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New Additions to the Best Books on Executive Coaching
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE BEST BOOKS ON EXECUTIVE COACHING
We have made some additions to our site with regards to works about executive coaching. This is the kind of information that we send exclusively to members of the Peer Resources Network. If you would like to join the Network, details are available on our site.
1. A book we have added to the Top Books in Coaching page (www.peer.ca/topcoachbks.html):
Auerbach, J.E. (2001). Personal and executive coaching: The complete guide for mental health professionals. Ventura, CA: Executive College Press.
An essential guide for therapists or other mental health practitioners considering the transition to coaching. The author details the differences between coaching and mental health practice and clearly specifies the legal and ethical issues associated with transition, including an admonition about promoting both clinical and coaching work on the same web site. Also included in the book are examples of how various techniques, assessment tools and processes differ in coaching as compared to clinical interventions. The book also provides variety of forms useful in coaching practice and will assist clinical practitioners to determine what type of coaching might fit their own career development goals. Available from Amazon.com.
2. Books added to our Annotated Bibliography (www.peer.ca/SearchB.html) but not our Top Coaching Books page:
Kilburg, R.R. (2000). Executive coaching: Developing managerial wisdom in a world of chaos. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Written by a clinical psychologist with years of experience, this book attempts to integrate coaching and psycho-dynamic principles. Case studies demonstrate the author's approach to real life work issues. While the scholarly and thoughtful presentation clearly presents the author's ideas, it also suffers from lack of perspective about the author's own training experience and immerses the reader in a highly psychological approach to coaching. This is less of a criticism as it is a caution. Coaches reading this book will benefit from learning more about uncovering dynamics that ought to lead to referral. Available from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.
O'Neill, M. (2000). Executive Coaching with Backbone and Heart: A Systems Approach to Engaging Leaders with Their Challenges. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Provides insights into the pros and cons of executive coaching. Identifies a set of core principles, such as (1) ensuring that coaches understand themselves (and what can happen if they ignore this area); (2) understanding the system within which an executive functions; and (3) learning to be a partner rather than imposing ideas. The book includes real life stories and vignettes, as well as a strong foundation of theory and method, and addresses the complex pulls on the coach involved in the executive coaching relationship. Four distinct coaching phases (worksheets included) walk readers through a course of action they can use with any manager, from the top executive down to the first line manager. Available from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.
3. Some of the annotations about executive coaching added to our Annotated Bibliography (www.peer.ca/SearchB.html):
Wozniak, L. (May 16, 2002). Coaching the chief executive. Far Eastern Economic Review, 165, 19, 56.
An executive coach talked to sports coaches to learn how their approach might be applied in business settings. This article is an interview with the business coach about what he found. The interview covers: a definition of executive coaching (confidential, one-to-one, oriented towards performance improvement, needs diagnosed and agreed upon, action plans developed, tested in the workplace under coach guidance, often stretching the comfort zone of the executive, usually focuses on 2-3 developmental needs, lasts from 6-12 months), distinctions of coaching from traditional management consulting (coaching is less technical and more behavior or leader focused), and key observations from the sports world including: coach as catalyst for change, the importance of team work, the learning value of both failure and success, the role of attitude, and the role of balance.
Dyer, T.J. (Spring, 2002). Executive development: Outer goals and inner coaching. Employment Relations Today, 29, 1, 55-61.
Current reports of malaise and wrong doing on the part of senior executives in major companies indicates the arrogance and power orientations that contribute to destroying people assets. The author of this article believes that significant reconstruction of belief systems is necessary, yet HR personnel typically feel helpless to deal with the dysfunction they observe. The author argues that it is essential to use a strategy that lines up inner resources with the achievement of outer goals. He believes five components are necessary: 1, establish a clear business goal; 2, reveal and re-frame potential destructive or blocking beliefs; 3, shift to productive beliefs; 4, create an external action plan; and 5, create an inner coaching plan.
Anonymous. (October 11, 2000). Executive coaches in demand. Globe and Mail, M1.
This brief article reports on the growth in personnel hired as executive coaches by the Boston-based firm, Drake Beam Morin. The company reports that they have increased their coaching staff to 31, doubling the number from the previous year. They attribute the rise to the growth of dot.com companies with young workforces, often inexperienced at the executive levels. But these aren't the only companies experiencing a need to stretch their knowledge and skills so many other companies are also considering or using executive coaches to help with leadership skills, communication or other critical decisions. Drake Beam Morin suggests that many of the dot.com companies are recruiting business-saavy baby-boomers to help their youth-based staff face typical business challenges. Consequently older executives may be finding new opportunities as executive coaches.
Underwood, R. (July, 2002). Ready for rebound. (Online only) Fast Company.
Marshall Goldsmith, described as a top executive coach, offers five tips for getting in the game during the time between downturn and rebound. Goldsmith's five strategies include developing product ideas, piloting new projects, conducting research, writing articles, and networking.
We constantly scan the professional and popular literature to bring the latest and most up-to-date information and resources to members of the Peer Resources Network. Membership is only $53.50 per year for an individual membership and includes additional services such as our monthly Peer Bulletin and a subscription to the only print magazine about coaching, Compass (next issue to be published in October, 2002).
The Coaching News is provided to subscribers every 45-60 days by Peer Resources <www.peer.ca/coaching.html>. To become a member of the Peer Resources Network and receive a more comprehensive monthly publication as well as the only print magazine on coaching, visit www.peer.ca/PRN.html or call 1.800.567.3700 in North America or 1.250.595.3503 outside of North America. To be removed from this mailing list send an email to <info@peer.ca>.
All articles and information included in this newsletter have been prepared by Rey Carr and all copyrights are held by Peer Resources. To submit information or articles for possible inclusion in future issues, please send an email to coachingnews@peer.ca.
