Neuropsychology For Coaches

Neuroscience is revolutionising coaching: it helps us understand the biological basis of our behaviour. This includes the behaviour of the coach and the client.This practical book explains basic brain functioning and offers a guide to using this knowledge to advance our coaching and make our practice more effective.

This book is designed to provide coaches and managers with brain knowledge that is useful to them and enable them to access its practical use with clients.

Neuroscience is revolutionising coaching: it helps us understand the biological basis of our behaviour. This includes the behaviour of the coach and the client. This practical and much needed book explains basic brain functioning and offers a guide to using this knowledge to advance our coaching and make our practice more effective. It builds extensively on the fact that we do now know that feelings underly all decision-making and focuses coaching on helping clients establish intelligent emotions as the basis of their own decision systems. Using a systemic model of emotions, energy and change, Paul Brown and Virginia Brown show coaches how to integrate the client's life experience into coaching and create change. This is a must read for all practising coaches. "This book is scattered with insightful, thought-provoking and occasionally beautiful analogies and metaphors, which any reader would be hard-pressed not to be challenged by. The (unrelated) Browns absolutely illustrate the importance for coaches of having an understanding of how the brain works." Coaching at Work, March 2013 "The OU coaching series always provides a reliable read for the coach and this is no exception ... The authors have kept the neuroscience refreshingly simple, choosing to focus on key evidence based principles of relevance to coaching." The International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching, Volume X Issue 2, December 2012 "This book is a delicious feast of neuroscience. Bravo!" Nancy Kline, President, Time To Think, UK “It’s rare to find an accessible, engaging book that combines current neuropsychological theory with working examples for executive coaching. At last here is one that brings the two together seamlessly." Linda Aspey, Managing Director, Coaching for Leaders “At last, a book that embeds the practice of coaching into what we know of how the brain works - rather than one that tells you about the brain, then leaves the coach to work it out; or one that tells you about techniques, then adds in the brain information as something of a 'P.S'." Ann James, Executive Coach / Director, Thinking Space "At long last, a rigorous book on neuropsychology that is both palatable and practically applicable for executive coaches." Dr Tara Swart, Neuroscientist, medical doctor and executive coach, Executive Performance Ltd. “Introducing the basic functioning of the brain, this book shows that humanity and high performance are indeed fraternal twins. A most useful guide!” Anette Prehn, MA in social science, brain-based executive coach (PCC), author of Play Your Brain "In a world of psuedo-theory and airport quick reads, Professor Paul Brown and Virginia Brown offer something most refreshing: hard science married with the intimate relationship between coach and executive." Dr. Christina L. Lafferty, National Defense University, Washington D.C, USA “Paul and Virginia Brown have done a great job in reviewing a lot of the burgeoning research and literature on Neuropsychology and making it accessible and useable by executive coaches in their work.” Peter Hawkins, Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Bath Consultancy Group & co-founder of Centre for Supervision and Team Development, UK

Gender diversity and cross-cultural, cross-generational working in organisations has led to new challenges for leadership, which many companies are solving through executive coaching. This unique leadership coaching book is written by practitioners for practitioners and managers wanting to get the best from individuals in leadership roles. It brings together the authors' experience as psychologists, neuroscientists and senior level executive coaches to analyse the neuroscience behind behavioural change. The authors present the latest views on leadership, executive coaching and an introduction to the basic concepts of how the brain works to enable managers and coaches to work more confidently, and with greater focus. A series of coaching case histories are accompanied by neuroscience commentaries that offer full explanations of how to select a coaching intervention that will engage different parts of the brain. The cases are categorised by the technique used and the area of the brain the tool accesses, making it easier to understand what type of coaching tool would be useful for a specific situation, and also what type of technique might be used to engage a different part of the brain if the first approach is ineffective.

The Coach’s Mind Manual combines the latest findings from neuroscience, psychology, and mindfulness research to provide an accessible framework to help coaches and leadership development specialists improve their awareness of the mind, enhancing their coaching practice. Syed Azmatullah explains how such knowledge can be used to guide clients on a journey of self-discovery, facilitating transformational changes and enriching their performance and personal lives. Part One considers the mind’s management committee, the cerebral cortex, and how its contrasting functions can be accessed to improve problem solving skills. Part Two considers the mind’s middle management, the limbic system, balancing executive direction with our social and emotional needs, driving motivation around core values. Part Three examines how the environment, via the body, influences our mental infrastructure at various stages in life, guiding the selection of interventions. Part Four looks at interpersonal dynamics and how to maximise team performance. Part Five considers the power of collaboration for generating the culture needed to improve the sustainability of our global community. Each section contains self-reflection exercises and experiential role-play to help clients derive benefit from their new personal insights. Coaches are encouraged to combine the broad range of concepts presented with their own experience, creating a contextually-driven coaching process. By focusing on the mind as the target for coaching interventions Azmatullah establishes a comprehensive framework for achieving transformational change. The Coach’s Mind Manual is ideal for all professionals engaged in adult development including executive coaches, business coaches, human resource development professionals, leadership development professionals, management consultants and organisational development professionals.

The reasons that coaching works so well and can produce such dramatic results are grounded in psychology, so it follows that some of the most powerful coaching methods available draw on psychological thinking. Published with the Association for Coaching, Mastery in Coaching presents the latest thinking on the most effective techniques coaches can use with their clients. Every chapter is written by a leading expert in the field, and takes a rigorous, evidence-based approach which will give you a practical understanding of each method, supported with examples, and underpinned by the theory of the key psychological concepts in coaching. Ranging from cognitive-behavioural coaching, gestalt and positive psychology to neuroscience and mindfulness, this indispensable book will give any serious coach the tools they need to get the best from their clients.

Psychosynthesis Leadership Coaching responds to the call of coaches who want to be able to work with the whole person, with the inner as well as the outer worlds, and not just at rational and behavioural levels but at emotional and spiritual levels as well. Psychosynthesis is unique amongst psychologies in the emphasis it places on self and will at the centre of human psychological functioning. This holistic and integrative psychology provides the foundations for working with leaders in ways that respond to today’s emergent crises. Psychosynthesis coaching is an increasingly popular approach that is finding its way into the mainstream as a response to the needs of coaching to engage at depth with emotional content and in the transpersonal realm of meaning, purpose and values. This book introduces psychosynthesis coaching to a wider audience and provides a comprehensive guide to this approach for both coaches and leaders. This book provides the context, models, methods, skills and techniques for coaches to engage with their clients within the larger context of Self and Will, alongside working on inner and outer agendas and goals of any description. For coaches, leaders and organisational practitioners alike, this approach is also about coaching our inner leader – knowing that this work always starts with ourselves.

How can coaches help clients navigate the changing world of work? This book offers a step-by-step, practical guide to running a complete career coaching programme: assessing the present; looking at motivation, skills and ‘personal brand’; writing the most powerful CV/résumé; getting through a job interview or assessment centre successfully; and negotiating terms for a new job. Career coaching has never been needed more now that jobs for life have disappeared, being made redundant is common, the ‘gig economy’ is here to stay, and young people often must start in unpaid roles. The principles of career coaching are much the same whether you are a professional executive coach or a volunteer working for a charity whose aim is to get people back into work. But how do you do it most effectively? The focus must be on the whole career coaching cycle and building a holistic understanding of how a client’s personal and professional life has influenced the person they are today, who they want to be, and how to set successful goals. Important reading for any coach who wants to understand and improve their career coaching. “This is a must-have resource for all coaches to support clients in career and job transition.” Terry H. Hildebrandt, PhD, MCC, MCEC, Director of Evidence Based Coaching, Fielding Graduate University, USA “The clearest, wisest guide I have yet read on coaching towards success in the complex world of work.” Sarah Gillett CMG CVO, Former ambassador, and coach in-training “Jenny continues to set the bench mark for what it means to be a great coach. An inspiring read for anyone interested in coaching.” Kate Stephens, CEO, Smart Works Charity “The wealth of Jenny’s own experience and the depth of her expertise gives her the authority to teach us all and we are grateful to her for the extent of our continued learning.” Catherine Devitt CEO, Meyler Campbell “This is far more than a superbly comprehensive set of tools and techniques for career coaching – although it definitely is that. This is a masterful narration of the whole story of career coaching at a much deeper level.” Jane Cook, Head of Leadership and Coaching, Linden Learning “An experiential step-by-step guide to working with clients who are exploring real issues around their work, career, and life, to bring out their best selves. One of the best in furthering your learning and growth as a coach.” Diane Brennan, DBH, MCC, Director of Leadership & Organizational Development University of Arizona and Past President of the International Coach Federation (2008) “A thorough overview of the skills and knowledge required by career coaches. This not only defines the coach’s professional toolkit, but reveals the very best practice in career coaching.” John Lees, author of How to Get a Job You Love