from the Journal of Christian Coaching Summer 2008:

When Jill first engaged me as her coach, she requested help with two issues. First, she thought I might be able to help her establish some new patterns for dealing with a few difficult people at work. Second, she wanted some help getting more done at work. As she described it, a number of speed bumps were slowing down her productivity and retarding her ascension in the medium-sized firm where she was a junior partner. “Fair enough,” I thought, “these sound like reasonable issues.” I also wondered if the two issues might be connected. 

As part of our intake, I asked Jill what kinds of inventories or assessments she had taken and if she still had the results. Jill thought a while before recalling, “The only thing like that is this StrengthsFinder instrument I took last month after our Senior Partner gave each of us a book about working out of our strengths. Is that kind of thing helpful in coaching?” 

The answer proved to be a resounding “Yes.”

rea...................................................... ..read the entire article
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I recently did a "double review" for Leadership Journal's blog Out of Ur. In a single setting, I covered Tony Jones's book The New Christians and the Mark Driscoll/Gary Breshears book Vintage Jesus. You can read the review here, along with the many comments from the "Ur-banites" -- some of whom took great exception to my candid review.

Here are the opening paragraphs:

If you’d asked me two years ago if I was part of the emerging church movement, I would have thought for a second and said, “Yes.” When asked today, I pause for half a second before saying, “No.” The New Christians and Vintage Jesus helped me clarify my journey from Yes to No.

I found one book insignificant and the other inflated.

Let’s start with the insignificant. I admire Mark Driscoll for doing significant stuff. He’s planted a thriving church in a place where it’s tough to do ministry and helps lead one of the more successful church planting networks around (Acts 29). I cracked open Vintage Jesus anticipating something important. Based on the title, I expected Driscoll to pop the cork on an enduring theology that over time increases in flavor and potency. But the book was more flat Coke than fine wine.

......................................................... ..continue @ Out of Ur