Being Coached: Group and Team Coaching from the Inside

As colleagues of Holly's we have seen the birth and evolution of this book. Being Coached is a culmination of years of first hand experience of both of the authors. They bring their insights and knowledge of how to support teams and leaders in transformational change for themselves as well as those they lead. The authors have peppered their best practices tools and models throughout so it is transparent for the reader to see how the transformation unfolds. We recently provided their book to a team we are supporting and asked them to read it in preparation for a team leadership session. The authors have written the book in such a way that each person could see themselves in one or several of the characters. The discussion allowed for the team to talk about issues they had never been able to before in a safe, supportive way.Being Coached is useful for talent managers or human resource professionals to gain insights into what the team coaching experience is as well as a concrete resource for those who are involved in a group coaching experience. We found the book useful for this team and will continue to use it in our coaching practices with others.We express our thanks to Holly and Ann for capturing their insights and experiences and sharing it with the coaching community and those they support. Jan Day Gravel and Lori Ermi

This book was much more valuable than I expected. The authors could have written pages and pages of the theory, tools and practice of group/team coaching. Readers then need to figure out how to apply it. This book demonstrates how to use the tools. It references the specific books, methodologies, questions and tools within the scripts. It explains the tools/sources referenced at the end. I read lots of coaching books. This is a winner. I read it in a weekend - about 3 hours total. I felt like I am so much better equipped to do group coaching as a result.

"Being Coached: Group and Team Coaching From the Inside" provides a unique perspective on coaching by telling the stories of one group and one team as they participate in coaching. The authors explain the difference between team and group coaching, making the point that group coaching is a wonderful, less expensive developmental tool that pays off for the sponsoring organization by building commitment, community, and cross-organizational bonds. Team coaching, while also developmental, focuses on the capacity of an intact team to meet both shared and individual goals despite unexpected challenges . Both use a combination of individual coaching from an executive coach and peer coaching by team/group members. The result is a greatly enhanced capacity for supportive, non-threatening feedback. The individual stories make this process come alive for the reader. As the book progresses, the reader sees each team member become more comfortable with and able to give insightful feedback. The book also provides useful guidance for designing the flow of a team/group coaching engagement along with suggested tools and reading materials for the participants. Deaton and Williams have written a thought-provoking introduction to the art of going beyond individual coaching to developing leadership capacity of a group and creating shared responsibility for a team. It is well-worth reading, not only for coaches, but also for leaders who want to develop their employees and teams.

I work with family businesses and enterprises where teams and leaders are grouped by generation or sphere of family influence. I picked up the book at the suggestion of a colleague when looking to develop a program for a group of cousins. I'm glad I did.Through two story lines, the book does a great job of breaking down the modality of group coaching and how it can develop numerous skillsets within a cohesive framework. Using this book as a starting point, I've created several group coaching programs.The book also has some good resources for content that can be applied to any group coaching program.

This book is a terrific introduction to group and team coaching. It's written as a tale about a fictional company and its employees and walks the reader through multiple aspects of a team and group coaching process. I appreciate the fact that they kept the book to 180 pages (I read it in one evening) although that did require them to simplify the coaching process quite a bit. And yet I think they make up for that by providing numerous references to read more about specific coaching techniques. Clearly the authors are experienced and knowledgeable coaches and I learned a lot while reading the book. It is also written very well which makes any business book a more enjoyable read. I recommend this book for any business coach who wants an introduction to team or group coaching, team coaches who are newer to this work or anyone considering hiring a team coach.

I read Being Coached from the viewpoint of a rank beginner. I am interested in the concept of coaching, and having heard so much good and bad, I read Williams' and Deaton's book for myself, strictly as a learning experience. My first thought was that the book was engaging. I became involved with the characters and their lives; hence I read on when I might otherwise have stopped after the first 50 pages. More importantly, I learned that true coaching requires active participation, effort and commitment to one's stated goals. "Accountability" seems to be the one word that for me best describes the process -- and for those involved, from coaches to rank beginner participants, accountability is key to success. What I really liked is that the authors talk about all aspects of life, and the characters drew from coaching experiences to balance their personal lives too, and that is important.For anyone considering engaging in the coaching process for professional or other reasons, or for anyone considering coaching as a career, this read is a must. Thank you, Authors, for giving a concise, readable blueprint on the subject of "Being Coached" from the classroom to the boardroom and beyond.