The Coaching Habit; Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Coaching Habit is a business book which is superior over its contemporaries in that it is marginally less repetitive. I have an intense dislike of the North American powerpoint presentation format of “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them”. One of those is plenty, thanks all the same. Way too many business books follow this same “strategy”, I assume to fill up the requisite 200+ pages necessary for a book deal. The Coaching Habit is less repetitive than others and therefore, as an added benefit, is also very short. Short is my favourite kind of business book.
The one area that does repeat is a pattern of self-talk that the author wants you to use as a habit-forming meditation after each new coaching technique is introduced. The pattern is this:
When this happens: _____
Instead of: _____
I will: _____
Let’s give it a try with a few of the 7 strategic power questions designed to turn you into a coaching phenom.
What’s on you mind?
When my husband tries to make small talk while I’m in the middle of watching The Good Place, instead of pretending he doesn’t exist, I will ask him “What’s on your mind?”
And what else?
When he answers the question, instead of immediately tuning him out, I will ask “And what else?” until there are no more answers and I can get back to my show.
What’s the real challenge here for you?
When a coworker leaves a pile of crap in the kitchen sink instead of in the dishwasher, instead of making snarky comments behind his back, I will point to the pile of crap and ask “What’s the real challenge here for you?”
Well, this is working like a freaking charm!!!
Rating: Borrow it, there are some good tips around how trick other people into doing their own work.
Thanks for the laugh….I want to know the story of why you even read this book…