of Coach U. “I began coaching in the early 80s, before I even knew what coaching was and long before we had developed the advanced tools that most coaches take for granted today. I had been working as an accountant and certified financial planner for ten years. One day, I found myself with six of my ‘yuppier’ clients, discussing how many kids they wanted, what kind of cars to buy, where to go on vacations, when to retire, etc. I found that they had no one to talk with about these types of things. They were reasonably well-adjusted emotionally, they had happy families and they were successful in their business and careers, so there weren’t any ‘needs’ or crises to handle. We had a great time ‘creating their future’ together, and they entrusted me with some long hoped for dreams
