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iCoach 1: The Simple Little Formula for Freeing Yourself, Boosting People Power and Changing the World
iCoach is not just a book but a system, refined over three decades of coaching CEOs and other leaders to meet strategic imperatives. Even if you stay in your current job—and especially if you're the CEO—iCoach gives you access to being a successful (and if you wish, financially independent) coach. iCoach is your roadmap to real power—by unleashing people.
The problem is, we know how to fly a robot to Mars, yet we know next to nothing about empowering people—igniting their power and productivity. If working with others is a mystery (or a pain) to you, iCoach® is the solution.
Is your team too dependent on you? Are you caught in micro-management or saving the day? Is your bench strength insufficient, or team members not entrepreneurial enough? Do you feel sometimes you won’t stem it all?
“Coaching is no longer a service to buy or delegate, but a basic management competence—just like finance or marketing. Every leader or manager must be a competent coach. Dr. Zweifel gives you a systematic toolkit for getting the best out of your people.”
—Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Leadership Thinker in the World
Dr. Zweifel learned coaching in the 1980s, when the profession barely existed outside of sports. He has poured 35+ years of experience—as a senior manager and CEO, later as a strategy & performance expert and CEO coach—into this path-breaking book.
This step-by-step methodology is based on both timeless principles of leadership and the latest discoveries in neuroscience, psycholinguistics and behavioral economics.
“Knowing how to breed not followers but authentic, self-directed leaders around you—people with purpose who think for themselves—is of utmost importance. If you lead anything, use this book to lead your teams to sustainable, and meaningful, high performance.”
—Dr. Daniel Vasella, former Chairman & CEO, Novartis
Harvard teaches you can manage up to five direct reports. With coaching, you don’t have that constraint. iCoach® gives you the secret formula for leveraging yourself, having maximum impact and growing the business when you’re not around.
“A punchy book that strips executive coaching back to the essentials. Here's what to do, and what not to do, to be effective.”
—Michael Bungay Stanier, author of WSJ-bestseller The Coaching Habit
Learn:
• The indispensable 5 steps to power and impact through people.
• When to put on the “coach hat” and when the “management hat” for maximum effectiveness.
• The 6 key steps to build trust and demand for coaching, get clients, and make money as a coach (if you want to).
• How to see and catch coaching opportunities (without which coaching will be a fiasco).
• The 7 effective coaching questions that position you as the guru—and kill time wasters. And finally,
• The exit strategy: How to free yourself and make the intervention sustainable.
"This is exactly what I wanted to do for a living. Work with people and help them develop as leaders! Thomas has been a source of inspiration for a profound professional and life change."
—Elsa Regan-Klapisz, Executive Coach, Facilitator, Leadership Specialist
Dr.
The problem is, we know how to fly a robot to Mars, yet we know next to nothing about empowering people—igniting their power and productivity. If working with others is a mystery (or a pain) to you, iCoach® is the solution.
Is your team too dependent on you? Are you caught in micro-management or saving the day? Is your bench strength insufficient, or team members not entrepreneurial enough? Do you feel sometimes you won’t stem it all?
“Coaching is no longer a service to buy or delegate, but a basic management competence—just like finance or marketing. Every leader or manager must be a competent coach. Dr. Zweifel gives you a systematic toolkit for getting the best out of your people.”
—Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Leadership Thinker in the World
Dr. Zweifel learned coaching in the 1980s, when the profession barely existed outside of sports. He has poured 35+ years of experience—as a senior manager and CEO, later as a strategy & performance expert and CEO coach—into this path-breaking book.
This step-by-step methodology is based on both timeless principles of leadership and the latest discoveries in neuroscience, psycholinguistics and behavioral economics.
“Knowing how to breed not followers but authentic, self-directed leaders around you—people with purpose who think for themselves—is of utmost importance. If you lead anything, use this book to lead your teams to sustainable, and meaningful, high performance.”
—Dr. Daniel Vasella, former Chairman & CEO, Novartis
Harvard teaches you can manage up to five direct reports. With coaching, you don’t have that constraint. iCoach® gives you the secret formula for leveraging yourself, having maximum impact and growing the business when you’re not around.
“A punchy book that strips executive coaching back to the essentials. Here's what to do, and what not to do, to be effective.”
—Michael Bungay Stanier, author of WSJ-bestseller The Coaching Habit
Learn:
• The indispensable 5 steps to power and impact through people.
• When to put on the “coach hat” and when the “management hat” for maximum effectiveness.
• The 6 key steps to build trust and demand for coaching, get clients, and make money as a coach (if you want to).
• How to see and catch coaching opportunities (without which coaching will be a fiasco).
• The 7 effective coaching questions that position you as the guru—and kill time wasters. And finally,
• The exit strategy: How to free yourself and make the intervention sustainable.
"This is exactly what I wanted to do for a living. Work with people and help them develop as leaders! Thomas has been a source of inspiration for a profound professional and life change."
—Elsa Regan-Klapisz, Executive Coach, Facilitator, Leadership Specialist
Dr.
Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2021
9 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Thomas D. Zweifel
28 books4 followersIt was a perfectly clear day in September 2001, an Indian-summer morning when the sky was deep blue. Thomas was sitting on the Brooklyn Promenade--alone except for a few runners and dog walkers--and reading Michel Houellebecq's Les Particules Élémentaires (this is not an endorsement of that book) when he looked up at 8:46 a.m. and saw something he had never seen before: A plane hit the World Trade Center. Smoke and millions of tiny metallic glitters were in the air; a light wind swept them toward him. The glitters turned out to be countless papers, documents flying across the East River. One of them was a page from a civil law book, blackened on all four sides. Another was a FedEx envelope with a contract that someone had just signed a few minutes earlier.
That moment changed Thomas' world, and his life, forever. He set out on a journey to himself. And he started to worry about what kind of legacy to leave. One answer: to write books that help leaders of all stripes build successful companies and/or lives.
Dr. Thomas D. Zweifel is is a board member, strategy and performance expert, TED speaker and award-winning author of 11 books, including "Strategy-In-Action" (with Edward J. Borey), "Communicate or Die," "The Rabbi and the CEO" (with Aaron L. Raskin) and "Gorilla in the Cockpit" (with Vip Vyas).
Since 1984, living in Europe, India, Japan, and the United States, Thomas has helped clients align on strategy, boost leadership, and build high-performance teams in the action of meeting strategic and/or breakthrough objectives.
From 1997 to 2011, Thomas was the CEO of Swiss Consulting Group, named a "Fast Company" by Fast Company magazine and awarded "Best of Business in New York for Management Consulting" by SBCA.
Strategies based on his books are used by 30+ Fortune 500 companies, the UN Development Programme, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the U.S. Air Force Academy, to help their teams meet strategic imperatives.
Since 2001, Thomas has taught leadership to 1,500+ students at Columbia University and St. Gallen University to prepare them for executive leadership positions.
He often appears in the media, including ABC News, Bloomberg TV, and CNN. A speaker for ten speaker bureaus, his interdisciplinary and action-packed keynotes inspire business leaders.
Born in Paris, Thomas was educated in Switzerland, Germany and the United States, and holds a Ph.D. in International Political Economy from New York University.
In 1996 he realized his dream of breaking three hours in the New York City Marathon, and in 1997 was recognized as "fastest CEO in the New York City Marathon." He lives in Zurich with his wife and their two daughters (and a dog called Motek, the only other man in the house).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...
That moment changed Thomas' world, and his life, forever. He set out on a journey to himself. And he started to worry about what kind of legacy to leave. One answer: to write books that help leaders of all stripes build successful companies and/or lives.
Dr. Thomas D. Zweifel is is a board member, strategy and performance expert, TED speaker and award-winning author of 11 books, including "Strategy-In-Action" (with Edward J. Borey), "Communicate or Die," "The Rabbi and the CEO" (with Aaron L. Raskin) and "Gorilla in the Cockpit" (with Vip Vyas).
Since 1984, living in Europe, India, Japan, and the United States, Thomas has helped clients align on strategy, boost leadership, and build high-performance teams in the action of meeting strategic and/or breakthrough objectives.
From 1997 to 2011, Thomas was the CEO of Swiss Consulting Group, named a "Fast Company" by Fast Company magazine and awarded "Best of Business in New York for Management Consulting" by SBCA.
Strategies based on his books are used by 30+ Fortune 500 companies, the UN Development Programme, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the U.S. Air Force Academy, to help their teams meet strategic imperatives.
Since 2001, Thomas has taught leadership to 1,500+ students at Columbia University and St. Gallen University to prepare them for executive leadership positions.
He often appears in the media, including ABC News, Bloomberg TV, and CNN. A speaker for ten speaker bureaus, his interdisciplinary and action-packed keynotes inspire business leaders.
Born in Paris, Thomas was educated in Switzerland, Germany and the United States, and holds a Ph.D. in International Political Economy from New York University.
In 1996 he realized his dream of breaking three hours in the New York City Marathon, and in 1997 was recognized as "fastest CEO in the New York City Marathon." He lives in Zurich with his wife and their two daughters (and a dog called Motek, the only other man in the house).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 14, 2025
The simplicity of the formula is what makes it brilliant. It’s easy to remember and apply, which means it actually sticks with you.
August 15, 2025
I liked that it offered a formula I could actually remember.
August 16, 2025
iCoach is a refreshing and practical guide that simplifies personal growth while inspiring positive change in others.
August 16, 2025
This book helped me see leadership in a whole new light—clear, actionable, and motivating.
August 16, 2025
The “simple little formula” truly works! I’ve applied it at work and seen immediate improvements in teamwork and morale.
August 16, 2025
Easy to read yet packed with wisdom. A perfect balance of theory and practical advice.
August 16, 2025
I love how the author empowers individuals to not just improve themselves but also create ripples of change around them.
August 16, 2025
iCoach makes personal development feel achievable and exciting, not overwhelming.
August 16, 2025
I felt energized after reading this—like I had a clear roadmap to grow, help others, and make a difference.
August 16, 2025
The lessons are simple yet profound. I’ve started applying them daily, and the results are amazing.
August 16, 2025
Truly an uplifting read. It combines inspiration with actionable steps that anyone can follow to transform themselves and others.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews