Self as Coach, Self as Leader: Developing the Best in You to Develop the Best in Others

This is an incredibly well written book that truly helps the reader gain important insights into themselves. Whether you are a coach or not, this book will be helpful to your growth and development as a human being.

Pam McLean has provided the 'next generation' of critical insight into the field of coaching, never needed more than now in our current world. This is big work in our ever changing world and invites us all to become 'twice born leaders and coaches.' Her new book, 'Self as Coach, Self as Leader' takes the history, theory and development of Leadership/ Executive Coaching to a profound place of mindful attention to the 'self' in the process. What a wonderful culmination of the history of the field and understanding of self introduced in her previous book, the 'Revised Handbook of Coaching,' enhanced in this current book, the detailed self-awareness and depth and how that plays out in the role as Leader/Coach. Watching Pam from the early days of the formation of the Hudson Institute with her late husband Frederic, taking the organization and the field to a new level when he was diagnosed with Alzheimers, (here lies the first lesson of twice born leadership), providing direction and vision for the next phase of the organization, developing the first Coaching Supervision program, and continuing to grow and expand herself as a twice and thrice born leader, she models for us and stays true to her passionate commitment to a much needed contribution the coaching field. Her unselfish and dedicated work, brilliance and thoughtful knowledge of theory and approaches, is again extended through this work. I think that Pam's insightful, wealth of knowledge and experience, and addition of her own examples of her personal journey, describes the coach commitment to ongoing development and deep insight into one's self when entering and developing in this profession. This is a book for those that are passionate about coaching and see it as a calling, for leaders that love to lead, and for those that want to grow in their own self-awareness and understanding of their impact on others. As a coach, a leader, a developer of coaches, this should be part of the library and recommended reading for all coaching schools. Thank you Pam for your wisdom, sharing your vulnerable self, and your Leadership in the field for many, many years. Understanding the 'self' as the key 'tool' in coaching, simple, yet profound.

Since I am doing more team leadership coaching these days, a colleague suggested Pamela McLean's new book, "Self as Coach, Self as Leader: Developing the Best in You to Develop the Best in Others." Especially in this VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous), "the price of counterproductive leadership behavior is unimaginably costly and even the best of leaders face challenges that are daunting. The coaches equipped to successfully work with leaders in these changing times need nimbleness, understanding of complexities, ease with ambiguities, and deep familiarity with their own internal landscape." And while the intended audience is for full-time coaches, I found the information to be equally useful for any team leader. After all, they coach their team as well! McLean's premise is that today's coaches need to know themselves in order to be great coaches. Team leaders also need to know themselves in order to be great leaders as well. I started my journey of self-awareness with a business coach back in the mid-90's when I first started my business. I then did a bunch of training with the Landmark Forum. Since then, most of my self-discovery has been through discussions with mentors, friends and my post-divorce therapist. :-) Some books have been helpful, but this book far surpasses my expectations! McLean is an authority in coaching and has distilled her myriad years of practice into several models along with practical self-reflection exercises. Normally, I just buzz through a book and then come back (maybe) to do a few of the exercises. This book is different. After each chapter, I wanted to stop, reflect, do the exercises and then chat about it with my husband, Joe. I love the way the author takes a case and "applies heat" giving three different scenario/responses. Of course, you may intellectually gravitate toward the best answer, yet emotionally, you may respond differently.It's an intellectually and emotionally stimulating book - I highly recommend it if you want to increase your self-awareness and ability to coach and lead others.

Having had the opportunity to study under Dr. McLean, I am familiar with her Self As Coach model and eagerly anticipated her newest book to see how she expanded upon it. I was not disappointed. As a hobby cook, I find myself drawing an analogy to the simple adage that "a cook's best tools are clean hands." This book makes the point that a coach and/or leader's best tool is the development of one's self through exploring what she terms "the inner landscape." Through sharing the work of many thought leaders, research findings, and her own personal as well as vast professional experiences, Pam skillfully moves us through the deeper implications of the Self As Coach, Self As Leader model. With practical suggested applications and reflective questions she invites readers to courageously take the journey of self discovery and growth. Like most challenges, it is simple, not easy. However, should you chose to integrate what this book offers it is almost a certainty that as coach, leader, human being, your ability to relate and connect will deepen. In the end, it's what counts most. A note of gratitude to Pam for this valuable work.

This was truly inspirational and relatable. I highly recommend it if you’re a leader of others regardless of industry. Highly applicable to our healthcare realm.

This book might be useful for beginners, but there is not really much ground covered for experienced coaches.

Pamela McLean brings research and practice together, then shares her personal insights to demonstrate how all coaches and leaders can grow by working on themselves, their inner landscape, whatever their level of experience. Her style of writing invites us to dig deeper, not just skim across the surface of apparently familiar concepts. The 6 dimensions that Pamela presents are each a powerful lens through which to explore how we show up. Really practical, this book is for anyone who works with other people - highly recommended

I highly recommend this book. Dr. Pamela McLean's ability to combine theoretical models with practical examples and personal experiences makes her work powerful. It inspires coaches like mo to keep honing our skills and propels us forward in expanding our range. Excellent.

Pam shares all her wisdom again and we earn a lot for our personal and professional lives.

This is a surprising book in that it is deceptively easy to read while asking the reader to do some heavy lifting. Pamela's voice is warm, personal and inviting. She brings the reader through a process of self-examination to help them become a better coach, a better leader or simply a better version of themselves. The concepts were already familiar to me, but Pam re-introduced them in a way that made them freshly accessible. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.