Let me start by saying… knowledge is a very good thing. Practice is also a very good thing.
That said, there’s subtle work to be done beyond the realm of knowledge and practice… and that is a very very good thing indeed.
In coaching (and its sister discipline – facilitation), there’s no need or desire to see knowledge applied. There’s also no miraculous practice that will make change possible.
The subtle work of the coach is to develop herself as instrument – to become keenly aware of her ways – so that she can (in turn) be able to genuinely meet others with a higher level of awareness and skill. So the artful coach makes space for change in others by undertaking the hard work of changing herself. She does not inflict her needs on the world around her… on others… but takes up this path for herself with love, courage, and integrity.
Yes, knowledge and practice are good things.
But they are no substitute for the genuine embodiment of an artful coach.