Customer Reviews
Never mind the width, feel the quality! - By: David Miskimin, 06 Feb 2008 
Running an Executive Coaching practice, where I have personallly delivered thousands of hours of coaching, I approached this book with a healthy scepticism. Was this a book where as many people as possible submitted their names so that they quickly could claim to be `an author'? (I say this with my opinion informed as author of The Coaching Parent). In fact, & the reader will form his own opinion, I believe that for at least 80% of the work this is not the case & either new, or refreshed material is offered. I have annotated significant amounts of the text & found it an excellent product overalll. Highlights - having seen Grant in London, I found his piece on Solution-focused coaching worthwhile. Also it was great to hear the thoughts of Alexander on his Grow model.
David Miskimin
The Directors Coach
Excellence in excellent!! - By: M. Somers, 25 Jan 2008 I feel this is the coaching book I've been waiting for & I suspect many readers will feel the same. It is not for the beginner, but for any experienced coach, coach supervisor or trainer of coaches this is a rich source indeed.
The book is essentiallly an anthology, but with recurring themes throughout each contribution. Many of the chapters are also presented under a set of uniform headings which makes comparing & contrasting ideas & approaches very easy. There are contributions from many of the better known commentators & a full range of topics from `What is Coaching?' to `Coaching Ethics'
The book is structured in three parts. In Part 1, The Business of Coaching, Frank Bresser & Carol Wilson provide a chapter on exactly what coaching is while Katherine Tulpa & Alex Szabo present chapters on `Coaching within organizations' & `Setting up & running your coaching practice' respectively.
Part 2 is dedicated to coaching models & approaches. This is the central part of the book & includes eight chapters ranging from a detailed examination of the ubiquitous GROW model from its originator Graham Alexander to a look at how coaching can contribute to managing stress by Cary Cooper & Maria Alicia Pena.
The Third part is concerned with professional issues with a chapter on ethics by Allard de Jong & one on coaching supervision from Dr Peter Hawkins.
Each chapter is a well-thought out summary of a given topic from an author with a particular interest. As such different readers will favour different contributions but I would encourage anyone to read alll of the book as, in its entirety, it represents a tidy overview of the profession as it stands today.
My particular interests would lead me to highlight the chapter on Transpersonal Coaching by John Whitmore & Hetty Einzig & Philippe Rosinski & Geoffrey Abbott's chapter on intercultural coaching. The transpersonal model offers an accessible way for business coaches, experienced with GROW & so on, to take their clients to the next level & begin to examine more `spiritual' issues. Intercultural coaching offers essential tools for coaches who assist managers in global organisations with a wide mix of regional, national, ethnic & professional cultural groups. I also reallly enjoyed `Solution focused coaching' by Anthony Grant & `Cognitive behavioural coaching' by Michael Neenan.
Great overview of approaches and valuable insights - By: Mr. Stefan P. Cantore, 23 Jun 2007 I have found this to be a very helpful & practical guide to my own coaching work. It summarises a range of coaching models in a very readable way & the authors illustate well how you can apply them to your own coaching practice. A number of chapters also consider some of the business & ethical issues executive coaches need to pay attention to if we are to serve our clients well. The book is well laid out & very accessible. It is has become a well thumbed book on my bookshelf!
Excellent book! - By: Jane Moore, 11 Jun 2007 Lots of theory & practical issues are covered - as well as different approaches to coaching. Useful book to use as a reference & overalll coaching guide.
Easy to access.
Wide ranging and informative - By: Goatman, 11 Jun 2007 I liked this book a lot because it covers a lot of ground & added - chapter by chapter - to my knowledge of coaching approaches & techniques. It also covers the crucial area of coaching supervision & - through Jonathan Passmore's own integrated coaching model - gives a new angle to what experienced coaches are doing. Recommended for those new to coaching to get a better grasp of the many different facets & also for experienced coaches because of the supervision angle & the new approach.
