Best Practice in Performance Coaching: A Handbook for Leaders, Coaches, HR Professionals and Organizations

Performance coaching helps individuals and organizations achieve their maximum potential, tackle challenges and reach specific goals. It leads to personal and professional development and helps to create a work/life balance. Best Practice in Performance Coaching is both an introduction for anyone thinking of becoming or hiring a coach - whether private or corporate - and a reference guide for experienced coaches. A practical guide to the 'what' and the 'how' of performance coaching, it covers all topics from the personal and executive angle and explains the structure of a coaching relationship. There is extensive guidance on coaching techniques, models and tools as well as advice on how to train as a coach, how to run a coaching practice and how to structure coaching sessions. Complete with worksheets and exercises, evaluations and international case studies this is a thorough guide to performance coaching.

Table of Contents:
Part One - Fundamentals - The how, who, when and where of coaching for performance and good leadership. What is coaching?; Coaching techniques; Coaching models; Structure; Training as a coach; Running a professional coaching practice; Coaching in organizations Part Two - Advanced coaching tools, models and international case histories Appendix I:Coaching tools Appendix II: Case histories; Appendix III: Awareness questions Appendix IV: Worksheets; Appendix V: Sample contracts Appendix VI: Coaching evaluation Appendix VII: References

About the Author :
Carol Wilson worked for Richard Branson during the early years of Virgin and founded Virgin Music Publishers. She's the first woman in the world to found her own chart topping record label (Dindisc). Carol is now Honorary Vice President and Head of Accreditation at the Association for Coaching, Managing Director of Performance Coach Training, and on the Executive committee of Sir John Whitmore's Performance Consultants International.

Review :
"This is a useful resource for a reader who is new to the world of coaching. Such a reader will get a clear picture of the process and the skills required to deliver coaching and will have a grasp of the potential applications of coaching in a variety of contexts." Personal Success "This excellent book offers insights, tools, strategies and practical exercises for all coaches. With an introduction by Richard Branson, the book contains some illuminating descriptions of coaching from Carol's early days as a pioneering leader in Virgin. Full of examples of coaching conversations, that capture the essence of effective and resourceful coaching, this book is both accessible and informative." David E Gray, Professor of Management Learning, School of Management, University of Surrey, UK "A practical, accurate and thorough guide for anyone involved in coaching. With insights into the best coaching tools and techniques, there are plenty of coaching nuggets, too! A must read for professional coaches, internal coaches, or anyone entering this emerging profession." Katherine Tulpa, Chair and Co-founder Association for Coaching "The best coaching starter kit I have come across to date." Sir John Whitmore, Executive Chairman of Performance Consultants International "Written by highly experienced coaches, this book gives the reader valuable insights in a straightforward and practical fashion. If only more coaching texts were as useful, unpretentious and jargon-free!" Dr Anthony Grant PhD, Director, Coaching Psychology Unit, University of Sydney, Australia "Carol Wilson has managed to capture much of the best of good practice in this excellent primer on coaching... The book's value is enhanced by case studies illustrating a variety of coaching approaches and by just enough detail on relevant techniques to whet the interest of the beginner coach and hint at the long but fascinating learning journey ahead of them." Professor David Clutterbuck, Co-founder of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council, visiting professor at Sheffield Hallam University, UK, and co-author of Mentoring in Action, also published by Kogan Page "Anyone who knows Carol knows she is a class act and this book will certainly re-enforce that opinion. ...This is a 'must read book' for those who prefer commonsense to the often rather pretentious over academic psychobabble that mark too many new contributions to the coaching professional literature." Eric Parsloe, OTLG/Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring "I predict that it [the book] will quickly establish itself as a must-read." www.personneltoday.com "Complete with worksheets and exercise, evaluations and international case studies this is a thorough guide to performance coaching. With insights into the best coaching tools and techniques, there are plenty of coaching nuggets." www.publicnet.co.uk "The book offers some key insights into corporate coaching which should prove useful to those new to this skill." Human Capital Management "Will quickly establish itself as a must-read. The book will work for all levels of understanding, from the novice coach and nervous line manager to established practioners. It could also be useful to HR departments that want to speak expert language. She explain its mysteries before sharing tools, case studies and exercises." I predict that it will quickly establish itself as a must-read. Beautifully written, lucid and unpretentious. Useful rating: 5/5" Personnel Today "An invaluable point of reference for anyone seeking a clearer understanding of coaching and its associated benefits." "Comprehensive guide and an invaluable handbook for anyone wishing to improve their knowledge of coaching." Coaching at Work, December 2007 "A comprehensive guide on coaching which sets out to appeal to all levels of understanding, from aspiration coach, line manager to established practitioner" "Written by someone clearly passionate about coaching" October 2007, HR Blog