[Book Review] 37 Ways to Boost your Coaching Practice by Steve Chandler

Want to boost your coaching practice?

Want to learn simple steps from a top coach?

The first thing you need to know about this book is that it is highly transformational material. This is what I love the most about Steve Chandler’s books. You can read one chapter only, and this will give you the insight you need. Then, the hardest thing to practice is to stop reading and just take action based on this insight. These books are made for action. I used to love reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace for an hour and a half, with the lovely smell of Russian Earl Grey steeping next to me. This is the opposite experience.

The author, Steve Chandler is a top coach, who has not only delivered tremendous results and trained some of the top coaches on the planet, but he also has a great dose of humility and humanity. He has a fascinating background: after graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in Creative Writing and Political Science, he spent four years in the military studying language and psychological warfare. Since then, he has helped hundreds of organizations and highly talented individuals to transform to achieve what they truly wanted. To see the impact of his work, you can visit his website www.stevechandler.com. Yet, Chandler is very transparent about the lessons he learned from the hardships in his life: alcoholism, bankruptcy, challenges from an early age at school. He speaks about these stories with a lot of humor to inspire all of us in another of his books, Wealth Warrior.

You can find this sense of humor in his works, and 37 Ways is no exception. The book is divided in two main parts. In the first part, Steve uncovers 37 ways to boost your coaching practice. They are simple, bold, and highly practical. I love how he blends the pragmatism with spirituality and creativity. For instance, the first chapter is called “Time to dance with the universe”, while another chapter is simply called “Roll up your sleeves and go to work”. You will learn many things including how to deeply serve your clients, how to handle effectively a client cancellation, and how to fall in love with your role as a coach.

In the second part, Steve breaks down 17 lies that hold coaches back. For instance, Lie #12 can have you believe that “You are too beautiful for this world”. This pertains to all the beliefs you might have about your own innocence and purity, which are holding you back from turning pro. Another one which can help you (and your clients) greatly is Lie #11: “Winning the lottery would solve everything.” Steve explains that “unearned money is spent and invested differently than earned money. It is not respected, it’s not considered my life’s energy, it’s just considered to be a lucky bonus. […] It’s the money-making strength [emphasis his] you build inside yourself that solves your money problems.” (p. 144).This work on limiting beliefs and setting your mindset for service and growth is very helpful, especially for beginner coaches. If you notice yourself finding excuses not to do the things you know you need to do, you will find your antidote in this part.

As a great demonstration of what adding value truly means, the book includes a bonus of 4 chapters from Wealth Warrior. Once again, these can be used one by one to boost your mindset.

I think that 37 Ways is great for beginner coaches who are starting to build their practice. This will help them grow and weed out the limiting beliefs that hold them back and are preventing them from serving their clients powerfully. I also think that the first part of this book is a great asset for more advanced coaches as well, as good reminders to boost your practice when you need a little inspiration or guidance.

This is how I would recommend using this book: Read 1-2 chapters to get your mindset back into coaching mode, and then call a person you can connect with, listen to deeply and serve powerfully and creatively.