Customer Reviews

The Little Book of Coaching: Motivating People to Be Winners

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

 

 

I began to read this book with great expectations because I hold both Blanchard and Shula in such high regard. Perhaps my expectations were unrealistic but I had hoped for some penetrating insights; instead, I found recycled material from previous publications. Shula is among the greatest football coaches ever but has also achieved great success in an equally competitive environment, the restaurant business, so I had hoped for some of his observations about that. None. Blanchard is among the most innovative thinkers about business and presumably sees all manner of subtle but significant correlations between a great CEO and a great coach. None. From a marketing standpoint, the book's concept is clever. In terms of execution, borrowing a situation from football, it is a fumble on the authors' own goal line.

Seldom has a book fallen so far short of the philosophy it espouses. Save your time and your money by reading another book on coaching.

"C.O.A.C.H." is the acronym that encompasses this book's brief content (probably less than 15,000 words):

C is for conviction ("Have a common vision and everyone will begin to move in the same direction." "Beliefs come true." " . . . a good coach provides the direction and concentration for performers' energies . . . ." "If you don't seek perfection, you can never reach excellence." "Lacking something to uplift their hearts when difficulties arise, their minds will not be equal to the task.")

O is for overlearning (" . . . get overprepared and help your people do the same." "Perfection happens only when the mechanics are automatic." "People generally respond well to leaders who have high expectations and genuine confidence in them.").

A is for audible-ready ("Prepare well with a plan -- then expect the unexpected and be ready to change that plan." "Audibles are . . . strategies your team knows about and has practiced thoroughly . . . .").

C is for consistency ("Respond predictably to performance." " . . . use redirect and praising more." "Mistakes cannot be tolerated.").

H is for honesty ("unquestionable integrity" "genuine and sincere" "Never ask your people to do more than you are willing to do." " . . . genuine faith [in God] is eminently practical.").

As a summary: "Who believed in you?" "How do you create that spark of self-recognition in others?" "It's about your believing in someone." "And then doing whatever it takes to help that person to his or her very best.")

The book itself offers little more than aphorisms. There are a few football examples. There are even fewer business examples. Examples from other contexts are almost nonexistent. This book would have been better with exercises for readers, questions to answer, and more relevant examples.

Personally, I disagree with the point that perfection should be the vision. Perfection could be a useful goal for an empowering vision, such as the one that the Salvation Army has.

The main benefit I got from the book was thinking through the way that companies fail to prepare for predictable alterations in circumstances, in the way that football teams do with audibles. Using scenarios to think through the future is relatively new to all but a few organizations. Clearly, this major lack will continue to harm organizations in the increasingly volatile social and economic climate of today.

If you have read The One Minute Manager and have seen and heard a top coach in action, you can skip this book.

Provide an example that others can easily understand and follow!

It's a very brief book, small size, big print, quotations taking whole pages. While it covers some good ideas, it lacks meat. It can serve as a refresher, but definitely not a comprehensive coaching sourcebook.

Imagine yourself in a huddle with Ken & Don. They give you a little coachng nugget on one page and then elaborate for several paragraphs on the facing page. A slimmed down version of their earlier coaching book, but still useful to cover some essential coaching principles.

- Mark Kelly, coauthor of MASTERING TEAM LEADERSHIP: 7 ESSENTIAL COACHING SKILLS

Few books trigger an internal search of myself and help coalesce gut reactions into a better understanding of what drives myself. It has help me with insight into others under my tutorage.

In Blanchard's signature style - two coaching masters at work - Don Shula and Ken Blanchard unite and ignite leaders to motivate performers to peek levels of performance. The Little Book of Coaching is crammed full of inspiration that will motivate even the most jaded coaches into creating a winning organization.

One tip which is one of the richest offered in the book "More important to setting goals is the follow up - attention to detail - demand for practice perfection."

The only problem was that after a while, I found myself skimming through the book to catch the nuggets of insight offered, rather the spending time reading through the entire book. The short bursts of insight really did not need further elaboration.

Good book, if you need quick statements for motivation.

Don't let the size of this book deter you. In fact, the small size and large print make this book a joy to read. The principles expounded here are a blueprint for success. I've had the pleasure of working for several fantastic managers and I can tell you that they used the methods described here. I have applied the principles myself as a manager in a maintenance organization. If you want to bring about a culture change in your group, read this book and apply the principles. It is an easy approach, and it works!

One of my interests is why some people succeed and why others don't. Two sports teams have equally talented players. One team goes to the championship while the other team struggles in the playoffs, if they make the playoffs! Why?

"The Little Book of Coaching" outlines a simple process that will help anyone do better. I follow these steps and have taught these steps in classes. The five simple "COACH" steps are:
* Conviction-Driven - Never compromise your beliefs
* Overlearning - Practice until it's perfect
* Audible-Ready - Know when to change
* Consistency - Respond predictably to performance
* Honesty-Based - Walk your talk

These steps are simple to learn. Implement them and you will see a positive change in your life.

Life, no matter personal or bisiness, is so much like the game (such as NFL).

How to make yourself stay competitive and strong is as important as how to motivate people surrounded you to spearhead to victory.

Business guru Kenneth Blanchard and NFL coach Don Shula share with us their perspectives on coaching and leadership with different methods but same objective. So you can have a better view of how to improve your own coaching skill.

One book, one price for two professional and treasurable insights. It's obviously a best buy!

Ken Blanchard's wisdom and Don Shula's coaching experience come together in this easy-to-read book. The simple truths expressed by these two gurus are very applicable in both your professional and personal lives. This book is appropriate for all levels in an organization and is a "must read" for any leader or coach.