Books     Apart from Amazon, which I find fantastic – and especially when they email me with recommendations so I buy some more books! – I find Worth Reading! is also excellent. They specialise in supervision, counselling and psychotherapy, couples work, group work and the creative arts therapies, and draw on wide professional experience in their personalised recommendation of key titles. Visit their website or call them on 020 8741 6555. I seem to be overflowing with books that I want to read at the moment. Those that I've listed here are because they're sitting on my desk and I'm not sure where to start and all of them are "must reads" for me. So, here goes... Developmental Coaching Tatiana Bachkirova McGraw Hill, 2011 I attended a workshop with Tatiana at the EMCC Conference in Dublin last November where she presented some of her ideas that now materialise in this terrific exploration of developmental coaching. Some of the areas she investigates include: What is development in relation to people? What is the self? What is the role of coaching? What are the relationships between development, learning and change? What does 'working with the self' mean? Her approach and style is clear and practical but strongly grounded in thorough research and theory. This is an important contribution to the coaching profession. The Art of Possibility Rosamund Stone Zander and Ben Zander Harvard Business Press, 2000 I was introduced to this book (which is not exactly 'new'), at the EMCC Conference in London in March this year. The anecdote which the speaker shared was about the author who was teaching a group of A grade students on a new programme. When they arrived, he announced that he was going to give them all an A at the end of the programme. In return he asked them to write back after two weeks on the programme telling him what each of them were going to do in the way of creation of new ideas/work that entitled them to the A he had given them. This approach really appealed to me in the context of enabling the students to realise their potential from the basis that they really had it in them to achieve great things. This strategy enabled them to suspend their anxiety about if or whether they were going to make it, into one that worked on acknowledging before they even started that they had what it takes. For me, this is an uplifting philosophy in this day and age of measurement and competency-based analysis. The Soul of Supervision Margaret Benefiel and Geraldine Holton (Eds) Morehouse Publishing 2010 I was drawn to this book by its title. There are numerous 'how to supervise' texts, particularly from the helping professions (arguably coaching and mentoring could fall under this description). The essays in this book consider how contemplative listening, reflection-in-action and the integration of theory with real-life issues foster greater competence and spiritual sensitivity in supervision across professional and intercultural boundaries. A Leader's Guide to Reflective Practice Judy Brown Trafford Publishing, 2008 If the world of leadership is the world of action, why does being reflective matter? Why take time out? Why explore the inner world of thought and feeling, the quieter outer processes of dialogue and conversation? This book explores these questions, which really appealed to me. So often when I'm coaching senior executives in organisations, they arrive completely bound up with action, objectives, goals, achievements, measurable results – it's all do, do, do. In our early sessions they are looking for tangible results and 'takeaways' from our work together. And I accept that this is relevant. At the same time, what I notice over a period is that they begin to arrive for sessions without an agenda or task list. They want time to think, reflect and consider what's going on for them and their people within organisations and markets which are in constant state of flux. Initially they describe this reflection time as 'indulgent'. As they grow more comfortable with the process, they come to appreciate the value to themselves and those around them with having the time and space to think. They notice that they become more effective as a result of exploring their ideas in a non-judgmental, uncompetitive relationship and dialogue with me which enables them to get in touch with their true selves and can engage with their environment from a more balanced and still place. Handbook of Coaching Psychology Stephen Palmer and Alison Whybrow (Editors) Routledge, 2009 This handbook offers an extensive review of the diverse theories which may inform and underpin the professional coach's practice. Many of us may come to coaching from diverse backgrounds, with varied understandings of some of the psychological models and theories underpinning personal development. The book brings together various forms of coaching and their impact. After a series of chapters on the different psychological approaches, there is a section on understanding relationships, including the interesting area of defining boundaries between coaching and other forms of 'helping' such as counselling. There then follows a section the concepts to support the integration and sustainability of coaching initiatives within organisations. The Complete Handbook of Coaching Cox, Bachkirova and Clutterbuck (Editors) Sage, 2010 I'm putting this one alongside the Handbook of Coaching Psychology, as there are many similarities and several of the chapter authors reappear. After a section on theoretical approaches, then follows a section on genres and contexts of coaching. The book ends with a section of chapters discussing the professional practice issues that we are facing in coaching. Issues include ethics in coaching, supervision, mental health and CPD for coaches. It's comprehensive and thorough with many of the authors highly regarded in this field. Leadership Team Coaching Peter Hawkins Kogan Page, 2011 Peter Hawkins argues that the world needs more people who can lead teams to become effective as high-performing 'learning systems' that can transform the wider systems which they serve. He explores the complexity for coaches working in this arena and how they may facilitate and enable best performance and transformational leadership. Why Love Matters: How affection shapes a baby's brain Sue Gerhardt Routledge, 2004 Sue Gerhardt provides an excellent description of how a baby's brain develops and the significance of early relationships in setting the foundations for us all to form effective relationships later in our lives. She explores the impact of what happens when these early relationships are 'shaky' and what can develop as the result of extremely difficult early experience. I found the book extremely helpful in understanding aspects of my own experience in forming relationships, but it also gave me good insight into how this may impact on my clients and the issues they bring to coaching and supervision.       © Alison Hodge 2011 Tel: 020 8995 5485