Michael Bungay Stanier begins The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by making the case that, while coaching is generally considered significant, not everyone knows how to effectively provide it. He also argues that many managers already perform a form of coaching, but research indicates that a majority of people who receive this coaching do not feel as though they have been coached at all. He believes there are three reasons for this: Firstly, managerial training is sometimes too theoretical to process; secondly, people sometimes fail to translate training into practice; and thirdly, people tend to give advice instead of asking questions. Bungay Stanier maintains that effective coaching is not difficult, that it should be a daily practice; to him, the true essence of coaching lies in helping others unlock their potential (7). He then identifies three cycles that tend to cause problems in the workplace, which ineffective coaching contributes to: overdependence, being overwhelmed, and becoming disconnected. Developing effective coaching habits mitigates these cycles.

Bungay Stanier claims changing behavior is at the heart of the book. He recognizes that though this seems easy, it is not. Changing habits requires “five essential components: a reason, a trigger, a micro-habit, effective practice, and a plan” (18).