FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Performance Coaching Book

Angus McLeod's latest book from Crown launched Sept 2003

Press Date: 26th March, 2004 

Reviews for Performance Coaching

* (full unedited copy of marked review is provided at the foot of the page)

Press Release Dated: 9 February, 2004 -- 

'This book is packed with practical examples, tools and tips to help the coach - highly recommended' (Anne Deering, Director, AT Kearney and co-author of 'Alpha Leadership' with Robert Dilts and Julian Russell)

'Angus McLeod’s book is brilliant and a must-read for all who have the responsibility of leading or managing other people'. (Richard Denny, Author, Inspirational Speaker and Chairman of The Richard Denny Group)

'Performance Coaching by McLeod will become one of the foundational books.  This how-to manual provides an excellent use of NLP models and skills for coaching. (L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. NLP 'guru' and author of Coaching Conversations and Meta-Coaching and numerous other publications)*

'This is stuff you can use.  Examples are both inspiring and reassuringly practical. Angus McLeod has produced a book that deserves many users and a wide audience'.   (Julian Russell, Managing Director, PPD Consulting Ltd.,  co-author of Alpha Leadership: Tools for Business Leaders Who Want More From Life (Wiley, UK & US, 2002))

'This is a book of wisdom and experience, informed (but not dominated) by a deep and thoughtful understanding of NLP frameworks and practices'. (David Megginson, Sheffield Hallam University)*

'Angus has done excellent work, elegantly integrating and adapting the skills of Neuro-linguistic Programming into the process of Coaching. And it's an enjoyable read!' (Shelle Rose Charvet, author of Words That Change Minds)

'Angus McLeod sets a high standard of teaching by story telling. His examples of coaching dialogues serve so well to illustrate how to skillfully handle many coaching situations. The layout and subheadings make them accessible to those who want to dip in and out of the book as required. I enjoyed it and learned from it.'   (Sir John Whitmore, author, Coaching for Performance).   

'Angus McLeod's excellent book on Performance Coaching provides a superb insight into the skills we require to become an effective coach'. (Mike Palmer, Managing Director of Professional Training Solutions UK)*

'This book contains a wealth of knowledge on its subject.  The author clearly has extensive experience of coaching and demonstrates this expertise effectively in the book. I would recommend this book to people wanting to extend their coaching skills and to explore a wider range of approaches'. 

(Carol Harris, Editor, Effective Consulting; author of 'Consult Yourself; former Chair of the ANLP)*

'You cannot help but be an even better coach for reading it.  It has to be  currently the most accessible and valuable coaching text around'. (Will Thomas, Director Vision4Learning)*

'...an immensely practical aid to coaching and works at a level of detail – both in terms of language and process - that will allow HR professionals and managers alike, even with little formal coaching experience, to get to the heart of issues and resolve them elegantly and respectfully'.  (Anne Thompson, HR Director, Parity)*

'Performance Coaching is an in depth overview of the whole field of coaching and mentoring.  It describes a broad range of coaching models and draws on the best practice from each. The practical examples, useful tips and mini-transcripts will benefit those new to coaching, and profit seasoned old timers as well.  We highly recommend this book'.  (James Lawley and Penny Tompkins, authors of Metaphors in Mind: Transformation through Symbolic Modelling)

'Easy to read and full of examples, this book is essential reading for all coaches. I also recommend it for those interested in the applications of NLP to management since it explains and illustrates many NLP tools extremely well. Indeed, I have never seen techniques such as anchoring, submodalities and logical levels better explained in a business context.' (Ross Maynard, Director, Psychological Business Services Ltd)*

'The author has achieved the near-impossible - writing a book that demonstrates the potential of coaching as an effective and ethical instrument for change and gives a flavour of its depth, richness and subtlety, but is nevertheless accessible, comprehensible and usable for pro and novice alike. This title deserves to sit - hopefully well-thumbed - alongside the very limited number of internationally respected books on coaching.' (David Hoad, Director, The Kingsmoor Consultancy)*

'A practical book with wonderful tips, ideas and perspectives. Angus McLeod’s experience oozes out of every page. Ideal for newly qualified coaches serious about their profession'. (Kriss Akabusi MBE MA)

'I recommend this book to all coaches and NLP Practitioners' (Peter Young, author)*

WEB. UK: ordering: www.crownhouse.co.uk/
WEB. US: ordering: www.chpub.com/  

Coaching: The Handbook for Managers, HR Professionals and Coaches 

ISBN:    1904 424 058        $24.95 (US) and £16.99 (UK)

Me, Myself, My Team

ISBN:     189 983 63 81        For purchasing links, see above. Book Reviews follow:

FULL REVIEWS

David Megginson (unedited review in full)

I am not a fan of NLP, so I approached this book - yet another about NLP approaches to coaching - with a certain amount of trepidation. No doubt a skilled NLP coach could have done something about my state: anchoring different emotional states, challenging limiting beliefs, and so on. Not surprisingly, in this book Angus McLeod outlines and demonstrates these techniques and others in the standard panoply of NLP. What endeared me to this work in preference to the others that I have read from the same stable are three things. Firstly, the author convincingly displays that he has been there and done it. The book has rather full descriptions of coaching conversations that he has participated in, so the reader gains a clear impression of the use of the technique as it is experienced by the coachee. Secondly, he organises much of the book around the issues as seen by the coachee, rather than the more frequent and less helpful practice of organising round a series of coach interventions. So, he talks about communication, interpersonal conflict, stuck in a corner, influencing, and so on. Then within these client issues he weaves in the techniques and models that he uses, triggered by a phrase he employs in the reported dialogue, that is then expanded upon as a 'linguistic tip'. Thirdly, he is critically aware of the limitations of the techniques he is describing - not just limitations of practice but limitations of principal as well.

An example of this third point is his note on eye cues (p177). I find this one of the most implausible, exasperating and manipulative models employed by NLP practitioners. McLeod acknowledges this and says, '...the statistics for eye cues, even for skilled practitioners, do not provide a great deal of confidence.' Later in the same piece he describes eye cues as, 'a technique that is seen by many as intrusive and manipulative'. You can't ask for more candid disclaimers than that.

There are other aspects of this book that I particularly valued. One was the wise observation the author makes about finding purpose, using journeying into the future (pp131-5). Another was the visualisation model exploring desire, belief and acceptance (p140-1). A third was the STEPPPA model (p189-92), which offers a fuller alternative to GROW. STEPPPA stands for Subject; Target objective; Emotional context to subject and target; Perception and target re-evaluation; Plan; Pace; Adapt or Act. He also has some interesting things to say about what he calls 'Context-free questioning', which is similar to a process called 'Goal-free coaching', which David Clutterbuck and I use. He neatly illustrates how long questions can import the coach's own agenda into coaching, in a fundamentally unhelpful way (p220-3). Finally, there are several helpful Appendices offering guidance for setting up e-mentoring schemes and processes.

In all, this is a book of wisdom and experience, informed (but not dominated) by a deep and thoughtful understanding of NLP frameworks and practices.

Mike Palmer (unedited review in full)

I recall many years ago holding a discussion with a colleague that a young trainee working for the department required some further development in their role.

Preparing some notes to help the young trainee, I found myself automatically going into training mode. The difference between the approach of training and coaching is not something we always appreciate.

However Angus McLeod's excellent book on Performance Coaching provides a superb insight into the skills we require to become an effective coach.

The approach to the subject makes the book very interesting reading for managers or anybody requiring developing their coaching skills. The author allows us to fully explore the whole array of coaching ideas starting from the basics of definition to the approach of “e mentoring”.

A particularly useful aspect of Angus’s book is the effective use of “Linguistic Tips” strategically highlighted through the book. I found examples such as “positive intention” an interesting issue to stop and consider the impact this issue can have on achieving good coaching skills.

Performance coaching is one of the significant books in its field exploring the subject in a practical and informative way. The basics of coaching issues, effecting change, coaching practice, developmental models. Coaching tools, pitfalls and the use of modern technology allows the reader to gain a wealth of knowledge in the subject.

A specific interesting point is that Performance coaching has many conversations recorded throughout the book that have taken place between Angus and others. These serve to provide excellent examples of effective coaching skills while at the same time holding the readers interest.

Angus’s own coaching model of “STEPPPA” offers us with an interesting new approach to coaching. He helps us use this acronym to explore the effective use of clarifying the subject, setting target objectives, considering the emotional context to the subject, evaluate the perception, planning, checking the coaching pace and understanding and how to adjust when required.

After reading Performance Coaching I felt that the author had certainly increased my skills and understanding in being an effective coach. The book certainly accomplishes its goals in an interesting and informative way.

Compared with other books of the subject matter I certainly found that Angus has achieved a superb book with practical and informative examples, which matches some of the best books I have read on the subject.

Overall Performance Coaching is an ideal book for managers, or indeed anyone looking to develop their coaching skills.

Will Thomas (unedited review in full)

Quite simply “the coach’s companion”.

In less than 300 pages this text succinctly walks to every place a coach needs to go.  Written in the kind of clean, simple language that you would expect of the best of communicators, McLeod has created the A-Z of coaching practice.  He has captured the heart of promoting self-motivation in all its guises, in the principles he describes.  He illustrates them with clear examples that both the novice and more experienced coach can easily relate to. Packed full of solutions and tools, from advanced linguistic pattern tips to the nitty gritty of coaching pitfalls, this book is never far from the reality of brokering change. Intense, and compelling, McLeod treats the subject with rigor and pace.  An intelligent approach to  indexing allows easy access to every part of this compact read, so you can navigate the tips, tools and theoretical models you need without delay.

Coaching continues to emerge  in the UK and its shape and form are still  illusive and  misunderstood by many.  Performance Coaching goes a long way towards giving readers a feel for one of the most powerful skill sets currently available. 

Whilst you may not agree entirely with everything he has to say, you are listening to McLeod as he challenges you, asks questions and very definitely moves you to the next level.

You cannot help but be an even better coach for reading it.  It has to be  currently the most accessible and valuable coaching text around. 

Anne Thompson (unedited review in full)

As smart organisations begin to put people at the centre of their strategies and recognise that a motivated and engaged workforce has a direct impact on customer satisfaction, the role of the Human Resources function is evolving.  People development initiatives are shifting from the ‘sheep dip’ approach to developing capability to working at the level of individual needs and motivations.  As a consequence of this, HR practitioners have had to hone their skills in one very specific area  – that of coaching individuals, leaders and manager to get the best from themselves and from their teams.  This, in turn, can create competitive differentiation and generate outstanding results for organisations.  Angus McLeod’s Coaching for Performance is an immensely practical aid to coaching and works at a level of detail – both in terms of language and process - that will allow HR professionals and managers alike, even with little formal coaching experience, to get to the heart of issues and resolve them elegantly and respectfully.   

Julian Russell (unedited review in full)

This book gives any executive coach, as well as all managers for that matter, an extended frame of reference for finding new and creative tools for success in working with clients.  This is stuff you can use.  Examples are both inspiring and reassuringly practical. Angus McLeod has produced a book that deserves many users and a wide audience'. 

Carol Harris (unedited review in full)

This book contains a wealth of knowledge on its subject.  The author clearly has extensive experience of coaching and demonstrates this expertise effectively in the book.

 The major part of the book is a wide-ranging collection of cases to illustrate various coaching applications - an approach that really brings the subject to life.  The cases are concise, yet clear and informative and each brings out one or more specific points about coaching processes and issues.  The conciseness does, however, give the impression that most issues can be dealt with speedily and simply and perhaps a few more ‘difficult’ or inconclusive ones might help to put the ‘easy’ ones into perspective.

The book raises some interesting issues, such as the extent to which contextual issues should inform the coaching process and how far the coach should act simply as a sounding board, rather than allowing his or her own perceptions to enter the coaching equation.  I hope it will also prompt readers to both consider their own suitability to undertake coaching and to enhance their skills by exploring further the techniques covered.  

On a personal note, while liking the content of the book very much, I would have preferred it to have been structured slightly differently, ‘topping and tailing’ it with an opening section giving a more in-depth definition of coaching at the start and a summary at the end giving some general conclusions about the coaching process and applications.  Instead of this, there is an early definition of coaching in terms of its principal ‘instruments’ – questions, challenge and silence - and the cases then precede the chapters on coaching methods and approaches.  This seems fine for the more experienced coach, but novices may be curious early on about where and when coaching is needed - and to what end – and about how to select which interventions to make.

It may well be difficult for the novice coach to know how and when to select a particular approach or process and this isn’t an easy issue to tackle as coaches, together with other professionals, only become really effective once they have substantial practical experience of their field.  To suggest that, for example, time lines or trance states are used with coachees is fine but, without a detailed knowledge of how to use such techniques, the uninitiated will flounder.

It is hard to select specific items to mention, as there is a multitude of ideas and techniques presented, but a couple of things that caught my attention were using hula hoops for time line work and getting trainee coaches to daydream, tense their muscles or divert their attention in other ways in order to see how such behaviour affects the dynamics of the coaching situation. There is also a useful section on coaching ‘pitfalls’, such as transference, and an excellent glossary of terms and list of web resources  

I would recommend this book to people wanting to extend their coaching skills and to explore a wider range of approaches.  

Ross Maynard FCMA, MCIM

NLP enables us to develop the crucial behaviours, techniques (verbal and non-verbal), and mindsets that deliver excellence in communication and influencing. NLP can, therefore, be invaluable in business and in coaching because it helps us, and those we interact with, to achieve clear goals. Angus McLeod’s book effortlessly applies a range of NLP, and other, techniques to business coaching. Easy to read and full of examples, this book is essential reading for all coaches. I also recommend it for those interested in the applications of NLP to management since it explains and illustrates many NLP tools extremely well. Indeed, I have never seen techniques such as anchoring, submodalities and logical levels better explained in a business context. Personally I would have liked more on the meta-model, and on the presuppositions of NLP, but this is a minor point. Overall this book is excellent and highly recommended for business coaches and managers alike.

David Hoad (unedited review in full)

Angus McLeod's new book - "Performance Coaching" - is subtitled "The Handbook for Managers, HR Professionals and Coaches" and sets itself the purpose of providing these three audiences with information and guidance on coaching that is relevant to their diverse needs and perspectives. To do so, the author draws widely on both his own "casebook" of coaching interventions in business and also his familiarity with a range of change techniques linked by a common ethos: that the power for change lies with the coachee and that the coach's role is to elicit - rather than to own or direct - the coachee's resources and decisions around that change.

This simple message permeates the text of this book and the reader is left in no doubt about the author's passion for coaching as a principled instrument for change  - and equally about his desire to distinguish coaching from problem-solving approaches such as mentoring, consulting, and from the various forms of counseling and therapy, whilst acknowledging some common threads and techniques. This book does the coaching profession a great service by emphasising these points, both explicitly and also through numerous examples and case studies.

Indeed, Part I of the book takes us through these distinctions and lays out clearly what characterises coaching, including what the author lists as the "Principal Instruments of the Coach" - silence, questions, and challenge.

The core of the book is in Parts 2 and 3, where the reader is taken first through a number of examples of coachees' issues that typically come up in performance coaching, such as influencing, inner conflicts, "stuckness" and work-life balance . With each such issue, the author takes us through one or more actual scenarios with relevant extracts from the coaching interactions that took place. Coaching concepts and techniques used in each example are straightforwardly introduced and explained, along with some real nuggets of gold in the form of Linguistic Tips which powerfully illustrate how particular forms of words (as questions, observations, requests, etc) can be used by the coach to trigger change.

At various points, this reviewer would have welcomed a little more explanation or detail on some of the approaches and techniques (or a mention of alternative ways to approach the particular issue) but that is from a position of limited experience in the field; however, others may find there is more than enough detail to keep them happy, and there are numerous references to follow up if required.

This same structure of topic, example, etc is continued in Part 3. The distinction between Parts 2 and 3 was not very clear to this reviewer, as the coachees' issues seem to act as clearer reference points than the underlying themes. Part 2 claims to focus on New Skills (for coachees) and Part 3 on Drivers for Change, but the examples in both sections typically bring out the drivers, the issues, and the skills and insights required to resolve them, as well as effective approaches and techniques the coach can use to enable the desired change.

Part 4 looks at the practice and management of coaching and its application in organisations, and will provide coaches, HR managers and other executives with much practical guidance on using coaching effectively and ethically in the organisational context. Part 5 is a deliberately selective review of some approaches and models that can be used to underpin coaching interactions, including Clean Language, Symbolic Modeling, Provocative Therapy and Shelle Rose Charvet's use of conversational patterns. (NB A number of elements from the NLP canon, such as Dilts' Logical levels and Time Lines, are pragmatically and appropriately introduced at various points in the book - but always in the service of the coaching relationship, not as its master).

This is followed by sections on:

So, does the book live up to its first sub-title of  "The Handbook for Managers, HR Professionals and Coaches"? If readers pick this up in search of an encyclopaedic tome covering everything to do with coaching, or a step-by-step manual on "the" coaching process, they are likely to be disappointed. The author's approach of illuminating effective coaching through actual examples is derived, appropriately, from a broad sweep of coachee's issues rather than from some taxonomy of coaching methods and the more information-packed sections are wisely and usefully selective. That selectivity and the choice of topics within a section sometimes appears more idiosyncratic than logical or systematic, but is in keeping with the style of the book as a whole. In fact, Performance Coaching comes across as the author's personal but very inclusive take on coaching, backed by considerable knowledge and experience, rather than an attempt to "cover the field". 

By contrast, if readers  - be they managers, HR professional, coaches or others - are happy to dip into a treasure trove of practical experiences, ideas and explanations, they will find much to inspire, to inform and to guide them. This is more a resource book than a manual, but no less welcome and useful for that. The author himself describes it as a book "designed to be picked up and read from any page" (rather than an end-to-end read), and this is probably the best way to use the material available - look for specific points of interest or browse until something of interest meets the eye.

One other aspect of this book stands out. It honours another cornerstone of good coaching practice by offering its rich content in a spirit of humility and respect for the reader, in effect saying "this is what I find useful and effective; it may be of interest and use to you also", but without the shoulds, oughts and musts that typify "expert guidance" in handbooks in many fields. Understanding this mindset on the part of the author  - one of a generous sharing of experience, information and good practice - is the key to getting the best out of this book. If the reader looks for a blueprint or an agenda to follow, he or she will not find it (except for a broad steer on what is true to the spirit of coaching).

 The author has, in that context, achieved the near-impossible - writing a book that demonstrates the potential of coaching as an effective and ethical instrument for change and gives a flavour of its depth, richness and subtlety, but is nevertheless accessible, comprehensible and usable for pro and novice alike. This title deserves to sit - hopefully well-thumbed - alongside the very limited number of internationally respected books on coaching.

As for the book's second sub-title - "The Only Book on Coaching You Will Ever Need"………well, readers will have to decide that for themselves.

Michael Hall (unedited review in full)

As the field of Coaching continues to discover the extensive skill-based models of NLP, Performance Coaching by McLeod will become one of the foundational books.  This how-to manual provides an excellent use of NLP models and skills for coaching.  I like it also because it is further enhanced by integrating much of Gallwey's Inner Game approach.
  

Richard Denny (unedited review in full)     

                       
The world is experiencing a massive growth in the acceptance and importance of coaching. 

Angus McLeod’s book is brilliant and a must-read for all who have the responsibility of leading or managing other people.

Peter Young (unedited review in full)

Angus McLeod’s Performance Coaching is a joy to read because of his easy style and because his numerous examples and case studies bring coaching alive. My partner, who is a coach, picked up the book and dipped in. A little later, with a potential client on the phone, she was able to use what she had read immediately, and “it worked”!

Coaching aims to enhance what is already working, rather than dealing therapeutically with what is wrong. The challenge the coach faces is summed up in: “The coach is invariably … helping the coachee transfer competencies from one context of their experience to another” (p. 244). The assumption is that the coachee has within them all the resources they need, but has them contextualised in such a way that they are not currently available. Finding these resources is what coaching is all about, because once realised, the coachee knows what to do and will be able to take the next step.

Angus has created an eclectic model of coaching, based on his experience of coaching and mentoring, counseling and NLP. And as with many NLP, therapy and coaching books, there are several paradigms evinced, but no underpinning theoretical model. No matter. There is so much that is important to know, including how to organise a coaching practice, as well as what to say (or not say) to the coachee. In Chapter 8, Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them, I was pleased to find a mention of Transference and Countertransference – terms borrowed from the psychoanalytic tradition. This topic is rarely found in NLP and Coaching books, but an understanding is essential for good practice. The psychoanalyst, Michael Kahn (1997: 6), says that Freud noticed that “patients transfer to the therapist their attitudes, feelings, fears, and wishes from long ago,” and that Freud came to see “the transference as the therapist’s central opportunity and the fulcrum of therapeutic leverage.” Countertransference “was Freud’s term for the unconscious feelings that the patient stirred in the analyst.” NLP avoids transference and counter-transference as far as possible by engaging in brief therapy (but not so brief that transference does not occur!), working content free, not requiring case histories, and so on. Although coaching is not primarily concerned with this relationship, transference and countertransference happen regardless of your expertise or knowledge. Calling yourself a coach does not confer ‘immunity.’ Therefore you need to notice when the social aspects of the relationship cross the boundaries and then intervene.

 McLeod advocates eliminating the NLP habit of ‘body matching.’ Rapport need only be just enough to maintain an effective but ‘neutral’ role. “Neutrality is the ability to maintain good attention and support the coachee without mimicry or copying of posture or expression” (p. 172). Angus wisely advises the coach to avoid the mindreading of interpreting NLP eye-accessing cues (because in most cases they do not provide useful clues to intervention): “eye cues are usually very annoying to coachees and can put them on their guard. The emphasis on eye cues has done NLP and its coaches a disservice by highlighting a technique that is seen by many as being intrusive and manipulative” (p. 177).

 This is an eminently practical book, rather than providing a deep theoretical model of coaching. It is not the ‘ultimate guide to coaching’, because no book will ever be that. Coaching itself can be coached into becoming even better – there is always room for improvement. Angus offers clues to what else needs to be sorted out, both in coaching and NLP. For example, on page 43 he uses the word ‘hope’ when talking about Future Desired States (the PS in NLP) and this suggests “more work needed here.” Angus’s book provides a clear statement of where coaching is now. And because you need to be this competent in order to go further, I recommend this book to all coaches and NLP Practitioners.

Reference

•              Michael Kahn (1997) Between Therapist and Client: The New Relationship. Revised Edition, New York, W H Freeman.

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