#69: Myles Downey - What is effective coaching? Performance coaching, when to be directive, changing clients' maps of reality and more

Myles Downey has been practising coaching for more than 40 years. His book, Effective Modern Coaching, has sold more than 330,000 copies and is a recommended read on many coaching training courses. In this episode, Myles returns for his second appearance on The Coach’s Journey Podcast, with the questions asked by Robbie and Neil – doubling the hosts in order to double the insight! We dive deep into the nuances of coaching, exploring themes of self-actualisation, performance, and the delicate balance between directive and non-directive coaching, leveraging Myles’ experience coaching senior executives and leadership teams across the globe. This episode coincides with the release of a new edition of Effective Modern Coaching, which has enabled him to fine-tune everything he has learned about effective coaching over the last 40 years, including through founding The School of Coaching in 1996, the first institution in Europe to focus solely on the development of coaching skills for coaches, managers and leaders. The episode is a treasure trove of insights for new and experienced coaches alike. Myles' wisdom provides a deep dive into the art and science of coaching. Whether you're a seasoned coach or just starting your journey, this episode offers valuable perspectives on how to elevate your practice and truly make a difference in your clients' lives. In particular, we talk about: Pushing back against the culture contagion of compliance: how we get engineered in society and lose the capacity to trust ourselves. Performance coaching and self-actualisation: how to align personal expression with professional performance. Tim Gallwey’s Inner Game and its influence on Myles and Neil, including diving into Gallwey’s Self One and Self Two. Construing, constructs and creating our maps of reality (and how non-directive coaching makes all the difference). ‘Transcend and include’ as an underpinning principle in our development as coaches and that of our clients. Proposing: the delicate balance required to offer suggestions to our clients without imposing them. Plus, we talk about whether the shine has come off coaching and other changes Myles has noticed over his decades in the industry, and Neil invites Myles to get into the business-building parts of his work: how he structures engagements, how his sales process looks and more... To listen to Myles’ first appearance on The Coach’s Journey Podcast, visit https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-31-myles-downey For more information about Myles, visit www.mylesdowney.com or find him on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/mylesdowney For more information about Robbie Swale, visit www.robbieswale.com and for more information about Neil Mackinnon, visit www.neilmackinnon.net. Read more about The Coach's Journey at www.thecoachsjourney.com. Music by My Good Man William: listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4KmeQUcTbeE31uFynHQLQg To support the Coach's Journey, visit www.patreon.com/thecoachsjourney and to join the Coach's Journey Community visit www.thecoachsjourney.com/community. Things and people we mentioned (that you might be interested in): Myles' previous appearance on The Coach's Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-31-myles-downey Myles on The Edge of Coaching Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0EWTGZa8XnMF1n13Q76wSr?si=YF9zAEILScCunFai85RIaQ The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inner-Game-Tennis-ultimate-performance/dp/1447288505/ The Inner Game of Music by Timothy Gallwey: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inner-Game-Music-Timothy-Gallwey/dp/1447291727 The new edition of Effective Modern Coaching: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Effective-Modern-Coaching-principles-successful/dp/191595116X/ David Clutterbuck: https://clutterbuck-cmi.com/ Aristotle Onassis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle_Onassis Enabling Genius by Myles Downey: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Enabling-Genius-Myles-Downey/dp/1910649538 Academy of Executive Coaching: https://www.aoec.com/ Mihaily Csikszentmihaly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi Roberto Assagioli: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Assagioli The Craftsman by Richard Sennett: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Craftsman-Richard-Sennett/dp/0141022094 Jennifer Garvey Berger on The Coach's Journey Podcast: https://www.thecoachsjourney.com/podcast/episode-42-jennifer-garvey-berger-the-answer-to-either-or-is-both The Prosperous Coach book: https://richlitvin.com/book/ BIOGRAPHY FROM MYLES Myles Downey is one of the leading executive coaches in Europe, with global experience (Europe, North and South America, Asia-Pacific, UAE). He has worked across the C-suite in many prestigious organisations over the last 30 years, in a wide variety of industries, including Banking and Financial Services, Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, Professional Services, Tech and the Public Sector. Myles is a recognized authority on Performance, Coaching and Leadership and the author of three classics in the coaching and performance arena: ‘Effective Modern Coaching’, ‘Effective Coaching’ (between them 300,00+ books sold); ‘Enabling Genius – a mindset for success in the 21st Century’; ‘The Enabling Manager - how to get the best out of your team’ published in July 2022. Myles has deployed his performance coaching programs with the Senior Coaches of the England Rugby Team and with the New Zealand Elite Rugby Coaches. Myles has been a speaker at many leadership conferences, including the BBC’s Conference for its top 400 senior executives, the McKinsey Global Partners Conference in Singapore and the ICF Global Conference in Malmo, to name a few. After 33 years living in London, Myles now lives in Norfolk, England. He was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1959. Myles plays for Norfolk Veterans Tennis team and competes occasionally on the ITF Masters Tour.