From a founding member of the coaching movement comes a detailed guide to mastering one of a coach's toughest skills: thoughtfully reflecting clients' words and expressions back to them so they see themselves and their world through new eyes. “Coaches rely far too much on asking open-ended questions,” says Marcia Reynolds. But questions only seek answers—inquiry provides insight. When, instead of just questions, clients hear their thoughts, opinions, and beliefs spoken by someone else, it prompts them to critically consider how their thinking affects their goals. Reynolds cites the latest brain science to show why reflective inquiry works and provides techniques, tips, and structures for creating breakthrough conversations. This book will free coaches from the cult of asking the magical question by offering five essential practices of reflective inquiry: focus on the person, not the problem; summarize what is heard and expressed; identify underlying beliefs and assumptions; unwrap the desired outcome; and articulate insights and commitments. Using these practices, combined with a respectful and caring presence, helps create a space where clients feel safe, seen, and valued for who they are. Coaches become change agents who actively recharge the human spirit. And clients naturally dive deeper and develop personalized solutions that may surprise even the coach.

Business management.

You want people to stretch their limits, but your conversations meant to help them often fall flat or backfire, creating more resistance than growth. Top leadership coach Marcia Reynolds offers a model for using the Discomfort Zone—the moment when the mind is most open to learning—to prompt people to think through problems, see situations more strategically, and transcend their limitations. Drawing on recent discoveries in the neuroscience of learning, Reynolds shows how to ask the kinds of questions that short-circuit the brain’s defense mechanisms and habitual thought patterns. Then, instead of being told, people see for themselves the insightful and often profound solutions to what is stopping their progress. The exercises and case studies will help you use discomfort in your conversations to create lasting changes and an enlivened workforce.

Coaching is an essential skill for leaders. But for most busy, overworked managers, coaching employees is done badly, or not at all. They're just too busy, and it's too hard to change. But what if managers could coach their people in 10 minutes or less? In Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can work less hard and have more impact. Coaching is an art and it's far easier said than done. It takes courage to ask a question rather than offer up advice, provide an answer, or unleash a solution. Giving another person the opportunity to find their own way, make their own mistakes, and create their own wisdom is both brave and vulnerable. It can also mean unlearning our ''fix it'' habits. In this practical and inspiring book, Michael shares seven transformative questions that can make a difference in how we lead and support. And, he guides us through the tricky part - how to take this new information and turn it into habits and a daily practice. -Brené Brown, author of Rising Strong and Daring Greatly Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples' potential. He unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how---by saying less and asking more--you can develop coaching methods that produce great results. - Get straight to the point in any conversation with The Kickstart Question - Stay on track during any interaction with The AWE Question - Save hours of time for yourself with The Lazy Question, and hours of time for others with The Strategic Question - Get to the heart of any interpersonal or external challenge with The Focus Question and The Foundation Question - Finally, ensure others find your coaching as beneficial as you do with The Learning Question A fresh, innovative take on the traditional how-to manual, the book combines insider information with research based in neuroscience and behavioural economics, together with interactive training tools to turn practical advice into practiced habits. Dynamic question-and-answer sections help identify old habits and kick-start new behaviour, making sure you get the most out of all seven chapters. Witty and conversational, The Coaching Habit takes your work--and your workplace--from good to great.

The first reference to bring scientifically proven approaches to the practice of personal and executive coaching The Evidence Based Coaching Handbook applies recent behavioral science research to executive and personal coaching, bringing multiple disciplines to bear on why and how coaching works. A groundbreaking resource for this burgeoning profession, this text presents several different coaching approaches along with the empirical and theoretical knowledge base supporting each. Recognizing the special character of coaching-that the coaching process is non-medical, collaborative, and highly contextual-the authors lay out an evidence-based coaching model that allows practitioners to integrate their own expertise and the needs of their individual clients with the best current knowledge. This gives coaches the ability to better understand and optimize their own coaching interventions, while not having to conform to a single, rigidly defined practice standard. The Evidence Based Coaching Handbook looks at various approaches and applies each to the same two case studies, demonstrating through this practical comparison the methods, assumptions, and concepts at work in the different approaches. The coverage includes: An overview: a contextual model of coaching approaches Systems and complexity theory The behavioral perspective The humanistic perspective Cognitive coaching Adult development theory An integrative, goal-focused approach Psychoanalytically informed coaching Positive psychology An adult learning approach An adventure-based framework Culture and coaching

Presence-Based Coaching offers coaches a hands-on resource for developing the capacities and skills needed to be reliably present in all situations, and shows how to let go of habitual—and often ineffective—ways of responding. As author and leadership expert Doug Silsbee explains, once a coach has mastered the inner moves of directing their own attention, they can work to develop the same capability in their clients. The ability of a coach to facilitate lasting, sustainable development in leaders rests on the presence a coach offers to the coach-client relationship.

What would it mean for your coaching if you got right to the heart of the matter - every time? You can. Learn rarely taught tips and concepts that will immediately elevate your coaching while avoiding the common pitfalls. New and experienced coaches alike will benefit greatly from the detailed strategies and wisdom shared from Marion's years of experience. -Cheryl Richardson, NYTimes Bestselling author of Take Time for Your Life Marion Franklin, the Coach's Coach, has been training and mentoring coaches for more than 20 years. Every student she has mentored or taught who sought ACC, PCC, or MCC has gotten their credential using the material in this book designed for all levels of coaches. No matter where you are in your coaching journey, this book has something for you. This book is different because it: Includes brilliant tools for beginner-to-seasoned coaches Offers advanced techniques for developing powerful questions without any lists Provides principles of human behavior that help you quickly identify what's really going on Contains the 25 Themes that underlie every coaching situation and make coaching and questioning much simpler Shares a step-by-step, easy to follow, way to create a shift in perspective Presents 17 strategies that clients unknowingly use that actually work against, not for them Begin using even one or two of the concepts and principles in this book and notice your coaching immediately elevate to a new level. Your clients will notice the difference You will experience this innovative approach to masterful coaching with two full laser-coaching sessions with commentary - much like eavesdropping in on the mind of a master coach. Marion shares unprecedented concepts that will help new coaches and even the most experienced coaches gain new insights and ideas, including a deeper understanding of what they already know. Automatically improve your coaching by applying one rarely known principle. Never feel stuck around what question to ask. Feel more confident by quickly identifying what's really going on. Know exactly what to listen for in every conversation. Discover a simple "2 inquiry" approach that instantly enables you to deepen your curiosity. This book will not only boost your confidence and mastery as a coach, it will enable you to produce sustained results for your clients. I designed this book to not only show you what laser-focused coaching looks, sounds, and feels like, but to show you HOW TO coach for permanent, life-altering change. When using the Laser-Focused approach, you'll be able to: avoid getting seduced by the story ask questions that get right to the heart of the matter have the client do all of the summary know how to create the shift and what to do afterwards recognize the client's underlying pattern and know how to address it and so much more The HeART of Laser-Focused Coaching -- A revolutionary, unprecedented approach makes coaching easier while also enhancing your ability to help clients create deep and profound change. Transform your coaching into something so powerful and life-changing that your coaching consistently flows and becomes effortless.