Coaching with the Brain in Mind: Foundations for Practice [Hardcover]

David Rock (Author), Linda J. Page (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0470405686 | ISBN-13: 978-0470405680 | Edition: 1

Coaching Brain in Mind

Foundations for Practice

David Rock and Linda J. Page, PhD

Discover the science behind brain-based coaching

By understanding how the brain works, coaching professionals can better tailor their language, strategies, and goals to be in alignment with an individual's "hard-wired" way of thinking. Written by two well-known coaching professionals, David Rock and Linda Page, Coaching with the Brain in Mind presents the tools and methodologies that can be employed by novice and experienced coaches alike to create an effective—and ultimately more rewarding—relationship for both coach and client.

This informative guide to the neuroscience of coaching clearly demonstrates how brain-based coaching works in practice, and how the power of the mind can be harnessed to help an individual learn and grow. Illustrated with numerous case examples and stories, this book is organized for immediate use by professionals in their client work.

Coverage includes:

• A succinct but comprehensive overview of the major scientific and theoretical foundations for coaching and their implications for practice

• How the language of coaching—setting goals, making connections, becoming more aware, seeking breakthroughs, and taking action—parallels what neuroscientists tell us about how the brain operates

• Neuroscience as a natural platform for the ongoing development of coaching

Building on the existing foundation of coaching by adding neuroscience as an evidence base for the profession, Coaching with the Brain in Mind shows that it is possible to become a better professional coach by understanding how the brain works. As well, the authors, through their research, present that an understanding of neuroscience research, however new and speculative, can help coaches and leaders fulfill their potential as change agents in the lives of others.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Rock is one of the thought leaders in the global coaching profession. He has taught his integrated coaching model to more than 3,000 coaches and managers worldwide. His coaching organization, Results Coaching Systems, works with large corporations to build internal coaching competencies among managers and leaders.?He is the author, most recently, of Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work.

Linda J.Page,PhD, is founder of Adler International Learning, a coach training and consulting organization, and active member of several international coaching organizations. Her writing and editing experience spans various media, genres, and subjects, including articles on coaching, neuroscience, organizational change, and psychotherapy. She has also written scripts for CBC radio and for several children's albums including Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch: Camping in Canada.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470405686
• ISBN-13: 978-0470405680
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.6 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have been interested in 'what makes us tick' since as early as I can remember, and my personal interest in brain research has been there since my teens.

In 2004 I found that brain research provided a missing piece in our understanding of how to be more effective leaders, managers or coaches. I have now written three books based on what I have been learning, including Quiet Leadership, the text book Coaching with the Brain in Mind, and Your Brain at Work.

I coined the term 'NeuroLeadership' in 2007, and am now closely involved with running a global Institute that is involved in research and education around how to improve organizations through the use of neuroscience. Learn more on that at www.neuroleadership.org I also run a consulting and training organization at NeuroLeadership.com

I maintain an active personal blog at www.davidrock.net, as well as posting regularly on psychology today, on a blog called 'Your Brain at Work'.

I live between Sydney Australia and New York City, and have a wonderful wife and two beautiful young daughters.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource and overview of the field October 17, 2011

By David J. Giber

Format:Hardcover

This book provides an amazingly comprehensive overview of coaching and leadership theory and practice. It is useful not only to the experienced practitioner but provides a textbook like scope that introduces someone to the psychology and neuropsychology of coaching and leadership that has evolved over the last 50 years and more. However, unlike most books of this breadth, it is very readable, extremely well organized and researched. It is a wonderful reference and up to date in terms of its overview of trends and research.

David Giber, PhD

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, perhaps a bit heady for some readers' purposes February 19, 2013

By Erika Garms, PhD

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

After joining David Rock's NeuroLeadership Institute and attending one of the annual Summits (conferences), I am a full-fledged neuroscience enthusiast. I read Your Brain at Work early on and then everything else Rock had written. Having been trained in two other coaching methods, I now face the challenge of blending what I feel are the best attributes of all three methods into one smooth, consistent, productive model for my own use with clients. Rock structures the book itself in a unique and masterful way using section titles like "bedrock," "pillars," and "platforms." This could be a bit confusing or distracting to someone looking for a fairly quick and easy approach to coaching. It's not simple. If you're looking for a deep dive into the supporting neuroscience of a solid method to coaching, and do want to understand the foundational concepts and research, this should satisfy. The ample examples are helpful, and occasional graphics support and enhance understanding. I wish there were far more graphics.

There is a LOT here. Coaching With the Brain in Mind covers a lot of breadth AND depth but is sound and effective - I've been able to put much to use.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not easily accessible to this brain August 4, 2012

By Mary Beth Averill

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was really disappointed in this book. It appears to have been written as a college or grad school textbook. The pages are full of print without good use of white space. Figures are few and poor attention was paid to making them readable (print in gray areas, tables sidewise on the page). Information is interrupted with "Historical Interludes." I wanted something practical and easy to read, if not digest. The Conclusion chapter lists the main ideas of the book in a way that makes me want to go back and read more but I don't want to have to tease out those important ideas and practical applications from each chapter. While the book does include some neuroscience, the authors have not presented it in a way that takes advantage of recent new learning. So much of the book is theory(for example, about coaching, about learning, about change), including mathematical formulas, that that the coaching part is lost in the mire.