[Note: the photo provided in the banner to this document is of the first gathering of the International Consortium for Coaching in Organizations–which John Lazar helped to establish. John is kneeling at the lower right corner of this assembled group.

Note: most of the photos in this series of essays paying tribute to John Lazar have been provided by Phyllis Arceneaux]

We have set aside our planned theme for this issue of The Future of Coaching to honor a friend and colleague, John Lazar, who recently passed away after a long and courage fight against Cancer. We have titled this issue “Living and Leading in Professional Coaching” because John provided many forms of coaching over more than forty years and often served in a leadership role in coach-related organizations and associations.

John served as a performance consultant and coach since 1983. He acted as an executive coach to CEOs, business owners, executives, senior managers, and solopreneurs for more than two decades. His background and expertise in psychology, adult human development, performance technology, organization development, coaching, business, and speech act theory provided a unique and rich perspective for understanding how individuals, groups, and teams operate within organizational settings.

John worked with client organizations in a range of industries including aerospace, environmental services, food manufacturing, financial services, manufacturing, medical waste management, oil and gas, professional services, pharmaceuticals, retail, and telecommunications, as well as federal governmental agencies and departments. John was a founding member and past President of the Board of Directors of the International Consortium for Coaching in Organizations (ICCO). He was also actively involved in the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI).

I am also pleased to note that he was co-founder, co-owner, and co-Editor with me of The International Journal of Coaching in Organizations (IJCO). In addition to writing articles and chapters for professional publications, he made more than 80 presentations to local, national, and international audiences in the U.S. and eleven other countries on topics including human capital management, leadership and sustainable leadership, executive team alignment, management skills, coaching, blended interventions, coaching program design, emotional intelligence, communications, evaluation, and ROI.

My Personal Note of Commemoration

I wish to offer my own note of commemoration before setting the stage for contributions made to this issue by other colleagues of John, as well as contributions made by John himself and the articles he wrote for two publicatons. I was asked (as were many other friends, colleagues and family members) to contribute a brief statement of commemoration and celebration of John’s life to be incorporated in his funeral. I prepared the following statement:

John Lazar was a dear colleague with whom I built a remarkable international journal. Together, we published a quarterly publication that focused on principles and practices associated with the art and science of professional coaching in organizations. Published for more than a decade, the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations (IJCO) was envisioned during a dinner I had with John in Chicago after an executive coaching conference. We both were committed to serving as stewards of this newly emerging field of professional coaching. Emboldened by some fine wine (which John knew how to order), we agreed that the two of us could best serve this field by producing a high-quality quarterly journal.