Positive Provocations by Roberts Bizwas Deiner
“Great coaching is built on creating a relationship that feels safe for the client - not safe from challenge but safe enough to be challenged.”
3 Main Messages:
Coaches need to continue to build their practice and challenge their own thinking and assumptions.
Questions are key!
There are times when the laws of coaching require bending
I’d like to be bold here: I think every coach should read, re-read, consider and discuss this book. Possibly multiple times.
One of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Core Competencies of Coaching is to facilitate client growth by integrating “new awareness, insight or learning into their worldview and behaviours”. As we encourage unlearning and new thinking in our clients, surely we should also be pushing ourselves to think differently, to examine our beliefs and practices in coaching and constantly be seeking to think things through in new ways? This book provides the perfect vehicle for that process.
Biswas-Deiner’s intention is to challenge us and promote new ideas and fresh thinking. He does this through asking 25 questions for consideration. We are invited to take our time here, to leave space between reading each chapter in order to allow for conversations, reflection, practice, experimentation and new thinking. It is a wonderful way of improving coaching practice and of allowing coaches to reflect on practice and assumptions they may be taking for granted.
Coaches are invited to read each chapter, let the ideas simmer, notice feelings or reactions, consider how this emerges in your own practice, find examples and counterexamples and discuss with other coaches. We are also recommended to take notes and only read one chapter at a time. I have to be honest and say that I struggled to pace myself while reading this and so greedily allowed myself 2 chapters per week and savoured each one, excited to get to the next.
The book is split into 25 chapters (intended to be read over a year) across 5 sections which cover fundamental philosophies, how we communicate, coaching concepts, coaching interventions, and the science of coaching. Each chapter is short, with a basic question being explored and decorated with examples, anecdotes, models, metaphors and explanations. Questions covered include ‘Is coaching nondirective?’ ‘What’s so great about interrupting?’ and “What if we used less empathy?” - each one holding up common tropes of coaching practices to the light for examination.
Throughout the book there are also fantastic coaching questions. I kept a notepad handy in order to capture some and use these in my own coaching practice. I found myself scribbling away in the margins and at the end of each chapter in response to questions and the ‘Reflect and Experiment’ sections, excited to discuss with fellow coaches.
This is a book to read and return to again and again. It promises to ‘elevate your coaching practice’ and I feel that it has improved mine. As I dip back in, there are more nuggets and I am dying to gather coaches together to explore our thinking more. And so my invitation to you is to read it - and then contact me in a year and let’s discuss!!
