Appreciating Differences - Jack Falt - Ottawa area, Ontario, Canada

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Book Review by Jack Falt

Hirsh, Sandra Krebs and Kise, Jane. A.G., Introduction to Type and Coaching: A Dynamic Guide for Individual Development, Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc., 2000, 50 pp

This is a new booklet in the Introduction to Type® series from CPP. While coaching has been around for some time, it has become more mainstream in recent years. Usually coaching is done on a one-on-one basis. For those using an Jung/Myers thoery model as one of the ways to help a client, this is a useful resource.

The introduction suggests ways to use the book and gives some cautions about the use of Jung/Myers theory. The Type and the Coaching Process chapter gives a checklist of Jung/Myers theory related questions to consider and then moves on to an individual needs list as well as skills and interest of the client. Then an action plan is proposed.

In the Coaching Tools chapter there are several type related sections: resolving conflict, influencing others, individual development, and coping with differences. Each of these lists of suggestions are quite type specific and useful to anyone.

The remainder of the book is devoted to specific points for each of the 16 types. Again it is lists of information divided up into different categories: general strengths, productive places and pursuits, clues that the type is being overwhelmed, contributions to the organization, common sources of stress, suggestions for dealing with stress, how the type wants to be coached and ways they don’t like to be coached. There are a number of specific suggestions on ways to deal with development needs of a client. A unique feature of this book and the other book these authors wrote, Introduction Team® and Teams, is a diagram of the type dynamics of the specific type. It shows the four functions in a circle with the dominant function at the top and then clockwise arrows showing the relationship of the other three functions. This visual way might help some people have a better concept of their type dynamics.

This is an excellent book for coaching professionals to give to their clients that would allow the client to quickly review what was covered in the coaching session. For the rest of us who are on the lookout for new ideas, the book is worthwhile having in our libraries.

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