Damian Hughes started out as a footballer on the England Youth Team, and is now Professor of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour at Manchester Metropolitan University.  We met during a leadership development programme and I warmed to his pragmatic and open style.

Listen to Prof. Damian Hughes talking about how Manchester United Manager Alex Ferguson set the tone

Coaching for Performance is now in its 4^th edition (in English) and this feels like a good time to look at Sir John Whitmore’s achievements with fresh eyes.

Whitmore is clear that, for him, coaching is more than a skill or a technique for individual and team development. It’s invaluable for task performance, motivation and delegation and can be deployed as effectively for quick management interactions as it can in a half hour coaching session.  

Hear Sir John Whitmore talking about coaching for performance

People often draw parallels between the world of leadership and the sporting world.

So what is different about this book?

Well, I enjoyed the greater depth that Louis has provided around the role of the brain.  I liked his focus on emotional intelligence, as well as some of the new learning from neuroscience.

I also found the discussion about the differences between team and individual sports an interesting angle.  The sporting anecdotes that he uses are both entertaining and relevant.

Over lunch today three of us were talking about the links between leadership coaching and the world of sport.  It's not just alpha males who can relate to the goals, commitment and determination of sports people. 

We discussed the links between sports coaching and leadership coaching and how even sports coaches can benefit from coaches themselves.  The book that bridges the gap between these two worlds has to be Liquid Leadership by Damian Hughes.

Damian Hughes talks about working with Sir Alex Ferguson (from Liquid Leadership)