Coaching for Performance, 6th edition: The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership: Fully Revised Edition Paperback – September 10, 2024

This is the Sixth fully-updated edition of a book first published in 1992. According to John Whitmore and Tiffany Gaskell in the Introduction, "There is no one right way to coach, though professional standards have now been mapped out by the various associations of coaching. This book is no more than a companion to help you decide where you want to go and to introduce you to some routes toward your goal. You will have to explore the territory for yourself, since no one but you can begin to map the infinite variety in the landscape of human interplay in your life. The richness of that landscape can turn coaching and leadership into a personal and unique art form with which to decorate, appreciate, and enjoy your place of work.The material in Coaching for Performance is carefully organized within five Parts and three Appendices. Whitmore and Gaskell address these questions:o What is coaching and how can effective coaching help to create a high-performance culture?o What are the basic principles of coaching?o What are the essential components of coaching?o What is the GROW Model?o What are the specific applications of coaching?o How can both coaches and those they coach maximize their potential (respective) benefitsThere are a number of different versions of the GROW model. The following table presents one view of the stages but there are others. The "O" in this version has two meanings.GOAL: This is the endpoint, where the client wants to be. The goal has to be defined in such a way that it is very clear to the client when they have achieved it.REALITY: This is where the client is now. What are the issues, the baseline, and how far away is the client from their goal?OBSTACLES: These now prevent the client from getting from where they are now to where they want to be. If there were no Obstacles the client would already have reached their goal. Once obstacles have been identified, the client needs to find ways of dealing with them if they are to make progress. These are the Options.WAY FORWARD: Options then need to be converted into action steps that will take the client to their goal. These steps are the process or sequence to follow. The "W" of GROW can also include WHEN and by WHOM and the WILL (or intention or commitment) to achieve success."Individuals can evolve and transform their work and lives if they decide to embark on a personal developmental journey. Organizations can evolve and transform the work and lives of their people if they decide to embark on an organization-wide development journey. In practice the coaching process fosters evolution at every stage, for evolution emerges from within and can never be taught in prescriptive ways. Coaching is not teaching at all., it is about creating the conditions for learning and growing. Go for it!"This is the best single source I know of that offers an abundance of invaluable information, insights, and counsel that can help coaches to improve what they do and how they do it. It can also help those in need of coaching to increase their understanding of what they learn, and, how effectively they then apply what they have learned.* * *Here are two suggestions while you are reading Coaching for Performance: First, highlight key passages Also, perhaps in a notebook kept near-at-hand (e.g. Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5), record your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines), page references, and whatever you have learned that will be most helpful. Pay special attention to Appendix 2: "Coaching Question Toolkit."These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will facilitate, indeed expedite your frequent reviews of key material later.

As a coach, I’ve often heard Coaching for Performance described as the gold standard for understanding the art of coaching. Despite owning the 5th edition for several years, it had been sitting on my bookshelf, unread—until now.The opportunity to review the 6th edition provided the perfect motivation to dive in.What I discovered is that this book is much more than a guide for becoming a great coach; it's also a valuable resource for anyone aspiring to be an effective leader or manager. The author builds on Sir John Whitmore’s original work, applying its principles not only to coaches but also to leaders, using clear examples and real-life coaching scenarios.Having the 5th edition at hand, I took the time to compare it with the 6th edition. While much of the core content remains consistent, Tiffany Gaskell has enhanced the material to reflect the vast changes that have occurred in the workplace since the pandemic. These updates provide essential insights for leaders and coaches navigating the post-2020 world.One of the book’s strengths is how it follows a few leader-coaches and their employees as they work through the GROW model, making the material practical and relatable.I also appreciated the appendices, which include a glossary of terms and a “Coach’s Toolkit” filled with helpful resources like question prompts.If you've already read the 5th edition and feel confident in your post-pandemic leadership or coaching skills, you might not find it necessary to purchase the 6th edition. However, if you’ve never read Coaching for Performance and are looking to grow as a coach or leader, this edition is an excellent tool to enhance your abilities—creating a win-win for everyone involved.Disclaimer: I received the 6th edition of this book from the publisher. However, I was under no obligation to provide a review and all opinions expressed here are my own.

" Coaching for Performance” relies heavily on the Inner Game. From the first page of the first chapter they use Tim Gallwey’s trademark the “Inner Game” and on page 2, Tim’s Inner Game IP. If you want to truly understand, the Inner Game and the origin of modern day Coaching, read “The Inner Game of Tennis” by W. Timothy Gallwey; the definitive work on mastering peak performance in all avenues of Life.

This 6th edition takes a great business coaching framework and dilutes it with a left-leaning agenda—stick with the 5th if you want neutral, results-focused coaching that is business focused, more pure, and appeals to the broader business community.