Coaching Leaders

Coaching Leaders is written for coaches who are in the challenging position of working with leaders and helping them excel as the top executives and managers in their organizations. The book is filled with illustrative examples from Daniel White’s practice as a successful executive coach. His clients’ stories reveal the human drama of becoming a leader and explore the courageous and fascinating accomplishments these individuals have achieved in order to grow professionally. These stories also clearly show how a skilled coach adjusts to meet an individual client’s personality and targeted challenge. Coaching Leaders includes a wide variety of effective coaching concepts and the information needed to guide leaders and help them maintain the motivation to change; battle anxiety, fear, and resistance; and achieve emotional intelligence.

Foreword by Marshall Goldsmith vii

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xxi

The Author xxiii

Part One On Leaders and Leadership 1

Chapter 1 Why Coach Leaders? 3

Chapter 2 What Is Leadership? 11

Part Two The Practice of Coaching 59

Chapter 3 The Nature of Coaching 61

Chapter 4 The Process of Behavioral Change 75

Chapter 5 The Phases of Change 84

Chapter 6 Self-Knowledge 109

Chapter 7 Motives for Change 122

Chapter 8 Steps in the Coaching Process 130

Chapter 9 Coaching Skills and Techniques 154

Chapter 10 Coaching Perspectives 181

Chapter 11 Forces That Interfere with Growth 201

Chapter 12 The Timing of Learning and Change 217

Part Three Coaching Applications and Marketing 223

Chapter 13 Distinctive Approaches to Coaching 225

Chapter 14 Coaching Themes Familiar and Unique 240

Chapter 15 The Business of Coaching 281

Bibliography 290

Index of Cases 299

Index 303

Daniel White is the managing director of Discovery Consulting, a firm specializing in coaching and training leaders. He also leads a training group for new coaches and founded a learning group for senior coaches. While most executive coaches have a professional background in one of four areas of expertise?—human resources and organizational development, career counseling, business at the executive level, or psychotherapy—they have little formal training to prepare them for the ups and downs of leadership coaching. Coaching Leaders offers new and seasoned coaches a hands-on training manual that incorporates the valuable lessons, techniques, processes, and skills that will help them achieve the next level of coaching professionalism.

Coaching Leaders is written for coaches who are in the challenging position of working with leaders and helping them excel as the top executives and managers in their organizations. The book is filled with illustrative examples from Daniel White's practice as a successful executive coach. His clients' stories reveal the human drama of becoming a leader and explore the courageous and fascinating accomplishments these individuals have achieved in order to grow professionally. These stories also clearly show how a skilled coach adjusts to meet an individual client's personality and targeted challenge. Coaching Leaders includes a wide variety of effective coaching concepts and the information needed to guide leaders and help them maintain the motivation to change; battle anxiety, fear, and resistance; and achieve emotional intelligence.

Throughout Coaching Leaders White reveals the keys to becoming a successful coach and shows how to develop the skill, empathy, and insight that will put you on the road to coaching excellence.

The Guidebook for Those Who Guide Others!

Dan White has put his wisdom and experience into a book that is rich with both case studies and a discussion of how superb coaching works. I recommend this book for everyone in the field of coaching as a must-have resource.
—David Rottman, Senior Vice President – Human Resources, JPMorgan Chase

Like executive coaches, books on executive coaching come and go. Not this one. With this exemplary work, Dan White has accomplished the rarity of combining his personal and professional experience, using highly readable cases, with his understanding of relevant concepts and theories.
—W. Warner Burke, PhD, Edward Lee Thorndike Professor of Psychology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University

This is truly a magnificent read for any practicing or aspiring coach. Dan shares foundational theory, case studies, and learned techniques all in one complete resource.?
—Allison Weir, Leadership Facilitator, JetBlue Airways

Coaching Leaders is a must read for everyone who plans to do executive coaching. Dan combines his experience as a coach, teacher, manager and psychologist in a powerful, thoughtful and very readable book.
—Robert J. Lee, Managing Director, I Coach New York