Confidence Works: Learn To Be Your Own Life Coach
Hi There.
This weeks review comes from the book McMahon, G (2001) Confidence Works: Learn To Be Your Own Life Coach, London: Sheldon Press.
BUt before you move on to reading this great easy to read review, all done for you! I want to let you know about a free teleseminar on the 30th of June at 7.30pm GMT. Entitled the Spirituality Of Self Esteem.
It is the first time I will be hosting this and I think it will be great. Email me for details.
Gladeana McMahon comes with a suberb resume. She has appeared on radio, TV, was an agony aunt for Yes! Magazine, adviser to Big Brother, she is a writer, conference speaker and a senior lecturer with the University of East London and co director of the Stress Management Centre. Quite a CV!
This book as the name suggests is aimed at people who wish increase their confidence and self belief and get the most out of their life. But is also and enabling book as its purpose is to empower you, the individual, to learn your own life coaching skills.
Its may message is that by taking charge of your own life you can create more happiness, more success and a better life for yourself. That it will increase your confidence 10 fold by working through the various exercises and information. Do the work says Gladeana and you will see the changes.
There is certainly a lot packed into this 145 page self help manual for confidence and assertiveness training. Drawing on cognitive psychology, mainly cognitive behavioural therapy techniques. Gladeana systematically leads the reader through managing their thinking, feelings, actions and attitudes. As a life coach I can see how useful this book could be as it is filled with lots of exercises and techniques that could be applied to any coaching session as well as for those looking to use it as a self help manual. Many of these exercises are well known, some of which are as follows.
The Life Audit, Robinson’s four stages of Learning, visualisation, ABCDE model, problem solving model, SMART, the time allocation pie, Big I, little I. Very useful and as relevant now as they were 8 years ago when this book was published. Each chapter begins with an assessment of a particular life skill and ends with a life skills action plan.
Perhaps it is the books thoroughness which despite this strength, could also be its weakness. I think many people who are lacking in confidence and assertiveness may well be daunted by the prospect of working their way thorough these exercises which promise so many benefits. It is a substantial commitment mentally, emotionally and of time and effort. And although it is thorough it is by its size only able to cover so much depth.
The book itself, again is packed full of exercises yet the layout is a bit hard on the eyes and a bit dry reading, I think. It might be better suited to as a reference book. Again on the subject of references, there are literally no empirically evidence based references for the techniques and models used through out the whole book. Again you would need to approach it with some conviction or at least willingness to give it a try. If you were looking for research evidence to back the approaches, there is virtually none. Although there is a mention of Daniel Goleman on page 59 in relation to his work on Emotional Intelligence.
That is not to say that CBT and the exercises and premises is not well researched, it is just that for the average reader, they would have to look out information for themselves as it is not all contained in the book.
All and all I think it is a very well put together book with lots of exercises that touch on many of the issues arising through lack of confidence and self-esteem. However, it would take I think a bit more than this one book alone to create the change that many would seek, it is a useful place to start. I think the help and support of a life coach would be a very great benefit.
References
Goleman, D. (1997) Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ ,Bantam,New York
Peace,
Gavin J Gowans
PS Remember the free teleseminar on TUesday the 30th June at 7.30pm GMT Email me now for details.