The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever

In Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit, coaching becomes a regular, informal part of your day so managers and their teams can wok less hard and have more impact.

Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples' potential. He unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how – by saying less and asking more – you can develop coaching methods that produce great results.

• Get straight to the point in any conversation with The Kickstart Question

• Stay on track during any interaction with The Awe Question

• Save hours of time for yourself with The Lazy Question, and hours of time for others with The Strategic Question

• Get to the heart of any interpersonal or external challenge with The Focus Question and The Foundation Question

• Finally ensure others find your coaching as beneficial as you do with The Learning Question

A fresh innovative take on the traditional how-to manual, the book combines insider information with research based in neuroscience and behavioural economics, together with interactive training tools to turn practical advice into practiced habits. Witty and conversational, The Coaching Habit takes your work – and your workplace – from good to great.

"Coaching is an art and it's far easier said than done. It takes courage to ask a question rather than offer up advice, provide and answer, or unleash a solution. giving another person the opportunity to find their own way, make their own mistakes, and create their own wisdom is both brave and vulnerable. In this practical and inspiring book, Michael shares seven transformative questions that can make a difference in how we lead and support. And he guides us through the tricky part - how to take this new information and turn it into habits and a daily practice." --Brené Brown, author of Rising Strong and Daring Greatly

"Michael Bungay Stanier distills the essentials of coaching to seven core questions. And if you master his simple yet profound technique, you’ll get a two-fer. You’ll provide more effective support to your employees and co-workers. And you may find that you become the ultimate coach for yourself."
--Daniel H. Pink, author of To Sell Is Human and Drive

"What can you do to become a better leader? Michael asks and answers this question by offering aspiring leaders seven thoughtful questions that will change their leadership habits. This book is full of practical, useful and interesting questions, ideas and tools that will guide any leader trying to be better."
--Dave Ulrich, co-author of The Why of Work and The Leadership Code

"Michael’s intelligence, wit, articulateness and dedication to the craft of coaching shine forth in this brilliant how-to manual for anyone called to assist others. Even after four decades of my own experience in this arena, The Coaching Habit has provided me with great takeaways."
--David Allen, author of Getting Things Done

"The Coaching Habit is funny, smart, practical, memorable and rounded in current behavioural science. I found it highly valuable for my own work and collaborations."
--James Slezak, Executive Director of Strategy, New York Times

"An autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. A man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying, since any life when viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats." ―George Orwell Michael was banned from his high school graduation for "the balloon incident", was sued by one of his Law School lecturers for defamation, gave himself a concussion digging a hole as a laborer, was fired on his first shift as a garage attendant and has held a number of jobs where he had little or no impact. Luckily, there's also been some upside. He is the author of a number of successful books including: End Malaria (which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Malaria No More), Do More Great Work, Get Unstuck & Get Going, Great Work Provocations and most recently The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever. He is also the founder and Senior Partner of Box of Crayons (BoxOfCrayons.biz), was the first Canadian Coach of the Year and a Rhodes Scholar. Box of Crayons is a company that helps organizations around the world do less Good Work and more Great Work. They specialize in giving busy managers the tools so they can coach in 10 minutes or less. They have particular expertise with organizations in the financial, professional service, pharmaceutical and consumer goods market sectors, and particular success with organizations with engaged but overwhelmed employees. Their programs are delivered by a global cadre of program leaders. Michael speaks regularly to audiences around the world. Highlights include speaking at Google, the HRPA and SHRM conferences, the Rural Women of Manitoba conference and anywhere that's vaguely warm during wintertime in Toronto, his home. "If I had to pick a person to have dinner with, when I need to be prodded and challenged and inspired to think about the things I really am committed to think about for myself and what I'm doing, I'd pick Michael Bungay Stanier. He has an ability to shake our tree and make us more conscious and responsible about what we know but aren't willing to admit we know yet." ―David Allen, author of Getting Things Done