Top 10 Must Read Books for Personal Coaches

10 Books for Every Personal Coach

As life coaches, we like learning about the brain and self-improvement. We are always looking for books and other resources that will assist us in reprogramming the minds of our clients. Although we are very interested in the most recent studies on how the mind functions, it can be challenging to keep up with all the information and new studies. 

In order to save you time and make things simpler for you, we have chosen the greatest books out there.

1. The Gifts of Imperfection

Originally published by Brené Brown on August 27, 2010.  She is a fantastic role model for all the coaches. She has no problem speaking her views, making mistakes, or changing for the better. The majority of Brené’s time is spent working for organizations all around the world, where she supports the creation of cultures and leaders that are more courageous.

It teaches us to embrace and engage with our flaws rather than changing who we are to fit expectations. The main takeaways focus on developing “wholehearted living” and developing empathy in order to stop living for other people and start living for ourselves.

• These three simple words courage, compassion, and connection can open the door to extraordinary transformation in your life.
• Ten principles on the power of living wholeheartedly as a means of interacting with the world from a position of worthiness are shared in the book.

2. Thinking, Fast And Slow

Originally published on October 25, 2011, by Daniel Kahneman. The book became a best-seller in the New York Times and was named the 2012 National Academies Communication Award winner for most creative work that advances public awareness of issues in behavioral science, engineering, and medicine.

Starting with Kahneman’s own study on loss aversion, the book outlines the rational and non-rational reasons or triggers connected with each type of thought process and how they support one another. The book synthesizes decades of evidence to argue that people place too much trust in human judgment, from framing decisions to people’s propensity to replace a tough question with one that is simple to answer. 

The book explains:

• It centers on the reasoning or lack thereof in human decision-making and has significant ramifications for a wide range of fields, including market research and law.
• There are a lot of experiments that aim to compare these two mental processes and see how they differ despite using the same inputs.

3. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Published on February 28, 2006, by Carol S. Dweck. She is one of the top experts in the world in the study of personality, social psychology, and developmental psychology. The book well explains the difference between a fixed and remote mindset.

It describes a problem that is referred to as the false growth mindset and offers advice on how to develop a deeper, more genuine growth mindset. It also applies the mentality notion to the cultures of groups and organizations, extending it beyond the individual. You may inspire others you lead, teach, and love to alter their life as well as your own if you have the correct attitude.

• People who have a fixed mindset tend to remain in their comfort zones and concentrate on confirming and proving themselves because they believe their abilities are fixed. 
• A growth mindset places a strong emphasis on learning and pushing oneself.

4. Coaching for Performance (fifth edition)

Written by John Whitmore, published on November 26, 2010. The go-to resource for all coaches and coaching innovators is Coaching for Performance.

The father of all coaching methodologies and books is Coaching for Performance. Its knowledge has been utilized by thousands of high-performing firms, and many coaching programs use it as their preferred introduction literature. But even the more experienced coach can benefit from it.

• It offers The Performance Curve, which maps an organization’s culture and how it relates to performance, as well as insights from more experience.
• A clear perception of reality, the development of possibilities, and decision-making come after vision. mostly through inquiries and client self-evaluations.

5. The HEART of Laser-Focused Coaching

The book was published on September 25, 2019, by Marion Franklin. Even the most seasoned coaches will benefit from Marion’s groundbreaking ideas, which will help them discover fresh perspectives and ideas as well as a deeper grasp of what they already know.

An innovative, ground-breaking strategy makes coaching simpler and improves your capacity to support clients in making a significant, lasting transformation. Make your coaching so potent and profoundly transformative that it continually flows and seems effortless.

• Provides sophisticated methods for creating effective questions without the use of lists. 
• Outlines behavioral principles that can be used to rapidly determine what’s really happening.
• Contains the 25 Themes that guide all coaching situations and make questioning and coaching more easier.

6. The Portable Coach

The book was published on August 6, 1998, by Thomas J.Leonard. A dynamic, deeply transformative method that will change the way you think about life and enable you to attract contentment, success, and pleasure with the same certainty that a magnet attracts metal.

The Portable Coach is the next best thing to being in the corner of the man who started the personal coaching movement. This book will teach you a vibrant new way of honoring yourself and remaking the world on your terms. It is a strong, extremely encouraging blueprint for success.

• Discover Your Top Priorities, Stop Pursuing Success, and Let Success Find You Receive the Promotion You Deserve
• Get your personal finances in order
• Get Your Life in Order

7. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

The book was published on May 3, 2016, by Angela Duckworth. It reveals fresh perspectives from her groundbreaking research on grit and explains why talent isn’t always a guarantee of success. Instead, other aspects, including realizing our passions and keeping our promises, may be much more important.

The book takes readers on a field trip to see instructors working in some of the most challenging schools, cadets navigating their first weeks at West Point, and young National Spelling Bee finalists. Additionally, it draws on significant historical revelations and illustrates the lessons that may be drawn from current research on peak performance.

• It involves enduringly moving in the same direction, much like having a strong internal compass that directs all of your choices and deeds.
• It is a key to extraordinary success, a unique combination of enthusiasm and perseverance, rather than talent.

8. Coaching For Performance: GROWing Human Potential And Purpose

The book was published on May 14, 2009, by John Whitmore. He established the fundamentals of performance coaching and facilitated its emergence from sporting greatness, transpersonal psychology, and emotional intelligence through his books, most notably Coaching for Performance, workshops, and speeches.

The book’s main discussion centers on coaching techniques. The strategy used is comprehensive and helpfully includes team coaching. In an engaging and thought-provoking manner, the author combines the ease of the coaching process with the wider reach of the coaching profession.

• Predicts the essential changes that will take place in the coaching and business world.
• Concepts of coaching and demonstrates it as a method of management and mentality rather than a technique to bring about a one-time change. 

9. Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives

The book was published on January 6, 2007, by Karen Kimsey-House. Kimsey-House continues to run CTI workshops and is an engaging keynote speaker all around the world because she is committed to establishing Co-Activity in difficult situations and with disturbed communities.

If you’re looking for a thorough and easily accessible overview of coaching, this book is for you. It is a priceless resource for learning about coaching’s definition, models, and methods, as well as the fundamental ideas that underlie coaching.

• Co-Active Coaching teaches the transformative communication technique that enables people at all organizational levels to establish solid, cooperative connections.
• The ongoing interaction between the coach and client is highlighted, with a focus on the fundamental ideas of fulfillment, balance, and process.

10. The Inner Game Of Work: Focus, Learning, Pleasure, And Mobility In The Workplace

The book was published on September 11, 2001, by W. Timothy Gallwey. His books present a fresh approach to cultivating both personal and professional excellence across a range of disciplines. Gallwey has been introducing the Inner Game concept to businesses looking for better ways to handle change for the past 20 years.

Procrastination, reluctance to change, stagnation, doubt, and boredom are a few others. No matter how long you’ve been doing a job or how little you believe there is to learn about it, Gallwey teaches you how to tap into your innate potential for learning, performance, and happiness so that every job may become an opportunity to hone skills, improve pleasure, and heighten awareness. The book tells:

• How to get over the internal challenges that hinder your efforts to perform at your best at work.
• Knowing how to learn, is a crucial ability that, in this situation, distinguishes the productive, content employee from the rest of the field.