3 recommended must-read starter books to kickstart your Coaching journey
Here are my Top 3 recommended must-read starter books to kickstart your Coaching journey.
Coaching changes lives, looks to the future and can be instrumental in taking businesses which embrace it to the next level.
So, are you considering diving into the world of coaching to enhance your business performance? If you are looking to coach or just want to explore how you can better coach your team. To help you embark on your coaching journey with confidence and save you some time looking for the perfect starter books. I have put together a list of the top three books that were useful when I started coaching. They all offer invaluable insights and practical strategies to kickstart your coaching journey.
The Coaching Manual by Julie Starr: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Great Coach
This book is an excellent starting point for individuals embarking on their coaching journey. Julie Starr provides a comprehensive yet straightforward guide that covers fundamental coaching principles, techniques, and strategies. This step-by-step guide serves as an essential companion for individuals seeking to start coaching and develop their coaching skills. It offers practical advice on how to establish effective coaching relationships, communicate with coachee’s, set goals, and facilitate growth and development. The manual is structured in an easy to read, user-friendly format, making it easy for beginners to grasp key concepts and apply them in real-world coaching scenarios. With its emphasis on practicality and clarity, The Coaching Manual equips aspiring coaches with the essential knowledge and skills needed to get started and develop in their coaching practice. An excellent and useful how to guide on Coaching.
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Coaching for Performance: The principles and practice of coaching and leadership (5th edition) by Sir John Whitmore and Performance Consultants
Widely regarded as a classic in coaching, this book is indispensable for individuals seeking to enhance and build their coaching skills. It offers insights into the transformative power of coaching and how it can unlock potential and maximize performance. Through case studies and practical examples, readers learn how to cultivate a coaching mindset, ask powerful questions, provide constructive feedback, and facilitate meaningful change. The book incorporates theory and practice for coaching, making it relevant and valuable for both novice and experienced coaches alike. It has a holistic approach and comes with proven methodologies. Coaching for Performance serves as a comprehensive resource for anyone committed to mastering the art and science of coaching. The book also importantly contains guidance on the The GROW Model which is a widely used framework in coaching, popularized by Sir John Whitmore. This coaching model provides a structured approach for coaches to guide their coachee’s through the coaching process effectively.
A short and quick overview of the key components of the GROW Model:
Goal Setting (G): The first step in the GROW Model involves establishing clear and specific goals.
Reality Checking (R): Once the goals are established, the next step is to assess the client's current reality or situation.
Options Generation (O): With a solid understanding of the coachee’s goals and reality, coaches then collaborate with their clients to explore various options and strategies for moving forward.
Way Forward (W): The final step in the GROW Model is to establish a clear action plan for achieving the client's goals. Coaches work with their coachee’s to define specific steps, milestones, and accountability measures to keep them on track towards success.
This is a super small taster at what the GROW Model provides as a systematic framework for achieving goals, which can really guide people towards positive change and growth.
So, this book provides a useful platform for to further learning coaching skills. It also contains a handy coaches toolkit in the back offering suggestions on useful questions and guides for getting the most from conducting coaching. By following the principles outlined in Coaching for Performance, coaches can leverage the GROW Model to unlock their coachee’s' full potential and drive performance excellence in both individual and organizational contexts.
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The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
The Art of Possibility is not a coaching book, but it does offer a fresh perspective which could help in terms of coaching, emphasizing the transformative power of mindset and perspective. Through captivating stories and thought-provoking insights, the book challenges readers to adopt a mindset of abundance, possibility, and creativity. This book goes beyond traditional coaching literature, focusing on fostering personal growth, mindset development, reflection, and fulfillment. By embracing the principles outlined in The Art of Possibility, you will not only enhance your coaching skills but also open new perspectives and ideas for your coaching. The book is packed with thought-provoking ideas and inspiration.
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These three books serve as a great start for anyone looking to fire up their coaching skills whether it is for seeking practical coaching strategies, transformative insights, or even a fresh perspective on coaching, each of these books offers valuable guidance to help you succeed in your coaching journey.
So, my next post on Coaching books will be for when you have a bit more meat on your bone regarding coaching and are wanting to delve deeper into it. I will recommend some great books on developing your coaching skills.