Mark McKergow

Solutions Focus Practice is transforming coaching, consulting and leadership in organisations all over the world. A powerful yet simple approach to positive change, a solutions focus approach to people problems explores what works in a given situation and aims do more of it. The Solutions Focus is the definitive guide to this revolutionary yet practical alternative to conventional wisdom. It demonstrates how the unique SIMPLE method of working sidesteps the search for the causes of trouble and heads directly for the solution. Today national solutions focus associations around the world from Sweden to Australia, base their training on the methods explained here. Solutions focus is in widespread use by consultants, coaches, facilitators and managers. It can be applied at one-to-one, group or organisational levels. Applications include health and wellbeing, sales and negotiation, team building and leadership, performance management, organisational strategy and even peace-building and climate resilience. This long-awaited new edition of The Solutions Focus is fully revised and updated for today's executive, career and life coaches. Including the transformative OSKAR coaching framework, one of the most used throughout the coaching world. Revisions to this acclaimed book include updates throughout to position it in the contemporary landscape. Next generation developments are fully covered including new research on embodiment and experience, the role of hosting rather than directing, and the importance of detail. New case studies from around the world including Nestle, Kraft, Tate and Canon continue the book's legacy of learning from real cases by looking closely at what happens and how it works. Finally, new material exploring improvisation and co-constructed stories completes the update and will ensure this book remains the leader in its field for generations to come.

Helping teams and leaders work together in fast-moving and challenging situations * Would you like to work better in an agile way? * Would you like to achieve benefits such as flexibility, productivity and adaptability? * Do you want practical, tried-and-tested, simple yet effective ways to build all of that, as a leader, Scrum Master, project manager or (Agile) coach? Veronika Jungwirth and Ralph Miarka have years of experience with helping teams work agile, and agile teams work better. In this book they offer an accessible, detailed and practical guide to approaches, methods and techniques to help teams of all levels work more collaboratively and effectively. They combine the laser-sharp practice of solution-focused coaching with experience of agile environments to produce a winning combination of fresh angles on everyday situations. This book will be both a great starting point and a continuing reference source for teams, leaders and team coaches alike.

The Next Generation of Solution Focused Practice shows how practitioners help create change by ‘stretching the world’ of their clients. The book brings new ideas from enactive cognition which show how skilled attention on the client and their words is important both practically and conceptually. It provides both a summary of the development of Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) over time and how the latest developments form a newly coherent form of practice based on developing descriptions. The author has structured the book using simple and easy to understand metaphors to paint a rich, creative, and visual picture of therapy for the reader, which makes it an accessible read. This book will be of interest to a wide range of SF practitioners internationally, as well as to those involved in coaching, counselling, family therapy, education, social work, healthcare and organisational change.

The Next Generation of Solution Focused Practice shows how practitioners help create change by ‘stretching the world’ of their clients. The book brings new ideas from enactive cognition which show how skilled attention on the client and their words is important both practically and conceptually. It provides both a summary of the development of Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) over time and how the latest developments form a newly coherent form of practice based on developing descriptions. The author has structured the book using simple and easy to understand metaphors to paint a rich, creative, and visual picture of therapy for the reader, which makes it an accessible read. This book will be of interest to a wide range of SF practitioners internationally, as well as to those involved in coaching, counselling, family therapy, education, social work, healthcare and organisational change.

The pottery industry was key for Burton-in-Lonsdale on the borders of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria for nearly three centuries until its demise in 1944. This book tells the story of Richard Bateson, the last potter of Black Burton, a renowned thrower and teacher. It encapsulates the history and traditions of this lost trade; the personalities, the struggles, the humour alongside the hard work. The book is a grand contribution to the history of Burton, the history of pottery and the story of rural arts in transformation from an industrial to a more artistic endeavour. "The most comprehensive collection of history, stories, first-hand accounts and photographs we are ever likely to see... social history of a high order; rooted in its context, explored by those who really understand how it was." From the Foreword by Mark McKergow "(Richard) didn't like Bernard Leach's pots, because all Leach's pots had a wobble and Richard's never did." David Frith, Brookhouse Pottery

The time has come for a new yet ancient look at leadership. Great engagement is the key to truly successful leadership, and the secret to moving forward is knowing when to step back... It is no longer about being the hero, the one that has to make everything happen. There is another way: be the host. This book reveals why Host Leadership is set to become one of the most pioneering concepts in 21st century management. - Learn how to step into and out of the six NEW roles of engagement - Adopt the four positions for a Host Leader - Understand how to apply hosting strategies in your organization to achieve greater agility, flexibility and responsiveness - Become a leader with a highly tuned sense of relationship building and engagement. The traditional 'stand and deliver' approach to leadership falls down when it comes to engagement. Understanding how to really engage with people is the ultimate backbone of success. Intrinsically, we all know how to be hosts; now is the time to sharpen these skills and bring them to the table.

Fourteen organisations all over the world tell the stories of how Solutions Focus has helped them to change - and show you many ways to find what works in the workplace. This book is a massive fund of experience and know-how about keeping organisational change simple. The fourteen real life cases described here illustrate the Solutions Focus approach in action from widescale change to everyday effective management. The cases come from a very wide range of organisations, including Lufthansa, British Sky Broadcasting, Bayer Cropscience, the Cooperative Group, the Ontario Medical Association and Freescale Semiconductor. They worked on issues including restructuring, strategy development, sales improvement, continuous improvement, team development, outplacement, training and job satisfaction. International consultants and Solutions Focus pioneers Mark McKergow and Jenny Clarke guide you through the ins and outs of each case, and draw 80 lessons which you can use in building positive change at work and keeping things as simple as possible - but no simpler. "Filled with the wisdom of profound simplicity. I highly recommend this insightful and practical book." - Stephen MR Covey, author of "The Speed of Trust".