Averil Leimon, Francois Moscovici & Gladeana McMahon.
Routledge, 2005.
Paperback £14.99. ISBN: 1-58391-883-3.
Hardback £45.00. ISBN: 1-58391-882-5.

Reviewed by Simon Duff

This book’s aim is to answer the question ‘what makes a good business coach’ and to be easily accessible. It is clearly not intended to be a ‘how-to’ but rather an exploration of what good business coaching should be based on.

Chapter 1 rationalises the focus of business coaching on people. Businesses have become homogeneous by tending to solve problems (e.g. out-sourcing) in similar ways. Thus the idea of a sustainable advantage over competitors is less concerned with major decisions regarding company structure, distribution, etc., but rather with ‘humane skills’ e.g. communication and management, that vary according to an individual’s circumstances and aspirations.

Chapter 2 deals with theoretical frameworks and provides a brief overview of several including the authors’ own ITEA model. Those coming to coaching from a psychological perspective might want more evidence of the success of these models and how they work but certainly describing them and how ITEA fits into a broader business coaching approach is essential for removing some of the mystery and confusion around what coaching involves.

Essentially Chapter 3 deals with: (i) what a client should look for in a coach; and (ii) enough background psychology of coaching for coaches to understand what processes are involved. The authors suggest a five-component framework consisting of: (i) building the relationship; (ii) drawing out the picture; (iii) achieving change; (iv) motivating for results; and (v) concluding the relationship and detail what each of these components consists of. The least familiar of these terms is ‘Drawing the Picture’ - raising awareness, observing, legitimising, and exploring. This process allows the coach to develop an understanding of what the client seeks to achieve, their current situation, and what barriers and resources currently exist. These data allow the coach to develop an holistic picture of the client, and, as one example suggests, this very process may lead to change before any coaching actually takes place. The section on ‘Achieving Change’ has some useful and interesting material that may be familiar to students of psychology and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. It is here that a research evidence base would be helpful for those who are either more sceptical, or merely keen to read more widely.

Chapter 4 - Coaching for Specific Business Issues - is a chapter that claims to be dealing with specific issues that possibly fill us all with some trepidation; they won’t cover everything, and what if they leave out our personal interests? The authors state that their plan is not so ambitious and that they will focus on three broad themes, personalities, stages, and skills. Personalities refers to the elements that can influence how personality is shaped at work, for example, gender, stress, being a ‘star’. With each of these (except the stars) the authors provide key elements to consider. The Stages section deals with important milestones within an individual’s career, for example, promotion, moving into a leadership role, and interestingly when they are looking for ‘meaning’. Again key elements are provided for points to consider for each of these.

Chapter 5 provides an insight into what companies’ experience of coaching has been during their development, and what they look for. It is helpful to get this sense of the corporate world’s understanding of and wants from coaching. The case studies from a range of companies provide snapshots of how coaching became a part of the company’s plan, how it fits in, and how they go about recruiting coaches. From the relevant individual in each case we get some tips on how to get coaching accepted, and what a coach should consider in order to be hired. I suspect that this chapter on its own sets the book apart and might be the first chapter that the budding coach will aim for. In a similar vein, Chapter 6 looks at a range of individual clients and their experiences of coaching. My two negative comments about this approach are that we do not experience the marriage between coaching processes and individual (or corporate) needs and that there are only tales of success. I would appreciate some pointers to the actual workings that produced the results. Regarding the second point, it is unlikely that all sponsors and clients are universally curious and their experiences so positive - a coach would do well to be armed with strategies (even those of graceful withdrawal) to deal with the less successful situations.

Chapter 7 highlights the practical problems that are part of business coaching and having identified these, suggests solutions. Some of these are of a more legal nature, such as contracting, membership of professional bodies, etc., others are less concrete but nonetheless important. For example, the issue of supervision, a recurring theme within the psychological literature and the identification and maintenance of boundaries, and the process of referring clients. These guidelines are useful starting points for further research and consideration when one is part of a body with a particular code of practice and when considering terms of a contract (e.g. confidentiality).

Chapter 8 presents the book’s conclusions - almost the authors’ review of their own work (I’m sure that a coach somewhere would have suggested that I might have used my time more productively by reading that first!). This is useful as a guide to the essentials of business coaching, more so for those taking their first steps into the area. It highlights good practice and additionally provides the two chapters where sponsors and clients provide feedback, which were especially enjoyable and thought provoking. My bias is toward more evidence and the practicalities of the processes however the introduction made it clear that this is not what this book is about. It does what it says it does, and it does it with a minimum of fuss. For the busy professional you can’t ask for much more than that.