Get a Coach, Be a Coach

Get a Coach, Be a Coach is a practical leadership guide by Roger Connors and Tom Smith that shows how coaching—when done correctly—accelerates performance, accountability, and growth at every level of an organization. The book makes a compelling case that the most effective leaders are both coachable learners and capable coaches.

The central premise is that sustained success requires continuous development. Leaders who seek coaching improve faster, make better decisions, and avoid blind spots. At the same time, leaders who coach others create stronger capability, ownership, and confidence throughout their teams. The book emphasizes that coaching is not about fixing people, but about helping them think, own results, and grow.

Get a Coach, Be a Coach provides a clear, results-focused coaching model that leaders can apply immediately. Rather than relying on intuition or personality, the approach emphasizes asking the right questions, clarifying expectations, reinforcing accountability, and guiding others toward solutions. Coaching becomes a disciplined leadership practice—not an occasional conversation.

The book also challenges common myths about coaching, including the belief that coaching is only for underperformers or senior executives. Instead, it demonstrates that coaching is most powerful when it is ongoing, expected, and tied directly to results. Leaders learn how to coach in moments of success as well as failure, strengthening performance while building trust.

Throughout the book, Connors and Smith reinforce a key idea: leaders who stop learning stop leading. By modeling openness to feedback and continuous improvement, leaders set the tone for a culture where growth and accountability thrive together.

Clear, practical, and highly actionable, Get a Coach, Be a Coach equips leaders to elevate performance by developing themselves and others—turning coaching into a competitive advantage rather than a soft skill.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Get A Coach

  • Chapter 1: So, Why Don’t You Have a Coach?

  • Chapter 2: Flipping the Model

  • Chapter 3: Coaching Triggers

  • Chapter 4: Mits and ABCs

  • Chapter 5: Coachability

  • Chapter 6: Find a Coach

  • Chapter 7: The Ask

  • Chapter 8: The Three Types of Coaching Engagements

  • Chapter 9: The 1-2-3’s of Self-Directed Coaching

  • Chapter 10: Coach Your Coach

Part 2: Be a Coach

  • Chapter 11: Why Be a Coach

  • Chapter 12: Everyone Is a Coach

  • Chapter 13: Just Reach Out

  • Chapter 14: The Connector/Manager Leader

  • Chapter 15: Role 1 - Ignite

  • Chapter 16: Role 2 - Coach

  • Chapter 17: Role 3 - Connect

  • Chapter 18: Role 4 - Lead

  • Chapter 19: The Case for Self-Directed Coaching

  • Chapter 20: The Coaching Community

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