Positive
Psychology
Coaching
Putting the Science of
Happiness to Work
for Your Clients
Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Positive
Psychology
Coaching
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Positive
Psychology
Coaching
Putting the Science of
Happiness to Work
for Your Clients
Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright © 2007 by Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Biswas-Diener, Robert.
Positive psychology coaching : putting the science of happiness to work for your
clients / Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-04246-5 (cloth)
1. Personal coaching. 2. Positive psychology. I. Dean, Ben. II. Title.
BF637.P36B56 2007
158'.9—dc22
2006038754
Printed in the United States of America.
10987654321
➇
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v
Contents
Introduction vii
Acknowledgments xiii
Chapter 1 The Coaching Paradox and the Positive
Psychology Solution 1
Foundation I
Happiness and Positivity
Chapter 2 Happiness: The Goal We Rarely Talk About 25
Chapter 3 Choosing Happiness: Goals, Relationships,
and Positive Thinking 59
Chapter 4 Solid Happiness Interventions 89

Foundation II
Character Strengths
Chapter 5 Strengths Coaching 117
Chapter 6 Coaching to Personal Strengths 143
Chapter 7 Coaching to Social Strengths 165
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Special Topics in Positive
Psychology Coaching
Chapter 8 Helping Clients Craft the Perfect Job 189
Chapter 9 The Future of Positive Psychology Coaching 209
Appendix: Planning Positive Psychology
Coaching Sessions 221
Notes 231
Index 251
C
ONTENTS
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vii
Introduction
A few years ago, as the world prepared for the change of the mil-
lennium, I was living in Calcutta and researching happiness
among people living in the slums. I have long had a soft spot in my
heart for people living in poverty and have often been inspired by
the ways they sometimes rise to the challenges facing them. For
anyone who has ever been to Calcutta or traveled through other
poor parts of the world, you know the sight of abject poverty can
be heartbreaking as well as guilt producing. My time in Calcutta

had me thinking about what kind of impact I could make on the
lives of the people with whom I was conducting my research. I
paid my participants and donated money to neighborhood associ-
ations, local slum clinics, and doctors. In the end, though, I saw
that I was taking information away from India—I was collecting
data that would ultimately benefit a Western understanding of
psychology—and not giving any education back. Through my in-
terpreter, I began setting up a series of lectures, at local universi-
ties and even in slum schools, in which I could teach the citizens
of Calcutta about the latest findings from social and personality
psychology. The lectures were well attended, well received, and it
felt great to work outside my basic job description and give a little
something back.
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One of the aspects of positive psychology I have long been at-
tracted to is the sense that it is for the public good. As such, it
is—relative to other systems of change—being given away free.
As yet, you will not find much in the way of proprietary assess-
ments or expensive, formulaic trainings. No positive psychology
researcher worth his or her salt is charging big money for “five
ways to discover happiness” or “three things that are interfering
with your fulfillment” or “My private tool for measuring positiv-
ity.” At its heart, positive psychology is a science and, as such, is
part of the public domain. The latest research findings are pub-
lished in professional journals, many of which can be accessed
online. Top scientists have web sites that, rather than trying to
keep a lid on their proprietary findings, clearly spell out the de-
tails of research for anyone who is curious enough to look. Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman, the

founder of positive psychology, once said that this dynamic new
field was, in part, about “increasing the total tonnage of happi-
ness in the world.” That’s a hefty mission, and one very much in
line with the philosophy that underlies all coaching. Of course,
just as coaches charge for services positive psychologists charge
speaking fees, workshop tuition, and write for-profit books. But
in each of these cases, the men and women behind the science are
being paid for their expertise, rather than some secret happiness
system they have devised, trademarked, and sold to the public.
Within the confines of positive psychology, you will see exem-
plars of generosity such as the Values in Action Institute, funded
by the Mayerson Foundation, which provides a free, online as-
sessment of strengths that could be generating millions of dollars
in income. Or, the Center for Applied Positive Psychology, in
England, a nonprofit center running educational programs in
positive psychology. Or, the Hero Within Charter School, a
fledgling positive psychology school serving low income kids in
inner city Philadelphia. The list goes on. Not only do people rec-
ognize the value of positive psychology, they recognize the value
of giving it away.
I
NTRODUCTION
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Which brings me to my co-author, Ben Dean. I first met Ben at a
conference on positive psychology, where he was eagerly learning
the latest findings from the field. He is a psychologist who is pas-
sionate about positive psychology and coaching, has been involved
with the field from its early days, and firmly believes in disseminat-

ing it as widely as he can. In fact, publishing articles in professional
journals and giving talks at conferences are just not enough for
Ben, he wants to make sure that the theories, assessments, and ap-
plications of positive psychology make their way into mainstream
life. For example, Ben partnered with Martin Seligman to deliver
the Authentic Happiness Coaching Program™ that—between
2003 and 2005—trained professionals from 19 nations to apply
Seligman’s work on positive psychology to their work and lives. He
runs MentorCoach®, the first coach training school in the world to
specifically focus on positive psychology and coaching. As if that
were not enough, Ben also writes a free electronic newsletter on
positive psychology with 131 thousand readers worldwide and
presents on coaching and positive psychology throughout North
America. Ben impressed me with his value-laden attitude toward
bringing positive psychology to the world. In fact, his orientation
toward service is so sincere that I once saw him arrange for pro
bono positive psychology coaching services for a flight attendant
who was suffering through a financial crisis.
This book is the natural product of two people who would like
nothing more than to get the story of positive psychology out of
the ivory towers and into the mainstream as well as into other
professions, such as coaching, for which it is particularly well
suited. We will not get rich from this book, nor do we care to. We
are interested in showing readers and coaches of all stripes that
there is an exciting new science available to inform their assess-
ments and interventions. We are thrilled about the fact that much
of what coaches do has now been shown to pass scientific muster,
and we are excited about what this means for the future develop-
ment of the profession. We think positive psychology is just too
good to hide from the public, and we hope that you agree.

Introduction
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What is positive psychology anyway? In short, it is a new branch
of psychology that focuses on what is going right, rather than what
is going wrong with people. If traditional psychology has empha-
sized the understanding and treatment of depression, schizophre-
nia, and anxiety, then positive psychology takes aim at happiness,
optimism, and character strengths. Positive psychologists are re-
searchers who investigate the dynamics of healthy relationships,
the factors that lead to highly functioning work groups, and what
leads to lasting personal fulfillment. Positive psychology asks im-
portant questions about the human condition and provides com-
pelling answers. In the years since it was founded, this new branch
of science has grown to include a cutting-edge professional journal,
a string of fascinating books, a new master’s degree program at the
University of Pennsylvania, and some highly effective workplace
consultancy programs. In this book, we give you a nutshell educa-
tion about positive psychology.
Much of this book focuses on happiness. To some extent,
everybody wants to be happy, although few of us agree on what
this means or how best to achieve it. Fortunately, modern science
has some fresh new insights into the age-old question of the secret
to happiness. Among the most important and novel insights pro-
vided by research in positive psychology is the fact that happiness
is much more than a destination. Study after study shows that
happiness is actually beneficial. Feeling positive is like having
money in the bank that can be spent in the pursuit of other goals.
The fact that happiness is associated with better health, more cre-

ativity, higher income, and better workplace evaluations ought to
catch the attention of any coach or consultant. We spend time
covering modern happiness research including how it is defined,
how it is measured, how much is enough, and which routes to
happiness are worthwhile and which are deadends. In each case,
we tie together the research findings with helpful suggestions for
how the information can be used to help your coaching practice
and help your clients succeed.
I
NTRODUCTION
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We also spend a great deal of time discussing personal strengths.
The idea of tapping client strengths will not be new to you, but pos-
itive psychology offers some wonderful new ways to do so. Chris
Peterson and Martin Seligman worked with a team of brilliant col-
leagues to develop a classification of character strengths that exist
in cultures all around the world. The team developed the innova-
tive online assessment of strengths (and it’s free of charge!). These
thought leaders commonly espouse the idea that there is as much
mileage to be gained from harnessing strengths as there is from
shoring up weaknesses. This radical notion is more than simple
opinion; positive psychologists provide the empirical research and
firm data to back up just these types of claims.
From executive coaching to life coaching, from psychotherapy
to consultancy, the new science of positive psychology offers a lit-
tle something for everyone. It is a solid science with empirically
supported assessments, validated interventions, and exciting new
theories that can revolutionize your practice. Best of all, positive

psychology is a discipline that is compatible with what you are al-
ready doing and need not be swallowed whole or exchanged for
what you already know works. Instead, it can be an adjunct to
your current practice, and one that will be attractive and helpful
to your clients. Positive psychology is yours every bit as much as
it is ours, and we hope you enjoy it!
Introduction
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Acknowledgments
I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my father Ed Diener, and
Martin Seligman, as well as to George Vaillant, Mihaly Csikszent-
mihalyi, and the many other courageous researchers who have pi-
oneered the field of positive psychology. Without you, the world
would be a little less happy.
This book never would have progressed beyond an idea at a
cocktail party if not for the support and encouragement of our
editor, David Bernstein. Thanks for your patience, kindness,
and insight.
I would like to thank my co-author, Ben Dean. Ben, I have
learned much about coaching from you and have enjoyed watch-
ing you give positive psychology away.
I would also like to thank the many people who helped in the
preparation of this manuscript by submitting to an interview, giving
wise counsel, or commenting on the ideas contained herein. This
group includes Betsy Bass, Susan David, Sandra Foster, Michael
Frisch, Carol Kaufmann, Michelle Marks, James Pawelski, Carol

Ryff, Nicole Stettler, and Lauren Vannett. Thanks to you all. I also
owe an extra special thanks to Alex Linley for the last-minute advice.
Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Keya, and my children
for supporting me through the writing process. The three of you
put up with far more than I deserve. I love you.
R. B-D.
xiii
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I’m especially grateful to Martin Seligman, whose phone call in
2002 ultimately led me into the field of positive psychology. Our
two-year collaboration in delivering the Authentic Happiness
Coaching Program™ has been one of the high points of my career.
My thanks to Chris Peterson, for his leadership in spearhead-
ing the Values in Action (VIA) project and whose research and
teaching in positive psychology have been so important for me
and many others.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to Robert Biswas-Diener. What
began as a joint project has clearly become his book. I first met
Robert in 2005 while reading about, of all things, Joan Didion’s
reaction to his work in The Year of Magical Thinking. I’ve come to
value his keen intelligence, his research and field work in subjec-
tive well-being, his extraordinary ability to integrate and write
about science in multiple domains, and his friendship.
I would like to thank David Bernstein, an exceptional editor
and central figure in bringing coaching to the helping professions.
I would like to thank the wise thought leaders I interviewed in-
cluding: Bonni Akalis, Vikki Brock, Jocelyn Davis, Catherine
Fitzgerald, Dan Gilbert, Jon Haidt, Richard Kilburg, Amanda
Levy, Christine Martin, Ellen Ostrow, Chris Peterson, Peter Red-

ding, Pam Richarde, Geno Schnell, Tracy Steen, Bruce Taylor,
Patricia Wheeler, and Nancy Whichard,
I especially want to thank Anne Durand, an incomparable ex-
ecutive coach and friend, who has been instrumental in leading
MentorCoach®.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to all the brilliant, gifted souls in
MentorCoach®, in the MentorCoach Alliance for Positive Psy-
chology, the MCP Trainer Team, the (131,000 strong) Coaching
Toward Happiness and eMentorCoach communities, and the
graduates of the Authentic Happiness Coaching Program™ who
share my passion for the field and continually teach me.
And, finally, I’m deeply grateful to Janice, my wife, and our chil-
dren, David and Sara, for being with me every step of the way.
B. D.
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
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1
CHAPTER ONE
The Coaching Paradox
and the Positive
Psychology Solution
Coaching, as a profession, is at an exciting turning point. The
work of the brave and talented people who pioneered the field has
finally paid off: Coaching is widely accepted as an important tool
in the business world, coach training programs are improving
their curricula in an effort to meet more rigorous standards for
credentialing, and private practices are flourishing. Even univer-

sities are beginning to take notice of our profession, and graduate
degree and certificate programs in coaching are popping up on
several continents. The tiresome days of explaining the difference
between athletic coaching and working as a personal change
agent are rapidly drawing to a close. We, as coaches, are no longer
struggling to find basic acceptance as a legitimate profession. In
so many ways, we have arrived, and it feels good. It feels good to
open major newspapers and see articles on the benefits of coach-
ing and profiles of leading coaches. We experience vicarious pride
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when we see the success of our peers who design and implement
coaching workshops for organizations, or witness the financial
success of a colleague. It can be tremendously rewarding to speak
with enthusiastic new students in coach training programs, a sign
that our profession is growing. At last, we can bask in the same
optimism that we attempt to instill in our clients.
Yes, we have finally arrived. But, now that we are here, what
are we going to do? As a group of individuals and as a profession,

we are just too energetic, too dynamic, and too motivated to sit
idly for long. You probably recognize that achieving one goal,
while cause for celebration, also clears the way to begin working
toward the next. Change is inevitable, and what could be more in-
teresting than considering the ways in which coaching might
change over the next decade? In which directions coaching might
move, and how our interventions and services might evolve in the
near future. The possibilities are fascinating to consider. Ad-
vances in technology, for instance, will undoubtedly affect the
professional tides. Similarly, widespread public understanding
and acceptance of the coaching endeavor and its many benefits
will impact our chosen vocation in exciting new ways, as will
breakthroughs in psychological research. The field of psychology,
our professional cousin, is a wonderful resource for sophisticated
assessments, clever interventions, and research validation that
can—and will—advance our work by leading to better service
and “proof” that coaching works. This book describes one such
breakthrough—the new field of positive psychology—and explains
the many ways in which positive psychology can inform coaching
practices of all kinds. Positive psychology is the first of many
stimulating answers to the question: “Where do we, as a profes-
sion, go from here?”
Coaching has long been a powerful force for transformation in
people’s lives. Whether conducted with executives, schoolteach-
ers, graduate students, work-from-home Internet entrepreneurs,
or small business owners, coaching is about harnessing the best in
people and inspiring them to live out their potential. Coaching is a
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3
wake-up call, challenging folks to tap their inner abundance. Be-
cause of this natural leaning toward positivity, growth and opti-
mism coaching has attracted practitioners who value service work
and clients who are achievement oriented. If you consider the
ways in which you and your clients are similar, it is likely that
placing a premium on self-growth is one area of common ground.
Those of us who have worked with or worked as coaches recog-
nize the frequent times in sessions when a self-imposed limit is
lifted, when an “aha” moment is reached, or when we catch an
emotional second wind. These are the gems of coaching and,
when coaching is done well, they tend to be common. It is this
proof of positive change in action that makes coaching a worth-
while endeavor for both the practitioner and the client.
But beneath this veneer of positivity and effectiveness, there is
an irony in the profession that we think of as the coaching paradox:
For a profession that systematically helps people aspire to and
reach their innate potential, coaching has not yet reached its own
potential. In fact, although coaching—in its modern form—is a
couple of decades old, it is still in its relative professional infancy.
Indeed, the hallmarks of youth are readily apparent. Coaching
lacks a coherent, widely agreed on definition, coach training
varies in content (although less now than in recent years), and
coaching interventions differ greatly. Some coaches work with in-
spirational stories and games, others rely heavily on assessments,
and still others focus on goals and behaviors. In short, coaching is
still a broadly defined endeavor in need of refining. The profes-
sion of coaching is fortunate to have so many skilled and imagina-
tive people working toward this end. But our chosen line of work
needs more than isolated breakthroughs and good ideas that are

implemented in only a handful of private practices. Coaching is
just too good to be undermined by a sense that we are “winging
it.” Our professional service—whether it takes the form of execu-
tive, entrepreneurial, or life coaching—will improve when we de-
velop an agreed on definition for coaching and systematic sharing
of the high quality interventions in our craft.
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To be sure, progress has been made in these areas. The Interna-
tional Coach Federation (ICF), the largest governing body of the
profession, has made gains in establishing both a code of ethics for
practice and standards for the training of new coaches. Steve Mit-
ten, former president of the ICF, made the professionalization of
coaching a major part of his presidential platform. Mitten was in-
vested in establishing coaching as a bona fide profession, with
clear standards for training and practice.
1
Similarly, in England,
members of the British Psychological Society have formed a spe-

cial working group to advance a program of coaching psychol-
ogy.
2
Despite this forward progress, even seasoned coaches agree
that the profession is in its formative stages. Carol Kaufman, for
instance, a coach and psychologist at Harvard’s medical school,
distinguishes between “first and second generation coaching.”
3
The first generation of coaches, according to Kaufman, was made
up of the visionary and courageous individuals who helped to es-
tablish their services as a viable enterprise. Now, says Kaufman,
we are on the brink of the second generation of coaching, in
which the discipline needs to grow through the development of
explicitly defined theories of human development and research on
coaching effectiveness. Just as medicine has advanced through
the discovery of viruses and the use of antibiotics, coaching is
ready for sophisticated theories and exciting new interventions.
One of the recent pushes toward the development of a more
mature coaching profession has been increased attention to the
many benefits of science. In 2003, Anthony Grant, a coach who
teaches at the world’s first university-based coaching psychology
program in Sydney, Australia, issued a call to ICF members to
turn to science as a method and body of knowledge to help guide
practice.
4
The ICF responded by sponsoring annual research
symposia, in which the scientific method was used to investigate
issues ranging from the effectiveness of working with cultural mi-
norities to understanding client perceptions of coaching.
5

In later
years prominent coaches such as Diane Stober
6
and W. Barnett
Pearce
7
have echoed the original call to embrace research as a
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Coaching Paradox and Positive Psychology Solution
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powerful tool to improve the practice and effectiveness of coach-
ing. In 2006, ICF president Pamela Richarde spoke with the
heads of Accredited Coach Training Organizations (ACTO),
reaffirming the organization’s commitment to supporting a re-
search program on coaching.
8
Similarly, psychologists and
coaches in London, Sydney, Philadelphia, and New York have
looked at the role of science in coaching by forming special
coaching psychology task forces, hosting academic conferences,
launching peer reviewed journals, and developing university-
based curricula. Simultaneously, professional books on evidence-
based coaching or those adapting well-researched psychological
theories and techniques have begun appearing. If these trends
are any indication of the direction in which coaching is moving, it
is reasonable to assume that at least one arm of the profession, in
the future, will be scientifically grounded coaching, in which
many practitioners will have graduate degrees from accredited
universities, and in which many clients will want to see empirical

validation of coaching services. We do not mean to imply that this
is the only direction in which the coaching profession will evolve,
but this is one likely route. Regardless of the background of indi-
vidual coaches, now or in the future, it is certain that those on the
cutting edge of science will have additional tools in their profes-
sional toolboxes.
In this book, we propose that the dynamic new field of positive
psychology—described in detail next—is a branch of science that
shows tremendous potential as a natural interface with the profes-
sion of coaching. Because it is grounded in sophisticated scientific
methodology, positive psychology offers an answer to the call for
an increased role of research in coaching. What’s more, as an ap-
plied science, positive psychology offers theories, interventions,
and assessments that form a valuable addition to current coaching
tools. Among the most elegant aspects of a marriage of coaching
and this new science is the fact that positive psychology is not
dogmatic, proprietary, or incompatible with existing approaches
to coaching. Positive psychology is a body of theory, research, and
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practical tools that can be added to any coaching practice, regard-
less of theoretical orientation, or whether you conduct life coach-
ing or work with executives. Further, we argue here that such an
addition is good for individual coaches as well as for the profes-
sion as a whole.
Although we are attracted to the creativity that permeates
the profession of coaching, we argue that the movement toward
empirically-based interventions and solid theoretical frameworks
for practice is in the best interest of both individual practicing
coaches and the coaching profession. Coaches Dianne Stober
and Anthony Grant argue that such a trend will boost the credi-
bility of the profession and provide the foundation for higher
quality coach training.
9
We live in an age where science is the
pre-eminent system of inquiry. The claims of science are testable,
and the results of careful studies are both replicable and general-
izable. Because the scientific method is so widely accepted, coach-
ing practices that are grounded in science will be easier to “sell” to
a skeptical public or potential clients, and especially to organiza-
tions that want reassurances that the service will be effective.
Susan David, founding member of Evidence Based Psychology, a
consultancy firm with corporate clients in the United States, Aus-
tralia, and Asia, encourages coaches to set their services on a
foundation of solid empiricism. “Companies and executives have
gotten savvier when talking about psychological topics,” she told
us in a recent interview. “It makes sense to them that mood can af-
fect worker performance. The people I deal with at pharmaceuti-
cal companies and accounting firms ask intelligent questions

about the research behind my services, and I have to be ready
with answers.” Our prediction is that coaches who can honestly
claim to work from a foundation of the latest scientific research
and theory will have a tremendous market advantage over their
peers. Not only will prospective employers look favorably on
them, they will enjoy the comfort of knowing that their interven-
tions are tested, effective, and—where possible—appropriate to
their unique client base. The addition of a scientific basis to
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coaching is one of the greatest potential growth areas for second-
generation coaches.
The importance of science to our field was recently noted in a
dramatic way by Jim Clifton, the CEO of the Gallup Corpora-
tion, the company famous for its polling services. In late 2005,
Clifton addressed a large group of psychologists and coaches at a
meeting at the Gallup office in Washington, DC. Clifton has a
sharp mind and a flair for strong, provocative words. “Gallup uses
positive psychology,” he began, “because positive psychology
works. If the data showed that yelling at my employees was more
effective, then I would do that instead.”
10
Regardless of how liter-
ally Clifton intended this statement to be taken, his point was
clear: Businesses and other clients want to invest in workshops,
trainings, and services that work. They want proof that the meth-
ods and assessments they buy are actually valuable, and not sim-
ply the flavor of the month. In this way, coaches can make

science, and psychological science in particular, work for us as we
develop our profession.
What might a scientifically driven coaching practice look like?
Anthony Grant and others originally trained in clinical psychol-
ogy have pointed to the “scholar-practitioner” model in which
most psychologists are trained.
11
In this educational model, stu-
dents are taught to design research studies, analyze statistics, and
evaluate the relative merits of other people’s research in addition
to developing clinical acumen. The underlying rationale for this
model is that graduates will enter the workplace as informed con-
sumers of the research that guides their own clinical practices.
Unfortunately, as sensible as this strategy is for psychologists, it is
not easily applicable to coaching. Many coaches do not have a
background in research methods or statistics, nor a background
in psychology, and an emphasis on these skills is unlikely to have
newcomers flocking to our profession. Although it is likely that in
the future many coaches will hold master’s degrees in coaching
psychology from major universities, it seems doubtful that in the
short term all coaches—or even the majority of coaches—will
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OACHING
P
ARADOX AND
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OSITIVE
P

SYCHOLOGY
S
OLUTION
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have a background in psychology. Therefore, evidence-based
coaching ought to rest on the aspects of science that are accessible
to coaches of diverse educational backgrounds. We have identi-
fied three areas in which coaches of any educational or profes-
sional background can easily employ science:
1.
Survey readings of relevant background material could
greatly benefit coaches. We have great faith in the intelligence
of coaches and believe that they can easily understand ver-
sions of major studies. This allows for the fact that not every-
one attracted to the profession thinks in the rigorous,
questioning way common to researchers. For those with a pri-
mary interest in the direct contact with clients and an empha-
sis on the service aspect of the work, a general familiarity with
relevant background research is probably adequate. But basic
knowledge of the scientific literature may also be necessary. In
our experience, the most innovative coaches are those individ-
uals who challenge themselves by reading and learning about
the change process. Whether it is essays by Abraham Maslow,
leadership books by Robert Quinn, or professional journal ar-
ticles, keeping up with major theories and new interventions
gives coaches a competitive edge. We encourage coaches of all
stripes and persuasions to become acquainted with the rele-
vant psychological research literature, if even in a cursory
way. We encourage you to extend this learning well beyond
the covers of this book and into other informative domains

such as trusted web sites and professional journals.
2.
The second natural intersection of science and coaching is to
be found in well-validated measurement tools. Empirically
validated and widely used assessments can be enormously use-
ful to coaches. Many coaches are already familiar with tools
like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Firo-B,
and know that these instruments can help the work of coach-
ing in important ways. But, formal measures of personality,
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Coaching Paradox and Positive Psychology Solution
9
ability, preferences, and other related assessments have his-
torically been the domain of psychologists—created by psy-
chologists, administered by them, and interpreted by them. In
addition to the information they provide, formal assessments
can be interventions when they are used to identify strengths
or areas needing attention, and they can also guide practice
by measuring outcomes of interest. Although it is true that
many coaches currently use some stock-in-trade assessments,
such as the MBTI, many coaches are unaware of other useful
measures available to them, including many that are easy-to-
take, easy-to-interpret, and free of charge.
3. Research is fundamentally important to coaching because it
can provide a basis for evaluating interventions. Studying the
nuts and bolts of our actual work can tell us much about why
certain interventions work, when they work, and with whom
they are most effective. Take, for instance, the research con-
ducted by Suzy Green on the effectiveness of Solution-Focused

Life Coaching, in which she and her colleagues found that
coaching produced appreciable gains in hope, happiness,
and goal striving for the clients in their study.
12
Without this
kind of careful, systematic evaluation of our interventions,
coaching is reduced to a series of well-meaning hunches and
guesswork. Knowledge of the empirical underpinnings of in-
terventions actually allows coaches to break out of a one-
size-fits-all mindset. Results from studies can tell us how
gender, culture, or educational background might play an
important moderating role in the coaching process. Famil-
iarity with such research makes coaches both responsible
and increasingly competitive. Science can help us under-
stand the nuances of interventions, an awareness that might
separate good coaches from great coaches.
Science is much more than artificial laboratory studies and
boring, structured results. The scientific process includes the
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