Results (what do we want to accomplish)
Coaching is a process which helps us to discover our own answers, to uncover what we already know, to clarify thoughts in order to achieve our goals and to experience our ideal life. Coaching is helping us to understand better ourselves, our choices, decisions, behaviors, actions and opportunities or learning experiences in order to develop a new self.
When we have got to know the true Identity of our self, we have navigated our emotions, we have given love, we have strengthened our willpower, we have clarified our intentions, then the time has come to pay attention to what we truly want to achieve, to detect and clarify if we have passion for the desired outcome and to put our passion in practice proceeding with the creation of our plans. As coaches we can support our client to their quest and clarification about their desired results. By being attentive and mindful, by being active listeners and by powerful questioning we can support them to figure out their own passion for what they want to achieve. We can also support them by giving positive feedback that will create more self-awareness for them. The more clear and conscious they are about their goals, the more they will be able to reach them.
We can ask our client:
Action plan (write down actions & action steps)
When we are sure about what exactly we want to achieve we are ready to proceed with the creation of our action plan. Action Plan is a process which will help us to focus our ideas on and to decide what actions and steps we need to take in order to accomplish our particular goals. Firstly we must have a clear picture of our goal and the expected result. Also we must know all the possible constraints we have, like the limits on time, money, or other resources. After that, we have to write down all the actions (to create a list) we may need to take in order to achieve our goal just as they come in our mind. Then we have to prioritize our actions and decide on the order of the action steps.
For each action, we must know what action steps we should take in order to complete it. After that we have to find out what recourses we will need for each step. The last step is to review our plan. As coaches, we have to support our client to move forward and to start create their action plan. We can help them not to spend too long time for planning because often this is a way of procrastination. We can support them to have clarity and prioritization about what is important and realistic action for them in order to be effective. We can encourage them to explore their obstacles and emotions about their action plan, we can pose powerful questions in order to help them to expand their perspective and shift their way of thinking.
We can ask our client:
Time planning & time management (schedule time for all our actions steps)
Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. — H. Jackson Brown
Changing habits takes time and effort, and it is much easier to be done when we keep in mind certain things. Firstly we must know what we want to do with our time. If we have an action plan to work on and we have to do every step in specific time, we should schedule all the action steps in order to achieve our desired outcome, goal or result. We must learn to see the difference between urgent and important.
Many urgent tasks are not really important and important tasks are very often not urgent. All of our action steps must be scheduled in certain days and hours, that’s the time planning. A good tool for us in order to be good in time management is to know how we spend our time in every day basis. Having a time log during the week, to control and keep track of whatever we do, is particularly useful especially at times of pressure. As coaches, we have to keep our client focused and connected with their plans. We can support them to overcome any obstacle or habit which prevents them from proceeding with their actions. We can support them by acknowledging and appreciating their efforts to manage effectively their time and posing questions that will keep them accountable.
We can ask our client:
Implementation (commitment is the key to successful implementation)
When we have finished with the Action Plan, we have created all the actions and the action steps with their recourses in scheduled time, we are ready to proceed with the implementation of our plan. There are several factors that seem to have a major impact on our ability to implement successfully our plan. Firstly we must be committed. Commitment is very important for everything we want to achieve. We must have the ability and the willingness to change. Successful implementation requires change. We have to embrace change and all the action steps of our action plan in order to succeed. We also need to have the ability to measure the progress of our plan.
Every implementation effort has an element of trial and error learning. However, the learning opportunity is missed if we cannot measure our results. We must be able to define success and measure our progress so we can learn what works and what doesn’t. We must have the ability to replace everything which doesn’t work. The implementation of a plan is a project. So we have to remember that the three most important things for a project are time, cost and quality. We must give our best self to the project in order to complete successfully our plan. As coaches, we have to support our client to stay focused on and create structures in order to become more effective in following and completing their plan. By being present they can create awareness of the changes in their lives during the implementation period. We can support them to understand, realize, accept and embrace all the changes that will happen during this phase.
We can ask our client:
Outcome – reviewing and analyzing it (how we have achieved these results)
When the plan has been completed and the outcome has been achieved it is important to measure and analyze its success. This stage will tell us whether the outcome has met the desired expectations and the desired outcome. Also we have to analyze any discrepancy to identify the reasons for it. And of course we can take further action if this is required. If the result is exactly what we wanted, then we can use the same “model” in achieving any “dream” in the future. The process of analysis can provide a stream of key information about our strategy and useable results that can help us improve our future plans in order to achieve our goals and objectives.
Through an analytical process we should not only identify how we are progressing within our plan, but also consider how we have achieved these results. At the end we will need a good documentation which will include a brief description of our successful outcomes, what were the challenges, what has been learned, what worked, how, what we could have done differently, how and what were the contributing factors. As coaches, we can support our client to reflect on their learning experience and think about new opportunities. By providing a quiet, trusting space and giving to our client time to think, we support them in reviewing and analyzing the final outcome. Through questions we help them to explore beyond their current thinking in a new expanded way and access the whole procedure, as well as to identify what worked and what didn’t.
We can ask our client:
New Self (It’s an inspirational moment!)
At the end of this whole procedure we have got to know our true self, we have navigated our emotions, we have loved and appreciated (ourself, our life, our dreams and the people around us), we have strengthened our willpower, we have clarified our intentions, we have got to know what specific results we want to achieve, we have created our action plan, we have scheduled and managed our time, we have made the implementation of our plan, we have reviewed and analyzed the desired outcome. After this amazing journey we are aware of our abilities, skills, passion, commitments and new habits.
We have now a deep connection with our new Self, we have gained self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-appreciation, happiness and fulfillment. It’s an inspirational moment! As coaches, we should acknowledge our clients for their change and applaud their efforts. We can help them to realize their development and how far they have come. We can celebrate with them for their wins, success and change.
We can ask our client:
Who knows where inspiration comes from? But when it arises we can make the impossible possible. Nasos Fotopoulos