The Handbook of Coaching: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for Managers, Executives, Consultants, and Human Resource Professionals

What a great read. I found it very helpful to have a great set of references that are organized by topic. This book would be an ideal one for the Kindle--especially if it could be continually updated (the references stop to the year of publication). If you are eager to expand your coaching horizons, I think this is an excellent resource. Also, chapter six is a fabulous model for framing coaching issues. So far, one of my favorite books!

Frederic M. Hudson wrote this exhaustive reference manual and survey of the field of coaching primarily for coaches and aspiring coaches. He focuses on teaching the best practices in coaching and conveying knowledge, extensive resources, thorough book lists and professional programs. The real message underneath all this data is that a good coach is the ultimate human resource. If you're a coach, you'll benefit from the book's thoroughness. If you're unfamiliar with the field, it's a textbook for understanding many facets of professional coaching and its impact on people and organizations. We recommend Hudson's book particularly to coaches, and also to those who want to learn more about coaching, human resource managers, business libraries, and executives who are recruiting coaches or team leaders. Just forget the idea that all you need to know you learned in kindergarten; to thrive, you need to keep learning continuously. Just ask a coach.

The author has been working with adult developement and coaching since earning his PhD in the 60's. Hudson shows us how the field of coaching relies on the work from a variety of disciplines. He provides many sources from these disciplines to help aid coaches when working with specific groups or specific problems. For anyone building a strong foundation in coaching, this is a great reference book to have handy on your shelf. It's especially useful for newly-trained coaches who might need a deeper understanding of their profession or a good way to avoid reinventing the wheel.

As a Life Skills Coach, based in Melbourne Australia, I am always on the search for coaching texts that will enhance my professional skills and coaching knowledge. 'The Handbook of Coaching' is with out a doubt I believe one of the most valuable coaching resource materials I have discovered. Hudson has covered a great deal of material, yet the insights into the various areas of coaching, methodologies and foundations of coaching, are supported by an excellent bibliography section, relevant to the end of each chapter.The author's writing style is clear and only uses jargon relative to the context, ensuring a novice to the coaching practice feels immediately able to grasp key concepts. This is the value that managers, HR personnel and coaches alike will gain from the book...ease of understanding and practical. It is a how to book and refernce guide that sets out to (and I daresay achieves)to establish a relationship with its reader; as a handbook of this nature should. The life transition model that Hudson introduces, acknowledges the validity of adult hood problems, as being more than mere extensions of our child hood challenges. It acknowledges also the process of transition versus the static nature of a changing event.I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Dr. Hudson, like a master surgeon, cuts into the complex art of professional coaching with the effect of making each critical step more meaningful and understandable. Detailed introductions into the vast domain of related disciplines are complemented with extensive topical bibliographies. Where no sinlge volume could cover the entire breadth of professional coaching, Dr. Hudson provides a jump start for your arduous learning journey. Coaching, as an emerging helping profession, needs structure and discipline. Dr. Hudson is well on his way to helping define such structure and discipline. A prudent read for every genuinely aspiring coach.