Leverage Your Best, Ditch the Rest: The Coaching Secrets Top Executives Depend On (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Madeleine Homan (Author) "Things are good....Well, they could be better....Actually, I'm really fed up, and I'm thinking of quitting my job..." (more)
Key Phrases: destination valuables, goal confluence, living valuables, Prime Objective, Three Perspectives, Leverage Your Best (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The authors, founders of coaching.com, have created a plan that incorporates the strategies used by coaches when assisting their clients. Blanchard (son of renowned business consultant, Ken Blanchard) and Homan start by raising three key questions: How do you see yourself? How do others see you? How do you want to be seen? People must be able to answer these points to improve their daily work routines as well as to be happier in general. The authors walk readers through a series of exercises that offer a perspective on their office situation and in what specific areas they need guidance. In some cases, by learning how others see them, readers may be able to make easy "fixes" to a troubling professional problem, but others may find they need to change their careers. The authors clearly explain the steps readers need to take to make these changes. For example, readers are encouraged to understand their personal and professional needs, by identifying them, setting goals and looking toward friends or family who can help. Then they're asked to consider a specific incident that was unsettling and ask themselves what needs were not being met, what they might have done differently and whom they might have spoken to for advice at the time. This is an upbeat book, filled with practical advice, real life examples and numerous exercises. It is almost as good as having one-on-one sessions with an executive coach.
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Product Description

leverage (lev'r ij) The power to act or influence.

ditch (dich) Slang, to get rid of; discard.

Finally, you hold in your hands a powerful tool that will show you how to take full advantage of -- Leverage! -- your strengths and most positive qualities, while at the same time discarding or getting around -- Ditch! -- whatever gets in your way.

Scott Blanchard and Madeleine Homan, co-founders of Coaching.com, share their groundbreaking program, honed by fourteen years of high-level executive coaching and consulting. They offer new perspectives on how to spend your precious and limited resources, time, emotions, passions, and energy to generate the best results.

The three-part process begins with a twenty-five-question self-assessment, then moves on to the Three Perspectives -- major life queries that focus on how you are perceived, your own self-image, and self-imposed limitations. The final step, the Seven Leverage Points, offers fresh insight into the choices you make and how you conduct yourself in business and in life. You will find immediately applicable tools to appraise and manage your work environment and personal gifts. You will be guided to make tiny but crucial shifts in getting needs met and drawing boundaries.

LEVERAGE YOUR BEST, DITCH THE REST eliminates the stupid stuff that distracts you and gets in your way. It shows you how to capitalize on what you've got going for you and how to invest in yourself like a hot new stock.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (May 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060559780
• ISBN-13: 978-0060559786
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #406,238 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Zero in on exactly what you need now!, June 13, 2004

By	Coach Yoda "Six Eyes, counting contacts" - See all my reviews

As an executive coach, I'm hyper-critical of coaching books. This one was different. I LOVED it. I read the whole book up to the Scrubdown, took the test and plotted my score on the grid. ELIMINATE YOUR TOLERATIONS stood out as THE KEY PLACE for my attention, so I went directly to chapter 10. Now, I'm not a novice to assessments, or even to the coaching principles discussed in the book. What's different and exceptional is the USABILITY of the book. The design lets you zero in on what's most important. I got what I needed FIRST, and went to work on that. The other reason I recommend this book is that the writing makes it so much fun. It's sassy, irreverent, perceptive, and so clear about what is true about the human condition. Acceptance, endorsement and okayness are conveyed in every sentence. The "Snapshots" (stories about people) are fresh and have an unmistakeable ring of truth. You'll want to get copies for friends and loved ones, including colleagues and your staff, who may have wondered what executive coaching is about..

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leverage Your Best, Ditch The Rest, July 17, 2004

By	Leigh P. Strohn (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

I am thrilled with the "call to action" this book created for me. When I began, I underestimated the impact a coaching "book" could have on me as I have utilized a personal coach before and that was an incredibly powerful experience that helped me to make a (wonderful) major change in my life. However, because of this book, I am now making some critical changes to improve the quality of my life. As a wife, mother, family member and employee, it's the first time that I can remember really focusing on myself! And feeling like that's OK. The scrubdown forced me to be brutally honest about what was causing me fatigue and pain, and the book is providing me with clear direction on where and how to change that. Plus, I can focus on my immediate needs first, which has truly enrolled me. The author's bring out so many truths which are helpful and inspiring for me.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Is it the coach or the coaching? , October 1, 2004

By	Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Blanchard and Homan have set out to demonstrate the benefits of coaching to readers who may not have experienced the process first-hand. Some readers will be looking for ways to change their lives; others want a preview of what's in store if they hire a coach.

It is important to understand that Blanchard and Homan are explaining a very specific type of coaching, what could be called "mainstream" coaching, identified in many minds with the original CoachU under the leadership of Thomas Leonard. If you hire a graduate of another coach school, or an independent coach, you may get a whole different experience.

Even more important, Blanchard and Homan seem to be exceptional as people and as coaches. They share a a fairly sophisticated understanding of business. Many -- some would say most -- coaches do not resemble them. Going to coach school doesn't automatically create a business, career or relationship expert.

For example, I really liked the section on managing one's strengths, a topic that is rarely discussed. The authors describe what happens when young lawyers begin to do well, intimidating the partners. As coaches, they helped their clients overcome these obstacles to success. But not every coach has the political savvy to address those challenges. Blanchard and Homan didn't learn these skills in coach school.

Readers who identify with the chapter topics will find helpful guidance. But as a certified grinch, I believe the authors left out a key question: "What are the challenges that this type of coaching is uniquely suited to addressing? And what assumptions do mainstream coaches make about human behavior?"

The authors write that coaching is "an art of the soul and coaches are artists of the soul." And the "goal of coaching is to help clients objectively see where they are .. and where they need to be ... and then develop a plan to get them there with as little effort and as much fun as the law will allow."

These definitions are appealing but vague. I've seen many concepts of "soul." There are hundreds of ways to help people get from here to there. In reality, I've found that mainstream coaches often assume their clients have the answers. They need help with confidence, accountability and "backward plans."

Blanchard and Homan are probably wise enough to avoid applying these techniques universally to any client who shows up on their doorstep. But they need to articulate their understanding to help readers choose their own coaches. Not everyone wants a cheerleader and some people actually function most effectively with what psychologists call "defensive pessimism."

So I think this book would be even more helpful with a section discussing not just what a coach might do, but when and why this type of coaching works. Every theory has limits of applicability; even gravity works only under certain atmospheric conditions. There's no universal solution for "everyone."

By making explicit the assumptions and limits of coaching, the authors would avoid some sources of confusion. For instance, they describe a client who felt she had to "come clean" with her coach about smoking. The coach responded, "I don't care if you smoke." Although coaching is supposed to be a partnership, this example suggests some kind of power imbalance. And indeed some coaches say openly, "I give my clients permission to..." Permission implies power.

As a minor glitch, the book jacket makes mention of a 25-item self-survey, but I found a 46-item "scrubdown." Perhaps they can make a correction in the next edition.

Bottom Line: If you're lucky to work with someone of the caliber of these authors, you'll probably benefit. But it's up to you to decide if you're benefiting from their intelligence and business expertise or from application the coaching tools they present in their chapters.