Book Description
"Richly illustrated with case histories, biblical guidelines,and practical insights, this is a helpful overall introduction to whatcoaching is and to what it can do, especially in ministry situations. JaneCreswell's book reflects her in-depth experiences as a coach, pioneer inthe coaching movement, and teacher of coaching, all combined in a volumewritten by a skilled and established coaching professional."
--Gary R.Collins, author of Christian Coaching and Christian Counseling ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great information from a great coach
Jane Creswell has years of coaching and teaching coaches under her belt. She has done a great job of sharing some of the most basic and most important information on coaching in this great book. This book is also very helpful for those of us who want to do coaching in a Christian context. If you are considering coaching or being coached, this book is a must-read.

Guide to Coaching Potential by a Master Coach
Christ-Centered Coaching: 7 Benefits for Ministry Leaders is a excellent introduction for Christian leaders to what coaching is and how it can help. The author, Jane Creswell, is no hack when it comes to coaching. She's the founder of the IBM Coaches Network and a Master Certified Coach, she's also a Christian with a passion to bring coaching to ministry leaders.

The strength of the book lies in Creswell's ability to dig into seven coaching approaches, which also serve as seven mental models or attitudes of a coach. Each chapter is illustrated with useful case studies of coaching situations that take the book from theory to real life. The seven are:

1. Leveraging strengths
2. Provide clarity and focus
3. Instill confidence
4. Catapult learning
5. Foster intentional progress
6. Coach others
7. Encourage God-sized goals

These seven may not sound particularly unique, they are not, what is unique is the way Creswell illustrates how coaching accomplishing these things in a non-directive way and integrates these with Scriptures. As such, this book is helpful to learn the mindset and approaches of a good coach. Both potential coaches and clients would benefit from reading it.

Christ-Centered Coaching adds to a growing library of coaching books for Christians.

Great Insights for Coaching
I believe "Christ-centered Coaching" is a great book both for those who coach and those are coached.It gives clarity as to what coaching is and is not and what it can strive to attain.The book is easily understood, even by the novice to coaching.I would recommend this book as one to be read first by those who are just beginning to explore coaching.

Christ-Centered Coaching Helps Everyone
A well-written book which appears to be targeted towards men and women who serve on the staffs of churches, it also provides valuable insights into how coaching works and how it can benefit everyone. It is organized in a manner that makes it easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to refer back to. I recommend it for everyone's library. ... Read more

Book Description
Help others realize their maximum potential with a God-centered approach to coaching. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Ignore the title
I bought this book as a requirement to one of my graduate classes. It is a good book on mentoring and relationship building, not coaching as in athletics though some of the points could be used in athletic coaching. The essence of the book is comparable to 'life coaching' except it is within a christian context.

Christian Coaching
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Christian coaching or counseling. Whether you are new to coaching or have only been a counselor, or are a pastor you need to be aware of this way of helping people become the best that they can be. This book will be one of your handbooks.

Jesus was the first coach
Secular books on coaching include basic premises that are at odds with the core tenants of the Christian faith.This book aligns coaching principles with those tenants.

Christian coaching
Collins wrote the textbook used by many seminaries to teach Christian counseling. Collins here applies his wisdom to the field of Christian coaching. (He explains the difference well)

Coaching is a good leadership development tool as well as a tool for helping people to escape hurts and hang-ups. It is different from counseling in that it does not require the coach to be the all-wise counselor, and it helps the coached person to see on their own what steps need to be taken. (Similar to Carl Rogers)

Coaching is a useful tool for a church or group to help each other to grow.

Great Resource!
This book was the main text for my Christian Life Coaching course and was a great read!It explains lots of different niches within Christian coaching in ways that are simple to understand.

At times, I felt like I just wanted to "get to the meat" of the book, but I am always that way and don't like a lot of fluff.Collins gives a good background of coaching, but it just wasn't something I cared much about!Give me the tools to help someone right away! :o)

If you are considering becoming a Christian Coach, this is a MUST READ book! ... Read more

Book Description
Building and maintaining a successful track and field program doesn't happen by chance. And one book is the best bet for making it happen. From planning, organizing, training, and motivating, Coaching Track & Field Successfully offers a comprehensive guide to conducting a winning program.

Season planning. Event coaching. Meet preparation. Postmeet analysis. Athlete-coach communication. This book covers all the issues a coach must effectively address in building and maintaining a championship program. Coaching Track & Field Successfully offers coaches a special look from inside one of the winningest programs in sport, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, which has claimed 15 Division III national championships since 1986.

Guthrie teaches the essential techniques of the sport, provides simple training programs, and presents a wealth of vital information needed to build a high-caliber team. His teaching progressions, event-specific technical instruction and tips on planning for big events make Coaching Track & Field Successfully the critical resource coaches need to take their teams to the top. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A+++++
Great book for any track coach, new or old!This book explains more than just the basics! ... Read more

Book Description
Coaching is vital to developing talent in organizations, and it is an essential capability of effective leaders. The CCL Handbook of Coaching is based on a philosophy of leadership development that the Center for Creative Leadership has honed over thirty years with rigorous research and with long, rich experience in the practice of leadership coaching. The book uses a coaching framework to give a compass to leaders who are called to coach as a means of building sustainability and boosting performance in their organizations. The book explores the special considerations that leader coaches need to account for when coaching across differences and in special circumstances, describes advanced coaching techniques, and examines the systemic issues that arise when coaching moves from a one-to-one relationship to a developmental culture that embraces entire organizations. ... Read more

Book Description
Coaching to the Human Soul breaks new ground in the literature on coaching, for it provides a comprehensive coverage of what is probably the world's most advanced approach to Executive Coaching and Life Coaching. Ontological Coaching is based on a new understanding of human beings and human interaction. Grounded in a substantive and robust theoretical framework, the method and practice of Ontological Coaching enables people being coached to connect with their souls and experience deep positive change. In this first of three volumes on Ontological Coaching, a new practical understanding of language and communication, and its coaching applications, is presented. This is a timely and invaluable contribution to progressing coaching from a fragmented industry towards becoming a profession. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

My Coaching Bible
This book is my coaching bible.It is by far the best coaching book I've ever read.Interesting enough, it is about `being' not about `doing'.So many coaches these days believe coaching is about doing something to their clients; getting them to be more productive, motivated, etc. The focus on behavior or `first order change' as Seiler calls it, is the temporary fix of continuous process improvement. This approach to coaching is from an old paradigm, alive and well in many companies today.What often happens is that organizations and/or clients revert back to old familiar ways of being once the newness has worn off.Laying the groundwork for lasting change has to go deeper than behavior and into the way of being.A shift in the way of being creates a new foundation; there is no going back, except by conscious choice.

Coaching on way of being is not therapy.For those not skilled in psychology or therapy, it can appear that ontological coaching is therapy.Therapy however is focused on healing old wounds.Ontological coaching is focused in the present and how a shift in language (beliefs), emotions or somatic responses can create a new way of being and potentially a brighter and more fulfilling future.

This book is for coaches who want to be better coaches.It doesn't give you a fish, it teaches you how to fish.It is theoretical in its approach yet provides good practical examples.

Important and Useful Introduction
This book introduces the new-ish discipline of Ontological Coaching, which might be described as the fascinating and grey area where Coaching begins to interact with Therapy.In other words, it is about coaching the 'Way of Being' as a route to the traditional coaching goals of improved performance and behaviour.

Sieler characterises the Way of Being as the interaction between Language, Emotions and Body, with the 'Soul' residing at the deep interface where all three meet together.

This book is the first of a trilogy (others yet to be published?), and it focuses in particular on Language.The importance of language to our way of being, the basic linguistic tools, and the hidden power of conversations are covered in some depth.

Clearly written, with much use of 'ontological coaching in action' narrative examples/case studies, the book is easy to read even if the concepts are harder to grasp!I would recommend it to anyone who is involved in coaching at any level and who wants to think about 'going deeper' in order to affect meaningful change.

Powerful, Insightful, Motivating
This is an excellent book for learning how to take your listening and your coaching to deep and profound levels. I find that the insights I've gained through reading this book have greatly enhanced my own level of presence with clients, enabling me to assist clients to make lasting and transformational changes that I feel honored to witness.

Outstanding articulation of great teachings
As I reflect on my life (I am 50), I see that I have been blessed with some of the most talented teachers of the century. Almost every day I find myself thinking about what I learned twenty years ago from Dr. Fernando Flores. This book is based on the thinking that was introduced by Dr. Flores and is a new way of understanding the nature of being human. This learning has helped me to more effectively communicate, generate action in others, suffer less and open new possibilities. I never had an interest in philosophy and had no idea what ontology meant when I took my first course. I certainly did not have a clue as to the extent it would help me in my life. Alan's book is an excellent introduction and explanation of what we learned from Dr. Flores. While I am not a professional coach, I use what I have learned in my conversations with employees, co-workers, friends, and family on a daily basis.

To give you an idea of what the book and ontology is about, I quote Alan:

"As a discipline it is rigorously grounded in recent developments in existential philosophy, the philosophy of language, and biology of cognition.

While in Chile, Flores had many conversations with the biologist Humberto Maturana, whose novel, yet biologically grounded ideas on perception, cognition, language and communication greatly influenced him. These conversations were a key inspiration for his research, in which he particularly focused on the existential philosophy of Martin Heidegger and John Searle's Theory of Speech Acts. Flores was able to integrate the ideas of language and communication, and the formation of a new discipline.

It was Flores who invented the term Ontological Coaching. He wanted to produce more than a theoretical discipline. He was keen to ensure that the knowledge of a new discipline would be relevant and applicable to everyday living. In short, Flores developed a powerful and practical new approach to living, learning and working.

Creating his own company, Flores pursued the commercial applications of this new understanding of language and communication in organizational settings. As his company expanded he took on course developers, writers and facilitators, including two other Chileans, Julio Olalla and Rafael Echeverrria. While Flores' ideas were central to their program, they also added their own interpretations and extended the discipline, predominantly in the ontological domains of emotions and body."

Over the years, I have found many other excellent teachers that have used and benefited from the work of Dr. Flores. In addition to Julio, some of those teachers include Werner Erhard, Dr. Fred Kofman, James Flagherty, Dr. Matthew Budd, Tom Hanson & Birgit Zacher Hanson, Chalmers Brothers, and more. If you have read any of their books or taken one of their courses, you can see the imprint that Dr. Flores has had on their work.

Alan Seiler introduces us to this work in an easy to understand way that provides a foundation for learning from this master teacher. I applaud Alan on his outstanding job of putting into words these great teachings.
... Read more

Amazon.com
Coaching has for too long been relegated to the bottom of most consultants' bags of fixes. More properly called "executive development," this field is becoming one of the hotter areas in the training world because of today's need to retain and develop superior talent. This excellent book of essays and articles by the top people in the industry is the first to integrate the theory and practice of this emerging field.

One of the central tenets of the book is that psychological training is central to the in-depth coaching process. The publisher, Davies-Black, is an imprint of Consulting Psychologists Press (the developers of the famous Myers-Briggs personality-type instrument) and thus there is the requisite focus on understanding the complexities of various "type interactions" in the workplace as part of the coaching process. Nevertheless, the text is solid and understandable, with some sophisticated, challenging, and often provocative arguments. For example, the book examines the collaboration between coaches and organization development experts and suggests that an executive's problems may stem not from poor interpersonal skills but from poor organizational structure, inadequate ground rules, or unclear decision-making processes.

Though it can sometimes seem academic in its approach, this beautifully packaged book is complemented by highly practical conversations, exercises, and checkpoints to determine the depth of learning. Human resources professionals, trainers, and consultants looking for guidance on the skills required to implement a topnotch executive coaching program will find this compendium by some of the top professionals in the field absolutely invaluable and well worth its price tag. --Charles Decker Book Description
As today's business leaders are rapidly discoveriong a true and trusted partner in the professionals pioneering the new frontier of executive coaching, Executive Coaching will lead the way as the first resource to bring together the theory and methods of this growing professional practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Insightful Read

The editors, Catherine Fitzgerald and Jennifer Garvey Berger, came up with a high quality, lucid and readable book which is a diverse collection of contributions from an elite group of experienced and knowledgeable executive coaches. I was excited to go through the different perspectives and methodologies which should appeal to a wide readership.

Those wishing to develop their coaching skills will find the book fascinating and enlightening. I believe that this is one of the most important coaching related books on the market.

The book is excellent reading for coaches, executives, human resource professionals, trainers, consultants and others with an interest in executive coaching.

what coaching books should be
This book really is what books on coaching should be. Solid, theoretically-based and applicable. Beats most of the other executive coaching books hands down. One of the best books on coaching around.

A variety of proven approaches.
I admit to more than a bit of bias since many of the authors are colleagues of mine; however I urge you to look at this book. It's the only one on the market, I believe, with diverse contributors and methodologies. The commonality among the authors is that they are all highly experienced and successful executive coaches, and I doubt that there's a "certified" coach among them. Some of these authors are also contributors to The Executive Coaching Handbook: Principles and Guidelines for a Successful Coaching Partnership, January 2004, third edition. It is written by The Executive Coaching Forum, (TECF) whose charter is to advance the highest standards and best practices of executive coaching with all members of the "coaching partnership" (Executives, Coaches, HR Professionals, and others interested in Executive Coaching). The Handbook is available to read or download at no cost at TECF's website:theexecutivecoachingforum.com

A Good Read!
Organizational consultants Catherine Fitzgerald and Jennifer Garvey Berger offer a collection of articles by 16 executive coaches, including themselves. The essays cover executive coaching perspectives, practices and management. This book examines the range of managerial and psychological approaches shaping this emerging field. These expert articles provide a diverse overview, varying in complexity, practicality and therapeutic philosophies. The hazard of anthologies is the mix of voices, so there is some blurring between what is coaching and what is therapy, and some drift about exactly who is being spoken to, the coach, the manager or the executive. The book seems to focus primarily on the analytical, psychological and tactical tasks of coaches. However, we from getAbstract suggest that if you are hiring a coach for yourself or your organization, you may find this very practical in understanding what coaches do and in being sure you select a good one.

A Diversity of Approaches
Executive Coaching: Practices & Perspectives, is an excellent and timely text consisting of 16 chapters written by 20 contributors, the editors also being contributors, providing a wide breadth of information and references.It provides a rare opportunity to shadow many experienced coaches from diverse backgrounds and learnings.I applaud the editors for what is a very successful attempt to weave many different "essays" into a coherent book.The writing styles and approaches are different for each of the chapters resulting in many practices and theories, and many modes of learning for the reader.Executive coaching is still a fairly new profession and this book provides a wide variety of perspectives not typically shared among peers.

Although titled Executive Coaching, it indirectly explores the diversity of individual and organizational learning and change with a keen appreciation for the complexities of the human mind.For executive coaching, as in organizational development consulting, one size does not fit all.The diversity of approaches from the respective authors reflects the strength of belief in their own methods when dealing with the complexity and diversity of the human mind; and reveals the many barriers to individual learning and ultimately organizational learning.In many ways the book is about organizational development and organizational learning brought to an individual level.

Most of the contributors have psychology backgrounds; however, the editors have made a good attempt to look at executive coaching from a variety of lenses, with a noticeable influence of Carl Jung and Robert Kegan.As an organizational development consultant and executive coach, I find some bias toward the need for a psychology or psychotherapy background in some of the chapters.Does one need a degree in psychology to have an understanding of a variety of perceptual views through intentional, behavioral, cultural, and social dimensions, for example?I don't believe so.

There are many issues that emerge when we have conversations at personal and sometimes intimate levels.Do we dare go where no non-psychotherapist has gone before?I believe the human psyche is much less fragile than most psychotherapists, and even psychologists, might have us believe.And as organizational change consultants, how much damage have we inflicted because we dared not to tread, or even look, in those heretofore-protected domains?

Where is the line drawn between learning and repair, or between personal growth and cure?The authors have drawn their lines and they are in different places.I do believe, when coaching Executives, it is essential to have a greater depth of knowledge and abilities as an observer and guide.

I believe executive coaching can increase the potential for profound change.Peter Senge, in his book The Dance of Change, describes profound change as "organizational change that combines inner shifts in people's values, aspirations, and behaviors with 'outer' shifts in processes, strategies, practices, and systems ...In profound change there is learning."(p 15) W. Edwards Deming said, "Nothing changes without personal transformation."

Executive coaching allows us to further shift the learning paradigms of our clients.We are beginning to apply to individuals what we have applied to organizations.Coaching appears to be the natural progression to double-loop learning at a personal level, in addition to the organizational level, and further progression to triple-loop learning.Double-loop learning is a concept developed by Chris Argyris and Donald Schon based upon the work of Gregory Bateson.The term "triple loop learning" was used by William N. Isaacs, in Taking Flight: Dialogue, Collective Thinking, and Organizational Learning."Double-loop learning encourages learning for increasing effectiveness.Triple-loop learning is the learning that opens inquiry into underlying 'why's.'It is the learning that permits insight into the nature of paradigm itself, not merely an assessment of which paradigm is superior."Effective coaching includes the practice of Dialogue at a one-to-one level.This "third" level of learning can be called transformational learning.As such, this book could be about transformational learning.

A noticeably missing piece was a chapter on distinguishing coaching from therapy, and addressing some of the boundaries to be considered and what resources the executive coach should have available in assessing and dealing with those boundaries.

Another missing piece was the role our body plays.Recent studies suggest a more holistic approach is needed in our learning - the integration of language, emotions and the body.I am referring to more than the traditional concept of "body language."Albert Einstein said, "My primary process of perceiving is muscular and visual."Richard Heckler, a psychologist and director of the Rancho-Strozzi Institute, says in his book The Anatomy of Change, "An education that connects us with our body would teach us the difference between what we are experiencing and what we are thinking and fantasizing about." (p 12)

Full awareness goes beyond what we are thinking.The body can reflect what we are thinking and feeling and the body can support what we desire to think and feel.Stuart Heller, mathematician, operations researcher, and psychologist, says in his book Retooling on the Run, "To make a change in any part of you, you have to change all of you."(p 10) "Your results are a function of the way you organize and use yourself.By studying your patterns of reaction, belief, tension, feelings, and posture, you learn how you both hinder and help yourself."(p 17)

I highly recommend this book to anyone involved with coaching and executive development.In addition, it offers many insights to any organizational change consultant wishing to search deeper in the psyche of an organization. Many organizations, and individuals, are struggling to find ways of breaking free of traditional thinking and modes of operation to enhance continuous learning.At a minimum, these insights may help forge better partnerships with clients and help facilitate greater awareness, reflection, and ultimately learning. ... Read more

Book Description
A compendium of coaching resources.

Life coaching has burst on the scene both as an adjunct to psychotherapy and as an alternative to it. With the myriad of coaching styles and programs available, it can be difficult to focus on any particular strategy. Here leading coach trainer Pat Williams presents 52 essential skills and techniques that can be applied to a variety of life coaching situations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

A "Must Have" Book For All Coaches
Thank you, Pat Williams, for writing Total Life Coaching.It is a wonderful resource book that every coach should have at their fingertips, whether they have been coaching one year or many years.It is not just one of the many books on general coaching philosophy and techniques. Total Life Coaching is written with a "how to" approach.It is organized into a wide rage of categories of coaching topics. Each category contains a rich menu of information, exercises, creative coaching approaches, and examples of coaching conversations. I know I will be using the wisdom of Total Life Coaching for every client I have.

Total Life Coaching - Dr. Patrick Williams
very interesting book - easy to read and useful for both the beginner and someone who has experience within the coaching profession

big book- dissapointing content
I was puzzled by much of the content of this book- probably based in part on the high expectations I had after reading some reviews here. Coaching as I know it focuses on the client's values and the agenda comes from the client rather than the coach. This book is full of exercises and "good ideas", but it seems to be infused with many of the writers' own personal opinions, agenda, and biases.

I am concerned that those who are new to coaching will be tempted to "lead", "know", analyze or attempt to "fix" their clients, rather than partner with clients with genuine curiousity to create what they want based on their own (the clients) values and agenda.Granted there are many effective syles of "coaching" and modalities. As a CTI trained life coach I admit I have a bias towards a more co-active, and less therapeutic model.

An essential tool!
This is an essential tool for any practicing life coach.I use this book as a constant resource.It is easy to find the information you are looking for.It is direct and to the point.If you are a professional life coach you must have this on your bookshelf.

Content did not live up to its introduction
Unfortunately I purchased 7 copies of this book for a coaching program I was doing before I had read it.The cover information and introduction were intriguing.However, I found the content thin and failing to deliver on the promises laid out in the introduction of the book as well as the introduction of each chapter.I liked ideas that they told me they would tell me about; the authors delivered thin regurgitated material. ... Read more

Book Description

Coaching Youth Softball is written especially for the unprepared parent thrust into the role of coaching his or her 8- to 12-year-old child's softball team. Upbeat and inspirational, it schools new coaches in the fundamentals of controlling, motivating, and encouraging a disparate group of kids in the art and science of softball.

Parents learn the logistics of running a youth team and the specifics of coaching softball. They learn how to match drills to a player's skills and motivation level and gain a wealth of detailed instructions on such specifics as how to run a successful practice and manage during a game.

• Takes a drill-based approach to teaching basic skills
• Reviews softball fundamentals for inexperienced parents

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Book!
This book is another great in the series of A Baffled Parent's Guide.These books are thorough and complete - a coach's bible, especially a new coach.The book covers everything from basics of the game to working with the children and dealing with the parents.I highly recommend books from this series.

good book for beginning coaches
I have yet to coach a girls' softball team, but I am really interested in doing it.This book has some great advice on how to handle beginner players and their parents.The thing about this book that I found great was that it told you some characteristics to look for when selecting a pitcher, something that I would not have had a clue about doing.Highly recommended.

Excellent for beginner or experienced coach
This is an AMAZING book! Even if you have never coached,played, or even heard of softball, it helps you out. It breaks every aspect of the game down and puts it in simple terms so you can explain it to your team. It gives you practice advice and schedules as well as drills you can use for team members to improve, or establish, softball skills. It also gives you advice on how to become the best coach, dealing with gender issues and how to handle difficult parents.This book is a MUST for EVERY coach!

Excellent Coaching Book for New Coaches
I am not a parent but nonetheless, this book is excellent!This book gets right down to the heart of coaching.It tells you step by step how to teach someone how to throw, catch, pitch, hit and play every position.It also tells you what type of girl would be good for positions of pitchers and catchers which is important since most girls at this age have no experience in many positions.The drills have diagrams and there is glossary in the back to help with the terminology.There are not that many good softball coaching books (believe me I've looked), so grab this one! ... Read more

Book Description
Focusing on basic business principles and strategies.

The initial hype about coaching has deflated, and the profession is coming down to earth. This book explains the current state of the coaching profession and offers basic advice and strategies so that you can plan your practice to operate well on the contemporary business terrain. Whether you are an established coach or just starting out, this book is for you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

One of only a few books that talks about the "business of" coaching; Could have been better, but it wasn't bad.

I liked this book. I'm glad I purchased it. There really are not that many books available at present on "the business" of coaching. The other one I have, that I'm about to review, is Four Steps to Building a Profitable Coaching Practice (ISBN: 0595296602) which was written in 2003.

I'd say the instant book does a good job of describing the coaching field outside of the sports realm. It talks about whether many of its participants make a reasonable living (they don't), and it talks about the various fields or backgrounds coaches come from (therapy practitioners and consultants). It tries to be helpful in explaining how to be a successful coach from both a coaching perspective and from a business perspective. There are 17 chapters included:

1. Coaching: Trend or Fad?
2. The Differences Among Coaching, Therapy, and Consulting
3. Becoming a Great Coach
4. Four Questions to Your Perfect Fit
5. From Specialty to Niche
6. Attracting Ideal Clients
7. The Coach as Entrepreneur
8. Business and Your Emotional Intelligence
9. Why Good Coaches Go Broke
10. Staying Safe and Legal
11. Executive and Leadership Coaching
12. Business Coaching
13. Skills Coaching
14. Career Coaching
15. Life Coaching
16. Wellness Coaching
17. Creativity, Relationship, and Spiritual Coaching

My favorite chapters were 2, 5, 12, and 13. I am in the process of putting together a business plan for an online coaching business that will compete directly with many law firms, accounting firms, and fiduciary departments in banks. As a result, Chapter 2 was of particular interest to me because it compared coaching to counseling (legal counseling). Coaching that crosses the line into legal counseling can be construed as the unauthorized practice of law which is regulated on a state by state basis. I can't say that I thought the book did a particularly good job of explaining the difference, but it was better than most articles on the subject I have read.

The book explains that only about 10% of professional coaches gross six figures in a given year. That is not a very good statistic. But I suspect the success rate is so low because most coaches are not very knowledgeable about starting and running a business so it is profitable. The authors in this book attempt to explain how the 90% could make more money by including chapters 5, 6, 7, and 9. And I thought these four chapters had some good content. But I think the reader would have benefited more if the book had instead covered in detail the importance of having a sound written business plan, and how to go about writing a sound business plan. The book did not do this. At least I didn't see it.

If you are looking for a book to tell you how to be successful as a professional coach, then I don't think this book is for you. However, if you are looking for a book that will cover many of the issues you need to consider if you want to have your own coaching business, then you'll get a lot from this book. 4 stars!

Any who desire to coach professionally must have The Business And Practice Of Coaching at hand
There are plenty of casual guides on the market on how to coach various sports; but few take the more detailed approach of showing how to build a thriving coaching business, even though some 30,000 coaches have entered the profession in the past five years. There's lots of competition in coaching and so few find themselves able to earn a living wage: that's where The Business And Practice Of Coaching: Finding Your Niche, Making Money, And Attracting Ideal Clients comes in. Chapters are written by two veteran business coaches which provide exercises, tips, and plans to help coaches succeed, from drawing links between community needs and coaching to refining skills to attract public attention and targeting a profitable niche market. Any who desire to coach professionally must have The Business And Practice Of Coaching at hand.

Any who desire to coach professionally must have The Business And Practice Of Coaching at hand
There are plenty of casual guides on the market on how to coach various sports; but few take the more detailed approach of showing how to build a thriving coaching business, even though some 30,000 coaches have entered the profession in the past five years. There's lots of competition in coaching and so few find themselves able to earn a living wage: that's where The Business And Practice Of Coaching: Finding Your Niche, Making Money, And Attracting Ideal Clients comes in. Chapters are written by two veteran business coaches which provide exercises, tips, and plans to help coaches succeed, from drawing links between community needs and coaching to refining skills to attract public attention and targeting a profitable niche market. Any who desire to coach professionally must have The Business And Practice Of Coaching at hand.

Any who desire to coach professionally must have The Business And Practice Of Coaching at hand
There are plenty of casual guides on the market on how to coach various sports; but few take the more detailed approach of showing how to build a thriving coaching business, even though some 30,000 coaches have entered the profession in the past five years. There's lots of competition in coaching and so few find themselves able to earn a living wage: that's where The Business And Practice Of Coaching: Finding Your Niche, Making Money, And Attracting Ideal Clients comes in. Chapters are written by two veteran business coaches which provide exercises, tips, and plans to help coaches succeed, from drawing links between community needs and coaching to refining skills to attract public attention and targeting a profitable niche market. Any who desire to coach professionally must have The Business And Practice Of Coaching at hand.
... Read more

Book Description
Leadership coaching has become vitally important to todays most successful businesses. The Art and Practice of Leadership Coaching is a landmark resource that presents a variety of perspectives and best practices from todays top executive coaches. It provides valuable guidance on exactly what the best coaches are now doing to get the most out of leaders, for now and into the future. Revealing core philosophies, critical capabilities, and the secrets of coaching success, this one-of-a-kind guide includes essays from fifty top coaches, including Ken Blanchard and Frances Hesselbein. Packed with cutting-edge ideas and proven best practices, this is the definitive source of information for anyone dealing with coaching.Download Description
Leadership coaching has become vitally important to today's most successful businesses. The Art and Practice of Leadership Coaching is a landmark resource that presents a variety of perspectives and best practices from today's top executive coaches. It provides valuable guidance on exactly what the best coaches are now doing to get the most out of leaders, for now and into the future. Revealing core philosophies, critical capabilities, and the secrets of coaching success, this one-of-a-kind guide includes essays from fifty top coaches, including Ken Blanchard and Frances Hesselbein. Packed with cutting-edge ideas and proven best practices, this is the definitive source of information for anyone dealing with coaching. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good overall, but a little tedious in the middle
This book starts strong, but drags a little in the middle.The book covers coaches from all areas and many of the coaches have similar things to say. The research in the beginning and end are useful and the editors contribute some of the best work in the book.I think it's worth reading but I would skip sections that are not applicable to the area of coaching that you are most interested.

An Incredible Resource
Editors Howard Morgan, Phil Harkins, and Marshall Goldsmith have done everyone tremendous service by using their considerable stature and reputation in the Coaching/Leadership field to pull together this amazing list of professionals; as well as sharing their expertise on the topic. The format they've used makes this an immensely useful reference. If you have an interest in executive coaching -- are a senior executive in transition, or are thinking of hiring a coach -- this book belongs on your "must read" list. In fact, make it your next read.

Peter Clayton, Senior producer www.landed.fm

Great book -- very helpful
A great survey of the "best of the best."Useful and practical and meets a real need.I particularly liked the format of the book -- mixing the advice of some of the world's best coaches with practical step by step advice.

Insightful, must-read about Executive Coaching
If you are a line executive or an HR leader - you will find this book useful. It takes you through the process of selecting the right coach and then allows you the opportunity to hear from the best. This is the best coaching book on the market currently. ... Read more

Book Description
Coaching, counseling, and mentoring can dramatically improveemployee productivity and satisfaction. But there's a big difference between continuouslyencouraging employees to do their jobs well (coaching), attempting to fix poorperformance (counseling), and helping top performers excel (mentoring). Unfortunately,most managers don't truly understand how and when to do each. Coaching, Counseling& Mentoring provides helpful tools like self-assessments and real-life scenarios, andgives managers specific, practical guidance on using these techniques to improve theperformance of all their people.

This updated and revised second edition includes useful scripts for talking to employeesabout sensitive issues, and new material on topics including working with off-siteemployees, what to say when an employee denies a problem exists, whether or not tocoach temps and part-timers, how to draw the line between the mentoring andsupervisory role, and what to do when counseling fails. This is an essential guide formanagers who want to build their confidence and skill in getting the most from theirpeople.Download Description
Coaching, counseling, and mentoring - they're hot terms in current managerial lingo. But do you really understand the difference between these techniques? Do you know how important they are - and when and how to use them? Now, for the first time, there is a book that addresses all three of these crucial management tools. Coaching Counseling & Mentoring was written specifically to help you perfect these skills - and use them to improve employee performance across all levels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent Tool for Managers and Supervisors
Coaching, Counseling & Mentoring: How to Choose & Use the Right Technique to Boost Employee Performance
Stone's book well covers the landscape of these three topics. Her information is accurate, practical, and presented in an easy-to-read format. Stone's illustrative stories demonstrate her points and bring the material to life. This book fills a void in the marketplace and does so in a way that very effective. "Coaching, Counseling & Mentoring" is an excellent tool for managers and supervisors. I recommend it without qualification.

A good overview for managers
Along with the highly competitive market, comes the high competition for companies to recruit and maintain these top performers.Employees have more choices today.Employees who do not feel challenged, or adequately compensated, will move on.It is not just about money anymore, either.Keeping top performers is a lot more than just a salary figure.So, how do companies keep their best people?

According to author Florence Stone, the answer is by helping employees excel.Since most motivational experts agree that most people want to better themselves it does not require threats or force to get employees to improve.It does require a system that will allow them to grow.

This book is exactly about that.It is about how to coach, counsel, and mentor employees to success.These three areas each have a distinct role to play in any firm:
1.Coaching helps all employees.The art of coaching will improve employee's job performance, as well as give them greater potential to move onto more difficult assignments and jobs.
2.Counseling is used to address problem performers.More often than not, these employees have bad habits that have risen to the level of chronic.The author says that by investing ten percent of time on these people using counseling can save a firm from spending fifty percent of its time fixing problems in the future.
3.Mentoring, writes the author, is reserved for the most talented employees, the true top performers.These people will provide the greatest return on investment for time spent helping them advance.If these people are ignored, they will quickly leave the firm and find someone else to nurture and develop their talents.

Each of these areas requires different skills to be executed effectively.Those skills are presented in this book to help persons truly master the arts of coaching, counseling, and mentoring.

Coaching, Counseling & Mentoring: How to Choose & Use the Right Tool to Boost Employee Performance
Generally a good tool for assisting employees who need some direction to improve performance.

Very good Guide on the Theory AND the Practices
Knowing the distinction between the three roles and functions (see title) is essential to be any good at either or all. Dah...
And yet I wish more people would take the time and effort to get and read this book and know the differences.
This book not only provides sound theory on all three subjects, but it also provides very good practical advice on how to practice either.
If you want to be knowledgeable on these subjects, either for bettering your own performance as a manager or for knowing when and why to hire specific professionals, just read this book. Trust me.

Boost employee performance
The book describes three different techniques that can be used to improve employee performance. Even though the book is written from a manager's perspective I found it to be interesting despite my limited experience in leading a group of people. The book is divided into three parts, where each part discusses one of the techniques. It starts off with Coaching followed with Counselling and Mentoring. I found that each topic is described with the same detail, and answered many of my questions. The book includes many real life examples to better explain how to handle different situations. It is easy to find specific information since the sections are organized the same way, and also includes a discussion about common traps and problems. You will also find a useful Index in the end of the book. It can be hard to differentiate between coaching and mentoring. After having read the book this is my interpretation of the terms. Coaching is a way to help and motivate the employee to excel in his current position. Like a sports coach you train the employee to do his job in the best possible way. Coaching is a process that begins before the employee starts working for the manager. This section discusses what to look for in a potential employee, and how to bring a new employee up to speed. Mentoring on the other hand is a way to stimulate your top-performers. Mentoring is limited to a few of your employees - employees where you see a special potential that need training to come to surface. A mentoring relationship is a relationship in which you do more than train the employee to do his job well. As a mentor you share your experience, contacts, wisdom to move the employee to the next level. This can be a useful way to keep top performers on your workforce when they feel they have reached the limit of their current position. Counselling is used to fix poor performance, and this section suggests how to approach an employee with a performance problem. Being honest and direct, and to handle the problem as soon as possible before it grows. A reader outside the States may find some of the legal advice to be less useful since different laws are effective in other countries. ... Read more

Book Description
This book fills the huge gap between what companies and clients expect from coaching and what it actually does for them. Zeroing in on this popular technique to develop today's leaders, improve performance, and facilitate change, the book shows how to deliver coaching that helps anyone achieve extraordinary results. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Best Coaching Book I've Read
What I like about this book are the concrete examples they give of "almost" coaching and best coaching.The best coaching book I've read.Recommended it to all laypeople looking to be better coaches.

Research-Based Approach Raises Coaching to a New Level
Over the past decade, the concept of coaching in the business world has become so ingrained that it's part of the landscape. A wide range of conversations, methods of feedback delivery, and relationships have been accepted as coaching in a rather loose collection of techniques...and results. As we move into an increasingly challenging period for employers, leaders must become substantially more effective at this process we describe as coaching. A whole new generation of leaders must be taught, coached, and brought to a higher level of performance.

Bacon and Spears, experienced in coaching more than 2,000 individual clients in Fortune 500 companies, share their knowledge and experience. Their researched-based approach emphasizes the skills needed by coaches and that coaching styles must be adapted to what the client needs. The eight styles they identify are directive (teacher, parent, manager, philosopher) and non-directive (facilitator, counselor, colleague, mentor). This model alone will expand, deepen, and enrich the work done by the vast majority of coaches in the corporate world.

The book offers even more, delivering checklists, assessment tools, tips and tools, and a wealth of sample coach-client dialogues. Recognizing the special opportunities the future will hold, the authors include insights into coaching across cultures, across generations, as well as coaching women, minorities, and C-level executives.

An epilogue with even more perspectives adds value to this volume, as do the reference section and comprehensive index. This is not a book for readers who simply want to gain a few insights into improving their coaching effectiveness. You'll learn, but you'll be overwhelmed. Adaptive Coaching is like a college textbook on the topic. It's a heavy, deep, and thorough treatment with relatively small type. The $39.95 price suggests that this is more than the average airplane reading management book...and it is. If you're serious about the critical and fine art of coaching in the complicated corporate environment, you'll gain considerable knowledge, insight, and growth from this book.

Side note: I am the author of Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few People. As a workforce futurist, I see what's coming... including a dangerous dearth of leadership. Application of the principles in this book will help today's leaders strengthen each other and the next generation of leaders. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Literacy Coaching...
We are using this as a wonderful tool... the book has been a positive support for our training.Thanks, KC ... Read more

Book Description

This book achieves something which is rare in professional development books. It demonstrates how to integrate core instructional elements into successful practice.... It should become a central text for study at the classroom, school, and district level.
- Anthony J. Alvarado, former Superintendent, District 2, New York and former Chancellor of Instruction, San Diego City Schools

What do literacy coaches do? Who do they coach? How does it work? Katherine Casey is a veteran literacy coach, and on the first page of Literacy Coaching she gets down to business: "I coach teachers in their classrooms, demonstrating lessons, working alongside teachers as they teach, problem solving together how to better meet the needs of their students." From there she presents the most authoritative, comprehensive, and focused guide on literacy coaching available.

Literacy Coaching takes you inside today's main coaching models, exploring their roles and responsibilities. Beginning with what coaches do, Casey provides real-life examples of what you'll need to know and what abilities the job requires, as well as crucial but often overlooked details such as how to build a relationship with your principal and how to assess the strengths and needs of the teachers you'll work with. Then she presents a variety of professional development structures that help you deliver smart, targeted instructional support where and when teachers need it most. Literacy Coaching gets into the nitty-gritty, offering experience-honed advice on these and numerous other important coaching functions:

Customer Reviews (2)

What is a Literacy Coach?
I needed to know what a literacy coach was when my principal asked me to consider applying for the job. This book was extrememly helpful in giving me the details in order for me to make my decision. I am now a literacy coach, and I plan to use this book regularly!

Literacy Coaching
I actually ordered this for my ELL Coach as it came highly recommended.My ELL Coach has read it and the feedback is, that it is very helpful and useful, particularly since this is her first time as an instructional coach. ... Read more

Book Description
The simple, untold truth about anxiety and depression is that they are habits of insecurity—and, like all habits, they can be broken. In this new edition of the highly successful Self-Coaching, Dr. Joseph Luciani shows you how to change your way of thinking and develop a healthy, adaptive way of living through his proven Self-Talk strategy for coaching yourself back to health. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (69)

Great For Anyone
I bought this for someone who has anxiety and depression but unfortunately this person refuses to read it. So I did. I was amazed at how much I learned about how and why I react to situations and how not get so upset. I really enjoyed reading this and I could apply the reactions in the book to people i know as well as to myself. Now when they get upset and take things out I me, I don't take it as personal unless it is my fault. I then change my reaction for the better. My daughter asked if she could read it so I just sent it to her. It is basically what the title implies "SELF COACHING" but it can be for ANYONE. I just might be able to help the person who won't read it.

Time in!
This book is the most motivational tool for motivation in my playbook. Just yesterday, in fact, I screamed at myself that I'm a "f**kin' p*ssy," then dropped and gave myself 50.

Great book!
I haven't finished this book yet but it is basic enough to incorporate into your life to help you get through your depression and anxiety.

I have been depressed since the age of 19 and I'm now 36 so I am excited to see how much it can help me in the long run.

Helps w/ the issues (and much more)
It's been about 3-4 years since I read this book.I was in a dark period after a family tragedy.I'm a very well adjusted and happy adult and this book is a big part of it.

Revolutionary?No.It's just a simple way to re-engineer self-image.What Dr. Joe advocates is 1. disrupt the negative self-talk (all depression patients know about the neg. self talk).2. replace the negative "ST" with positive "ST."3. practice this habit over and over until it becomes routine (perhaps the most challenging part).4. After doing this exercise for about 6-12 months, suddenly you discover that this activity becomes habit, and you then pleasantly discover that your self image is constantly positive and you feel much-much better.

Then, you start to apply this technique to other parts of your life, and, if you're like me, you realize that all that stuff the dali lama preaches is real: you really do have control over your life!

This book requires steady work-hard work which, if practiced, becomes easy with time.Hang in there folks!Stick to the plan and you will find your way out of the dark hole!

Who else do I recommend?Check out Tal Ben-Shahar's books.He's another positive psychologist.Good stuff.

LOGICAL and Basic!Very helpful!
This book is for anyone tired of feeling like a victim of their own thoughts.After reading this book I was able to immediately incorporate his techniques successfully.For example, I had a class that always makes gives me anxiety so when I was in class and feeling awful, I looked at the clock and said to myself, "2 more hours.I can handle anything for 2 hours."After that I was fine!It's not just about telling yourself positive things that may be untrue or simply unhelpful, it's about separating fact from fiction.It was true I hated the class, but it was also true that I could handle it for 2 hours.Once you separate fact from fiction you begin to see how your self doubt doesn't need to have the upper hand.You can choose to stop feeling insecure and start LIVING.Negative thoughts stop us from action and freedom from these thought allows us to LIVE.I also recommend the book Dancing with Fear by Foxman, very good and very helpful, but if you want something more pragmatic - buy Luciani's book. ... Read more

Book Description
As companies shift from hierarchical management into teamwork, managing is not nearly as important as coaching. Here is the first book on the coaching process written exclusively for sales managers--a brief, easy-to-digest primer on making the transition from a traditional boss to a sales coach. Created by an author/instructor who teaches sales management as the prestigious Wharton Executive Development Center, this guide shows sales managers how to: understand the nuances and payoffs of coaching: conduct coaching sessions and improve key skills such as listening and giving feedback; deal with problems such as discipline and reluctant behavior within the sales team; and coach and peers on oneself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Lack of depth
This book could have been summed up in two pages. There was nothing new or insightful in this book.If you need someone to tell you that to be an effective coach you have to communicate, give feedback, dont leave negative emails, etc. then this book is for you.If you are looking for something more, save your money.

Extremely practical, extremely relevant, very easy to read.
This book is a real treasure. I would have been successful by 1000% if I had read this book earlier. The price of this book is such a small investment in comparison what you get from this book. I recommend it a thousand of times!
I recommend it for all the leaders no matter if you coach sales teams or teams of other profiles.
Thanks the author for such an extreemely useful and practical book.

Coaching at it's finest
Very practical and helpful for anyone who want to be effective coaches.Ms. Richardson really understands what most managers and sales persons tend to do in a coaching situation and was able to 'coach' readers in how to avoid common pitfalls.

Excellent choice for learning to coach a team!
This was an excellent book.The topics included were very applicable to creating a coaching culture.It is very straight forward and easy to read and comprehend!This book will be extremely helpful in creating a coaching culture in a sales call center environment.

Sales Coaching is practical, applicable, and long overdue.
I often say to Sales Managers, "Show me a great Sales Manager with lousy salespeople and I will show you a lousy Sales Manager."Then I tell them to read 'Sales Coaching.'

Linda Richardson has constructed theultimate step-by-step guide in getting managers to reevaluate theirpriorities and focus their attention on improving the sales staff througheffective developmental coaching.The book is easy to read and full ofpractical tips and coaching models that will make any sales team moreproductive.

Most importantly, unlike many sales management books,this work translates into practical application without the brain damage. Sales Managers should be able to apply these principles immediately.Readthis with a highlighter in your hand - and be prepared to transform yoursales management approach. ... Read more

Book Description
Written by soccer great and championship Stanford coach Bobby Clark, COACHING YOUTH SOCCER: THE BAFFLED PARENT'S GUIDE tells you how, starting at point zero, an uninitiated coach can meld kids into a team and help them enjoy one of the most rewarding experiences of their youth. (In the end, you may be the one who reaps the biggest reward, as you watch kids learn and grow in an experience they'll treasure for a lifetime.) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Helpful
I bought this for my daughter who volunteered to be Soccer Coach for the first time.I say she wanted to do it but perhaps was more stong armed into doing it.She found it helpful.

coaching soccer-a baffled parents guide
The book gave very helpful information.I have never coached anything and it gave helpful insight into giving the best experience I can into my son's 4 yr old soccer team.

Great Book!
I'm a second year coach with very limited playing experience.I played soccer during elementary school but it was essentially mob ball.This book has helped a great deal. It gives great suggestions for organizing practices and the drills, ahem I mean games, are great. The problem, analysis, solution section is also very helpful.

Wonderful!Highly Recommended!
This book helped organize my practices and provided ideas for drills that kept my U8 Boys team interested the entire season.I received numerous compliments from parents that their kids enjoyed the variety of "games" (i.e. drills) we played in practice.My team went 11-2 this past season and all my players chose to return for the spring season over baseball and other sports.I honestly feel this book improved my coaching style and played a large part in the success of our team.

extremely helpful
I am coaching my daughter's U-8 AYSO soccer team this season and was in desperate need of an easy overview of rules as well as age and skill appropriate drills for practices.This book was very helpful and I am using it as a resource. ... Read more

Book Description
Becoming a Coaching Leader shows business managers and leaders at all levels why they should add "coach" to corporate titles and lead their teams to greatness. This book equips you with the skills, disciplines, and knowledge to turn your paycheck-driven teams into vibrant and successful growth cultures. CEO and Head Coach of Building Champions, Daniel Harkavy shows you how to move beyond the theoretical to the very practical "how to" of coaching. He also presents valuable insight for assessing how fulfilled and on-purpose you are as a leader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Awesome book
This is an awesome book on becoming a coaching leader. Daniel Harkavy lays it on the line when it comes to what it takes to become a successful coaching leader. I would highly recommend this book to any leader wanting to raise his / her ability to effectively lead people.

Banal
You can always learn something. You may learn much from this book, but in my case, not much. I should have noticed the hyperbole on the dust jacket. "What do you want your business to look like in twenty years?" This