Customer Reviews

The Mindful Coach: Seven Roles for Helping People Grow

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I love this book because instead of putting coaching into a series of formulas and canned techniques, Doug presents a holistic approach to coaching as a unique human interaction. The seven coaching roles he describes are useful and practical without being prescriptive, and the exercises really invite you to understand and know yourself as a canvas upon which the coaching conversation can happen.

Doug has written an important new perspective on coaching that all coaches, consultants, and managers can learn from. I highly recommend this book!

Doug's thoughtfully written book offers experienced and new coaches an important perspective on mindfulness and it's applications for coaching. In fact this book is valuable for anyone wanting to further develop their awareness and effectiveness in relating with others. In addition to theory, it includes valuable skills, techniques and exercises for you and your clients to practice. Doug's Septet Model is practical and based on ancient truths -what a great combination.

As a seasoned coach, I particularly appreciated the emphasis on being conscious of your own thoughts, emotions and behavior instead of changing others behavior. I highly recommend Doug's book as an excellent resource.

This new edition of The Mindful Coach is a must-read for coaches and leaders serious about guiding the development of others. More than other coaching books, it focuses on how we can build our capacity to serve one another and manifest what we truly care about in the world.

Here Doug distills the wisdom from his many years of coaching and training other coaches and leaders into a readable, compelling book worthy of visiting again and again. The emphasis on the cultivation of self through mindful observation calls us to be accountable for having the integrity to model the very work we ask of our coachees. Doug demonstrates how to be both assertive as a teacher or guide while remaining client-centered and building people's ability to self-coach.

Readers of the 2004 edition of this book will find this new and revised edition worth acquiring. It is much more than a simple update. Doug presents his ideas, models and practices with increased clarity and simplicity. New and more exercises enhance the value of the book for self-guided development. I found especially helpful the separate sections on mindfulness at the conclusion of each of the seven voices (coaching roles) Doug articulates. And the application of the Septet model to leadership development is brought to the fore with links my clients will find compelling. Using this with Doug's excellent Presence-Based Coaching book as a companion will offer any coach or leader rich ground for deep and sustained growth.

I've found most books on the topic of coaching to be superficial and mechanical, focused on static methodologies rather than deeper capacities that can serve as a foundation for true mastery. The new edition of The Mindful Coach is a refreshing and inspiring exception to the rule. First, it demands of the reader a commitment to our own curriculum of self-discovery as we work with our clients on theirs. This extremely well written book sheds light on the way our attachments and aversions color our perception and hook us into less-than-helpful actions. The majority of the book is dedicated to examining seven different "voices" of a coach. As I read these chapters I realized that within my work some of these voices are well-honed and others less so. It helped me identify where, through greater self-awareness and practice, I can strengthen myself as an instrument of change. Two important features of the book that I appreciated: 1) The exercises were imaginative and fun. They produced some useful insights and I find myself using some of them on a regular basis. 2) Silsbee encourages us to be gentle and non-judgmental with ourselves as we experiment with new ways of being. This is a book I will return to on a regular basis to measure my development as a coach.

The Revised Edition of The Mindful Coach is a great resource for coaches who wish to transcend in their capacity to support the development of leaders, executives, and other professionals and simultaneously develop oneself as a coach.

Being mindfully honest, open, straightforward is a necessity in coaching with excellence. Learning to know ones attachments and aversions and letting go of them, and mindfully fading into the background as the coachee assumes his own personal power is a superb gift this New and Revised Edition of The Mindful Coach provides.

The book presents and explores the seven Voices (Master, Partner, Investigator, Reflector, Teacher, Guide and Contractor) or roles through which coaches conduct professional dialogues to support learning and growth. Doug Silsbee provides many sample dialogues of each Voice, and also provides many exercises to self-coach and self observe oneself with increased awareness and mindfulness.

The exercises are very thought provoking and I recommend any coaches that purchase the book to do the exercises mindfully. This way they will have a powerful learning experience.

Doug Silsbee, with his Buddhist training, is perhaps one of the most experienced master teachers in the art of mindfulness applied to coaching. The book is full of wisdom and practical knowledge. Highly recommended.

I wish I had written this book! This book provides a clear path for how to connect with and guide leaders to a clear understanding of the real work of connection... and it begins with Doug's deep insights and explorations. This book is a must-have resource for all those who wish they could get beyond the personality or behavior styles assessments and find a unique platform for coaching. Readers will relate to the stories and find they refer to this as a personal guide for leadership development of others, and perhaps most importantly - OF SELF!

I heard Doug speak. Then I read his book. As the title suggests, he helps us be mindful as we embrace opportunities to serve others. As a business coach, I found this book provocative. His drescriptions of 7 parts/ roles is insightful. And his wisdom flows deep, with applicable tips that you can use with others. I urge you to read this book slowly, and to discuss it with others.

Doug Gray, PCC, author of Passionate Action: 5 Steps to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work

Silsbee's writings challenge any coach to take his or her work to a whole new level. His system is profoundly ethical and personally demanding, ensuring gain for both the coach and the client. The more "coaching" rises to this level, the more honesty there will be in coaching as a true profession...and the more businesses would likely search for coaches skilled in Silsbee's methods.

Doug Silsbee offers a rare perspective in writing for a business context. He speaks from a deeply personal experience of his own journey and how helping others must begin with looking at self.

This is a powerful book because it is written with a commitment to personal honesty, truth telling, and service. Doug makes a very strong case that this is what coaching is and should be all about.

Doug has provided a clear and integrated model to assist people in understanding and applying some of the important skills in mindfulness and coaching. As a Global Executive Coach and mindfulness practitioner, I believe that executives from diverse backgrounds who are concerned with people development will find The Mindful Coach an insightful and practical guide.