Your Entry to Coaching Mastery

Organizational Leadership Coaching®, LLC
THE PRIMER COACH: BASIC SKILLS AND BACKGROUND
A Guide to Integrating Coaching into Practical Leadership

 

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK

 

The Primer Coach Book serves as the foundational textbook for the Organizational Leadership Coaching® (OLC) Institute The Primer Coaching Course. It is the first of three core texts developed to establish, nurture, and advance coaching competencies in emerging leaders, new coaches, and professionals seeking to incorporate coaching methodology into their leadership practice. It lays the groundwork for all formal training within the OLC system and is specifically designed to meet the growing need for rigorous, values-centered coaching preparation aligned with the standards of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

 

This book introduces students to the essential skills and mindset required for effective coaching. It covers four foundational competencies: Maximizing Effective Listening, Posing Shift-Causing Questions, The Art of Targeting Language, and Giving Motivating Acknowledgements. These skills are the cornerstones of professional coaching practice and serve as the launching pad for more advanced coaching strategies covered in subsequent OLC texts (The Competent Coach and the final Mastery-level text The Professional Coach). Collectively, the trilogy prepares students for the ICF credentialing journey from ACC to PCC and eventually MCC, aligning with the ICF’s new Core Competency framework.

 

But The Primer Coach is more than a textbook—it is a guidebook for integrating coaching into practical leadership. It was written to equip servant leaders with tools and insights that grow people, strengthen organizational culture, and cultivate emotional and strategic intelligence. At its heart, it is a handbook for those committed to personal and professional transformation. The Primer is the product of more than 16 years of formal study and thousands of hours of coaching experience, informed by the successful training and mentoring of over a thousand coaches and hundreds of certified professionals under the OLC banner.

 

This text is purposefully positioned as the opening segment of the full Level 1 (L1) offering within the OLC Coaching Certification system. Together with The Competent Coach, this two-course sequence fulfills the 60+10 hour training requirements for Level 1 certification as defined by the ICF. While The Primer Coach introduces the methodology, mindset, and core techniques of coaching, The Competent Coach continues the trajectory with greater complexity, focusing on advanced practice and refinement. The Primer course and this text, in particular, form the vital entry point for students who desire to become ICF-certified and effective, ethical coaches.

 

Throughout the book, the reader will find a relational tone and accessible writing style that reflects the OLC philosophy: that coaching is not merely a transaction of skill but a deeply human interaction. The language shifts between instructional content and a more personal, invitational narrative to model presence—the same quality that coaches are asked to bring into their sessions. This personal tone is intentional. It reminds us that coaching is not just about process, but about showing up as a human being to meet another human being.

 

One of the core distinctions made early in the text—and carried throughout the training—is that coaching differs fundamentally from teaching, mentoring, or consulting. Whereas a sports coach imparts physical skill and knowledge, a leadership coach within the ICF framework facilitates the unlocking of the coachee’s own insight, wisdom, and growth. This is not about telling people what to do, but helping them access their own direction, potential, and clarity. Accordingly, The Primer Coach repeatedly emphasizes that the direction, objective, and content of the coaching session always rests with the coachee. Coaches are trained to refrain from pushing personal preferences or solutions. Instead, they are taught to “walk alongside leaders in motion,” empowering others without imposition.

 

The book is structured in a way that allows students to engage with it chapter-by-chapter in tandem with each course session. Every chapter begins with definitions and references to the relevant ICF Core Competencies—updated according to the 2022 revised ICF standards—to help students track their developmental progress. These embedded references not only provide alignment with ICF expectations but serve as an ongoing study resource for those preparing for the ICF Coach Credentialing Exam.

 

The methodology introduced in The Primer Coach is not a rigid or dogmatic system, but a “suggested approach” that fully honors the flexibility and creativity of the coaching process. The tools, exercises, and language patterns offered within are rooted in time-tested coaching principles, influenced by the work of coaching pioneers such as Thomas Leonard, Laura Whitworth, and institutions like Coach University. That said, OLC recognizes that the coaching journey is as diverse as the coaches who walk it. Therefore, students are invited to internalize the OLC method while also bringing their own authenticity to the craft.

 

Special attention is given throughout the text to situate coaching within the larger vision of servant leadership and organizational development. Readers are encouraged not only to master individual coaching competencies but to see themselves as culture-shapers—leaders who empower others and foster environments of growth, integrity, and transformation. This is one of the great strengths of the OLC training experience: it trains coaches to coach, but also to lead and influence with humility, clarity, and purpose.

 

How to Read This Book

 

Readers are advised to approach the book as a hands-on manual for practice and reflection. It is not designed for cover-to-cover reading in a single sitting. Rather, it should be studied session by session, in conjunction with instructor-led teaching, cohort-based discussion, and personal journaling. Definitions at the beginning of each chapter provide important interpretive keys for understanding the language and context unique to OLC. Chapter topics and skills are often revisited, intentionally creating redundancy for reinforcement.

 

The structure of each lesson aligns with key components of the ICF coaching competencies and supports the sequential integration of coaching skills. Many sections also include suggestions for practice, feedback guidelines, and reflection prompts. Together, these resources are designed to build a coach’s capacity to engage in real-time coaching conversations with precision and professionalism.

 

By the end of this book, students will not only have a firm grasp of the fundamental coaching skills but will also have a philosophical and ethical orientation that honors the deeper call of the coaching profession: to listen well, to ask skillfully, to speak with impact, and to hold space with compassion. They will also have begun their preparation for the Level 1 credentialing process, grounded in a methodology that is both rigorous and humane.

 

In sum, The Primer Coach is the cornerstone of the OLC Coaching Curriculum. It introduces not only the content of coaching but the character, posture, and presence of the coach. It offers students their first steps into a lifelong journey of learning, impact, and transformation—both for themselves and for those they coach.​

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What Folks Are Saying…​

 

Dr. David Bowman

 

Thank you so much for writing this book. I wish we had had it when we started our coach training all those years ago. I am so pleased future generations will benefit from it. You have provided the definitive textbook for coach training. I do not know of a better, more complete resource. The editors will make all kinds of suggestions. Content will get moved around. Nevertheless, this book is a true gift. You refreshed and deepened my coaching knowledge and skills. 

 

Please let me serve you in getting this out to the broadest audience and let me know how I may steer people toward your training. 

 

Again, I am so delighted in this book. 

 

With gratitude,

David

 

David Bowman, D. Min, PCC

Executive Director

Tarrant Baptist Association

Fort Worth, TX USA

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Dr. Jeannine Sandstrom

 

In one’s career it is a true blessing to meet and work with such a versatile and accomplished colleague as Dr. Gary Patterson.  His book, “The Primer Coach: A Guide to Integrating Coaching into Practical Leadership” demonstrates the perfect integration of coaching theory and background, ICF competency skills and personality insight. The core coaching concepts and skills are presented in clear actionable modules with learned skills building to form a way of interacting with others that helps bring out their best abilities.  The coach approach set of competencies is then applied to a functional model of leadership development.  The outcome is a two-pronged approach that gives the learner both a solid coaching foundation and a leadership model against which to coach for long term, sustainable success. It’s a pleasure to recommend you dive right into this coaching and leadership journey – you’ll be glad you did!

 

Dr. C. Jeannine Sandstrom, MCC, CEO

CoachWorks International, Inc.

Dallas TX USA

 

J. Val Hastings

 

THE PRIMER COACH: BASIC SKILLS AND BACKGROUND

“A Guide to Integrating Coaching into Practical Leadership”

 

I have been coaching for over 20 years and have trained thousands of today’s leaders to use coaching skills.  One of the very first leaders that I ever trained was Dr. Gary Patterson.  I vividly recall introducing Gary and the other leaders sitting at his table to coaching.  Almost immediately after observing me coach one of the participants, Gary and the others couldn’t contain themselves.  They asked question after question after question.  Over several of the breaks, and in the parking lot, Gary continued to explore coaching with me. It was clear to me that Gary had caught the coaching bug.  

 

Over the past decade plus, Gary has retained that initial excitement and vigor for coaching. As his first instructor, it has been a joy and honor to watch him earn his ACC, then PCC, and soon his MCC.  In this book, Gary shares his years of coaching experience, expertise, and most of all his excitement for coaching. The Primer Coach is very thorough and extensive in its offering of tools and resources. I especially like the Dialogue Coaching Model:

 

• Determine the Need

• Decide the Direction

• Design the Strategy

• Disrupt the Obstacles

• Describe the Actions

 

I offer two thumbs up for the depth and breadth of this book.  It will not disappoint you as you read it cover to cover. It will be an excellent resource for new and seasoned coaches.  I strongly encourage you to read this book.  

 

J. Val Hastings, MCC

President:  Coaching4Clergy and Coaching4TodaysLeaders

 

Dr. Darrell Horn

 

I highly recommend any coaching material that Dr. Gary Patterson has written. In the world of coaching, he is a leader among leaders as a gifted, insightful coach/trainer. One aspect of his calling is to invest in the success of others. In my certification process as a coach, I was a student in a course written by Dr. Patterson and delivered through his training system, Organizational Leadership Coaching. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from the best. 

 

Dr. Darrell Horn, D. Min, ACC

Director of Missions

San Antonio Baptist Association

San Antonio, TX