The demands to leadership have changed massively. Instrumental leadership based on instructions and hierarchical structures has become less important. Transformative and relational leadership should be in focus now. Leaders have to be responsive, sensitive to, interested in and proactive towards the ever-changing conditions in their organisation. Therefore, dialogue has become a central medium to building relationships and alignment between co-workers, in teams and as a way of leading. Leaders need to be able to build a dialogue culture, both by acting as a good role model and by supporting initiatives for a dialogical and transformative leadership.
Third generation coaching can be an inspiration to new forms of reflective and transformative dialogues. The ambition is to incorporate third-generation coaching in a search for a dialogue form that is applicable in many life contexts. The dialogue partner is liberated by being invited to discover his or her ethical stance and the personal values that make everyday life meaningful. Pausing and lingering in the dialogue opens new possibilities for fundamental self-insight. The dialogue provides us with a framework for acting in the world with personal integrity. Thus, the dialogue is not a quick fix, but a sustainable conversation that helps a person discover where they stand.