Overview

If you have gone beyond looking at the cover of this book then it s likely you are already coaching, or there are expectations that you should. The growth of coaching has been a phenomenon of the last decade. Does that mean that it is new? No. Just as my granny would complain that no one had stress in her day but would frequently talk of friends who suffered from nerves , coaching has been around for as long as people have wanted to help others perform better. It may have been labelled teaching, instructing, guiding, supervising, giving a bit of help, but focus on what individuals did under that label and it is likely that we would see in many of them what is now being called coaching. Does it mean this is simply old wine in new bottles ? I don t believe so. The current focus on coaching is harnessing what has been learnt about the most valuable ways of helping individuals to deliver more effectively; ensuring their personal development is appropriate and helping individuals to better manage their careers.

What is particular about this book is that it has a strong focus on using what is known about helping individuals shift their attention away from problems, in order that they can find solutions that work for them. The coach s role is to enable the other person to find solutions, it is not to act as an analyst or a work-place therapist.

There is much in this book that you...