Learning How to Add Coaching Skills to Your Leadership
The books I recommend without reservation are below. There are a lot of other great books about coaching but these books are helpful for Christian leaders regardless of whether they are in the church or in the marketplace. Some of them are certainly more targeted toward pastors and other full-time vocation Christian leaders. All of them are helpful for anyone who is a Christian and holds any kind of leadership role.
If I were to recommend one book for those who are learning how to coach it would be the first one on the list. The COACH Model® book is used by several coach training organizations and comes highly recommended by some of the leading coaching practitioners. I did post a disclaimer below, which you can read. If you know of other great resources, let me know. I am always on the lookout for the best resources available.
The COACH Model® for Christian Leaders is one of the best books available for learning coaching skills. In the new, revised & expanded edition of the best-selling book, The COACH Model® for Christian Leaders, leadership expert, Dr. Keith Webb, teaches Christian leaders how to create powerful conversations to assist others to solve their own problems, reach goals, and develop your own leadership skills in the process. The COACH Model® is a radically different approach to leading people. Rather than provide answers, ask questions to draw out what God has already put into others.
You can order a copy of The COACH Model® on Amazon or through your favorite book seller, but the links above connect you to Keith Webb’s store. He has other great resources available that are helpful for those who are adding a coach approach to their leadership.
A second book by Keith Webb is Coaching In Ministry: How Busy Church Leaders Can Multiply Their Ministry Impact. Ministry Leaders are notoriously busy. The thought of adding more work to already full schedules is overwhelming. Even learning another skill like coaching is an overwhelming thought to most of us who are involved in ministry. Coaching is a radically different approach to developing people. And long-term it has the potential to reduce stress, empower people, and produce a healthier life for us and for others. It might be the most effective way to disciple and develop people while reducing the demands of leadership.
Christ-Centered Coaching: 7 Benefits for Ministry Leaders by Jane Creswell is directed to coaches and and those working with a coach. In the first chapter Jane Creswell says, “This book is intended to educate, support, and inspire coaching that is Christ centered.” Jane brings her experience to the table as the first internal coach at IBM and founder of the IBM Coaches Network. She is also a Master Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation. Christ-Centered Coaching is a great resource for those who want help loving God—and people—with all their strength. Christ-Centered coaching is about what it looks like for coaches and those being coached to tap the untapped potential God has placed in each one of us.
Chad Hall is the is the President of Coach Approach Ministries (CAM). The CAM podcast is and excellent resource for individuals and leaders who want to know more about coaching. Chad is also the author of Faith Coaching: A Conversational Approach to Helping Others Move Forward in Faith. Chad’s book is a helpful addition to the discussion on how a coach approach to spiritual growth and discipleship moves the needle away from one-size-fits-all models to personal one-to-one discipleship that is uniquely fitted to the desires and goals of each person.
by Keith E. Webb
Faith Coaching: A Conversational Approach to Helping Others Move Forward in Faith
By Chad W. Hall, Bill Copper, Kathryn McElveen
Full Disclosure
I know Keith Webb and received coach training through Creative Results. I graduated from the Coaching Mastery Certificate program and can recommend it for those who want to receive professional level coach training. I am also a licensed trainer for The Coaching Workshop for Christian Leaders. I am recommending the above because of personal experience and because these resources really are among the best available. The COACH Model® is used by coaches around the world and by some of the best coaching school around. Some of the links contain affiliate links, but I would encourage you to purchase COACH Model® resources directly through Keith Webb’s store if it works for you. I don’t receive any affiliate benefits from his store.
Would you like to learn more about adding a coach approach to your leadership skills?
Consider attending The Coaching Workshop for Christian Leaders. Coaching skills will increase your effectiveness as a leader regardless of whether you work in the marketplace or in ministry. People who take this workshop see significant advancements in their impact, while seeing their stress and busy-ness go down.
Based on the book, The COACH Model for Christian Leaders, this workshop is made for those who are experienced as well as those who are not-so-experienced in coaching skills.
If you’re interested in know more about coaching or in The Coaching Workshop for Christian Leaders, schedule a no obligation coaching conversation with me.
