cover image The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever

Michael Bungay Stanier. Box of Crayons, $14.95 trade paper (232p) ISBN 978-0-9784407-4-9

Coaching is an essential leadership skill in business and learning how to do it well is a matter of habit, says Do More Great Work author Bungay Stanier in this slim guide. This pocket-size book, full of eye-catching graphics and pithy phrases in large text, guides readers through seven questions that Bungay Stanier asserts will lead them to great coaching. His suggestions for would-be coaches are focused on helping them understand the needs of the coachee and addressing these needs clearly and directly. Since many or most leaders have tried to coach and failed, according to a study Bungay Stanier cites, these questions are aimed at making coaching simpler and more effective, and building it into a habit. The advice is backed up with references to other studies and includes worksheets. The book is intended to be customized for branded corporate use; it’s hard to imagine who the trade audience would be for the generic advice provided, unless it’s amended with organization-specific information. (BookLife)

This review has been corrected; a previous versions incorrectly stated the author's last name.