books


12 Days of Coaching Resources – Day 10 1

Day 10 of our 12 Days of coaching resources and today’s is:

“Get Unstuck & Get Going … on the stuff that matters” by Michael Bungay Stanier

There are two physical aspects to this resource. The first part is The Action Acceleration Sheet ™ containing coaching elements and questions to help you get unstuck and take action.

The second part of the resource can be used alongside The Action Acceleration Sheet to create a powerful tool or as a stand alone creativity catalyst. Physically, this part of the resource is set out as “flip” pages.

The “flip” pages are sorted into three sections:

  • Inspiring stories,
  • provocative quotes
  • and powerful models.

The idea is that you randomly select a flip in each of the sections and use that to assist you get a new perspective, inspiration and tap into your own creativity and wisdom. Together the flips in all three sections can give 125,000 different combinations.

Personally I find that the format and design of this resource really aids it’s use and makes it really easy to either quickly “dip into” for a boost of inspiration or to take slightly longer to focus on getting unstuck.

It is a product that you can either use alone or with a client/coach/colleague etc. As this is a coaching resource then you probably won’t be surprised about the suggestion that you add an aspect of accountability to assist you to get unstuck. However, it is possible to add accountability without a second person physically working with this resource with you – unless that is your preference.

Using all the sections on offer with this resource you can:

  • Define the challenge you are facing,
  • inspire new solutions,
  • create an action plan to overcome obstacles
  • and then take action and get things going.

To find out more about this resource and to get your own copy visit here.

Missed Day 9’s resource? Find it here.


12 Days of Coaching Resources – Day 8 3

Today’s coaching resource is one that many class as a classic coaching text:

“Coaching for performance” by Sir John Whitmore

Sir John Whitmore does have a background in sport, having begun his career as a professional racing driver and founding a sport and business training company with Tim Gallwey (Author of such books as The inner game to tennis).

However, you’ll find that as you read this book the main focus is from a business perspective. This does not mean that the skills, models and ideas discussed can not be transfered into other arenas – the book just doesn’t use those examples and you will have to create your own 😉

This book has sold over 500,000 copies in at least 17 languages. It’s a book that has been popular in the corporate world for new managers as it’s presented in a user friendly manner, you’ll find that it’s written in a concise style with any “jargon” clearly explained. Presenting coaching as a method to grow people, performance and purpose.

One of the first coaching models that many coaching schools teach is GROW. You’ll find that this book provides an overview of the model and each section within it’s pages. Which is perhaps why this book is many people’s first coaching book.

Whilst earlier editions will vary in how the book is arranged, you’ll find that the latest edition is divided into 4 sections:

  • The Principles of Coaching;
  • The Practice of Coaching;
  • Leadership for High Performance;
  • Transformation through Transpersonal Coaching

The first edition of this book was published in 1992 , whilst the latest and forth edition was published in 2009. The last publication saw the inclusion of a new section on leadership and chapters such as the future focus of coaching. Adding an extra 50 pages to the third edition copy.

You can click the link to go straight to this book on Amazon UK, or Amazon.com

Did you miss Day 7’s coaching resource? You will find it here.


12 Days of Coaching Resources – Day 6 1

As we reach the half way stage of our 12 days of coaching resource, day 6 is:

“The 8th Habit: From effectiveness to greatness” by Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey is perhaps best known for his international best seller originally published in 1989, “The 7 habits of highly effective people.” As you may have surmised from the title the 8th habit builds upon the foundation of the 7 habits.

It could be easy to say that this book focuses mainly on teams, leadership and business. However, the underlying message is about realising and unlocking the greatness within ourselves and others. A message that could also appeal to coaches who don’t specialise in business coaching.

The book is split into 2 sections:

  • Find your voice
  • Inspire others to find their voice

and also contains detailed appendices and notes section.

Personally, I think that the written style is not as conversational as some authors, yet it does include many anecdotes and examples. Given the focus of the book and the written style I suspect that the author had a managerial and business audience in mind whilst writing this book.

Some will find the style either too dry or long-winded to read from start to finish. Others will find that they discover some great insights.

It’s not the shortest book ever produced (the hardback edition on my bookshelf is around 400 pages.) It is also slightly more involved then the 7 habits book. It is possible to get editions of this book that contains a bonus dvd containing 16 inspirational companion films to illustrate points being made throughout the book.

You can find the book on Amazon UK, or Amazon.com

Missed Day 5’s coaching resource, visit here.


12 Days of Coaching Resources – Day 4 1

Day 4 in our 12 days of coaching resource is:

The One Page Business Plan: The fastest, easiest way to write a business plan by Jim Horan

Coaches often refer to goals/objectives and work towards achieving a vision with their clients. Granted, depending upon your background and the situation you are using that language you may use different labels with your clients.

So you may expect coaches establishing a business to comfortably create a business plan that focuses upon things such as the business vision, mission and objectives. Yet several “myths”and perceptions about how a business plan “should” look or be created can get in the way.

Today’s coaching resource is, “The One Page Business Plan: The fastest, easiest way to write a business plan” by Jim Horan. It addresses many of these myths, such as business plans must be long to be good.

This book is designed to help you get your business plan onto paper. Containing several types of exercises and questions to stimulate you, it is deliberately simple allowing you to start at any point and jump around in the easiest way for you.

The plan you’ll produce with this book will be short, concise and to the point. It will be something that you can pin on your wall and see daily – it’s not such a weighty document that it gets put on a shelf to gather dust and never looked at again!

This book also contains examples of what does and doesn’t work for each situation. If you go to buy this resource, you may notice that there are editions for different countries that allow specific examples from that country to be used.

In addition, “The One Page Business Plan” also comes with a “creative entrepreneur’s toolkit” CD. On the CD you’ll find:

bullet point   Interactive Exercises and Templates

bullet point   Sales Calculators

bullet point   Budget Worksheets

bullet point   Sample Plans

bullet point   Score Cards

bullet point   Bonus Tools

(All in either a word or excel format)

A business plan can have multiple uses and sometimes it’s about meeting other peoples specific requirements to get funding. It’s worth noting that if that is your primary reason for looking at this resource it will get you started getting clarity around your ideas and give you a strong foundation to build upon. However, you will need to take it further to adapt that to the specific requirements for the person/group you are seeking funding from.

Find the book on Amazon uk, or Amazon.com

Missed Day 3’s Coaching Resource, find it here


12 days of coaching resources – Day 1 2

Welcome to the first of 12 daily posts all about different coaching resources. Our first resource is:

“The Life Coaching Connection: How Coaching Changes Lives” by Steve Chandler

The last time I checked Steve Chandler had written 30 books which have been translated into 25 different languages. He also runs a year long course for coaches to empower them to get clients and build their practices to strong levels of prosperity.

It’s from this background that you’ll find this book shares the knowledge, wisdom and observation of decades of experience by coach Steve Chandler.

You’ll find that the writing style is very easy to read and conversational. The book is divided up into 51 chapters – many just a couple of pages in length making it very easy to pick up and read, even if you think you are challenged for time. It also means that the message of each chapter is concise and to the point.

Within the pages you will find many stories both of his own, that of his clients, colleagues and teachers. As you may have guessed from the title the overall theme is coaching and the impact it can have on an individual. It also contains thoughts and expertise to provoke thoughts and actions from coaches

Steve provided one of our guest posts back in July and generously offered that I could share a pdf copy of this book with Coaching Confidence readers. To get your copy email st***************@co****************.uk


Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play

Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play [Amazon.co.uk link]
Get Everything Done: And Still Have Time to Play [Amazon.com link]

If you feeling pressured with having too much to do in too little time you’ll be relieved to find that this book by Mark Forster is not only easy to read and is full of down to earth and common sense.

This is also NOT a time management book that is the size of a phone book! It is a short read so that you can start applying the content to your life to make a difference to your time crisis.


Who moved my cheese 1

Who Moved My Cheese is a parable where the 4 main characters (who live in a maze) are all looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. It is written in a simple style that means that it is suitable for all and will take the average reader less than an hour to read.

You will find that the book is split into 3, a short introduction, the main parable itself and a brief discusion. It is a book that deals with change. Specifically, as the back cover states “how to anticipate change, adapt to change quickly, enjoy change and be ready to change again and again.”

It is very simple to read and, some may say, common sense approach that is about suffering less stress and enjoying more success.

[Amazon.co.uk] Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life

[Amazon.com] Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life


The Inner Game of Tennis 1

This is the book that many credit as the beginings of coaching. Described as “how to improve your game and discover your true potential by increasing your concentration, willpower and confidence.” It doesn’t tell you what to put in a welcome pack but for many this book is classed as a classic. It is a book that explores how the author produced “dramatic” results in the tennis game of those he was working with.

The Inner Game of Tennis [Amazon.co.uk link]

The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance [Amazon.com link]