Back in 2016 on the Kevin Eikenberry Blog, I was incredibly excited to share news about Michael Bungay Stanier’s brand-new book “The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More and Change The Way You Lead Forever.”
March 1, 2018 marked the two-anniversary, and the book is now a best seller. The leadership guidance presented in the book and my thoughts on it are as pertinent as ever, so I am sharing it with you to celebrate the anniversary. Michael is also celebrating and is offering a fun give-away of adult colouring pages you can download now (no strings attached and no sign up needed!).
But back to the book. As a coach, I am a big believer in questions. If you believe that too, you likely believe that advice is overrated. Michael, agrees with me, and the book proves it.
I’ve known Michael for a number of years. He is a smart guy and I am a big fan. Among his many accolades is that he is a Rhodes Scholar and in 2006 was named Canadian Coach of the Year. I share those two facts together because they are instructive in conjunction with the thesis of this book:
Being a great coach isn’t simply about being smarter and having better advice. It is about using questions intelligently to help the people you are coaching understand their specific situation and discover solutions.
Specifically, this book is written around seven questions that Michael recommends to ask the people you are coaching. He provides each question, explores how you use it, and explains why it is so powerful to use during coaching situations. .
While I’m not going to share the seven questions here, I will tell you they are simple and powerful, and that as you incorporate them into your life and work it will, as the title promises, “Change the way you lead forever.” Michael has created an adult coloring sheet for each of the seven questions, so download them now for a fun way to reinforce these powerful coaching tools.
This is a book I’ve read more than once, and as an author, I give it the highest praise I can in that I wish I had written it myself.
If you are coach or want to be, read this book. The information is timeless and powerful.
Thank you so much Jossie!