Self-Coaching Guides: Communication, Leadership, Motivation, Change, Learning and Happiness

UPDATE: In 2012 I outlined a structured self-coaching process, and an overview of this framework can be found at A Self-Coaching Guide for Leaders at All Levels.

For all my posts on this topic, see my Self-Coaching category.

The guides below will always be available here, but please note that I've written numerous essays on self-coaching and related topics since these guides were published in 2009, so I encourage you to refer to the resources above, to my list of Top Posts, and to my archives.

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Several students I worked with in the Leadership Coaching class at Stanford this year raised the question of how to "self-coach" after graduation--how to continue the process of personal development without the resources of a graduate program at their disposal.

Much of the writing I've done here over the past 5 years has been aimed at helping people do just that, so I've created a series of "Self-Coaching Guides"  on the topics of Communication, Leadership, Motivation, Change, Learning and Happiness.

I don't intend these brief guides to provide the definitive word on such expansive subjects, but hopefully they'll allow anyone with an interest in a given topic to do some focused reading and to learn more about the thinkers and resources I've found valuable.

(Note that the files linked to below are PDFs, which require Adobe reader.)

UPDATE: In 2012 I began writing more intensively on self-coaching, with the goal not merely of revising these guides but of developing a comprehensive set of self-coaching practices. See my Self-Coaching category for the ongoing series of posts and No Lifeguards on Duty (More on Self-Coaching) for an overview of my perspective on the topic.

Download Self-Coaching Guide #1: Communication
(PDF, 452 KB)

Topics include influence, interpersonal power, soft startups, positive feedback, asking questions and stagefright.

 

Download Self-Coaching Guide #2: Leadership
(PDF, 301 KB)

Topics include management vs. leadership, authenticity, kindness, power, and the dangers of leadership.

 

Download Self-Coaching Guide #3: Motivation
(PDF, 378 KB)

Topics include control, risk-taking, failure, importance vs. urgency, status anxiety, and saying "Yes."

 

Download Self-Coaching Guide #4: Change
(PDF, 397 KB)

Topics include transitions, leaping vs. growing, managing oneself, strategic quitting, decision-making, reinvention and searching vs. planning.

 

Download Self-Coaching Guide #5: Learning
(PDF, 564 KB)

Topics include experiential learning cycles, journal writing, learning from mistakes, double-loop learning and heuristics.

 

Download Self-Coaching Guide #6: Happiness
(PDF, 363 KB)

Topics include intentional activities and happiness strategies, the concept of "flow," excellence and uniqueness.

Photo by Nesher Guy.  Yay Flickr and Creative Commons.

Comments

[marc manieri]

Hi Ed. I enjoyed this blog very much and I think self-coaching is critical. As a professional coach who's operated in the coaching world for the last decade, I find that many people only consciously stay in the self-development process while on a coaching call. It's human nature I suppose. With that in mind, our company built a journaling software that strategically prompts clients with writing assignments. Clients journal on their own. As a result, they are self-coaching a LOT and transcend their limiting beliefs and mental hurdles much more quickly than without the journaling tool.

One other point: I love that you've created self-coaching guides for people and having said that, I clicked on the Happiness guide and I'm not sure I fully agree with the author's postion. Her main position seems to be that happiness comes from a behavior; the friendly amendment I would make to that is that behaviors can and do create short term happiness, but long term happiness comes completely from the way we think. Think about Victor Frankl in "A Man's Search For Meaning" - he conquered adversity at a Nazi death camp by training his mind to think positive thoughts, and embrace hope. This is a process our company calls, "trading up" - consciously moving from negative thoughts to positive ones. This practice builds our emotional resilience which gives us the mental and emotional strength to be happy and peaceful despite our circumstances.

[Ed Batista]

Thanks, Marc--I appreciate the kind words.

And your journaling software sounds like a useful tool--great idea.

Regarding happiness, Sonia Lyubomirsky's research indicates that 50% of our happiness comes from our genetic set point, 40% comes from intentional activities, and just 10% comes from life circumstances. Frankl's experience is consistent with Lyubomirsky's thesis--in the midst of some the most dire life circumstances imaginable, he was able to feel hopeful through intentional activities.

[David Zinger]

Ed:
You have put together such an exquisite range of posts and I love the 6 guides. Thanks for all your contributions.
David

[Ed Batista]

Thanks, David! I appreciate the kind words, and I'm grateful you've found the guides useful. BTW, the six guide topics (which emerged from a review of my work here) form a framework that I'm finding helpful in my work on personal effectiveness and fulfillment.