Coaching Stories

Being a coach is a deeply rewarding profession, but even the best coaches encounter moments of uncertainty and doubt. In Coaching Stories: Flowing and Falling of Being a Coach, Karen Dean and Sam Humphrey intimately share their varied experiences as executive coaches in 48 stories – some where they were flowing and glorious, and others where they were falling and ashamed. Dean and Humphrey guide the reader through the journey from a novice to a master coach by exploring twelve distinct themes, underpinned by the four parts of Dean’s ‘Exceptional Achievement’ framework: setting out, doing, integrating and being.

Key Features

• Exploration of twelve distinct themes related to coaching.
• Insights from 48 personal stories, highlighting both successes and challenges.
• Focus on key topics such as confidence, talent, purpose, and fulfilment.
• Includes a section on further reading and relevant theories, models, and frameworks.
• A compassionate and pragmatic companion for coaches in practice and training.

Additional Information

Each chapter focuses on a different theme, presenting specific examples and stories from the authors’ work and reflecting on their learning and development at each point. Dean and Humphrey expertly assess topics by examining times where they performed effectively as well as those where they fell short. In each case, they consider what they wish they had asked or known about in advance, providing an insightful look at what being a coach is really like. The book will also be a valuable guide for other professionals seeking development, including internal coaches, managers in a coaching role, HR and L&D professionals, and will be a useful text for academics and students of coaching and coaching psychology. Dean and Humphrey are award-winning authors and have written a number of articles for leading coaching publications.