John Lazar: Coach and Friend Extraordinaire

Phyllis Arceneaux, Kim Frerichs, Gail MacDonald, and Lynnette Yount

 It seems that most who knew John agree on his wonderful attributes – smart, funny, great coach, high commitment to his family, his friends and his profession, prolific writer, early adopter, visionary, articulate speaker/presenter – the list goes on.  John could listen deeply, speak expertly, empower others compassionately, and laugh joyfully.

We thought that sharing some personal stories that illustrate some of his stellar qualities would be the best loving tribute to John.  We are a small group of executive coaches who met in the 2000’s, first through the Newfield Network, and then served in the Institute for Generative Leadership long-term “CEO” coach training program.  We have stayed connected for over 15 years and had our last Zoom meeting with John just weeks before he died.

Sharing what he knew with others; Enjoying the drama of being at the front of the room; Holding the space for teaching/learning

John is wearing the blue hat.

“When I first met John, it was a memorable experience! We were both attending the first year of the Institute for Generative Leadership’s “Coaching Excellence in Organizations” in 2008. John was one of the coaches for this brand-new program. Before the meeting began, many of us were milling around the meeting room of the Boulderado Hotel. When he and I met, we initially engaged in typical surface-level pleasantries. However, John didn’t stay on the surface very long – he went right to a more meaningful conversation.

“I have no recollection of the topic that led to his next words. I do remember that he asked me – seemingly suddenly – “What are the 4 types of committed responses to a request?”  At the time I had no idea what he was talking about. John then proceeded to give me the answer to his question. What was amazing to me is that his comments didn’t come across as pedantic or as a classroom lecture. Rather, he wove his words into a series of causal explanations that were engaging, interesting, and memorable.

This was a small moment in time.  After that, I observed many times how John could weave CEO distinctions and other meaningful concepts into everyday language and casual discussions, whether in front of a large group or one on one. He did this with clear language, vivid images, obvious engagement, and his own distinctive sense of humor. What a gift John was to the world!”