Literature of Leadership - November Book Review

THE COACHING HABIT: SAY LESS, ASK MORE & CHANGE THE WAY YOU LEAD FOREVER. Michael Bungay Stanier (2016)

This book is a “basic primer” for those seeking to develop their coaching acumen. The author, Michael Bungay Stanier, is a seasoned coaching expert who helps time-crunched leaders develop fundamental skills in effective coaching that can be applied in 10 minutes or less. In his book, The Coaching Habit, a simple, how-to approach to coaching is presented that is distilled into seven core questions anyone can use to help others identify their biggest challenge, select a course of action, and implement it with focus. What is novel about this book relative to the plethora of leadership books on this topic is Bungay Stanier’s advice on how to make effective coaching “habit-forming” in everyday life. Accordingly, at the conclusion of each of the seven habit chapters, there is a “Question Masterclass” on the practical application of the concepts presented. Also of value are the resources provided in the annotated bibliography, companion website, and video blog.

A couple of noteworthy takeaways by this reviewer: (a) a useful distinction is made between coaching for performance (i.e., addressing a specific issue) versus coaching for development (i.e., turning the focus from the issue to the person), and (b) that asking ‘why’ often puts people on the defensive; therefore, start with ‘what’. A few limitations to consider from this reviewer’s perspective: the format of the Kindle version is rather cluttered (i.e., lots of bolded words, large type, inserts); the content is somewhat repetitive; and more experienced coaches may view the core questions as somewhat simplistic.

RATING

Image source:

Eikenberry, K. (2016, March 6). [The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More and Change The Way You Lead Forever]. Retrieved October 2, 2018, from https://blog.kevineikenberry.com/coaching-developing-others/the-coaching-habit-say-less-ask-more-and-change-the-way-you-lead-forever/