Marie Taylor worked across the spectrum of business in private and nonprofit organizations delivering a range of leadership training and behavioral training. Steve Crabb is a Licensed Master Trainer of NLP and a Master Transformative Coach who has helped to train and coach more than 30,000 people.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started with Business Coaching and Mentoring 5

Chapter 1: Navigating the World of Coaching and Mentoring 7

Spotlighting the Business Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring 8

Defining Coaching and Mentoring 9

Coaching is the art of co-creation 9

Mentoring is the art of imparting wise counsel 11

Distinguishing coaching and mentoring from therapy 11

Distinguishing Business Coaching from Other Types of Coaching 14

Business coaching requires an understanding of business 14

Coaching leaders to be difference-makers 15

Equipping Yourself to Help Other People in the Business Context 18

Choosing a coach or mentor 20

Becoming a business coach or mentor 21

Being on the Other Side as Coachee or Mentee 22

Understanding Professional Requirements 23

Chapter 2: Making the Case for Coaching and Mentoring 27

Taking the Role of Educator 28

Valuing Third-Party Observation in Business 29

Showing that the coach's perspective matters 29

Knowing how perspective feeds into change 30

Understanding construal-level theory 30

Leading a client to the light-bulb moment 34

Identifying the Client's Return on Investment 34

Selling the benefits 35

Doing a cost-benefits analysis 36

Measuring and monetizing 38

Measuring the hidden benefits clients can't see 38

Investing now for a future return 40

Stretching the Budget 41

Adding Value by Training Leaders in Coaching and Mentoring Skills 42

Chapter 3: Developing the Skills and Knowledge Base of a Coach and Mentor 45

The Differences between Coaching and Mentoring 46

The coaching skillset 46

The mentoring mind-set 47

Coaching and Mentoring Skills 48

Being present for a session 48

Active listening 48

Why coaching is rarely about the first issue in the conversation 49

Doing your homework and developing relevant business knowledge 50

Structuring a Client Session 52

Getting into the right frame of mind 52

Contracting creates relationship clarity 52

The contracting session 53

Creating the right environment 54

Knowing your limitations 55

Using Models in Coaching and Mentoring 57

The CLEAR model 57

Solution-focused coaching model 60

A model for mentoring 61

Developing flexibility in utilizing models and tools 64

Working in Particular Circumstances 64

Coaching and mentoring via telephone, web, and email 64

Cross-cultural and multicultural work 67

Chapter 4: Assessing Clients' Needs before Coaching 69

Creating Programs to Deliver Coaching and Mentoring in Organizations 70

Figuring out what the organization wants and what the organization needs 70

Working with talent management and succession planning 76

Supporting coaches and mentors 77

Coaching Wannabe Business Owners and Startups 78

Helping startups see the value of coaching 78

Looking at areas for focus 79

Guiding the jack-of-all-trades and master of one 80

Helping the Family-Owned Business Survive and Thrive 82

Knowing where your support is most helpful 82

Evolving the legacy 83

Keeping business professional 84

Developing "Intrapreneurs" within Organizations 85

Creating the space to innovate 86

Turning the catalyst of an idea into reality 87

Working with the Socially Oriented Business 88

Knowing types and makeups 88

Identifying the challenges for the business 89

Part 2: Developing the Business Leader's Mind-Set 91

Chapter 5: Managing the Inner World of Thoughts and Emotions 93

Understanding How Humans Think 94

We are what we think 95

We become what we practice 96

Choosing the Most Appropriate State in the Moment 97

Noticing the effects of a negative emotional state 97

Looking at the State Behavioral Model 99

Working with the four F's of flight or fight 100

Knowing that breathing is a better choice than not 102

Looking downright depressed is a dismal choice 104

If things aren't looking up, looking up helps 105

Changing Internal Self-Talk 106

Understanding that it's not what you say, it's the way you say it 107

Making the ridiculous sound ridiculous 109

Being kinder and nicer matters 110

Making Mind Pictures That Matter 111

Getting distance from the situation 112

Focusing on this not that 114

Changing the Internal World by External Means 116

Identifying when therapy is the answer 116

Using mindfulness, meditation, and the mysterious to support business 118

Chapter 6: Helping Leaders Recognize Why "I Did It My Way" Isn't the Best Epitaph 121

Recognizing That Inflexibility Sometimes Leads to Extinction 122

Knowing that process and product innovation require adaptive leadership 123

Checking risk appetite to temper or grow ambition 124

Being Willing to Ask for Help When Out of Your Depth 126

Deploying the Right Thinking to the Right Problem 129

Thinking purposefully 130

Exercising your thinking 131

Seeking certainty when ambiguity may create something wonderful 133

Developing Alternative Perspectives 133

Considering leadership styles 133

Applying leadership gifts in business 135

Chapter 7: Coaching Clients through Their Blind Spots 139

Preframing the Coaching Conversation 140

Breaking Down Common Barriers 141

Working on willingness to learn 142

Pushing beyond the comfort zone 142

Identifying the enemies of learning 144

Dealing with Roles and Perceptions That Contribute to Blindness 146

Repositioning the ego state 146

Grounding eccentricity 149

Distancing empathy 150

Defusing Dramas That Impede Clear Vision 151

Moving beyond reactive thinking 152

Giving up the dramatic roles 153

Dealing with learned helplessness154

Finding the meaning in fear 156

Shining a Light on Incongruency 158

Part 3: Coaching and Mentoring to Get a Business on the Right Track 161

Chapter 8: Telling a Compelling Story in Business 163

Understanding the Value of the Business Story 164

Recognizing how a business conveys its story 164

Knowing which stories a business tells 166

Seeing who responds to stories 166

Helping the Client Create the Basic Story 169

Guiding the client through an exploratory exercise 169

Knowing that "it's the way you tell it" 170

Distinguishing Fact from Opinion 174

Thinking in terms of maps of reality 175

Asking good-quality questions 176

Weeding out deletions, distortions, and generalizations 178

Playing master sleuth to separate opinion and reality 182

Giving Feedback on the Business Story 184

Chapter 9: Helping Clients to Assess Their Own Businesses Objectively 187

Testing the Foundations of the Business 188

Applying Strategic Thinking 188

Making the Complicated Simple 192

Using a framework to walk around the business 192

Working in plain lens spectacles 193

Determining Where the Best Mentoring Work Begins and Ends 197

Developing Trust and Honest Appraisal through Feedback 198

Encouraging clients to be open to regular feedback 198

Using feedback to feed forward 199

Learning from the Spectacular Success of Others 199

Mentoring inside a Small Organization 200

Chapter 10: Developing Vision, Mission, and Values 203

Aligning Who You Are with the Business You're In 203

Revealing What's Really Important 204

Defining the how and why of your business 204

Stopping your history from holding you back 206

Checking your locus of control 206

Getting clear on what you value and what you want 208

Helping a Business Create Operating Values 211

Coaching business leaders to identify values 212

Fleshing out values statements 214

Designing an Inspiring Vision with the Logical Levels Model 216

Identifying the six levels 217

Using the Logical Levels model 219

Reverse engineering the future 221

Communicating the Vision 222

Examples of Mission and Vision Statements 222

International Federation of the Red Cross 222

Fusion Optix 223

JPMorgan Chase & Co 223

Chapter 11: Transforming Visions into Workable Plans 225

Creating a Plan Fit for Purpose 226

Planning mind-set rules 227

Exploring options 228

Revealing what may stop or derail the plan 234

Gaining honest commitment and buy-in 237

Pinpointing when now is the right time 238

Resourcing the Plan 238

Packing the luggage for the journey 239

Knowing the route and moving in the right direction 242

Scheduling when to rest and refuel 243

Actioning and Reviewing the Plan 244

Gathering feedback and feeding forward 244

Checking that the plan is on track 245

Knowing when quitting is good 245

Acknowledging a job well done 247

Chapter 12: Mentoring for Personal Success and Empowering Leadership 249

Being a Great Leadership Mentor 250

Challenging the Delusions of What It Means...