The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

I've had this book since late 2017 and I'm halfway through reading it. I only wish I'd read it much sooner! I bought it at a time when I had plans to start some kind of coaching programme for clients of my accounting firm, but with no formal coaching skills or training I didn't know where to start. As it turns out, I spent 2018 laying the foundations in my firm for all other services which would free up my time to get into coaching. Now, in 2019, I am venturing into coaching with clients and other accountants and this book is exactly what I needed to face my challenge, to build a structure around coaching sessions and to give my clients clarity on how coaching works and what can be achieved if they commit to the structure of the programme. An excellent, easy and practical read and suitable for anyone who wants to get into coaching themselves or others, or for managers looking to adopt a coaching habit with their team. Highly recommend! Michael breaks down 7 critical coaching questions that will revolutionise the way you engage with your peers and those you currently manage (but will soon be coaching!) It doesn’t just span your working life, but I’ve found it has helped in my personal life too; e.g., when a friend confides in me and is looking for help or a sounding board. The book is really quick to read. It’s concise enough that I didn’t find myself thinking, “yeah, yeah, I’ve got the reason why now get to how I improve in area x” yet it gave me enough that I felt I could go out and practice with it. One would have to be blind not to see the power in what is being said and in an era where there is enough momentum to confine ‘Command and control’ style leadership to the 80’s where it belongs, this book couldn’t be more timely.

Good book. It's packed full of useful information that you can use in a pragmatic sense. Doesn't try to be over complex. It's to the point and will be useful for anyone who has a role where coaching is needed.

This book was four years in the making and yet reads in an entertaining, enlightening and informative way that hides the craft of a great writer. It is very well supported by a website that through a series of sketches and videos supports the learning. Otherwise we all too easily forget this stuff. You may like me not have the stomach for the research into the sometimes obscure source material that supports the principles used in this book. Indeed the author credits his researcher by name throughout the book which makes for a reliable and meaningful read. In the style of the great author he moves from source via sorcery to the "secret sauce" that turns this book from "good to great". This is the same author who has so far raised 400,000 dollars through his book "End malaria", so I am not alone in rating this author. The book covers 7 powerful coaching questions to save us from the bear traps we all blunder into. Resisting the urge to provide the solution is particularly tricky. All the questions are gently introduced with warmth and humour, so it is never a begrudging read. Personally, I read the book in parallel with a more challenging book which for me gave this book a bit more bite and motivated me to stick with the other book. I sometimes question myself about why I read so many of these books for small incremental improvements to my performance but the author reads 100 such books a year and lists a selection at the end with the learning that he received from them, I am not alone in my curiosity.

I've read many books in this review series, and many more that haven't made it to a review. I don't say these words lightly. THIS IS POSSIBLY THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ. Since I started my career in sales in my mid-20s, I've been fascinated with the power of a good coach. Although in my early call centre days I didn't realise it, I had a manager who was also coaching me. Properly coaching me by letting me find things out for myself. I didn't realise this was what he was doing until many years later and only after finishing this book (and writing these very words, if I'm being honest) did I realise that what could be perceived as laziness by some we worked with (Simon Miller, Ben Thurstan, Brett McKenna, Kirsty Wilson were all also coached by Colin) was actually highly effective coaching. Asking more questions is a great start to coaching but here Michael distills things down in to seven questions that will enable you to coach efficiently, effectively and (importantly) in a way that is low impact on you. Used regularly, in order, these seven questions will allow you to become a much more effective coach whilst putting a lot less pressure on yourself. The questions are labelled The Kick-start, The Awe, The Focus, The Foundation, The Lazy, The Strategic and The Learning questions. Each of the questions is backed by both illustrations of how to implement them but also by solid research on the science behind them. I've already started using some of these questions in my coaching sessions and they truly are brilliant. My biggest take away (one that's hard to implement at first) is to Tame The Advice Monster. I coach my team to listen more and talk less, yet as a coach I was very keen to solve problems FOR (or with) my team - rather than performing my proper job of allowing them to solve it themselves. Michael - kudos to you. I'm a new convert and evangelist.

Excellent, clear and concise book on the 7 main coaching questions for use in all situations ( work, business, clubs, churches etc). How to move people forward and help them engage their thoughts more usefully, in a few short sentences. I enjoyed the anecdotes and analogies! Great read for new managers and anyone starting a coaching or leadership journey.

A great book, however, I still think the GROW model is more relevant. This book was talking more about the conversation techniques - and also loved how he inserted Karpman Drama Triangle which could happen during coaching, yet the solution was missing in the book i.e. The Empowerment Dynamic (TED) by David Emerald.

If there was one book that lays bare the science of coaching in plain speak, here is the one. No jargons, very useful book references, plenty of videos for reinforcing learning at the end of very chapter makes this book a pleasure to read. Retention is guaranteed with repetition and cross references at apt occasions.

Non trovando l'edizione italiana ho acquistato quella in inglese, anche per esercitarmi. Lo trovo un testo molto utile, pratico e l'autore è molto divertente. Facile da leggere ed efficace.

Love it! Highly recommended for managers or people keen on acquiring coaching knowledge and put effective coaching into practice.

You should buy and read The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier if you’re interested in improving your performance as a manager and your team’s performance and morale. If you’re reading this review of a book on coaching for managers, you probably fall into one of two camps. You might be a manager who’s already doing some coaching or you’re a manager who hasn’t made coaching part of your toolkit yet. You may already have made coaching part of the way you manage. If that’s true. you can skip over the next section of this review and get right to why this book will be an excellent addition to the other coaching books you own. It’s also possible because you’re interested in adding coaching to your manager’s toolkit and you’re seeking a good book to get you started. Then the next few paragraphs are for you. The benefits of coaching are pretty straightforward and well documented. A boss who coaches his or her team members effectively will have a more productive team, have higher team morale, and will have a more enjoyable work life. OK, so why aren’t you doing it already? My experience suggests that there are three possible reasons. You may think that the coaching that managers do and the coaching that sports coaches do is the same. Nope. Sports coaches do a lot of telling and don’t ask many questions. The art of the coaching manager is the art of the question. Or, you may think that the coaching that managers do and the coaching that professional executive coaches do is the same. Nope. Professional coaches are a godsend for us. But they’re professionals with a bag full of professional tools and expertise. Coaching with them is an event that you put on your calendar. The art of the coaching manager is coaching “in the workflow” several times a day. That’s why it should be a habit. Or, you may think that the coaching that managers do requires deep knowledge of psychology and coaching theory. Nope. The fact is that all the great supervisors I studied coached routinely without a bit of specialized training. Heck, my mother used to do it with me and my sister. They all asked something like: “Why do you think that happened?” or “What do you want to do?” and then listened. It was all about conversation and part of the normal flow of life and work. That’s what this book is about. Ask more. Say less. Simple enough that this preacher’s boy can get it. Here are the details. What’s in this book? Coaching is simple. So is this book. Coaching is lean. So is this book. The first chapter is about why you need the coaching habit. The second chapter is about creating the coaching habit. Yes, habit, something you do reflexively several times every work day. The advice in this chapter is based on real science, not that nonsense about “28 days.” The next seven chapters are about seven questions you can ask Just seven and that’s enough. There are “Master Classes” that help you ask the questions effectively. There are pointers to videos and podcasts and other helps. Still not sure? Well, there’s good news. Check out the “Look Inside the Book” feature for the Kindle version of this book. That will give you the “Why” you’ll need to judge if the book is for you Bottom Line: Five Stars If you’ve already read several books on coaching, this book and the advice on habit building will be a wonderful addition to your library. If you’re trying to figure out if coaching will help you and how to get started, this is the perfect book to buy, read, and use.