11 Best Coaching Books for Transformation & Success

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A curated list of the best coaching books from world-class authors to help take control of your life, transform mindsets & visualize goals.

Coaching is an effective tool for holistic development – both from a personal and a team perspective. To master the art and science of coaching, continuous learning is essential, and there’s no better way to deepen your understanding and refine your skills than by immersing yourself in the wisdom of experienced practitioners. Below is a list of the 11 best coaching books, each offering unique insights, proven strategies, and inspiring stories that will elevate your practice and empower you to create lasting impact.

Table of Contents

Co-Active Coaching

Authors: Karen Kimsey-House, Henry Kimsey-House, Phillip Sandhal, Laura Whitworth

Co-Active Coaching is the definitive guide for both experienced and aspiring coaches. The book provides a complete overview of coaching, from the fundamentals to advanced concepts. Additionally, it features an extensive collection of practical tools and exercises for readers to hone their skills and make progress.

Famed author Stephen R. Covey has called it “The Bible of Coaching Guides” – due to its comprehensive coverage of the subject matter and inspirational writing style. This book offers a unique model of powerful communication that lets people effectively build relationships. Furthermore, it contains easy-to-follow instructions, exercises, and examples on how to develop one’s coaching skills.

Co-Active Coaching is an ideal choice for those who are just starting with learning about coaching – or need to standardize their approach. It provides an invaluable resource for coaches at any level, allowing them to expand their knowledge – while also obtaining fresh ideas on how to improve as professionals in this field.

Best coaching books

Coaching for Performance

Author: Sir John Whitmore

Written by the world-renowned Sir John Whitmore, Coaching for Performance is an amazing toolkit for novice and experienced coaches alike. It provides an in-depth exploration of the fundamentals of coaching, factoring in frameworks such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the GROW Model. The goal is to empower readers with the tools to assist individuals and teams to reach their full potential and excel in their performance.

This coaching book features detailed information on how to analyze coaching data, the principles behind its implementation, as well as creative strategies to motivate people to take action. Subsequent editions have incorporated additional topics related to emotional intelligence (EQ) and high-performance leadership. The material is presented in an easy-to-digest format with succinct chapters.

Whether one is a budding coach just starting out or a seasoned professional looking for new insights, Coaching for Performance will provide relevant information that can be easily applied in a business context. It is without a doubt one of the most comprehensive books on the subject available today.

Best coaching books

The Heart of Laser-Focused Coaching

Author: Marion Franklin

The Heart of Laser-Focused Coaching equips coaches with the knowledge and tools needed to hone their skills more effectively. Through detailed analysis of a variety of concepts related to coaching, it provides readers with valuable insights into laser-focused training and its potential impact on results. On top of that, it also contains thought-provoking questions designed to help readers evaluate and reflect upon their own development as coaches.

This book is ideal for coaches at any level – especially those who have been practicing for some time, or are struggling with certain issues in their professional journey. By providing useful strategies and solutions, The Heart of Laser-Focused Coaching can help them discover new ways of motivating themselves – as well as improve the effectiveness of their work. Combining with notebook writing can allow coaches to record their thoughts on the topics discussed within it, thereby deepening their understanding and furthering their growth.

The Portable Coach

Author: Thomas J. Leonard

The Portable Coach by Thomas J. Leonard is an insightful and motivational guide to the art of coaching. The book breaks down its key principles into 28 chapters, each with implementations to further your understanding. Each chapter contains quotes from leading experts, conclusions, and tips on how to measure progress using the given principles.

For those with a positive mindset, the book will prove invaluable in providing guidance and direction on how to best achieve personal goals. Whether you are looking for some quick inspiration, or delving deeper into a specific concept, The Portable Coach has something for everyone. It’s perfect for coaches as well as their clients who want to explore their potential and find creative solutions that work best for them.

Best coaching books

The Discomfort Zone

Author: Dr. Marcia Reynolds

In The Discomfort Zone, former ICF president – Dr. Marcia Reynolds – emphasizes the importance of presence, concern, and courage in order to become an expert coach. Throughout this book, coaches are guided on how to help coachees recognize and break through their obstacles – which often prove to be challenging for them to confront. It demonstrates how coaches may inspire bravery and create a safe space for their clients to open up – and thus begin their transformation journey.

Dr. Reynolds provides methods for coaches to apply active listening – involving both the mind and the heart – to provide the best support and better understand their client’s needs. Furthermore, she shares examples of how to identify the “blind spots” that many clients struggle with during sessions – so that they become more aware of them and start dealing with them accordingly.

The Discomfort Zone is a worthwhile read for executive coaches and those looking to improve the development of their coachees and gain a better understanding of how they can best help them.

Best coaching books

Coach the Person, Not the Problem

Author: Dr. Marcia Reynolds

Coach the Person, Not the Problem is an insightful and holistic guide to reflective questioning that encourages effective presence. It delves into the power of coaching and explores some common misconceptions about it. The book includes five essential practices for coaches, such as identifying and then addressing any hidden agenda items at play within a client’s situation. It further outlines three important psychological habits to keep in mind when engaging with clients.

With Coach the Person, Not the Problem, professional coaches have the chance to achieve greater success in their practice – by developing a deeper understanding of their clients and more effectively responding to their needs. This coaching book also offers advice on how to empathize with people on a personal level – while helping them move towards realizing their desired goals.

Leadership Team Coaching

Author: Dr. Peter Hawkins

Leadership Team Coaching is a comprehensive guide to optimizing team performance. The book’s 3rd edition provides readers with the latest research and tools on team coaching and leadership development – plus an array of worldwide case studies, and examples of how to develop teams from varying backgrounds into high-performing units.

The core principles discussed in the book include understanding the dynamics of team operations, selecting the right team members for success, developing relationships through coaching, building trust within teams, and enabling CEOs to effectively drive their teams towards greater achievement. Aside from that, it also suggests tips on how to find a trustworthy coach for optimal outcomes.

The Leadership Team Coaching book offers valuable insights for individuals to improve their understanding of team dynamics and interactions, and learn how to nurture more productive and collaborative working environments. With its detailed analysis of team structures, processes, and strategies, this publication is an essential resource for anyone that wishes to help their organization reach peak performance.

Best coaching books

The Coaching Habit

Author: Michael Bungay Stanier

The Coaching Habit is a practical guide to developing and honing the skills of coaching. It offers step-by-step advice on how to effectively work with individuals, teams, or organizations – using simple and powerful approaches that draw from modern psychology and neuroscience.

This book is specifically suitable for coaches that want to hone their craft, enabling them to gain deeper insights into their coachee’s intentions, personality types, and motivations. It maps out specific guidance on when and how to ask powerful questions, listen actively, observe body language and other nonverbal cues – as well as understand how these behaviors may influence the outcome of a coaching session.

Michael Bungay Stanier’s book is full of valuable tools for coaches, providing them with the confidence to engage in meaningful conversations that motivate clients to take action – and achieve better results.

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

Author: Dr. Marshall Goldsmith

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is essential reading for any aspiring executive coach – as it effectively communicates the message that success today does not necessarily guarantee success tomorrow. Achieving a position of high management or leadership requires much more than just hard work, smarts, and charisma – it requires subtle changes in behavior to make a real impact.

Dr. Goldsmith explains how small behavioral changes, such as expressing gratitude more often, can make all the difference when trying to reach the top of an organization. Through his easy-to-understand advice, readers may easily identify their problematic patterns and start changing them to gain respect from colleagues and superiors alike.

This coaching book is suitable for business executives seeking a greater understanding of leadership roles – and trainers who want to gain insights into better coaching techniques. It offers timeless wisdom on how small but meaningful modifications in behavior can lead to significant results in terms of career advancement and increase one’s chances of achieving success at higher levels.

Read more: 20 Bad Habits in Life That Impacts Relationships & Success

Best coaching books

5 Levels of Mastery

Authors: Marshall Goldsmith & Peter Chee

5 Levels of Mastery offers an in-depth look into the five levels of self-mastery, contextualizing them within continuous learning solutions to help readers achieve a higher degree of love, happiness, and success in their lives.

Using decades of research and experience amassed from coaching, mentoring, training, and leadership development programs around the world, the authors have compiled an illuminating collection of stories that showcase how we can make lasting changes in lives. They also share ten principles for love, happiness, and success – as a means to achieving personal mastery, inspiring readers to take control of their destinies by becoming proactive agents in their own growth and transformation.

Drawing on both theory and practice within the fields of leadership development and self-improvement, 5 Levels of Mastery provides practical guidance for those looking to make meaningful changes through self-discovery and introspection. Readers will gain profound insights into human behavior which can be applied to any context that requires change or development – whether it be at home or in the workplace.

Read more: 20 Best Self-discovery Books – A Journey Within to Find Your North Star

Coaching for Breakthrough Success

Authors: Peter Chee & Jack Canfield

Last but not least, Coaching for Breakthrough Success is an essential resource for anyone looking to unlock their true potential and achieve success. Written by renowned experts Peter Chee and Jack Canfield (the latter is the coauthor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series), the book covers a wide range of topics related to the art and science of effective coaching. Through step-by-step guidance, readers learn the necessary skills to help their coachees reach new heights in life and make meaningful changes that will have lasting positive effects.

The authors provide deep insights into motivational coaching that encourages profound transformation on both personal and professional levels. Their wisdom helps coaches understand how to leverage the right tools, techniques, and strategies that will best bring out the best in their coachees. Additionally, they also offer advice on how coaches can cultivate their own growth while helping others reach breakthrough success too.