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The HeART of Laser-Focused Coaching: A Revolutionary Approach to Masterful Coaching
What would it mean for your coaching if you got right to the heart of the matter — every time? You can. Learn rarely taught tips and concepts that will immediately elevate your coaching while avoiding the common pitfalls. New and experienced coaches alike will benefit greatly from the detailed strategies and wisdom shared from Marion’s years of experience.
— Cheryl Richardson, NYTimes Bestselling author of Take Time for Your Life Marion Franklin, the Coach’s Coach, has been training and mentoring coaches for more than 20 years. Every student she has mentored or taught who sought ACC, PCC, or MCC has gotten their credential using the material in this book designed for all levels of coaches. No matter where you are in your coaching journey, this book has something for you. This book is different because Begin using even one or two of the concepts and principles in this book and notice your coaching immediately elevate to a new level. Your clients will notice the difference! You will experience this innovative approach to masterful coaching with two full laser-coaching sessions with commentary — much like eavesdropping in on the mind of a master coach. Marion shares unprecedented concepts that will help new coaches and even the most experienced coaches gain new insights and ideas, including a deeper understanding of what they already know. This book will not only boost your confidence and mastery as a coach, it will enable you to produce sustained results for your clients. I designed this book to not only show you what laser-focused coaching looks, sounds, and feels like, but to show you HOW TO coach for permanent, life-altering change. When using the Laser-Focused approach, you’ll be able The HeART of Laser-Focused Coaching –– A revolutionary, unprecedented approach makes coaching easier while also enhancing your ability to help clients create deep and profound change. Transform your coaching into something so powerful and life-changing that your coaching consistently flows and becomes effortless.
— Cheryl Richardson, NYTimes Bestselling author of Take Time for Your Life Marion Franklin, the Coach’s Coach, has been training and mentoring coaches for more than 20 years. Every student she has mentored or taught who sought ACC, PCC, or MCC has gotten their credential using the material in this book designed for all levels of coaches. No matter where you are in your coaching journey, this book has something for you. This book is different because Begin using even one or two of the concepts and principles in this book and notice your coaching immediately elevate to a new level. Your clients will notice the difference! You will experience this innovative approach to masterful coaching with two full laser-coaching sessions with commentary — much like eavesdropping in on the mind of a master coach. Marion shares unprecedented concepts that will help new coaches and even the most experienced coaches gain new insights and ideas, including a deeper understanding of what they already know. This book will not only boost your confidence and mastery as a coach, it will enable you to produce sustained results for your clients. I designed this book to not only show you what laser-focused coaching looks, sounds, and feels like, but to show you HOW TO coach for permanent, life-altering change. When using the Laser-Focused approach, you’ll be able The HeART of Laser-Focused Coaching –– A revolutionary, unprecedented approach makes coaching easier while also enhancing your ability to help clients create deep and profound change. Transform your coaching into something so powerful and life-changing that your coaching consistently flows and becomes effortless.
294 pages, paperback
Published September 25, 2019
1035 people are currently reading
915 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
January 29, 2022
Easily top 3 of coaching books I've read. Must read for both beginner and experience coaches alike.
November 8, 2022
Just finished this book. Still absorbing it.
Helping versus transforming: transformative distinction.
Friendly versus friends: objectively dispassionately focus on them.
Chapter three on listening, silence, and the background context to hold in mind - everything is meaningful, underlying transformation - is really great material.
Chapter 4: "being late is often tied to anger or resentment" is a brilliant insight, and the practical guidance on getting agreement are robust.
Chapter 5 - on What questions, including contexts and about It questions - is brilliant and immediately applicable.
Chapter 6 concerns how to discern truth from perception and needs to be carefully studied to make sense of it. It's deep.
Chapter 7 on Structural Alignment is a model surprisingly free of BS, and aligns with my understanding of consciousness research as Dr Hawkins teaches. But requires deep reflection.
Chapter 8 and 9 I didn't find really helpful.
Chapter 10 is the author's take on change, and helpfully reminds me of what works for me and others in my area. Structurally it is coaching specific and contextualised solely for that, so may need adapting. The concepts of Looping and Saturation Point are however game changers.
Chapter 12 instructs us how to be direct in a helpful way.
Ch 13 - 2 techniques stand out - Paint a Picture and Remove an Obstacle. Great question: What would a wise person do? Metaphors and Telling techniques weren't so interesting but the distinction between Strategy versus Intention is masterful.
Ch 14 on challenges: "assume nothing is true."
Overall a really good book on coaching.
Two things that might be better are examples and stories that stir emotion (the book was wonderfully logical and wise), and providing context for non-coaches (not the intent of the book so perhaps not fair.)
I think several careful re-reads of chapters 6 and 7 would be rewarding. EDIT: Re-reading these chapters, it seems like the chapter 6 material on discerning between perception and truth would have been better following chapter 7, because the heavy lifting of Structural Alignment is sorting out what's really true anyway. And I feel like chapter 7 doesn't give adequate instructions for Structural Alignment other than, basically, get a coach.
And the questions at the end of each chapter were superb. Highly recommended!
Edit: re-read:
1. Helicopter over theme/person, not details/story.
2. Seek most helpful identify need action thinking from then by noticing pain.
3. Transformative listening listens with position of "why are they telling me this? What makes this a problem for them?" catching on revealing offhand comments with friendly neutral "what" (not why or how) questions.
Still brilliant. Favorite is chapter 3 on silence. Amazing
Helping versus transforming: transformative distinction.
Friendly versus friends: objectively dispassionately focus on them.
Chapter three on listening, silence, and the background context to hold in mind - everything is meaningful, underlying transformation - is really great material.
Chapter 4: "being late is often tied to anger or resentment" is a brilliant insight, and the practical guidance on getting agreement are robust.
Chapter 5 - on What questions, including contexts and about It questions - is brilliant and immediately applicable.
Chapter 6 concerns how to discern truth from perception and needs to be carefully studied to make sense of it. It's deep.
Chapter 7 on Structural Alignment is a model surprisingly free of BS, and aligns with my understanding of consciousness research as Dr Hawkins teaches. But requires deep reflection.
Chapter 8 and 9 I didn't find really helpful.
Chapter 10 is the author's take on change, and helpfully reminds me of what works for me and others in my area. Structurally it is coaching specific and contextualised solely for that, so may need adapting. The concepts of Looping and Saturation Point are however game changers.
Chapter 12 instructs us how to be direct in a helpful way.
Ch 13 - 2 techniques stand out - Paint a Picture and Remove an Obstacle. Great question: What would a wise person do? Metaphors and Telling techniques weren't so interesting but the distinction between Strategy versus Intention is masterful.
Ch 14 on challenges: "assume nothing is true."
Overall a really good book on coaching.
Two things that might be better are examples and stories that stir emotion (the book was wonderfully logical and wise), and providing context for non-coaches (not the intent of the book so perhaps not fair.)
I think several careful re-reads of chapters 6 and 7 would be rewarding. EDIT: Re-reading these chapters, it seems like the chapter 6 material on discerning between perception and truth would have been better following chapter 7, because the heavy lifting of Structural Alignment is sorting out what's really true anyway. And I feel like chapter 7 doesn't give adequate instructions for Structural Alignment other than, basically, get a coach.
And the questions at the end of each chapter were superb. Highly recommended!
Edit: re-read:
1. Helicopter over theme/person, not details/story.
2. Seek most helpful identify need action thinking from then by noticing pain.
3. Transformative listening listens with position of "why are they telling me this? What makes this a problem for them?" catching on revealing offhand comments with friendly neutral "what" (not why or how) questions.
Still brilliant. Favorite is chapter 3 on silence. Amazing
August 20, 2025
A must read for all coaches, no matter the niche/direction you are taking or the approach or the coaching school you've finished! It is indeed a revolutionary approach and I feel positively mindblown. I fully recommend it!
July 6, 2020
Must read
Very powerful and invaluable. I as a new coach, alway has struggle to get right into the root of clients’ situations while using those “ formulas”. Marion shows us an effective and impactful way of coaching.
Very powerful and invaluable. I as a new coach, alway has struggle to get right into the root of clients’ situations while using those “ formulas”. Marion shows us an effective and impactful way of coaching.
September 8, 2023
I personally found this book to be such a great resource for coaches looking to take their coaching to the next level, and to an extent - even for leaders hoping to manage using a coaching style - and I felt it remained true to the ICF competencies, which I guess makes sense since the author is an MCC.
The author not only explains the concepts, as well as different strategies and techniques, but also gives many practical examples of how to use these concepts within a coaching context, which I personally found extremely useful.
It is challenging to sum up all my takeaways, as it is a book I feel I will refer to often as I work on improving my coaching, however, some key highlights for me which I hope to immediately put to practice, include the following:
- The power of ‘what’ questions (rather than ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions) and discerning ‘facts’ from perceptions and underlying beliefs when coaching the person (the author gives a lot of practical examples)
- The importance, as a coach, of thinking to yourself ‘why is the client telling me this, now? what makes it a problem for this person?’ and how this can help you as a coach take a helicopter view, and explore comments which at first may seem off-hand but can often be related to the topic at hand.
- The 25 ‘themes’ which typically show up, with self-esteem being at the root of most of these themes. I love how the author discusses how to recognize them in order to keep coaching the person rather than the story. (I found this chapter to be so very useful, that I am literally planning on creating an infographic of those themes to help my learning ‘stick’)
-Coaching without an agenda, being comfortable with not knowing, and that there is no formula. It’s about trusting yourself and the process (and trusting the client of course).
The book also reinforces a lot of key coaching concepts aligned with the ICF competencies, including the coaching agreement, coaching presence, active listening, use of silence, being empathetic, creating a safe and trusting space, creating shifts, re-framing, and is filled with so many strategies and coaching techniques with practical examples, and so much more…
I also enjoyed the quotes throughout the book. Things like ‘vision without action is a dream, action without vision is chaos’, or ‘it’s not what we don’t know that hurts us, it’s what we believe is true that isn’t, which does the damage’.
I found the book to be a really good resource, and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in coaching.
The author not only explains the concepts, as well as different strategies and techniques, but also gives many practical examples of how to use these concepts within a coaching context, which I personally found extremely useful.
It is challenging to sum up all my takeaways, as it is a book I feel I will refer to often as I work on improving my coaching, however, some key highlights for me which I hope to immediately put to practice, include the following:
- The power of ‘what’ questions (rather than ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions) and discerning ‘facts’ from perceptions and underlying beliefs when coaching the person (the author gives a lot of practical examples)
- The importance, as a coach, of thinking to yourself ‘why is the client telling me this, now? what makes it a problem for this person?’ and how this can help you as a coach take a helicopter view, and explore comments which at first may seem off-hand but can often be related to the topic at hand.
- The 25 ‘themes’ which typically show up, with self-esteem being at the root of most of these themes. I love how the author discusses how to recognize them in order to keep coaching the person rather than the story. (I found this chapter to be so very useful, that I am literally planning on creating an infographic of those themes to help my learning ‘stick’)
-Coaching without an agenda, being comfortable with not knowing, and that there is no formula. It’s about trusting yourself and the process (and trusting the client of course).
The book also reinforces a lot of key coaching concepts aligned with the ICF competencies, including the coaching agreement, coaching presence, active listening, use of silence, being empathetic, creating a safe and trusting space, creating shifts, re-framing, and is filled with so many strategies and coaching techniques with practical examples, and so much more…
I also enjoyed the quotes throughout the book. Things like ‘vision without action is a dream, action without vision is chaos’, or ‘it’s not what we don’t know that hurts us, it’s what we believe is true that isn’t, which does the damage’.
I found the book to be a really good resource, and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in coaching.
May 5, 2021
(3.5) I read this for work but actually found it helpful for my personal life! She has a direct roadmap for active listening & asking thought-provoking questions that works in any conversation where someone’s coming to you for venting or advice. I especially liked how she addressed silence & awkwardness in these types of conversations - good advice.
Two quibbles: one, this is a book for privileged white people. It’s not nuanced. Her advice is broad and doesn’t take into account different experiences beyond your typical rich white person.
Two, her coaching examples detract from the book. Her advice is solid & I’m using it but her examples are ROUGH (for example, in a chapter about metaphors, she tells a coachee who’s spending time with a client who can’t pay that it’s like “helping a bag lady in a high-end department store.” What.)
3.5 stars because I got enough actionable advice to change how I work but the absence of any acknowledgment on how caste status affects experiences is a huge hole.
Two quibbles: one, this is a book for privileged white people. It’s not nuanced. Her advice is broad and doesn’t take into account different experiences beyond your typical rich white person.
Two, her coaching examples detract from the book. Her advice is solid & I’m using it but her examples are ROUGH (for example, in a chapter about metaphors, she tells a coachee who’s spending time with a client who can’t pay that it’s like “helping a bag lady in a high-end department store.” What.)
3.5 stars because I got enough actionable advice to change how I work but the absence of any acknowledgment on how caste status affects experiences is a huge hole.
April 22, 2024
The author and master coach Marion Franklin effectively covers the basics of this to be a master coach, offering insightful context and guidance for success.
However, the scripted demo, while informative, limits the readers' ability to fully engage with the learned skills and decipher the client’s insights. No opportunity the reader to drawn their own conclusions first and understanding of the impact.
Although the extensive list of coaching personas resonates, it may overwhelm readers, hindering practical application. It's crucial to approach coaching holistically, considering individuals' unique characteristics and evolving nature rather than relying solely on predefined types. I note the individualisation comments from the author but then really why give a list?
However, the scripted demo, while informative, limits the readers' ability to fully engage with the learned skills and decipher the client’s insights. No opportunity the reader to drawn their own conclusions first and understanding of the impact.
Although the extensive list of coaching personas resonates, it may overwhelm readers, hindering practical application. It's crucial to approach coaching holistically, considering individuals' unique characteristics and evolving nature rather than relying solely on predefined types. I note the individualisation comments from the author but then really why give a list?
July 16, 2020
Approachable and accessible, Marion Franklin gives useful suggestions and insights into Laser-Focused Coaching. Great tools and examples, this book gives usable techniques to enhance the coaching experience for your client (and of your skills as a coach). A great reference book I'll be reading again. Recommended!
November 3, 2019
Powerful
Out of the box, yet doable skills that can be practiced. I’m excited to go deeper with my clients. Thank you for sharing your insights and expertise!
Out of the box, yet doable skills that can be practiced. I’m excited to go deeper with my clients. Thank you for sharing your insights and expertise!
January 7, 2020
I was skeptic at first, but this book is really amazing. for all coaches at all levels. must-read. Period.
February 13, 2020
This is a very good book on the practice of coaching. It's a top 5 for me in that category.
December 30, 2022
This book offered me the missing piece to my extensive, experiential, in-person life coach training at a reputable school. That’s right! Something was still missing for me, and Marion Franklin provided the answer.
So, what was missing? I needed the tools and the confidence to really dive into my clients stuckness, and to know the difference between when a perspective shift is needed and a deeper belief system shift is needed. Marion delivered.
She is a master coach, and her book is extremely well-written. It’s thorough, clear, and easy to follow. I was so impressed with her book and the effect it had on me, I signed up for one of her group coaching classes, and found experiencing her coaching in person to also be extremely helpful and inspiring. Her capacity to reflect someone’s issue back to them is truly artful.
To conclude, I can’t recommend this book enough. Five stars and beyond!
So, what was missing? I needed the tools and the confidence to really dive into my clients stuckness, and to know the difference between when a perspective shift is needed and a deeper belief system shift is needed. Marion delivered.
She is a master coach, and her book is extremely well-written. It’s thorough, clear, and easy to follow. I was so impressed with her book and the effect it had on me, I signed up for one of her group coaching classes, and found experiencing her coaching in person to also be extremely helpful and inspiring. Her capacity to reflect someone’s issue back to them is truly artful.
To conclude, I can’t recommend this book enough. Five stars and beyond!
October 3, 2021
It took a long time for me to read this book, not because it wasn’t great, more-so that it’s a lot of information to process and reflect on. This brought me back to several of the coaching concepts learned in advanced class work and provided great reminders and insights. I will definitely return to this book again. I am sure I didn’t fully absorb everything it had to offer the first time through. I enjoyed all the example clients and coaching responses in an good, better, best approach. Must read for coaches at any level.
January 28, 2022
Practical application for advancing one’s coaching career
What I loved about this book is the straight talk on how to discipline oneself as a coach. Anyone who cares or is empathetic will be prone to want to save, solve, and be ready with answers.
But this book reminds us that as coaches how important it is to listen intently. Not to solve for the client. To be thoughtful with questions. And notice what the client is saying as well as not saying.
I’m only partway through the book and it’s already become very relevant in recent coaching sessions.
Thank you!
What I loved about this book is the straight talk on how to discipline oneself as a coach. Anyone who cares or is empathetic will be prone to want to save, solve, and be ready with answers.
But this book reminds us that as coaches how important it is to listen intently. Not to solve for the client. To be thoughtful with questions. And notice what the client is saying as well as not saying.
I’m only partway through the book and it’s already become very relevant in recent coaching sessions.
Thank you!
Read
March 6, 2023Incredible stuff in here! I did my coach training at iPEC and this book aligns very nicely with Core Energy Coaching (coaching form the inside out). Still, I did pick up a few powerful new tools and tips in here. The themes and the "little box, big box" idea were very helpful. I've been implementing some of the tools as I was reading it and I have noticed my coaching is sharper. I highly recommend this book to any coach who is looking to sharpen their tool kit or gain a refresher on coaching tools!
November 5, 2021
This is an awesome book for coaches.
I love how the author has not just provided detailed questions for different scenarios, but also, shared her thinking around the questions. One of the more interesting things about this book is how the author has structured the how-tos before, during and at the end of the session.
There was a lot of deep learning for me as a coach, and I know I will visit this book again and again.
I love how the author has not just provided detailed questions for different scenarios, but also, shared her thinking around the questions. One of the more interesting things about this book is how the author has structured the how-tos before, during and at the end of the session.
There was a lot of deep learning for me as a coach, and I know I will visit this book again and again.
Read
August 16, 2025The metaphor of "laser focused" coaching makes me wonder if the author's techniques are more like this kind of laser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbQG8...
Or is it more like this kind of laser?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BQ-Y...
Full disclosure: I did not read this book and a tiny part of me, which I am desperately trying to suppress, feels guilty that someone worked hard to write this book :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbQG8...
Or is it more like this kind of laser?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BQ-Y...
Full disclosure: I did not read this book and a tiny part of me, which I am desperately trying to suppress, feels guilty that someone worked hard to write this book :)
November 21, 2021
This was excellent. I love how many examples were provided, including specific verbiage on how to deal with different situations. I would have loved a couple more examples of full sessions though. I'm going to need to sit down and write up all my notes. I have a feeling this will be a book I reread frequently. It's FULL of great nuggets.
October 26, 2022
This book is POWERFUL! If you are a professional coach or working in a space where you can apply a coaching approach, I'd highly recommend this book. I listened to the audio version but will be buying a physical copy at some stage, as I can see myself re-reading it a number of times to absorb the content. Marion is a real subject matter expert and someone worth listening to.
February 23, 2023
Incredible insights
I truly value the methodology used to work with a client, plus there are so many insights and mini ideas of what works best. For example, just the idea of remembering to focus only on the client and not the people in their story, has made a world of difference in how I will interact with my clients in the future. Gonna read it all again to better absorb it.
I truly value the methodology used to work with a client, plus there are so many insights and mini ideas of what works best. For example, just the idea of remembering to focus only on the client and not the people in their story, has made a world of difference in how I will interact with my clients in the future. Gonna read it all again to better absorb it.
May 24, 2023
This is definitely not a quick read, but oh so worth it - it took me two months to get through it because the material was so dense! And while I may have finished reading this book, I am nowhere near close to being done with it. I need to continue to go back and review to help myself further digest all the wonderful methods and techniques she shared.
February 4, 2024
Practical
Revolving around a central idea, the author does confront some of the usual coaching practices. And the result is compelling, for the concepts are clearly articulated and applicable.
* Complementary to more general books on coaching.
* Mostly oriented to readers with experience in the field.
Revolving around a central idea, the author does confront some of the usual coaching practices. And the result is compelling, for the concepts are clearly articulated and applicable.
* Complementary to more general books on coaching.
* Mostly oriented to readers with experience in the field.
March 11, 2024
A great read of a book on focused coaching
I like this book on laser focus coaching where focus is the key skill to achieving your goal objectives.
The book is well structured and well laid out for easy reading.
At the end of each chapters there is a questions bank to do for your personal journal.
Overall a great read of a book and highly recommended. Best wishes Sean
I like this book on laser focus coaching where focus is the key skill to achieving your goal objectives.
The book is well structured and well laid out for easy reading.
At the end of each chapters there is a questions bank to do for your personal journal.
Overall a great read of a book and highly recommended. Best wishes Sean
October 3, 2020
You have to read this
This is a superb book that has substantiality altered my approach to coaching. With the principles in mind, just today, I had the most impactful coaching session of my career.
This is a superb book that has substantiality altered my approach to coaching. With the principles in mind, just today, I had the most impactful coaching session of my career.
October 5, 2020
Experience Pay
I appreciate the experience and thoughtfulness brought to writing this book. The book has expanded my thinking on coaching and has provided me some ideas for moving forward. Excellent resource for coaches.
I appreciate the experience and thoughtfulness brought to writing this book. The book has expanded my thinking on coaching and has provided me some ideas for moving forward. Excellent resource for coaches.
March 1, 2021
Read this for a book club and I can see the potential to spend more time with the tools it shares. That said, it felt like the book was teaching through examples without diving into the heart of the technique. This is a book I will revisit.
August 14, 2021
Meh.
A lot of situational examples that just seem contrived and author baked. Also seemed to wander into examples of personal counselling where a professional therapist would be appropriate, vs coaching per se. I found some useful tips, but overall, the book didn’t satisfy.
A lot of situational examples that just seem contrived and author baked. Also seemed to wander into examples of personal counselling where a professional therapist would be appropriate, vs coaching per se. I found some useful tips, but overall, the book didn’t satisfy.
December 2, 2021
Great resource for new and growing coaches!
Very thoughtful and insightful to the tools needed to be a laser focused coach. This information will help me advance in my coaching ability.
Very thoughtful and insightful to the tools needed to be a laser focused coach. This information will help me advance in my coaching ability.
June 11, 2023
Outstanding read on coaching
I took extensive notes on how to support a coaching convo and truly provide insights to help move a client forward. Let us know when you write the next book - extremely knowledgeable, practical and as the book says, laser-focused.
I took extensive notes on how to support a coaching convo and truly provide insights to help move a client forward. Let us know when you write the next book - extremely knowledgeable, practical and as the book says, laser-focused.
February 13, 2024
Probably the best book on coaching I've read. I've read 7 in total to give you some context.
It has really practical advice and strategies which I started using straight away to great effect. I will definitely return to this book again and again.
It has really practical advice and strategies which I started using straight away to great effect. I will definitely return to this book again and again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews