Coaching is based on the premise we must understand people before we can coach them. Flaherty asks fundamental questions rather than supply "easy to apply" tips and surface bandaids. "Coaching is not telling people what to do; it's giving them a chance to examine what they are doing in the light of their intentions. " (from the Preface) "A coach is someone who builds a respectful relationship with a client and then researches the situations the client finds himself in, with particular emphasis on the client's interpretation of the events. " (from Chapter 1) Then, in partnership with the client, the coach can work to altering actions to bring about expected outcomes. This book provides the language and operative principles and assessment models and sample coaching conversations necessary to do that. The book is grounded in many different paths of wisdom including time-tested philosophies, sociological premises and psychological discussions. Chapter bibliographies encourage further interdisciplinary reading.