The second year of my book club has continued to provide insights and self-discovery for everyone involved. We have enjoyed an eclectic mix of books which have added to our practice and our continuous development in the field of coaching and mentoring.
If you would like to engage in a shared reading experience, gain a deeper understanding of coaching or mentoring, and learn new tools along the way, please join me for the Bi-monthly book club. (Admin fee applies). Here is my list from 2023 starting with hardback copies and then moving on to audiobooks.
1 – ‘You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For”by Richard Schwartz. – Bringing Courageous Love to Intimate Relationships – In this book, Richard Schwartz, the developer of the Internal Family Systems Model, applies the IFS Model to the topic of intimate relationships in an engaging, understandable, and personal style.
Therapists and lay people alike will find this book to be an insightful exploration of how cultivating a relationship with the Self—the wise centre of clarity, calmness, and compassion in each of us—creates the foundation for courageous love and resilient intimacy: the capacity to sustain and nourish a healthy intimate relationship.
2 – “Pure Wisdom” by Dean Cunningham – Yours is a life of great potential. Pure Wisdom offers a thousand years of timeless wisdom, distilled down to the most important of principles and then skilfully applied to the way we live today. In doing so, the complex becomes simple.
The confusing becomes clear. Disquiet is replaced by calm. The insights you will gain will enhance your daily life and provide that elusive key to greater happiness, success, and fulfilment. In the modern world, moments of clarity and understanding are both rare and valuable. In this book they are found on every page.
3 – ‘Coaching with Personality Type’, by Jenny Rogers – This book will build your confidence. It gives you honest, straightforward, practical, and realistic advice on these and other issues, from an author who is internationally recognised as a leading thinker and practitioner in executive and team coaching, as well as being an expert on Jungian Type.
4 – ‘The Trauma-informed Coach’ by Joanna Harper – As a coach or practitioner your focus is always on facilitating your clients to flourish, thrive and believe in their potential. But what happens when past traumas and emotional injuries prevent them from making progress in the here and now? How do you respond? In this indispensable and highly practical guide, master coach Joanna Harper shares her experience and expert knowledge to equip you with the crucial awareness and skills you need to competently manage even the most challenging of client situations and experiences.
My Audible best listens.
1 – How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith, read by the authors and Suzanne Torren. By the best-selling author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. If you hesitate about putting forward ideas? Are you reluctant to claim credit for your achievements? Or do you need help to get the support you need from your boss or the recognition you deserve from your colleagues?
2- The Other Side of Hope by Danielle Strickland – If you are looking to overcome the twin giants of cynicism and despair that threaten to derail your emotional and physical health and find hope for life by witnessing the power of God’s redemptive healing, then this is an excellent book to listen to.
The Other Side of Hope has two entry points to the message of finding hope in a desperately harsh world. One part of the book focuses on theory and biblical philosophy, including insights into fighting cynicism, the architect of despair: embracing true humility and love, and shifting to a new mindset together as a community.
3 – ‘Challenging Coaching’ by John Blakey and Ian Day. – listening to the book felt like coming home, as my work goes beyond traditional coaching, and I resonated with the psychological aspects presented. This book breaks the mould of traditional coaching approaches to challenge coaches and their clients to achieve courageous goals that sustainably transform bottom-line performance. Challenging Coaching is a real-world, timely, and provocative book which provides a wake-up call to move beyond the limitations of traditional coaching.
4 – ‘The Art of Enough’ by Becky Hall. – If you feel like you aren’t Enough? Overwhelmed by too many demands? Then is a good book to read, listen to, or share with coachees. Concerned about over-consumption and the climate crisis You’re not alone. The Art of Enough is the challenge of our age. In a world full of pressure to be more, do more, and consume more, this practical guidebook will help you find your own version of Enough.
5 – ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear – A good book to listen to or read particularly if you are coaching or mentoring individuals. People think that when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions: doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.
6 – No Bad Parts by Richard C Schwartz – In this ground-breaking international bestseller, Dr Richard Schwartz reveals that we are each born with an ‘internal family’ of distinct parts within us. Some of our parts can become trapped in destructive patterns but learning to relate to each of them with curiosity, respect, and empathy can vastly expand our capacity to heal. The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model will help you challenge the destructive behaviour of these parts, turn the ego, the inner critic, and the saboteur into powerful allies, and allow you to return to a more whole and harmonious ‘Self’. If you are new to the work of IFS then I suggest you read ‘You are the one you have been looking for’ as a starter.
7 – ‘Triggers’ by Marshall Goldsmith – In business, the right behaviours matter. But getting it right is tricky. Even when we acknowledge the need to change what we do and how we do it, life has a habit of getting in the way, upsetting even the best-laid plans. And just how do we manage those situations that can provoke even the most rational among us into behaving in ways we would rather forget?
8 – ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts’ by Susan Cain – A Sunday times and New York times bestseller, this book will change how you see introverts – and yourself – forever. Our lives are driven by a fact that most of us can’t name and don’t understand. It defines who our friends and lovers are, which careers we choose, and whether we blush when we’re embarrassed.
Here is the list of books my work in refenced in and my own publications.
– Coaching Tools: 123 coaching tools and techniques for executive coaches, team coaches, mentors and supervisors: Volume 3 (We Coach!). It’s not every day you get to contribute and work with some incredible coaches. It’s such a privilege to be included in the new book Coaching Tools Volume 3, and as you can imagine, I’m absolutely delighted. Coaching Tools, Volumes 1, 2 and 3 offer a treasure trove of applied tools and techniques – a resource that has hitherto not existed and could never have been achieved without the valuable contributions and support of over 100 coaches who helped create these books.
The tools are varied, reflecting the range of contributors, and drawing disparately from Behavioural, Cognitive Behavioural, Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion, Positive Psychology, Psychodynamic, Gestalt, Solution-focused, Mindfulness and Neuroscience frameworks amongst others.
– The Little Book of Big Coaching Models by Bob Bates – cuts through all the noise and gives managers access to the very best coaching models that they need to get the best from their team; every model is quick and easy to read and delivers the essential information and know-how quickly, efficiently and memorably. Of course, my INSIGHT model is included in this book’s model 44.
– The Little Book of Big Management Theories by James McGrath and Bob Bates. As a busy manager, you need solutions to everyday work problems fast. The Little Book of Big Management Theories gives you access to the very best theories and models that every manager should know and be able to use. Cutting through the waffle and hype to focus only on the ones that really matter to managers day-to-day, each theory is covered in two pages – what it is, how to use it and the questions you should be asking – so you can immediately apply your new knowledge in the real world.
– Effective Mentoring -This workbook will encourage you to learn and practise new skills and techniques to improve your performance as a mentor. The programme consists of several modules covering different aspects of mentoring with learning tools, techniques and exercises for you to practise. Whilst the overall objective of this workbook is to facilitate your professional development, the workbook aims to provide you with a balanced viewpoint and understanding through the underpinning and thought-provoking exploration of mentoring. I draw on others’ research, acknowledging and referencing their work; I provide materials and findings drawn from my individual research and teaching tools. You can order a copy here.
Effective Coaching – I am delighted to bring you this new workbook in a new series of books written from my extensive experience in coaching and mentoring. By working through the materials and the exercises provided, you will gain a strong foundation, knowledge and understanding of what it takes to become an effective coach! Overall, writing this book has been an enriching experience. I’ve reflected on my coachees’ different skills, abilities, views and the many years of delivering coaching courses, giving me hundreds of hours of coaching experience. Still, it is a joy to say that people drawn to coaching share the desire to model good practice and communicate the benefits of coaching to their teams or organisations. You can order a copy here
I look forward to another year of reading and learning.