Coaching books are nonfiction works that teach leaders how to guide and inspire individuals and groups. These books cover topics such as asking practical questions, delivering feedback, and motivating teams. The purpose of these works is to help leaders provide better guidance and improve employee performance.
Business coaching books will give you an idea on how concept of coaching works and execution of strategies in the best possible manner.
1. Co-Active Coaching (Fourth Edition)
The proven framework for transformative conversations at work and in life
by Karen Kimsey-House, Henry Kimsey-House, Phillip Sandhal, Laura Whitworth
This coaching book is a fabulous overview of coaching, key skills, with ideas, inspiration, exercises and more. Called, "The bible of coaching guides" by Stephen R. Covey, this is a book about the true dance of coaching with tips, ideas, advice and suggestions - wrapped in a coach-like writing style that both soothes and inspires. It contains exercises, practices, examples and concrete advice - and is easy to read.
2. Coaching for Performance (fifth edition)
The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership
by Sir John Whitmore
Updated in 2017 (25th anniversary edition), this is an excellent book that summarises the art of coaching in an organizational context. I still regularly return to it as a reference for Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - and it has a great introduction to the GROW Model. The goal of the book is to explore how to use coaching to maximise people's potential and performance. It delves into what coaching is, why it works and where it came from. And it gives ideas for how coaching can help with motivation, finding a sense of purpose as well as getting things done
3. The HeART of Laser-Focused Coaching
A Revolutionary Approach to Masterful Coaching
by Marion Franklin
This is possibly the book to help you become a better and more effective coach!
Jam-packed with concepts, this is a book you'll want to read with a pen and notebook alongside - to jot down the thoughts and ideas you have for your current clients - and more.
There are lots of great examples to illustrate the difference the Laser Coaching method can make to 1) what the coach focuses on and 2) the outcomes that can be achieved as a result. And I loved that we are asked questions throughout the book to help us reflect on what we've personally taken away.
4. The Portable Coach
28 Surefire Strategies for Business and Personal Success
by Thomas J. Leonard
I couldn't not include this fun and inspirational book by one of the forefathers of coaching, and the founder of Coach University. This fun book has lots of ideas and things to do with your clients - and it's great for coaches to use personally too. The book is broken up into 28 easy-to-read chapters - each based on a principle. Each principle has 10 ways to implement each chapter concept. With quotes, distinctions to draw and "How to know you're making progress with this principle" in every chapter, it's a great book to just pick up and read a page at random for inspiration at any time.
5. The Discomfort Zone
How Leaders turn Difficult Conversations into Breakthroughs by Dr Marcia Reynolds
In this book, Marcia shares examples, tips and techniques to take coaches beyond transactional, purely results-focused coaching to breakthrough coaching. All we need to be masterful coaches is full-body presence and courage - and so we are encouraged to listen with our full bodies - from our head, heart AND gut. With tips to help clients see through long-standing blind spots, how to summarise our own courage and allow our clients to be uncomfortable - because this is where the transformation happens...
6. Coach the Person, Not the Problem
A Guide to Using Reflective Inquiry
by Dr Marcia Reynolds
All too often Marcia sees coaches "checklist coaching" or trying to find the "perfect coaching question" which takes us away from being present and responsive to our clients. This book is about helping coaches use reflective inquiry with our clients to be more present - and effective. A book in 3 parts, Marcia first looks at why coaching is so powerful, and some unhelpful ("crazy"!) coaching beliefs. Then she looks at 5 essential practices including Active Replay, Goaltending and the titular Coach the Person, Not The Problem. Finally Marcia wraps us by sharing 3 important mental habits for us as coaches to embrace.
7. Effective Group Coaching
Tried and Tested Tools and Resources for Optimum Group Coaching Results
by Jennifer J. Britton
Jennifer Britton is a leader in both team and group coaching and more recently virtual coaching and remote-working. If you're planning on working with groups - in any way (including webinars, workshops, team or group coaching), this book is your bible! And to be honest, if you're a coach, it's pretty likely that you're going to work with a group at some point. With explanations of what group coaching is, explaining the different dynamics that occur in groups, core skills and best practices, a great chapter on how to design your own group program and so much more!
8. The Coaching Habit
Say Less, Ask more & Change the Way You Lead Forever
by Michael Bungay Stanier
NOTE: This book is not written for coaches, instead it's written FOR managers and leaders to move them to a coaching style of managing and leading. However, it's short, fun and easy to read as well as being jam-packed with ideas - and reminders about what it is to be a coach. "The Coaching Habit" revolves around 7 Powerful Essential Questions that Michael shares, chapter by chapter. At the end of each chapter there is a section on creating a new "habit" based around the question's core purpose. In addition, each question has a follow-on "Masterclass" chapter that takes the reader deeper into the why of each coaching question.
9. The Life Coaching Handbook
Everything You Need To Be An Effective Life Coach
by Curly Martin
While there are lots of books for leadership, executive and business coaches, there aren't many books just for life coaches. This book covers life coaching basics, with definitions, distinctions and lots of tips and techniques for improving coaching skills - including beliefs, language patterns, reframes, metaphors, NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) basics, and more. It has a little on building a coaching business, but it's basic, has UK references and is somewhat out of date. But that's not why you would buy this book.
10. The Coaching Effect
What Great Leaders Do to Increase Sales, Enhance Performance, and Sustain Growth
by Bill Eckstrom and Sarah Wirth
he Coaching Effect is one of the most useful leadership coaching books. The authors spent years studying thousands of workplace interactions, and relay the findings of that research in this guide. The book identifies common characteristics and behaviors of great coaches, for instance regular 1:1 meetings and comprehensive career planning. The text gives readers advice on how to follow these examples, and the end presents a four-step process to help frame and guide the development journey. The Coaching Effect creates a composite of the ideal coach by pointing out the behaviors proven to get the best results.
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