Strength-Based Leadership Coaching in Organizations: An Evidence-Based Guide to Positive Leadership Development

A concise well thought out book which draws on the author's experience as a respected practitioner as well as on his academic track record. I thoroughly recommend it to all organisations , both large and small who want to have a well trained and ambitious workforce who are keen to give of their best.

Making your company stronger through the use of positive organizational psychology and strength-based leadership is the core aim of this book, building on mainstream executive development and coaching. It is a relatively new approach that seems to be gaining traction in many quarters. The book could have done with a further trip to the editor; since despite covering a fairly technical subject it just did not seem to flow like a typical Kogan Page book. It stutters and weaves its way around the subject, forcing the patience of the reader who might not be necessarily sold on the subject or deeply aware of its intricacies. The potential is there, yet it felt as if it was just out of reach. (Disclosure: this was a pre-release copy of the book but the problems referred to are more structural in nature than the occasional typo or formatting issue). Despite all the resources thrown at the management level, the vast majority of managers leave a lot to be desired. They assume the power of their voice alone is sufficient to lead, inspire and enthuse, when in far too many cases it has the opposite effect. So much potential is wasted, both within management and further down the chain, all due to poor or non-existent leadership. It is not as if money is not repeatedly thrown at the problem, with studies estimating that over USD50 billion each year is invested in the United States alone for leadership development, yet evidence to suggest that things are working like a well-oiled machine is noticeable by its absence. Anything that can improve on this lot, encouraging and developing existing resources by focussing on strengths and positive attributes is surely a good thing; if the head-in-the-sand executive level will just acknowledge it. It is regrettable that the message is probably going to be lost on the typical reader. The book is effectively impenetrable. Even the more enlightened leader who may grudgingly admit that they can improve on matters is going to struggle here. The typical manager or leader who believes he (or she) can do no wrong and they know everything will, even if they were bold enough to open the book, will soon close it again and move on, convinced that they don’t need “sh-t like this” when they can’t even get past the first few pages without wondering what the heck they have stumbled upon, but they know it is not for them in its current form. That, sadly, is a great shame. High hopes existed for this book, yet they have not been realised, at least for this reader.

It is difficult to find books in the coaching field that provide the right balance of theory, research and practice. Dr. MacKie's book on Strengths-Based Leadership Coaching is an exception. Backed by one of the most rigorous controlled trial studies to date in the coaching field, Dr. MacKie's book equips practitioners with all the knowledge needed to confidently incorporate a strengths-based and positive approach into their coaching practice. As an experienced leadership and team coach who hasn't been formally trained in a strengths-based approach to date, I found the book exactly what I needed to begin the process of integrating a strengths-based component into my work. I found the chapters on coaching leaders and coaching teams particularly useful to me and also the chapter on using a strengths-based approach as a leader and manager quite helpful. Scholars and researchers will also find Dr. MacKie's book useful in summarizing the latest thinking and research in the area as well as guidance on where future research should proceed. This book is a "must-read" for any coaches working in positive leadership development using a strengths-based approach. I highly recommend it and am looking forward to incorporating some of the insights I've gleaned into some of my upcoming coaching engagements. Thank you Dr. MacKie for this timely contribution to the field!

Positive Psychology's focus on identifying and developing strengths aligns strongly with executive development and leadership coaching. Once leaders understand the logic and power of strengths-based approaches the reaction is often "but of course." However, taking for granted what's right is hard and looking for what's wrong is wired deep in our primordial brain. Organizational psychologist and executive coach, Doug MacKie, delivers on the sub-title of Strengths-Based Leadership Coaching in Organizations with "an evidence based guide to positive leadership development." Here's a few key points highly applicable to leaders and leadership development professionals concerned with our leadership development crisis: - Research is showing that implementation rates of leadership training is about 10 percent – or likely less given the lack of rigorous evaluation. - Talent/leadership development strategies can differ widely depending on whether leaders believe leadership skills are fairly fixed as innate traits (fixed mindset) or a belief they can be developed (growth mindset). - Mindsets can be changed fairly quickly. The coachee's attitude toward learning and development predicts a fair bit of their developmental effectiveness. - Coaching and positive psychology assume that people want to learn and many of their solutions are to be drawn out from within. - Many leaders have little awareness of his or her own strengths and need feedback. - When strengths-based approaches raise strength awareness and align them with organizational needs they can build leadership mastery. - Managers who focus on building strengths in their direct reports significantly increase performance. Managers focusing on weaknesses reduce performance. - A positive coaching culture is based on leaders believing employees can solve many of their own issues, fosters intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, models strengths-based leadership, embeds positive principles in HR practices, and provides resources to support the culture. - Strengths-based coaching is about asking the right questions, not providing the answers. - Performance reviews most often reinforce negativity bias and focus on what's wrong to close gaps rather than focus on what's right and leverage strengths for higher performance. - Strength building depends on organizational context such as what combination will maximize performance and which ones complement each other in particular situations. The book is fairly academic and a dense read for a reader new to this type of approach. I quite enjoyed it because it's focused on areas of my own study and practice in bringing together research and best practices across the fields of strengths-based development, positive psychology, and executive coaching.