Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others [Paperback]

James Flaherty (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0750699035 | ISBN-13: 978-0750699037 | Publication Date: September 15, 1998 | Edition: 1st

Coaching is based on the premise we must understand people before we can coach them. Flaherty asks fundamental questions rather than supply "easy to apply" tips and surface bandaids. "Coaching is not telling people what to do; it's giving them a chance to examine what they are doing in the light of their intentions." (from the Preface) "A coach is someone who builds a respectful relationship with a client and then researches the situations the client finds himself in, with particular emphasis on the client's interpretation of the events." (from Chapter 1) Then, in partnership with the client, the coach can work to altering actions to bring about expected outcomes. This book provides the language and operative principles and assessment models and sample coaching conversations necessary to do that.

The book is grounded in many different paths of wisdom including time-tested philosophies, sociological premises and psychological discussions. Chapter bibliographies encourage further interdisciplinary reading.

· This book is a coaching tool enabling the reader to become a business coach who can self-correct and self-generate your own innovations
· It addresses the question: How do I contribute to someone's competence in a respectful, dignified, effective way?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"At long last, a book on coaching that moves beyond 'advice from the sidelines.' James Flaherty convincingly shows that the only way to truly help people grow is to help them in developing new practices and new language, and that the only way to coach effectively is to enter into a reciprocal relationship where 'coach' and 'coachee' engage in a dance of mutual influence and growth." - Peter M. Senge, MIT and Society for Organizational Learning

"The professional and aspiring coach who picks up this book will find the 'mother load' of coaching's guiding principles. James Flaherty has devoted his career to synthesizing and teaching the fundamentals of coaching. His models open up the conceptual framework for continuous learning for the coach and the coached." - Karen Otazo, Managing Director, Executive Coaching Connection, London, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong


"It is a beautiful example of the work of a scholar practitioner whose goal is to link theory and application." - Charlie Seashore, Faculty, Ph.D. Program in Human Organization Development, Fielding Institute, Santa Barbara, CA


"In an emerging discipline where serious practitioners are seeking reputation for integrity and outcomes, it is helpful to discover an advocate for rigor, discipline, and fundamentals..." - John Hofmeister, Director of Human Resources, Royal Dutch Shell, The Hague, London


"James Flaherty's book is full of useful and practical ways to develop the crucial and important skill of coaching..." - Jill Dodwell-Gorves, Senior Manager, Training and Development, Jardine Pacific, Hong Kong

Book Description

Second edition of best seller that has sold over 27,000 copies to date --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1st edition (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750699035
• ISBN-13: 978-0750699037
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A textbook for the practioner, April 2, 2001

By 

Giselle Springer-Douglas "Child of the World" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others (Paperback)

This is heavy reading, but well worth it. Remeber your college philosophy classes and associated textbooks? Well, Flaherty takes the beauty and probing questions of philosphy and creates practical use of them by applying them to the art of coaching. Flaherty relies heavily on a few of his favorite modern philosophers, and takes their discoveries and theories and converts them into assessment models, enrollment techniques, etc. What you end up with is a very lucid, free flowing book that allows the coach to see the client as a human being with varying motivations, competencies, agendas, etc., and frees us from the trap of attempting to coach our clients into becoming ourselves (someone with our values, motivations, etc.); instead allowing them to grow into their own self-correcting, self-generating person.

One caveat, this book looks just as much at the growth of the coach as it does at the growth of the client. In fact, the author asserts that failed coaching often stems from a coaches inability to completely appreciate the client for who s/he is (their motivations, world interpretation, etc.); this falls under the topic of Relationship in the book, and essentially discusses the meaning and importance of mutual appreciation, respect and freedom of expression. He advocates self discovery and continued growth of the coach; allowing yourself to learn from your client while they learn from you.

In summary, the book moves us away from simply using techniques and models as our "catch all" coaching tools and moves us towards understanding the unique human being, their unique situation, their unique drive, their unique interpretation of the world, etc. The author also encourages coaches to understand their own humanity, including their own mortality, so that our connections with our clients are more solid and hopefully more fruitful.

Although the author does provide some assessment model examples, don't expect a step by step coaching program from this work. The author throws out ideas to stimulate our own thinking about ourselves and our clients' needs. It is left up to us to put the theories, suggestions and ideas into a workable form that can be used in our coaching practices.

A note on the heavy, textbook quality of this work: It is just that. It is an amazing, thought provoking work, but it's college textbook like quality (the author does begin to throw in humor around page 90 or so) can be a little rough to get through (hence the 4 out of 5 stars).

If you don't mind free-flowing structure that allows you to draw your own conclusions, or are looking for a humanistic view on this sector of consulting, then this work is for you.

94 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, April 28, 2000

By 

George P. Hollenbeck (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others (Paperback)

This is one of the two best books on coaching I have seen. Not for the casual reader, it is ideal for the serious practitioner of change. It has the rigor and systematic approach that are needed in a field that has become the province of lifestyle gurus and fortune-tellers. It provides a solid philosophical base for change through coaching that is a great foundation. It could serve as a textbook for how to coach. Thanks, Mr. Flaherty.

71 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply moving and effective, February 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others (Paperback)

I am amazed at the strength of Flaherty's first effort. The well-designed exercises he presents are amazingly effective, and Flaherty's understanding of human behavior is eminently practical. A must-read for any coaching practitioner or anyone who wants a deeper understanding of how to make changes in his/her own life or the lives of others.