Customer Reviews

The Heart of Coaching: Using Transformational Coaching to Create a High-Performance Culture - Revised Edition

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are looking for an excellent training tool on coaching (and in today's business climate, we all probably should be), you definitely should consider Tom Crane's book The Heart of Coaching. The book is excellent in both style and substance. As for style, the book is written in plain English, with an "easy to read" visual format. As to substance, the book has chapter after chapter of useable and substantive information. Further, the book has both process (the central feature of the book is not just coaching, but "transformational coaching as a process") and practicality (as just one example, you will get genuine assistance from the insightful list of differences between "bosses" on the one hand and "coaches" on the other).

Finally, don't skip over the section of the book dealing with the personal side of coaching, the "heart" of the transformational coach. In this section, you will find the "Transformational Coach's Credo". The credo may not state anything which is revolutionarily new but, if followed consistently, the credo would certainly help the typical department workplace to exude greater enthusiasm, productivity and camaraderie (come to think of it, maybe such results could be considered revolutionary!).

In a September 2000 Time Magazine article there was an important message for organizations about coaching: Ours is a fast-paced and changing marketplace and there's a big potential pay-off for companies whose managers know how to help valued employees develop and adapt to the changes. Crane's superior book shows how to do that -- how to provide feedback with respect, with clarity, and in a partnership that empowers people to contribute increasingly at higher levels of performance. It is current, practical, and my key resource in teaching managers how to coach. I particularly appreciate the "heart" of this approach -- the commitment to know and appreciate people as human beings and to transcend the traditional boss/subordinate relationship. If you are a manager, get this book. If you are a professional coach to managers, get this book.

Tom Crane's The Heart of Coaching provides easy to read and even easier to apply principles of coaching and leadership. The integration of logical and heartfelt approaches assures successful implementation. It is a great example of how to treat people with care and respect while getting results.

I found each chapter to be full of useful and thought provoking material for the coach and manager alike. The distinctions between a boss and a coach on page 121 are excellent. In fact, I've posted them in my office to remind me daily.

Every time I pick up this book I find pearls of wisdom, what makes the book unique is how the author presents them in such a user-friendly manner. I found reading this book easy and informative. I find applying what I learned profound.

The quotes sprinkled throughout the book are an added bonus.

This is a must read for anyone who wants to be more effective interacting with others!

Tom Crane has accomplished a difficult task--capturing the "essence" of coaching while building a rock-solid foundation for practicing this emerging art and science.

The Heart of Coaching should be kept close at hand to mine it's many tools and techniques and to rejuvenate coaches when they lose sight of why this is such a rewarding and difference making field of work.

As a senior manager with a major international manufacturing entity, I am continually educating my superiors, peers and subordinates about the value of developing exceptional coaching skills. After extensive research, The Heart of Coaching was the written vehicle we chose to develop these skills within our organization.

The most important aspect of this work, that sets it apart from all others, is it's focus on changing yourself and your own behavior rather than changing others. It is written with a simplicity that creates immediate understanding of the most effective behaviors of leaders who combine "heart" with results.

The results in our organization have been astounding. Not just a change in the effectiveness of individuals, but a cultural evolution.

The Heart of Coaching is by far the best book on the subject of coaching I have read to date. As a management consultant, I have learned that the most difficult challenge in coaching is blending the "heart" of coaching with measurable results. Tom Crane has skillfully blended the "soft" coaching skills that are neccesary for coaches to inspire and motivate with the "hard" skills of measurably improved performance. It is the latter which is essential for continuing organizational support of any coaching program. Without results, coaching will not be effective. I have been recommending this book to managers around the world because it achieves that delicate balance between organizational culture and individual performance. It is also filled with fun, inspirational quotes, and is easy to read without being too basic. Another "must read".

This book does have some good background information about coaching. It is pretty dry though. If you want to learn about coaching, take an accredited coaching certification program. I did, and this was one of our required reads. It happened to be my least favorite and gave me very little practical information to use during a coaching session. If you want to read an inspiring, empowering book, read Breaking the Rules by Kurt Wright.

The Heart of Coaching is a current and practical guide that demonstrates how coaching is the heart of leadership that creates and sustains an organization's competitive advantage. Every reader will understand why this coaching model is necessary to create a "high-performance, feedback-rich" culture. Most important for the busy manager, the author shows exactly how to do that. Many writers have emphasized the importance of a learning organization for flexible responses to changing demands. Crane highlights the key role of coaching so that managers can "walk the talk." If you only want one book on managerial coaching, make it this one. It's superior.

With all due respect to Mr. Crane, this book isn't good.

Every other page has a chart, table, bullet list, diagram that rounds out his thoughts. Meaning, unless you are going to remember 100 different lists, there is nothing for you here. It's how I would write a book if a Vulcan were to digest it, without the requirement for inspiration, proof or illustration.

This book is devoid of insight. The style is "Coach like this, by doing 1,2,3,4,5 because of A,B,C and D" over and over and over. Really, it's book of lists. I would much sooner tell people to consciously consider themselves a coach, remind them so, and follow that pattern before handing this book to anyone.

I guess I was expecting so much with all the 5 star ratings it had. It's frustrating really. Who would rate this book at 5 stars? I learned much more insight about coaching from reading When Fish Fly, even though it's not a coaching book. Still, my search continues for a great coaching book for the enterprise.

In this three-part relational guide for the development of "a performance-focused, feedback-rich organization", consultant Tom Crane offers the reader his insights on three aspects of transformational coaching; the model, the coach, and the culture. The unifying theme, the heart drives relationships, and relationships drive performance, is evidenced by the title of the book and the statement, "If you chose to incorporate any of the practices described, pay attention to how your relationships are enriched and your results are enhanced."

The 'model' part is a three-phase methodology for coaching; starting with connecting, preparing, and establishing expectations (the Foundation); progressing into exploring and issues identification (the Learning Loop); continuing with options, commitment, and follow-up (Forwarding The Action.) The 'coach' element is an introspective piece including communications and style. The 'culture' part covers both `what it is' and seven principles for creating the change.

From reading the book, it is easy to see that Crane believes in intrinsic motivation and in people. He uses a most wonderful term, "positive regard," for how a coach or leader might look upon those they work with. I could not agree more with this sentiment. If you share this feeling, this is a book worth the read, as it gives wonderful guidance for how to bring out the best in people.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"