The Portable Coach: 28 Sure Fire Strategies For Business And Personal Success

by Thomas J. Leonard, Byron Larson

An advice columnist blends years of hands-on financial advising experience with in-depth psychological insights in this practical, positive program that can help readers determine their goals and then achieve them. 50,000 first printing. Tour.

Genres: Business, Personal Development, Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Productivity, Buisness

336 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There‘s a lot to unpack in this book. I initially really liked the repeating lists of 10 things to consider for a topic but then it got repetitive and tiring and towards the end I was glancing through it rather than fully taking it in. Might be better to read a bit. Set aside for a while and come back to it.

[Cheryl Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

My conversations with Thomas (by email) in the mid 1990s transformed how I thought about coaching forever. I started coaching seriously in a business context because of him. He was at the source of the spread of coaching as a creditable profession.

This book summarises some of his best points but cannot compare to the abundant source of material that used to be available on his website. He was an ideas dynamo and the source of great insights.

Sadly Thomas died far too early so this book is the only printed part of his legacy (and CoachU and the subsequent development of the International Coaching Federation in the USA).

[Paul Bard · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is a picture of a successful person: highly conscientious, high in disagreeability, able to intelligently eliminate stuff that is lower value, and able to self-assess and reflect. It is also a self-portrait of a neurotic introvert adapting to the dot-com world of success and coaching.

The ideas have the attractive vitality of a man who doesn't care if you like them or not. Take, for example, the idea that to make a great future just work on making the present sweet and attractive. This could be misinterpreted in several ways, as a call to hedonism, or as an excuse to escapism, even addiction. So it must be intelligently interpreted, I would say.

Leonard isn't particularly concerned with judgment, but more with feeling and perceiving. That is, he can't tell you HOW to live, but only give tips on improving what you're doing. You need to be working on the right stuff already.

I found the idea of overresponding incredibly compelling when the book first came out. But it never seemed to expand into a definite clear notion distinct from overreacting and simple creativity. Not to mention that creativity is usually not so important as conscientiousness. But it seems - seductive? Overresponding is defined as "using problems as a chance to grow". I mean, yeah, so? Don't we all use problems to grow? Duh?

Another definition: "Overresponding is changing a part of who you are." What does that mean? I feel irritated, holding this concept up to critical scrutiny, that I could have fruitlessly read over it so many times.

And lets get real about principles 4 to 7. Building a superreserve (4) involves filling your living space with a SERIOUS shit-tonne of crap. And "hooray adding value" isn't a damn strategy (5). And (6) affecting others profoundly is called not being superficial. And (7) marketing is marketing, duh.

Let's break down the other "strategies" shall we?

9 - fulfilment gud.
10 - do gud job.
12 - work quickleeee
14 - conscientiousness, again!
15 - high disgust conscientiousness. Duh. We know successful people are high in conscientiousness already.

So of these lame "strategies" only 8 and 11 have seem to have substance. But let's inspect. What does it mean to be attractive to yourself (8)? It means self-esteem. Duh. And what does it mean to "create a vacuum that pulls you forward" (11)? Essentially that means throw stuff out (conscientiousness) and "say things that occur to you even spontaneously". So, creativity. Much wow.

It seems that the tips are basically a guide for how to cope with being Thomas Leonard, rather than how to be successful. Have been unkind to the author? The great part of Leonard's charm was that he spoke so frankly and shared himself so fully in this book.

This book was published in 1998. In the flush of the dot-com boom anything seemed possible. Leonard died on 11 February 2003. I was basically obsessed with the book at the time. Back then I benefited greatly from his advice to self-care and to take it easy from the pressure of goals. I thought his book helped me and I had changed a lot, but it's also possible that I may have used his book to rationalise staying the way I wanted to.

In any case, if you want checklists for coaching, then get this book. If not, do as I do and throw it away. Thanks Mr Leonard for the good memories.

[Chuck Cova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this read (with significant caveats). The principles are solid, and many takeaways (as evidenced by the 30 pages of notes I took, and the plan to regularly review those notes). However, some of it is a bit humorous because it was written at the dawn of the internet, and had to simply agree to disagree in a number of areas because of my worldview (Christian) vs his (secular) view. With those things in mind, I give this a thumbs up.

[Lindsey Mao · Rating 4 out of 5]

super concise, needed to listen the whole way through with pen and paper to make sure I didn't miss anything. The OG of coaching. worth it.

[Honoree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it was first released years ago, and my revisit was just as powerful. Highly recommend.

[Ruth Rathband · Rating 5 out of 5]

This self-coaching book spoke directly to me. I was definitely on Leonard's wavelength. His straight-talking, no-nonsense approach was refreshing and informative. No waffle here!

[Erin]

good book for personal growth guidance.

[Char]

Listened to an abridged version on Hoopla. There were truths in the book, but also things that didn't sit right with me.

[Scott Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always loved this book. Some slight disagreements and caveats, but not enough to make it go below and A.

[Charmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. LIST of Areas to improve:
- Articulate- the words I need flow naturally out of my mouth
- Hip- I get it! And it shows “having eyes open”
- Savvy- street smarts and understand what motivates people
- Creative-- great ideas, opportunities, and things just come to me; I don’t have to work at creating them.
- Secure- I am safe. I fear almost nothing.
- Mastery- top of my game at work
- Polished- I come across as polished
- Well-dressed -- I always look exceptionally good, even when casual
- Courage- I respond to danger without fear.
- People feel comfortable in my home
- My will is up to date and accurate.
- Weight is ideal range (130-135)
- I do not gossip about others.
- I live in a home I love
- Clothes are pressed, clean, and fit well.
- Rarely eat sugar (less than 3x/week)

2. Clarity Through Contrast: (Living, Career, etc) 
Don’t Want:                  --->                      Clarity

3. Questions: What do I tolerate? Not okay with it, but put up with it anyway. Biggest complaints.

4. Areas of Inquisition
- Family background / quality of relationships
- Past love relationships; reasons for break-up
- Lessons learned from life experiences
- Ethics, values, morals
- Attitude about love, commitment, communication
- Spiritual philosophy
- Personal and professional goals

5. Making Life Better, One improvement at a Time.
Needs: Emotional, spiritual, physical, financial, intellectual, career, interpersonal, community,

6. Motivation: Benefit if I do? Negatives if I don’t?

7. Time Frames: 6 mths, 1yr, 2-3yrs, 5 yrs, 10yrs, 20yrs, ASAP.

8. Get Clear: One foot in front of the other. Stop resisting, allow for a natural flow. No more forcing. Be ready when my path is clear to make the next step.

9: Unmet Goals - make a list.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok, i quite liked this because it's a coaching book that is one long to-do list. you're supposed to measure your progress before you begin and then in regular intervals until you can get 100% on the list. for example, here's Home & Comfort (page 60):
1. My house has extra room/space that I do not need to use very often.
2. I have twice as much empty available storage as I am currently using.
3. I always have plenty of clean, pressed clothes, I never "run out."
4. I have the coziest sheets, comforter, and bedding.
5. I am physically touched enough to feel satiated.
6. My home is always clean and orderly.
7. My home's heating and air-conditioning system always maintains the perfect temperature.
8. I have more than enough silverware, dishes, glasses, mugs, cooking utensils, and kitchen equipment.
9. I have a favourite place in my home where I can go to relax, think, and just be.
10. There is no place in my home that I do not like.

now just imagine how long it would take to implement these 10 things. and there are 326 pages just like this. Here's some of the communication things, keep improving 'til you're at 100% (p. 96):
> I impress others without trying to
> People find me credible and knowledgeable
> I am always unconditionally constructive, even when joking
> People feel like I am really interested in them
> People feel like I am fully present in the moment
> People feel touched and inspired by my presence

mostly it's equal parts encouraging (with action steps) and exhausting (are you kidding me?).

[Lorilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Thomas' seminal work to be filled with common sense as well as deep insight. What a gift to have all his ideas compiled into one book! As a newbie to the field of coaching, I am thrilled to have found it. He divides our lives into the areas in which we may want to look to assess how all is going, to help us decide where to put our efforts first, to make our lives more workable and to serve as inspiration to ourselves and others. I felt instantly like this book spoke to me as a true friend might. What a legacy this book is! What a gift to each of us.

[David Cuen]

Verdict:Let's get something out of the door first: I don't believe in self development books with a magic formula. I think it's very subjective. This book is that. It may offer a few pearls of wisdom, but nothing you haven't heard before.
Read it if: You are interested in formulaic paths to success as the key to personal growth.
Watch out for: Repetitive advice on some of his 28 principles.

[Marianne Mullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I like so much of it but I also got frustrated with the organization and writing style. There was so much great content but I just had a hard time devouring it like I had hoped.

[John Gravitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas was taken from us much too early. He practically created the career of coaching. I like his audios much better but this book is good too.