Managers are now busier than ever. They do not have time to read books or attend training courses, even though the need to develop coaching skills has never been higher – 10% of the management books sold in the UK last year, were to help managers coach. There has not yet been a coaching book that is highly practical and immediately applicable on the job and which covers a range of common managerial situations. Almost all require a major investment of time before results are seen. None provide extensive sample dialogues for the reader to quickly grasp how the skills will sound in practice. Any manager will be able to start coaching within 15 minutes of opening this book. I believe a coaching book should be highly pragmatic. This book will offer the manager a number of models that can be quickly and easily applied to several common work and employee situations such as performance reviews, setting direction and goals, learning from mistakes and giving feedback. The manager will be able to quickly acquire the relevant knowledge for a given situation with a suitable coaching model and put this into practice with the minimum of reading time. The style is casual and entertaining. Unlike other titles, this book is based upon situations that every manager or leader will regularly encounter. Each chapter will cover a common scenario (e.g. giving feedback) and will offer a useful tool to guide the manager through the discussion.
--- from the publisher Contents: Toolkit icon summary Introduction Coaching toolkit roadmap – which tool to use and when
Chapter 1: How to hold a coaching conversation
Structure every coaching discussion to cover the five key stages – every time you COACH
Chapter 2: Following up on a coaching session
Helping others learn from experience and behave in new ways – a tool worth its weight in GOLD! Chapter 3: Setting goals with a plan built in
The calm after this STORM is because you know what you want and where you’re going Chapter 4: Giving feedback that works
Make sure your feedback can be easily swallowed and digested – give it in STAGES! Chapter 5: How to find the best solution to a problem
Use this tool when a problem DROPS on to your desk! Chapter 6: Difficult decisions made easy
When there is a difficult decision, OPERA can make things simple Chapter 7: Decision making now and in the future
Too close to see where you are now? Unclear of your position? Stand back and SWOT it! Chapter 8: Take the pain out of performance appraisals
Reviewing performance can be daunting – break it down into six easy STAGES! Index
About the Author: Dr Allamby is president of Leadership500 Ltd, which provides leadership development to Global 500 companies. Over the last 8 years Dr Allamby has provided leadership and developmental coaching to senior executives from such companies as Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Pfizer, Pharmacia Upjohn and Allergan Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Allamby ran the Japan/Asia executive coaching division for Personnel Decisions International during his 5 years in Tokyo. PDI was at that time the world’s largest supplier of international coaching services. | 
