Whale Done! The Power of Positive Relationships

I have long been a fan of the One Minute Manager series that Ken Blanchard is most famous for, and am rather disappointed that Whale Done dishes up a refried version of Blanchard’s now famous wisdom.

This time our narrator is Wes Kingsley, and Blanchard uses training Sea World animals as the theme, drawing the comparison between co-workers and family in the analogy.

The essence of the book is about channelling misdirection and reframing misguided energy more creatively, explaining the difference between Gotcha! and Whale Done! (the former being catching people doing the wrong thing, the latter catching people doing the right thing).

The book describes fundamental tenets of building rapport and supporting change behaviour. College training covers the points raised in more depth and with more eloquence. The book’s use for coaching practice I would then suggest is limited.

Ken’s style is catchy, and despite the fundamental principles being covered in his other books, the book is a good read, and a strong reminder of how to encourage change.

Having had the book passed on to me, I have continued the chain and have given my copy to a friend, whose family behaves much like the analogous family in the book. Hopefully, she will take the bait!

Imagine & You Can to transform your life NOW.

If you have been watching Gok’s “How to look good naked” series recently, you will see shockingly from his ‘Naked Survey 2009′ that was carried out on teenagers that:

• 1 in 4 teenagers have an eating disorder
• 70% are unhappy with their bodies
• 48% are considering cosmetic surgery.

These statistics are devastating and clearly highlight the issues that our young people have with severe low self-esteem and self-confidence. In many ways we are all, especially young women, literally trained to dislike our own bodies. We are constantly being bombarded with images of perfect celebrities – tall, skinny women with not an ounce of fat on their bodies. In fact, it has been estimated that a woman in the twenty first century will see more images of other women through the media in one day than her grandmother would have seen in a life time. This leads us to judging ourselves as not being good enough. With so many skinny celebrities being worshipped for their size and beauty, there is little wonder that we become obsessed about being skinny. So many people constantly compare themselves to the stars and their friends. Then, of course, you spend more money trying to look like that, which is what the advertisers and media want. Insecurity is profitable!

Gok is now attempting to attack the issue of body consciousness by trying to get the magazines aimed at teenagers to start using models who aren’t the industry standard size 8. He wants a fair representation of all shapes and sizes in the magazines so that young girls don’t become so obsessed with trying to be so ‘skinny’. This is fantastic and will help young women to stop comparing themselves against others. He also now has an online petition trying to get the government to agree to having Body Confidence classes in schools, to help young girls feel better about themselves.

The self-esteem solution NOW

More importantly, we need to help young women feel better about themselves NOW by helping them to build up their self-esteem in all areas of their lives. So what is the answer? The inspiring new book Imagine & You Can will help!

This new self-coaching book– Imagine & You Can is a powerful and inspiring new book for young women, to help them transform their lives and feel fantastic every day. Imagine & You Can is a practical step-by-step-guide helping young women to be more confident, motivated, happier and fulfilled.

With powerful information, tools and self coaching exercises, Imagine & You Can will help young women to become aware of how to take control of their lives and feel fabulous every day. Self- coaching will help young women get to where they want to be, by focusing on their goals and coming up with an action plan. Self-coaching is a fantastic way of getting results fast.

This book will help you to

• Love yourself and increase your self-esteem
• Create the life that you want
• Have loving relationships
• Be happy on your own and with others
• Be confident in all situations
• Be passionate about life
• Have outstanding health and more energy
• Transform your life and control your feelings

Author Davinia Gill comments, “Throughout my book I am sharing an important message to my readers which is “Imagine & You Can!” I truly believe that if you want something enough, you can have it. Imagine yourself doing it, achieving it and you will get what you want – Imagine & You Can. By reading this book, you will be able to create the life that you desire. You will feel positively transformed for the better.”

Imagine & You Can is now available from Amazon and soon to be available from the Coaching Academy. This is the book to help young women to increase their self-esteem.

The proof

Here are what some people were saying after reading the early rough edition of the book.

Davinia’s book is clearly written, motivating and very effective at breaking down all those negative and damaging thoughts that we are all susceptible to. It’s a book that I will keep handy and always dip into every so often, to remind myself that I can be the person that I want to be. Recommended for anyone who wants to live their life to the full. – Laura Canning

I have always beaten myself up about the way that I look and I have constantly compared myself to others. But finally, while reading this book, I have had an absolute breakthrough. For the first time in my life I have started to feel good about myself. I am working on my self-talk and feel more positive and happy with whom I am. – Katy James

I have finally learnt how to control my emotions and be happy. Imagine and You Can will make you feel great again about life. – Sarah Baker

About the Author

Davinia Gill runs a personal training and coaching practice for women. She combines her personal training, coaching and NLP therapy to help her clients achieve outstanding health, fitness and wellbeing.

She has worked in the health and fitness industry for over ten years and is passionate about her work. Having trained with the Coaching Academy, Davinia is a fully certified personal performance coach, and personal trainer and has also trained in NLP on Paul Mckenna courses.

She is passionate about what she does and loves helping women to transform their lives, both physically and emotionally. Her love of self improvement on herself and others is what lead her to write this awe inspiring book. Her motto in life is ‘Imagine & You Can’.

Click here to download and listen to Davinia Gill being interviewed about her fantastic new book. (MP3 3.5Mb)

Book Review – Get Clients Now!
By C.J. Hayden (Second Edition – Amacom)
Reviewed by Moira Lambert

This is one for the new coach ready to launch their practice. Described as a ‘28 day marketing programme for Professionals, Consultants and Coaches’,. the book is very simply structured in the form of a cookbook to help the reader create a simple and effective sales and marketing action plan. 

It begins with the necessary ingredients for success followed by an action plan and then detailed recipes for tactics. It is written in an easy to read style with real examples contained in inserts throughout. The tools required are all contained within the book, including worked examples,  with worksheet downloads available from the www.getclientsnow.com website.

In fact, this is a system that provides readers with practical exercises as they progress through the book. The really good thing about it is that it is specifically focussed at professionals, coaches in particular, so the emphasis is on marketing a service.

Get Clients Now breaks down the planning process into a series of well-defined yet pretty simple steps. It provides specific advice and actions depending on where you are in setting up your client base and finding new business ranging from filling the pipeline through to closing sales. The tone throughout the book is reassuring and straightforward which successfully engages and motivates the reader.   

The final part of the book focuses on marketing strategies and is structured around a series of all too recognisable marketing stumbling blocks. It is a great tool for the coach just starting a business and a very cost effective means of achieving a marketing plan that actually works.

Brilliant Life
By Michael Heppell
Prentice Hall Life
Reviewed by Charlie Adler

‘Brilliant Life’ by Michael Heppell is an easy read, easy to dip into book that takes you by the hand and guides you through aspects of the ‘Wheel of Life’ step by step.

At a reasonable price of £9.99 it divides the ‘Wheel of Life’ into different ‘life’ wheels to help the reader find out which areas of life need attention. It then helps them to develop those strategies. At the end of every chapter are paragraphs entitled ‘Brill bit’ which highlight poignant parts of the chapter and offers more food for thought. The book is peppered with quotes to add a lighter note within more thought provoking information. ‘Brilliant Life’ is divided into 8 parts (60 chapters in total) and there are some good potential exercises for budding coaches to use with their clients.

I would thoroughly recommend the book to anyone who has recently started on the journey of self development.

WHALE DONE! The Power of Positive Relationships
By Ken Blanchard
Free Press, 2002

I have long been a fan of the One Minute Manager series that Ken Blanchard is most famous for, and am rather disappointed that Whale Done dishes up a refried version of Blanchard’s now famous wisdom.

This time our narrator is Wes Kingsley, and Blanchard uses training Sea World animals as the theme, drawing the comparison between co-workers and family in the analogy.

The essence of the book is about channelling misdirection and reframing misguided energy more creatively, explaining the difference between Gotcha! and Whale Done! (the former being catching people doing the wrong thing, the latter catching people doing the right thing).

The book describes fundamental tenets of building rapport and supporting change behaviour. College training covers the points raised in more depth and with more eloquence. The book’s use for coaching practice I would then suggest is limited.

Ken’s style is catchy, and despite the fundamental principles being covered in his other books, the book is a good read, and a strong reminder of how to encourage change.

Having had the book passed on to me, I have continued the chain and have given my copy to a friend, whose family behaves much like the analogous family in the book. Hopefully, she will take the bait!

Anon

In many respects this notorious bestseller reads like it was written by a teenage boy – how about using your newly acquired overseas VA to harass your boss in a funny accent? But where this book really makes it mark is giving us a new definition of wealth: The “New Rich” focus on happiness, enjoyment and fulfillment in the now, whereas “Deferrers” climb the corporate ladder, collect status symbols and wait to retire (or die). Skim-read the technical information sections on running an online business – and if you truly love your job or your office is a "home away from home" then this book isn’t for you. But despite it’s many arguable flaws, this book is essential reading – both a riveting page-turner and a wake-up call to a whole new way of looking at your world. Read simply to inspire yourself or recommend to your clients to jolt them into action.

Reviewed by Emma-Louise Elsey – www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com

Psychology of Executive Coaching
By Bruce Peltier
Routledge, 2001
Reviewed By Gabrielle Blackman-Sheppard

Bruce Peltier introduces his text stating ‘the purpose of this book is to translate psychotherapy theory for executive coaches. Its goal is to make the principles, research, and wisdom of psychotherapy accessible to the practice of executive coaching’. This book achieves its objective brilliantly. It enables the reader to synthesise the best lessons from psychological theory in a way that can be quickly understood and effectively applied to executive coaching.

The book is comprehensive and covers various theoretical frameworks including: Psychological Assessment techniques, Psychodynamic theory, Behavioural concepts, Person-centred Psychology, Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Therapy, Family Therapy and Systems Thinking, Social Psychology and Coaching, The Existential Stance (yes, it even goes there!), Lessons from Athletic Coaching, Management vs. Leadership; Worker vs. Professional, Ethics in Coaching and making the transition from psychotherapist to executive coach. The chapter on Coaching Women in Business is limited in its use, it is culturally biased and its assumptions are simply not universal, as is implied.

The discovery I made while reading this book is how much non-directive coaching owes to Carl Rogers and his person-centred approach to psychotherapy. If ever we wanted a theoretical base for non-directive coaching, Rogerian theory has to be one of them.

The BIG pluses of the book:

+ The overview of psychology theory is comprehensive.

+ It is clearly written and related to the field of executive coaching.

+ Each chapter is constructed with a succinct analysis of the pluses and minuses of the theory described, a list of references for that chapter, and a list of recommended reading. This counts among one of the best-researched books I have ever read.

The BIG problems with this book:

- In all the impressive bibliographies, references and recommended readings, there is only one brief reference to a coaching book and no references to coaching organisations.

- The statement that client confidentiality cannot be guaranteed in executive coaching as it is in psychotherapy made my hair turn temporarily green….

- The impression given by the book is that in order to become an Executive Coach, you must first be a psychotherapist and then use the book to navigate the pitfalls that await you. There is no mention of coaching skills training.

For further information on Gabrielle Blackman-Sheppard visit www.direktion-coaching.com

Happy For No Reason
By Marci Shimoff (with Carol Kline)
Publisher: Free Press
Reviewed by Matthew Conway

Many books have been written on the subject of happiness but this blissful gem shines out in a league of it’s own. It is an easy to read, hugely inspiring compilation of the latest research in and around the burgeoning field of Positive Psychology.

Every page contains either an uplifting case study or a practical exercise geared towards allowing the reader to discover how they can become unreasonably happy. I read the entire book in one sitting, all the while thinking, “They should teach this stuff in schools!”

The ideas may not be entirely new to some readers but the way they are presented, backed up with scientific research, makes it an essential and highly accessible text for anybody who wants to make a positive difference in their own lives or in the lives of others.

Excuse Me Your Life is Waiting
By Lyn Grabhorn
Mobius (4 Jul 2005)
Reviewed by Yvette Bowen

The title of Lyn Grabhorn’s book is a great indicator of the style and content. The author is an earthy Texan who has battled her own demons successfully and has presented her version of the Laws of Attraction in this prosaic and irreverent book. Although many of the concepts are familiar, Lynn still manages to engage the reader with her wit and with real time examples of the Laws in action.

Using both her own life and clients’ as an example of the power of positive focus, she highlights the struggles we face as we try to change old, negative, behaviours; even when the new behaviour is working for us!

I found it particularly helpful that Lynn included a chapter on the 30 day process that turned her life around and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little humour with their personal transformation.

This book is listed on the "50 Success Classics" by Tom Butler – Bowdon. In 2004, my Best Friend, Adenrele who also loves reading, brought the 50 Success Classics to my attention. We both agreed to go through the list and read all 50 books with life-changing wisdom. I’m on my 7th book now and I think she’s probably on her 20th book already.

I read JACK – A book I would refer to as a "Success" story, by Jack Welch, who narrates his journey of 41 years with a Company (GE) that achieved so much. In a simple and with a lot of detail, he explains his wins, losses, the pluses & minuses that he encountered in GE and life in general. If there was something Jack had so much of, it was self-confidence, which he descibes as the greatest single gift his mum gave him right from his early years. Building self-confidence in people and others was the core and huge part of his leadership – as a junior Manager and right through his career as Chairman & CEO of GE. "Confidence gives you courage & extends your reach. It lets you take greater risks and achieve far more than is thought possible". His Mother gave him that much confidence, she convinced him that he could be anyone he wanted to be. It was really up to him "You have to go for it" – she would say. His mother raised him to be strong , tough and independent.

The book presents Jack’s Leadership styles, Management beliefs and secrets of his success; which are definitely worth reading. Jack sure does have "guts". In school he wasn’t the smartest, but he had the focus to get the work done & he bagged a degree, masters degree, PhD, and became the greatest Corporate Leader of the 20th Century who turned GE into the most valuable Company in the world.