A Coaching Model Created by Rachel Loock
(Leadership and Career Coach, UNITED STATES)
You’re in the Driver’s Seat ~ Where Will You Go?
Introduction
As a leadership and career coach, I am passionate about helping my clients reach their goals and be the best they can be within their organizations and their careers. I partner with my clients to advance their story and be better than they were before. Whether the client wants to become a more effective leader, lead from where they are, and/or make a career transition, I am their collaborator in this journey.
By creating a safe, confidential, and supportive environment, I provide a space where the client can discover, explore, and clarify their professional and career aspirations, goals, and challenges, with an advocate and a resource, without fear of judgment.
As facilitator and partner, I support the client in their journey to achieve positive outcomes and reach their destination. Through a combination of active listening, being fully present, dancing in the moment with the client and asking powerful questions, we build a trusting, working relationship that aids the client in value clarification, learning, goal setting, and personal growth.
Establishing the Coaching Relationship
At the very beginning of the coaching relationship, to clarify expectations on both sides, coach and client will also sign a coaching agreement that addresses what coaching is (and isn’t), maintaining client confidentiality, the number of coaching sessions agreed upon, fee, length, frequency, meeting place (e.g., in person, via phone, or Skype, etc.) and any other parameters agreed upon by coach and client. An assessment of whether the client and I will be a good coaching match will also be determined. If the client seeks consulting, counseling or therapeutic services, or a different type of coach, I will make a referral as appropriate. This remains constant throughout the coaching relationship. If at any time it becomes apparent that the client would benefit from the services of another professional (e.g., psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, another coach, lawyer, accountant, etc.), I will make the appropriate referral.
To start the coaching process, the client will provide basic background (e.g., employment, education, professional and career goals, strengths, areas for growth, etc.) and contact information through the completion of an intake form.
Prior to each session, the client will also provide information about what they hope to gain from coaching and, if applicable, past experiences with coaching. A pre-session intake form (completed by the client prior to each coaching session) will be utilized help the client identify actions completed agreed upon in the previous session, successes and challenges in the time frame leading up to the session, areas the client wants to work on during upcoming coaching session.
The DRIVE Model
The DRIVE model is the framework I utilize in the leadership and career coaching provided to my clients. The DRIVE model pulls from theories and interventions from cognitive behavioral coaching (Beck, Ellis, Neenan and Dryden), positive psychology (Seligman), and the Co-Active Coaching Model (Whitworth, Kimsey-House, and Sandahl). The model also is constructed under the premise that real change and personal growth begins with a change in thinking or perspective.
In each step of the DRIVE framework there are questions for coach and client to explore, and from that exploration, co-create an action plan. While there is generally a linear direction to the process, depending on the client’s self-awareness and aspirations, there will be detours and curves in the road as the client moves back and forth between steps as they gain more self-knowledge and awareness in pursuit of their goals. In each phase of the process, there are examples of coaching techniques and tools described that may be used with the client. Questions listed below are provided for the sake of example (and not all inclusive) and will be used as appropriate, depending on the client’s agenda and goals. Not all questions will be utilized with all clients. Assessments will be used as appropriate to clarify values, identify strengths and areas for growth.
Destination
Reality
Examine current reality and explore options driving forward
Implement Action plan
Validate and Reflect
Evaluate
Summary
Concluding the Coaching Relationship
As part of the coaching agreement, the client and I agree to a specified number of coaching sessions. As we move to the end of the coaching relationship the goal is to help the client transition from the coaching relationship to a place where they can coach themselves. Examples of questions to be used in the final sessions to aid the client in making this transition include the following:
- What was your greatest takeaway from the coaching relationship?
- What supports or structures can be put in place to help in reach future goals, maintain new behaviors?
- Create a maintenance plan that includes resources the client can access once coaching has ended.
- Determine the resources (e.g., books, web sites, etc.) that will be accessed to support continued learning and growth.
Resources
For additional information about the coaching theories (e.g., positive psychology, cognitive behavioral coaching, Co-Active Coaching, etc.) and assessments (e.g., MBTI, Strengths Finder, DISC, VIA, etc.), referenced in the DRIVE model, please visit the web sites below.
Positive Psychology Center http://www.positivepsychology.org/
International Association of Cognitive Behavioral Coaching http://www.international-coaching.org/iacbc
Co-Active Coaching www.coactive.com/toolkit
Values in Action Survey – Authentic Happiness – University of Pennsylvania https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/
DISC Personal Assessment Tool https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/
Gallup Strengths Finder http://strengths.gallup.com/default.aspx
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) https://www.cpp.com/products/mbti/index.aspx
Where Will You Go?
