Why do we need a book about transforming the coaching profession?
The prolonged effects of the financial crisis have been evidence enough that business management has changed. But this is more about developing the skills coaches and leaders need.
What are traditional coaching methods and why have they become obsolete?
Traditional coaching has tended to focus on being non-directive, building rapport and adapting to the individual’s agenda. Today, we need to adopt a more challenging stance and face reality in an honest manner. We depart from idealistic approaches and challenge leaders to take more responsibility.
What have the reactions been?
The reactions have been largely polarised, with one person even accusing us of suggesting that “the Pope was a Methodist”! It might be uncomfortable for some, but most people have been supportive and thankful. It is a deliberately provocative book designed to spark conversation. We can’t just continue to operate on autopilot.
What motivated this questioning of traditional models?
In the current economic times, coaches need to hold up a mirror to business leaders and challenge them to think differently. Entering what we in our book call the “zone of uncomfortable debate” is often a necessary step towards achieving game-changing goals.
Who should read this book?
We hope it can appeal to a wide spectrum of readers interested in developing leadership and management methods. We want it to add to the growing body of work questioning the business mindset that has arguably got us into today’s economic dead end. We don’t want to just go with the flow but to offer an honest and realistic call for transformation. If it can provoke a reassessment of the best role leadership coaching can play in evolving the new business leadership agenda we will have achieved our goal.
Challenging Coaching: Going Beyond Traditional Coaching to Face the FACTS, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, paperback £19.99