Rima B.

Dahdah November 24th, 2018

Book Critique

Henry Kimsey-House, Karen Kimsey-House, Phillip Sandahl and Laura Whitworth

Co-Active Coaching
Changing Business, Transforming Lives
Boston, London
Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Third Edition
2011

This paper presents an analysis, evaluation and discussion for the third edition of the
Co-Active Coaching book published in 2011. I will start with a brief personal experience then
I will move to analyzing the book including what the author offers, what are the main points
of this book, the logical sequence and the evidence presented, the illustrations used, the kind
of readership this book is addressed to, in addition to the documentation and I will conclude
with a general view of the book while going through some recommendations. Throughout the
discussion, I will be clearly stating my likes, dislikes and opinion of the book.

It has been now around two years that I am curious to know about coaching and how
it works. I have searched zillions of times on the internet for articles, definitions and
sometimes exercises around it but I never felt like I really understood what coaching is about…
Until today… I just finished reading the Co-Active Coaching book and here I am, for the first
time finally, assimilating and knowledgeable of what coaching is and why it has that huge and
deep effect on people and businesses. So thank you Mr. and Ms. Kimsey-House, Mr. Sandahl
and Ms. Whitworth for offering a new, clear and net interpretation for the concept of
coaching.

But why? What makes this book really different? In my opinion, the techniques used in this
book to explain what coaching is, are what makes it unique and interesting. I have identified
eight elements that, for me, contributed directly and indirectly to the success of this book.
Below I will state the elements, elaborate and explain each one of them and give examples to
relate back to the book.

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- Element one is the structure; the book is split into three well determined parts
(fundamentals, contexts and principles and practices) where every part has its own
chapters. The outline of the book is so clear, it was like a map for me or a guide where
I could revert to it at any time and check where I am now standing in this book, where
I am in this logical sequence. Yes, definitely logical. While reading the book, I had all
the time the feeling that I am, myself, flowing because the flow of logical presentation
of information is very powerful and this is what I liked most in the structure.
- Element two is the funnel technique; and this was used for every concept and in every
part and chapter. The funnel technique means starting from the general to the
specific. For me, and as a learning and development professional, it is very important
to see the big picture and then move to the details. Seeing things from far at first, or
from up, or from a zoom out point of view is useful. Starting with the model and
relationship and then moving to the contexts prior to moving to the principles and
practices is indeed clearer. That is something I raise thumbs up to.
- Element three is the link among concepts. I can confidently say that the last chapter
of this book (chapter 11 entitled putting it all together) is an amazing wrap up for all
the book. Why am I mentioning this element? Because by experience, I know very well
that not all people are able to find the link among concepts easily. Many people need
to be guided when it comes to linking several concepts and this is normal, especially
that those concepts are new. Other than the last chapter, while moving forward from
one chapter to another, the authors were making the links clear, it is just like stepping
from one stair to another. Readers do not need to bother or stop in order to think
about the link and find it; while reading the book, you know for a fact that you will
eventually see the links. And here is one more positive element.
- Element four is the illustrations. I wish I found more of those but this element is
definitely a success too. Many people rely on their visual memory; they need to see
charts, images, illustrations and other types of visuals since it helps them memorize
the concepts more. The illustrations found in this book are the Co-Active Model, the
Coaching Relationship, the Wheel of Life, the Process Pathway and Redirecting the
Flow. For the listening skill and the self-management skill, it would be better if visuals
are created since they stick in the mind more.

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- Element five is the real-life examples. Those conversations between the coach and the
coachee or client are inspiring and I wished there were more of those. Sometimes one
example or one conversation is not enough. Again, the concepts are new and to
assimilate them enough, readers need examples, many examples.
- Element six is the exercises. Here I have a positive note and I see room for
improvement. As a Coach in Training, the first thing I was asked to do as part of my
diploma is to read the Co-Active Coaching book. This is my very first step. So, I am here
looking like an empty cup and I am being filled by this book. Having exercises in the
book is very appealing. What could be improved from my stand point is to convert this
book into a workbook and only for the part related to exercises. And what could be
done as well is to ask the Coaches in Training to submit the exercises to their mentors
for feedback (as a mandatory step I mean). Why? Because simply, coaching is practical,
yes, we need to read and understand all the concepts but we need as well to practice
those concepts from the very beginning of the program.
- Element seven is the language. This book is travelling around the world. People from
all countries and all continents may have this book. The English language used is
simple but could be even more simplified. The book is addictive by the way so those
who are reading don’t want to stop and search for a word in the dictionary. To be
clearer, I will give an example from the book: in page 21, in the section of Coaching
Format, the first sentence says: “Over the past decade, coaching as a practice and as
a profession has taken root in myriad forms ...” so the word “myriad” could be easily
substituted with the word “many”. Using a simplified language and taking into
consideration that many people whose English language is not their primary language
would be something to review.
- Element eight is the content. Yes, the content itself. This is the most important
element of all. I left it to the end to conclude with it. Here lies la crème de la crème. I
have been now in the training industry for 6 years. I train people on soft skills, mainly
communication, listening, leadership and many other topics. When I prepare my
trainings, I do massive research. No one mentions anything about “Intuition” and
“Curiosity”. This is what impressed me in this book. I have a strong intuition and I
believe in what I sense, this book confirmed to me the importance of that. As for
curiosity, I have it, it is in me but I always suppress it thinking that it is a negative skill

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(and probably this is due to cultural reasons). This book as well confirmed to me the
importance of curiosity. Moreover, the concept of “Forward and Deeper” made the
coach’s job very clear to me. This chapter made me understand, in a very straight
forward way, that the coach’s job is to forward and deepen and the client’s
perspective is action and learning. One more thing that I found impressive is the
explanation around fulfillment, balance and process. The awareness this book gives is
huge and very much needed. I feel like I can read it again and again and still get new
things from it and learn new ideas and techniques.

To conclude, is the book well written? Well… I vote with a big yes. The book is amazing in
terms of content, structure, logic, funnel technique and links among concepts. What could
be taken into consideration when it comes to improving the book are the illustrations (we
need more), the language (we need a simpler one) and the exercises (a workbook style
would make readers benefit even more).

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