The best coaches are leaders. The best leaders are coaches.

Both need to understand organizational systems, the new dynamics of the global marketplace, and the challenges of living in an unpredictable and often volatile world. And that's just the beginning! Coaches and leaders need to possess the meta-skills that allow them to build strong relationships, inspire others and enter into conversations that require courage and empathy.

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Self as Coach, Self as Leader focuses on the concept of use of self as instrument—a key dimension in the practice of developmental coaching. While tactical or performance- based coaching may be sufficient to aid the client over the short term, developmental coaching places emphasis on the whole person. The meta-skills of Self as Coach supplies coaches and leaders with a roadmap for exploring their internal landscape to strengthen the use of self as the most important tool in coaching. Along the way, both coaches and leaders will learn how to strengthen and harness the six broad dimensions integral to great coaching and great leadership—presence, empathy, range of feelings, boundaries and systems, embodiment, and courage. As coaches and leaders, we need this roadmap to make the very best use of ourselves as our most important resource. To make the leap from good enough to truly great. To explore what’s below the surface. To transform us as leaders and do our best work.

Going Deeper

Stepping into our internal landscape allows us to magnify the power of our work as coaches and leaders if we are willing to go deeper and explore territories that are often largely unknown to us. A good starting place is in understanding the 'stories' we developed in our earliest years that often continue to unwittingly guide our lives because they are out of our awareness. Understanding our 'stories' allows us to consciously make adjustments that result in making new choices about how we show up and how we strengthen the meta-skills we need to be at our best.

With our profession entering its next stage of maturity, coaches must do the same. Written by one of the legends of the field, McLean lays out a compelling roadmap to help coaches go from good to great. This book will push you, challenge you, grow you. Don’t read it lightly!

—Brian O. Underhill, PhD, Founder and CEO,

CoachSource, LLC

The future of leadership is coaching! Self as Coach, Self as leader sup- ports leaders in knowing themselves. This self-knowledge is mandatory to navigate the increasingly complex business landscape.

—Dawn Sharifan, Head of People Operations

Slack Technology

This book is a seamless blend of Pam’s personal and professional experiences and the best academic research in the field of leadership coaching. Pam masterfully partners with you and leads you on a fascinating journey of continuing self-discovery. Your clients will be very glad you read this book. They should read it, too.

—Steve Knight, Executive Coach and Adjunct Professor of Business Communication

INSEAD

Meet the Author

PAMELA McLEAN has been at the forefront of the field of coaching for over 30 years. She is CEO and co-founder of the Hudson Institute of Coaching, providing the highest-quality coach training to seasoned professionals, leaders, and organizations worldwide. She is the author of The Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching and of the popular book on transition and change, LifeForward: Charting the Journey Ahead.

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