Review of 'And The Next Question Is...' by Rachel Alexander and Julia Russell

Alexander and Russell, and the next question is . . .

Book Review: William Bergquist

I received and the next question is . . . in the mail for my review and set it aside to be read over the weekend. My wife, Kathleen, has just returned from an intensive two weeks of consultation and training. She sits down in our living room, exhausted. She sees the book lying there on the coffee table, picks it up, starts reading it. She grows more excited and seems much less exhausted. As Vice President for Coaching Services at a major consulting firm, Kathleen is always looking for tools that will assist the twenty-some coaches she supervises. This is it! A book that can be of practical assistance. She wants to order copies of the book for her staff!

With this introduction from my own wife, I decided that it will be quite a treat to prepare a review about a toolbox that can actually be of use in the everyday, challenging work of professional coaching. I very much like what I have read. In the foreword, Jan Efline suggests that this book is a source of assurance in the middle of chaos. I would suggest that this carefully-crafted and organized set of questions offers not just assurance but also guidance and balance. We need a kayak (not a canoe) in the “white water” world of contemporary chaos. Kayaks require that the occupant be centered and balanced. These questions can help provide clarification for the client, which in turn leads to this critical centering and balancing.

I like the fact that the questions are organized around themes. As a coach, I can ask what my client is concerned with right now and then readily turn to the questions related to this concern. I also like the wide range of questions Alexander and Russell are offering. Sadly, there is often a wide gap between strategies engaged when doing personal coaching, on the one hand, and doing organizationally-based coaching, on the other hand. There are questions related to both personal and organizational coaching in this book (there is a leaning toward personal coaching, but valuable organizational questions are to be found particularly in Chapters 3, 6 and 7).

I would also offer several suggestions concerning how a coach might make best use of and the next question is . . .  I find in my own coaching work that my clients tend to work in one of three domains: (1) information (where the client is right now, what she needs to know and what she already knows or thinks she knows); (2) intentions (where the client wants to be and how she will know when she gets there); and (3) ideas (how the client gets from where she is right now to where she wants to be).  Some clients like to linger in one of these three domains and need to be encouraged with questions to explore the other two domains. Some of the questions in Alexander and Russell’s book relate specifically to one of these three domains: (1) information [Ch 2/Distractions, Ch 2/Obstacles], (2) intentions [Ch 1/Values, Ch 5], and ideas [Ch 2/Outcome Planning, Ch 8]. Some sets of questions work systematically through all three domains [particularly Ch 2/GROW model].

I am also pleased that some of the questions concern the coaching relationship itself. The coach and client “meta-communicate” about their own working relationship [Ch 1, Ch 12]. In addition, some of the questions are divergent in nature (spirit-full) (moving the client upward toward inspiration and creativity) [Ch 4], while others are convergent (soul-full) (moving the client downward toward reflection and resolution) [Ch 1/Ponderings and Ch 9, 10 and 11]. Finally, I would suggest that a coach consider not just offering questions (making full use of the rich resources in and the next question is . . .), but also offer suggestions, metaphors and examples that provoke inquiry (what Argyris and Sch ö n call advocacy inviting inquiry).

The questions that Alexander and Russell offer can certainly be a wonderful start (and finish) to this rich process of coaching inquiry.

’And the Next Question is’ is available from all good bookstores worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble USA,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Book Depository ( free delivery worldwide) and soon in all electronic formats.