It’s the Manager

 

Issue No. 441 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (July 2, 2020) suggests you invest 15 minutes every Monday morning—for 52 weeks—to read 52 mini-chapters of a culture-changing book. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and click here to read my review of the brilliant coaching book, The Advice Trap.   The One Single Lever to Create Change—It’s the Manager “Setting aside just 15 minutes a day will enable you to read up to two dozen books in a year. Keep it up and you will have read 1,000 books in your lifetime. That’s the equivalent of going through college five times.”  (Books Are Tremendous) Here’s a crazy idea (whether you’re back at the office or still in your bunker): every Monday morning, before you look at your email—invest 15 minutes in reading.  Option #1: I’m not asking you to do this every day—just every Monday. So here is a “Thank God It’s Monday” book with 52 mini-chapters.  Option #2: Or, delegate your reading and ask team members (on a rotation basis) to give a five-minute chapter summary of this book at your weekly staff meeting.   52 MINI-CHAPTERS FOR MONDAY MORNINGS OR YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING It's the Manager: Gallup Finds the Quality of Managers and Team Leaders Is the Single Biggest Factor in Your Organization's Long-Term Success by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter  Don’t allow the mini-chapters (four pages or less each) to delude you into thinking this is light-weight content. The 52 short chapters are readable, to-the-point, and packed with promise for thoughtful implementers. Starting next Monday, what if…you invested 15 minutes to read and think about Chapter 1, “What Exactly Should CEOs and CHROs Change?” Even if you’re not the CEO or the Chief HR Officer, you will learn (and remember) the six changes recommended by Gallup, including #3, “Millennials and Generation Z don’t want bosses—they want coaches.” Sneak peek: it’s time to retire the old-style boss who leads by command and control. With your 15-minutes-every-Monday discipline, look at what awaits you for the next 52 weeks:    2) Why Organizational Change Is So Hard    3) Two Non-Negotiable Traits for Leaders    10) Hiring Star Employees    21) The Five Coaching Conversations    25) Make “My Development” the Reason Employees Stay    30) The Five Traits of Great Managers    47) Gig Work: The New Employer-Employee Relationship Based on roundtable interviews with CHROs from 300 of the world’s largest organizations, the content covers Strategy, Culture, Employment Brand, Boss to Coach, and the Future of Work.  The robust appendix (pages 189-378) includes major sections on: “Leading With Your Strengths: A Guide to the 34 Clifton Strengths Themes,” (including one unique code to take the online assessment), “Q12: The 12 Elements of Great Management,” and “The Relationship Between Engagement at Work and Organizational Outcomes,” plus more.  “The Future of Work” section, Chapters 32 to 41, addresses diversity and inclusion topics—and the critical “lever” of the manager, a discussion of the gender gap, women in the workplace (work-life flexibility, etc.) and for us old guys, “Are Boomers a Burden?” Breaking News: “74% of Americans plan to work past age 65.” You have my permission to start with Chapter 26, “Moneyball for Workplaces: 12 Elements of Team Success.” Here are three:    • I know what is expected of me at work.    • In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.    • There is someone at work who encourages my development. Why this book? Gallup’s extensive research (extensive!) has concluded this: “Of all the codes Gallup has been asked to crack dating back 80 years to our founder, George Gallup, the single most profound, distinct and clarifying finding—ever—is probably this one: 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager.” They add, “Usually, there isn’t a single lever to create change. In this case, there is: It’s the manager.” To order from Amazon, click on the title for It's the Manager: Gallup Finds the Quality of Managers and Team Leaders Is the Single Biggest Factor in Your Organization's Long-Term Success, by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter.  YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: 1) Positive responses to the statement, “At work, my opinions seem to count,” is one of the 12 elements of team success in It’s the Manager. How would each of your direct reports answer that question on a scale of one to five (5 = strongly agree)? 2) According to Gallup, “about one in four full-time and one in two part-time workers have a gig job.” If that were true of our employees—is that a good thing or not? And, is this “Uber economy” going to grow or decline—and how will that affect our team?  NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to this webpage. 30 Books to Delegate During This Crisis...And the Next Crisis  Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook  The core competency in the Book Bucket affirms: “We mentor team members with thoughtfully selected titles and chapters to help them leverage their strengths, grow in their faith, and serve others with passion. We don’t just talk about books—we actually read them!” During this COVID-19 marathon, I curated a list of “30 Books to Delegate During This Crisis...And the Next Crisis.” You’ll find them on LinkedIn and Twitter and this week I compiled them into one master list. Click here to download from the Book Bucket. The nominees include some obvious gems, including The Checklist Manifesto and How the Mighty Fall, plus a few unexpected picks, such as The Boys in the Boat and Leadership Prayers.  According to Murphy’s Law Book Three: Wrong Reasons Why Things Go More!, by Arthur Bloch, here are the things that can be counted on in a crisis:    • Marketing says yes.    • Finance says no.    • Legal has to review it.    • [HR] is concerned.    • Planning is frantic.    • Engineering is above it all.    • Manufacturing wants more floor space.    • Top management wants someone responsible. During this—and your next—crisis, are you relying on the limited experience of your in-house team, or are you going deep in your reading? Read and learn how others have weathered the complexities of the convoluted crises in past years and generations. For more resources, the 30 books, and other lists, visit the Book Bucket.                    JASON PEARSON: UNEXPECTED CREATIVE. Should your communication and marketing teams rely on more or less gig workers? Are there policies in place governing outside work performed by your full-time team members? Talk with someone who has seen it all (the good, the bad, and the ugly!). Contact  Jason Pearson at Pearpod Media (branding, digital, print, and video).  MORE STUFF! • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon • WEBSITE: Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations • PODCAST: John Pearson's Buckets Podcast  MORE LESSONS: Effectiveness, Excellence, Elephants! Click here to order More Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Click here to follow the new blog with 40 guest bloggers. 14 Boardroom Questions Click here to follow John's series on Ram Charan's 14 questions for board members. Follow the ECFA governance blog for Question 10, "How Do We Get the Most Value Out of Our Limited Time?"

The Coaching Habit

 

Issue No. 338 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (Jan. 27, 2016) highlights a new book out this week that says the AWE question is the best coaching question in the world. After hearing the author explain it, I’m all in! The Best Coaching Question in the World Oh, my.   MEMO TO EVERY PERSON I’VE PRETENDED TO COACH OR MENTOR: I’m so, so sorry! Honest! Here’s why. This month I was a learner in a seminar with CEOs and board chairs. The highly energetic, wise and witty facilitator was Michael Bungay Stanier, the author of the hot-off-the-press book, The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever. At a coffee break, halfway through the three-hour, how-to-coach practicum, I told Stanier that—already—the seminar was on my Top-10 list of best workshops ever attended (and I’ve endured my fair share). Here’s why I gave it a 10: Three memorable points on coaching: • BE LAZY: Stop working so hard. • BE CURIOUS: Stop giving so much advice. • BE OFTEN: Stop waiting to coach. And how’s this for role reversal? I’m usually reading snippets from books to my wife, Joanne. She picked this up first and is still reading—and reminding me—on what effective coaching looks like, especially the “stop giving so much advice” poke-in-the-ribs. Ouch. Stanier notes that “Harland Howard said every great country song has three chords and the truth. This book gives you seven questions and the tools to make them an everyday way to work less hard and have more impact.”  The seven essential questions:    • The Kickstart Question    • The AWE Question    • The Focus Question    • The Foundation Question    • The Lazy Question    • The Strategic Question    • The Learning Question Stanier says the best coaching question in the world is the AWE question: “And What Else?” In a four-minute drill with another board chair, I was instructed to ask four questions displayed on the seminar room screen.  Stanier says “the first answer someone gives you is almost never the only answer, and it’s rarely the best answer,” so the AWE question is the perfect follow-up.    • Q1: What’s the real challenge here for you?    • Q2: And what else?    • Q3: And what else?    • Q4: So what’s the real challenge here for you? In just four minutes—it was almost magical. I stuck to the bargain (whew—very hard) and just asked questions of my board chair partner.  He responded to each question—and increasingly, in response to “And what else?” he dug deeper and deeper and—BINGO!—answered his own question and solved his own challenge. Where was this book when I was pretending to coach team members, clients, my son, my grandkids, and many, many others? Yikes! I’ve underlined gems on almost every page:    • Although coaching is listed as one of the six essential leadership styles in Daniel Goleman’s article, “Leadership That Gets Results” (a Harvard Business Review classic), “it was the least-used leadership style.”    • “You can build a coaching habit” and “You can coach someone in ten minutes or less. And in today’s busy world, you have to be able to coach in ten minutes or less.”    • “Coaching should be a daily, informal act, not an occasional, formal ‘It’s Coaching Time!’ event.” Stanier’s humor sneaks up on you! As you embark on what he calls the “coaching habit,” he suggests you start somewhere easy: “If you’re going to manage someone differently, pick someone who might be up for it and is willing to cut you some slack. Or pick someone with whom it’s all going so badly that you’ve got nothing left to lose.” Another Aha! The author says there’s a huge difference between coaching for performance—and coaching for development. “Call them forward to learn, improve and grow, rather than to just get something sorted out.” A gargantuan fan of questions—versus answers—he quotes Nancy Willard: “Answers are closed rooms; and questions are open doors that invite us in.” “CUT THE INTRO AND ASK THE QUESTION” is another shot over the bow. He notes, “No James Bond movie starts off slowly. Pow! Within 10 seconds you’re into the action, the adrenaline has jacked and the heart is beating faster”—so “cut the preliminary flim-flam” in your coaching process. In 72-point font on page 52, Stanier shouts: “If you know what question to ask,  get to the point and ask it.” TAME THE ADVICE MONSTER! “We’ve all got a deeply ingrained habit of slipping into the advice-giver/expert/answer-it/solve-it/fix-it mode.” (One study revealed that doctors interrupt patients with advice within 18 seconds. Ditto, perhaps, the rest of us.) Slow down and take a breath, says Stanier. “Even though we don’t really know what the issue is, we’re quite sure we’ve got the answer they need.” VP OF BOTTLENECKING. If your employee name badge should read “VP of Bottlenecking,” you must read this book. These seven essential coaching questions will help you coach others, and as Stanier perceptively writes, “Focus on the real problem, not the first problem.” There are dozens and dozens of more gems in this fresh, easy-to-read format (plus almost 50 full-page quotations—all PowerPoint-worthy).  I just ordered eight copies for colleagues who are coaching boards and CEOs this year. To order from Amazon, click on the title for The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever, by Michael Bungay Stanier. Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions: 1) In the workshop session I attended, the author walked us outside into the warm sunshine and coached us, briefly, from the three points of “The Drama Triangle.” Common team roles: Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer. He then asked us to stand on the point we frequently visit. Where would you stand? 2) If you tend to wear the Rescuer hat frequently—beware of the question that often triggers it. According to Stanier, the cheddar on the mousetrap is “What do you think I should do about…?” (Honest, now. Do you go for the cheese—or do you respond, “That’s a great question. I’ve got some ideas, which I’ll share with you. But before I do, what are your first thoughts?”) The Power of Questions Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit As we cycle through the 20 buckets, here is a reminder that effective questions are powerful tools in the Delegation Bucket, Chapter 16, in Mastering the Management Buckets.  Steve Brown’s questions on effective delegation hit home! “What are the costs of not delegating more?” And, “What delegation assignments could be important growth opportunities for others?” Click on the title of Brown’s 28-page booklet, Great Questions for Leading Well, for a taste of more than 200 powerful questions you’ll use right away. And, watch for the review, in my next eNews issue, of Brown’s latest book, Leading Me: Eight Practices for a Christian Leader’s Most Important Assignment. It’s the perfect companion to this issue’s review of The Coaching Habit. For more insights from the Delegation Bucket, visit this webpage. NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon.   MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  • WEBSITE: Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations • PODCAST: John Pearson's Buckets Podcast   ECFA BLOG on “Governance of Christ-centered Organizations” – Add your thoughts and comments to John Pearson’s recent blog on "The Board in the Boat: Discombobulation."

Lessons from the Bench

 

Issue No. 677 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (April 15, 2026) asks if you’ve ever read a book on coaching bench players? (Me neither.) Plus, click here for recent issues posted at the new location for John Pearson’s Buckets Blog, including my recent review of three coaching books. Also, check out the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and more book reviews at the Pails in Comparison Blog. [Bonus! Listen to the podcast summary of this review here.] ATTN: BENCH WARMERS! Here's Bench Lesson #4 in Brandon Bakke’s new book: “Don’t Underestimate How Much You can Improve.” Read my first of three reviews of Lessons from the Bench. “Healthy and Successful Teams Need the Bench” Raise your hand if you’ve ever coached or mentored someone—or plan to do so. Now…raise your hand if you’ve ever read a book about the unique role of coaching “bench players.” Yeah—me neither. I’ve never read anything like this. (My bad.) So how about you just trust me on this one—and read the book and then inspire others to read it. It’s perfect for your next nine weekly staff meetings.   Lessons From the Bench:  Unlocking the Impact of Bench Players  on Teams and in Organizations by Brandon H. Bakke (March 16, 2026) Brandon Bakke writes that this book is for players, coaches, and anyone who’s ever been part of a team—on the court, in the workplace, or in life. He notes that “hundreds of books have been written about how to be a successful team and teammate [he notes two Lencioni books including The Ideal Team Player]. But almost none of them address what it’s like to stay motivated, connected, and still contribute meaningfully from a role like the one I held for much of my time playing for Jerry Tarkanian’s Fresno State Bulldogs." How about you—and your colleagues? How are they (and you) labeled? Backup? Benchwarmer? “Riding the pine?” “Sometimes we get a more dignified name like ‘role player’ or ‘supporting cast.’ Regardless of the label, we know who bench players are—team members who are not the stars. We don’t get the postgame interviews. We aren’t the captain. We don’t play as much, if at all. We’re not the ones leading boardroom meetings, delivering keynote speeches, making the major business deals or becoming the face of the company.” No—this is NOT a downer book. Just the opposite. Bakke adds, “Lessons from the Bench will explore what I learned from my time on the bench and what other athletes and coaches I have encountered have shown us from their experiences—that healthy, and successful teams need the bench.”  WARNING! This book needs two reviews, maybe three (stay tuned this summer)—but trust me—you’ll thank me. And the people you’re coaching and mentoring now and in the future—they’ll thank you. Ditto your kids and grandkids and their coaches. But for this first review, enjoy this transparent story from Brandon Bakke on “Bench Lesson #2—Embrace Your Role.” (One of nine bench lessons—all insightful.)   Brandon Bakke on “Coach Knows More Than I Do”    As a young player, I needed a wake-up call. I needed to better grasp that I simply didn’t know as much as the coach. One day, Coach Tark was frustrated with what he perceived to be players questioning the coaches. So he stopped practice, grabbed a basketball and called us together. “This ball,” he said, holding it up, “represents all the knowledge there is to know about basketball.” Coach took out a pen and drew a circle on the ball, about the size of a softball. “See this small circle?” he continued. “This represents all I know about basketball.” Then he put a tiny dot inside the smaller circle. “This dot isn’t what you know about basketball,” he said. “One microscopic spec of ink on that dot is what you know about basketball. Stop questioning the coaches!” Questioning coaches happens all the time—even Coach Tark, a hall of famer and national champion, faced it. Bench players are notorious for it, but it’s really a universal challenge. In schools, workplaces, teams and families, we sometimes operate as if we know more than the principal, the CEO or whoever is in charge. It is a hard pill to swallow: accepting that the coach might see something we don’t—that the situation is more complex than we understand. But learning to make that mindset shift is a critical step toward embracing our role from the bench. OH, MY! Don’t wait for my second review (and maybe a third review) this summer. Read the book now and learn why Brock Huard [NFL backup QB] wrote the foreword, and why some coaches allocate “fun tickets” to some players unequally (is that fair?). And why “great bench players are masterful nugget thieves.” (Brilliant concept!) Bakke, by the way, leverages his three decades in business, education, and athletics—as a high school and college basketball coach, teacher, and principal and as a former bench player for “Coach Tark’s” FSU men’s basketball team. (Learn more and download resources from his website at Lessons from the Bench.) TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for Lessons From the Bench: Unlocking the Impact of Bench Players on Teams and in Organizations, by Brandon H. Bakke. Listen on Libro (5 hours).   See my short reviews of three short coaching books: BOOK #1: Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader, by Gary P. Rohrmayer (Sept. 4, 2024, 92 pages). Order from Amazon. BOOK #2: Coaching the Other Way: How to Effectively Coach and Be Coached, by Brian Burman and JD Pearring (Nov. 27, 2025, 191 pages). Order from Amazon. BOOK #3: Good Coach Bad Coach: Build A Practice Where You Belong, by Simon Harling (Dec. 2, 2025, 138 pages). Order from Amazon. PLUS! Check out the mini-blurbs on 27 books for coaches, wanna-be coaches, and those wanting to be coached—at the Pails in Comparison Blog. NOTE: I’m taking a short break from this eNews, but I’ll be back in May. If you need more books, check out the four lists at The Book Bucket webpage.   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: #1) Brandon Bakke is quick to acknowledge coaches and others he’s learned from, including his uncle Dennis Bakke, author of the bestseller, Joy At Work: A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job  (I named this my 2006 book-of-the-year). Question: Describe a “bench-warming” period in your life—and what you learned from your coach, your boss, and/or your colleagues. #2) Brandon Bakke writes, “My issue as I entered this final college season is I quietly doubted that there was much improvement left in me.” (Read “Bench Lesson #4—Don’t Underestimate How Much You Can Improve.”) Question: Can you think of two people in your life that have put the brakes on improvement? How about you? Have you stopped growing—or is there any improvement left in you? Listen to the AI-generated summary of my review posted here on YouTube, “Podcast #05: Lessons From the Bench” (7 minutes). Click here for Review #2.       SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic Books You have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time! Book #45 of 99: Tales from Q School For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #45 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea: REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring. Tales From Q School:  Inside Golf’s Fifth Major John Feinstein (May 2, 2007)  If you enjoyed golf’s spring extravaganza, the Master Tournament this last weekend, you’re reminded of all the great golfers that did not make the cut this year. There’s more to the story in this page-turning book by celebrated sportswriter John Feinstein.    • Read my review in Issue No. 41 (June 11, 2007).    • Order from Amazon.    • Management Bucket #5 of 20: The Book Bucket John Feinstein, the bestselling sportswriter, chronicles the agony and the ecstasy (to borrow a cliché) of the winners and the losers at the 2005 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, often described as professional golf’s fifth major tournament. It’s an annual competition for the 30 new spots available each year on the PGA Tour. In 2005, more than 1,200 already-vetted golfers paid up to $4,500 each for a shot at the big time.  The book is a page-turner and the management and personal insights are frequent. You’ll read about the classic golf “catastrophes like Joe Daley's two-foot putt in 2000, which somehow went to the bottom of the cup and then popped out like a jack-in-the-box (he missed getting a card by one stroke).” The golf stories are memorable, but if you’re not a golfer, you already know not to buy this! See also my 2023 review of Feherty: The Remarkably Funny and Tragic Journey of Golf's David Feherty, also by John Feinstein. I slotted this one in the Hoopla! Bucket.   CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN      On page 57 in the Book Bucket chapter of the Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook, you'll find Scott Vandeventer’s wise insights about “management-by-bestseller syndrome," which he says is "due to a kind of corporate attention deficit disorder, probably systemic to its leadership.”  "COACH! CAN I GO FOR 3?" Brandon Bakke (see above) urges basketball coaches to give one-on-one feedback to players. Example: If and when they can go for a three-point basket. Tool #16 in the 22-tool resource, ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance, features the “Prime Responsibility Chart”—denoting who has prime responsibility and approval responsibility for key tasks.  NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. 27 Coaching Books! Check out the mini-blurbs on 27 books for coaches, wanna-be coaches, and those wanting to be coached—at the Pails in Comparison Blog. Reminder from Pat Williams: “Coaching is not easy. It’s like a nervous breakdown with a paycheck.” See more reviews at the Pails in Comparison blog. MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  • WEBSITE:  Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations

3 Coaching Books

 

Issue No. 676 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (March 27, 2026) features three recent books on coaching. "Every leader needs a coach." Do you agree? Plus, click here for recent issues posted at the new location for John Pearson’s Buckets Blog, including my recent review of Lead Like a Saint: Lessons and Values from the Life of Saint Patrick, by Carson Pue. Also, check out the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and more book reviews at the Pails in Comparison Blog.   3 Coaching Books! As I confessed in my book, Mastering Mistake-Making, “I squandered way too many years treading water without a coach.” (See Mistakes #12, 13, 14, and 15 in the section, “Every Leader Needs a Coach, Especially Leaders Who Endorse Coaching Books!”) So…I’ve become somewhat of a zealot in reading and recommending books on coaching: for those who need a coach, those who want to become better coaches, and those who are wanna-be coaches. (See my list of 27 coaching books here.) Here are three recent books on coaching. Read one yourself—and inspire two other team members to read and report on the other two books at your weekly staff meeting. BOOK #1: Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader, by Gary P. Rohrmayer (Sept. 4, 2024, 92 pages). Order from Amazon.   I’m a big fan of authors who deliver the meat-and-potatoes of a book by page 25. Bingo! Gary Rohrmayer nails it—right on page 25—with the sixth mark of a coachable leader: “Coachable People Can Make Key Adjustments in Their Lives.” (I also loved #9: "Coachable People Possess a Constructive Spirit of Discontent.") Rohrmayer quotes from Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby and Claude King: “You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.” (I recently shared some stories from the 2021 edition of Experiencing God with Mark Ellis of God Reports and he posted this.) Rohrmayer checks all the boxes with his significant leadership and coaching experience—now through his multidenominational ministry, Axelerate (“serving leaders who serve church planters”). And he doesn’t waste a word in this gut-check quick-read for leaders. “Are you coachable?” As a young leader in his 20s, Rohrmayer asked a future church member, “If you have any advice for me, please don’t hesitate to give it to me.” Her response, after ensuring he was coachable, “You need to take care of your shoes and shine them more.” His response: “Thirty-five years later, I have applied that advice every day because first impressions count.” You’ll quote often from the book’s wisdom: • The 8-Point Checklist on your coachability. (Have you ever changed your position/approach because of the coaching you received?) • 14 Red Flags that you might be resistant to coaching. (“You never ask for feedback from other people.”) • 3 Reasons why “idea people” tend to be difficult to coach. • 7 Innovative Qualities that advance adaptable people. (On curiosity: “Flexible people aren’t timid in asking foolish questions.”) • 3 Reasons why leaders “settle in” rather than being “stretched forward.” (“Being comfortable is one of the leader’s worst enemies.”) • 10 Reflective Questions on “a constructive spirit of discontent.” (“Is my pace sustainable?”) And this: • “Self-reliance is an American virtue but not a biblical value.” • “One of the best lessons a leader can experience is defeat.” • “Learn how to let go of mistakes quickly…” and “Remove the stinking thinking.” • He quotes Fred Smith, “The coachable leader must possess a ‘constructive spirit of discontent’ in order for coaching to work well.” (Also from Smith: “Mentor Search: Seven Qualities to Look for in a Mentor,” March 10, 2026.) Maybe the reason I loved this book so much is Rohrmayer begins and ends with coaching stories about Michael Jordan, the Hall of Fame NBA player. Over his career he missed 9,000 shots, missed 26 game-winning shots, and lost 300 games. Jordan: “I failed over and over. That is why I succeed.” (View the video.) In 1994, MJ left the Chicago Bulls for the Double-A baseball team, the Birmingham Barons in Alabama. Rohrmayer discusses Jordan’s humble request to his baseball coach: “Teach me.” (Note: I was at the Barons' ballpark in 1994 and saw Jordan play right field. Honest!) How many of the 10 marks of a “coachable leader” would characterize your leadership? BOOK #2: Coaching the Other Way: How to Effectively Coach and Be Coached, by Brian Burman and JD Pearring (Nov. 27, 2025, 191 pages). Order from Amazon.   Forget everything you thought you knew about coaching and being coached. Example: “Remember: your effectiveness as a coach should be measured not by how often clients need you, but by how well they succeed without you.” Trust me—when you read a book by JD Pearring, you’ll walk away with dozens of illustrations and memorable points (many—very funny!) Enjoying the Sweet 16 NCAA basketball tournaments? Joined by coach Brian Burman for this book, Pearring writes: “A psychology professor, wrapping up her lecture on mental health, posed this question to her class: ‘How would you diagnose a patient who walks back and forth screaming at the top of his lungs one minute, then sits in a chair weeping uncontrollably the next?’ “From the back of the room, a young student raised his hand and suggested, ‘A basketball coach?’” Pearring and Burman write their own chapters in this comprehensive book on coaching. It’s Scripture-based, practical, and—yes—convicting. (Did I also mention—lots of funny lines?) Learn more about their Excel Leadership Network here. (Also a podcast.) The authors promise that each chapter “is packed with tips, tricks, and practical tools” for your coaching toolbox. And before I forget—the appendix, “Improving Your Coaching Appointments” (seven pages) is worth the price of the book. Each of the 18 short chapters includes memorable quotes on coaching. Examples:    • John Wooden: “A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.”    • Clayton Christensen: “Without a good question, a good answer has no place to go.”    • Jay Leno: “A German psychologist says that women talk more than men because they have a bigger vocabulary. But it evens out because men only listen half the time.”  But…wait a minute! Burman’s chapter on “Coaching vs. Consulting” felt like an elbow to the ribs of every consultant (including me)—until I reflected further and leveraged the Charlie Munger wisdom I’ve mentioned before. Burman writes: “A great coach asks the right questions. A consultant gives the right answers.” (Do you agree?) He adds, “Recently, a church planter asked me, ‘What do you think of this? Will it work?’ Rather than sharing my opinion, I employed a frequent coaching tool: ‘It doesn’t matter what I think. What matters is what you think. What makes you believe this will work, and what concerns do you have?’ This response kept the conversation focused on the leader and their opportunity.” He adds, “Nothing brings me more satisfaction than hearing a client say, ‘I was going to call you but realized I already knew the questions you would ask and the process for making a good decision.’” Need a coach? Wanna be a coach? In Chapter 5,”What to Look for in a Coach,” Pearring begins with this:    • Jack Welch: “Does Coaching work? Yes. Good coaches provide a truly important service. They tell you the truth when no one else will.”    • Pat Williams: “Coaching is not easy. It’s like a nervous breakdown with a paycheck.” Pop Quiz! What are the top-five qualities to look for in a coach? (Pearring’s answer: Credibility, Relational Ability, Perspective, Motivation, and Listening. He quotes Scott Adams (1957-2026) who wrote, “Consultants have credibility because they are not dumb enough to work at your company.” You’ll appreciate:    • A Coaching Framework (Vision questions: “Why?” and “What?” And the model questions: “How?” “Who?” and “When?”)    • A Church Planter’s two-year vision (hint: it involves Eduardo, a 12-year-old soccer player)    • The Leader’s Mindset: “multiplication, not accumulation.” (Think of leadership as a relay race [baton handoffs]: “…an unbroken chain of leadership development that keeps your organization healthy and growing.”)    • When Jethro Shadows Moses at work: “…perhaps the first recorded ‘Take Your Father-in-Law to Work Day.’” LOL! They quote John Ortberg, “I am either lazy enough, or busy enough, or trusting enough, that the notion of leaving tasks in someone else’s lap doesn’t just sound wise to me, it sounds attractive.” So much wisdom! “You must stop asking yourself, ‘How can I accomplish this?’ That question, although common, leads to mediocre results, frustration, and a life of regrets. A much better question is: ‘Who can help me achieve this?’” The authors quote John Wooden several times. “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” (Is it time to read another book on coaching? Do you have a coach?)   BOOK #3: Good Coach Bad Coach: Build A Practice Where You Belong, by Simon Harling (Dec. 2, 2025, 138 pages). Order from Amazon.     You gotta read this book too. The title is way too compelling! Hmmm? What’s a bad coach—and how does the author, an “Athletic Entrepreneur,” know this? You’ll love the content and the book’s very unique format from this creative “writer, coach, and lover of projects that require your full attention.” Simon Harling dutifully (no pun intended) mailed me his book from his office in Cardiff, Wales (you know the drill: customs declaration, international postage, etc.). He is a very committed author and coach. Page 22 of Good Coach Bad Coach is blank—except for six lines: “For many of us, coaching is the next best thing. We didn’t make it as pro athletes, and now the next best thing is coaching. We don’t risk anything by helping others become the next best thing: that’s up to them, not us. And for that, we get to hide in plain sight.” (Did I mention—transparent?) Ever thought about coaching as a career? (Sports, business—pick a niche.) Can you make a living at it? Harling searches for a synonym that is more socially acceptable and even more meaningful than the four-letter original, and he lands on “Enough” Money. He also defines Emergency Money, Fun Money, and Legacy Money—and claims, “Defining enough changed the course of my life.” (Did I mention—transparent?) His journey included accreditation and certification as an “expert coach” and so he launched his business, Elite Fitness. (It didn't make it.) In another half-page chapter, he describes the dilemma of the donkey “that is equally hungry and thirsty”—and what happened. (You will use this metaphor often.) Then this: “When our coaching practice is not where we think it should be, we tell ourselves that the hard part is creating a practice that supports our lifestyle, purpose, and bank balance. Choosing between running a business and becoming a better coach—that’s the hard part. I failed to commit to either, and as a result, I excelled at neither.” Wanna be a coach? Read this book! (For more on Harling's "Good Coach Bad Coach Manifesto" and 12 powerful pages on the behaviors of a bad coach, click here to read my Part 2 review at the Pails in Comparison blog.   YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS: #1) What? You’re “coaching others” but have never read more than one coaching book? Here are three: 1) The Coaching Habit, 2) What Got You Here Won’t Get Your There, and 3) The Advice Trap. List 10 reasons why every leader needs a coach. #2) Read my blog at Pails in Comparison for mini-reviews of 27 books on coaching, mentoring, and consulting, and my Part 2 review of Good Coach Bad Coach. Reminder from Coach John Wooden: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” What coaching book should you read next?       SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic Books You have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time! Book #44 of 99: A Class With Drucker For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #44 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea: REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring. A Class With Drucker:  The Lost Lessons of the World’s Greatest Management Teacher   William Cohen (2008)  Sometimes I get a little push back from younger leaders when I quote Peter Drucker (1909-2005), the father of modern management. If he were alive today, he would be 116! I see the pretend boredom and rolling eyes in my workshops when I share a favorite Druckerism. My response? Christ-followers seem to appreciate another Peter...plus a Paul, a Matthew, a Mark, a John and even Moses (to name a few)—all much older than Peter Drucker. Truth is truth. Wisdom is wisdom.    • Read my review in Issue No. 243 (Feb. 10, 2012)     • Order from Amazon.    • Management Bucket #4 of 20: The Drucker Bucket The author, "a struggling young ex-Air Force officer with no academic experience," enrolled in Drucker's PhD program in management at Claremont Graduate University in 1975. The book describes, in delicious detail, the author's four years of evening classes with "Peter." (Drucker disliked titles.) William Cohen shares 19 lessons—each with a succinct "Drucker Lesson Summary." (Those alone are worth the price of the book.) My favorite  chapter: “Lesson 3: What Everyone Knows Is Frequently Wrong.” CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN      On pages 52-53 in the Drucker Bucket chapter of the Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook, you'll find 24 “Druckerisms”—iconic quotes you’ll use immediately at your weekly staff meetings. Example: “The purpose of management is not to make the Church more businesslike, but more Church-like.” IMPORTANT NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. Does Your CEO Need a Coach? BOARD BLOG. John Pearson (and guest bloggers) address key issues at ECFA’s Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Blog. Example: Boards must inspire even new CEOs to begin succession planning in their first year on the job. Read the 11-part blog series on succession planning, including: “Does Your CEO Need a Coach?” According to Soderquist Leadership, “92% of executives who received coaching said they would be willing to be coached again.” IMPORTANT NOTICE!  Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. Self-Coaching? Read why David Novak, former CEO of Yum! Brands and now a leadership coach, filled his office walls with pictures of people that mattered to him. Read my review of Take Charge of You: How Self-Coaching Can Transform Your Life and Career (March 22, 2022), by David Novak and Jason Goldsmith. See more reviews at the Pails in Comparison blog. MORE RESOURCES: • BLOG: Pails in Comparison • SUBSCRIBE: Your Weekly Staff Meeting eNews • JOHN'S BOOK REVIEWS: on Amazon  • WEBSITE:   Management Buckets • BLOG: Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations