The job and challenge of every leader should be to coach the team they lead. Sometimes a coach instructs. At other times he disciplines, still others sets goals and hopefully provides resources to reach those goals. In this book, Becoming A Coaching Leader, writer Daniel Harkavy describes a plan that he and his team have developed to encourage and influence leaders to become ‘coaching leaders.’ From the writer’s perspective, a ‘coaching leader’ takes the role of leader much deeper than boss. A ‘coaching leader’ invests in the person, not in the job the employee is expected to carry out. It is within the coaching relationship that a leader encourages, lays out expectations, provides tools and support and holds the team member accountable.

Harkavy’s ultimate challenge to leaders is to enter into a coaching arrangement for the purpose of seeing the ‘team member’ succeed in life as a person, not just in the job as employee.

The blueprint of a coaching leader is laid out on these four foundational pillars:

Developing a Life Plan
Casting a Business Vision
Establishing a Business Plan

and using the above to

Manage Priorities

The pages of this book are ones that I will reference in the future and especially the last few chapters where Mr. Harkavy gives practical tools that can be used in the coaching relationship.

This book will be an asset to anyone who is currently in a leadership position, someone who hopes to be a future leader, or someone who wants to develop their own life and business plan.

I am also going to take his challenge to personally develop the four foundational pillars for my life.