Coaching with the Brain in Mind

Knowledge and Action, Action and Knowledge

Knowledge which is unable to support action is not genuine—and how unsure is activity without understanding!

 

-Rudolf Virchow

 

 

 

Rudolf Virchow was a 19th-century physician, anthropologist, social activist, and scientist who argued against the separation of science, or knowledge for its own sake, from practice based on that knowledge. As his quote states, “Knowledge which is unable to support action is not genuine.” We want you to be able to make use of the theories in this book as practical tools, whether you yourself are a coach, a manager or executive, another helping professional, a business owner, a parent or spouse, or anyone who wants to have a more fulfilling and productive life. Applying that knowledge is what will make it genuine knowledge.

Coaching has been criticized as a set of techniques looking for a theory. The second part of Virchow’s quote is “—and how unsure is activity without understanding!” Or, as Kurt Lewin, put it, “There is nothing so practical as a good theory.” It is our hope that the full impact of this book will be to help coaching, coaches, clients, leaders, and all they touch transform theory into practice and vice versa.