Preparing for Coaching - What Are Your Goals?

Thinking about working with a professional (life, career, executive, professional, business, ____) coach?

While your selected coach will support you in goal determination, setting and achievement during your time together, it’s important to have insight into what you want to to get out of coaching while you are doing the initial search and discovery calls so you can find the right fit. 

You want to have an idea of the results you want to achieve...your desired outcomes...those things that really matter and will make the greatest difference to your life and career moving forward. 

In some cases, you may have a sponsor - a manager or company or parent - who has secured the coach for you for a particular reason. Have a 1:1 conversation with your sponsor to discuss goals, expectations and ideas for coaching, and come to consensus. While the coach-client conversations are confidential, particular changes and results of coaching may be expected by the sponsor.

Desire for Action

Leadership & Executive Coach Gary Wood, OCC, CMCC, has found that leadership goals most often break down into a few broad categories and cluster around a handful of key themes.

Applying - there is a need to focus attention on applying knowledge or resources to a current situation but there is something that hinders it.

Adjusting - There is some problem to be addressed. Competency, attitude, approach, mindset or strategy needs to be adjusted.

Improving - Outward circumstances show you are doing well, but you know you can do even better by focusing on specific areas.

Leveraging - Opportunities exist. Thinking it through and planning how to maximize existing resources and competencies will pay dividends later.

Adding - acquiring new personal or professional competencies expands your capacity to be better positioned for future opportunity. 

What is it that you are seeking to achieve: personally, professionally, organizationally? 

Questions for Clarification

Complete one or more of these statements to help clarify your coaching goals AND the benefits of achieving them. You may find it helpful to write down your responses before speaking with a coach.

• I want to apply ___________ to my _______________ in order to _______________.

• I want to adjust _________ to prevent ________ and enable _________.

• I plan to improve ______ which will allow me to ___________.

• I would like to leverage my _______________ to be prepared for ___________.

• I will add ____________ to my ___________ in order to _________.

Feeling stuck? That’s okay! Your coach will talk you through it and help you find focus on those things that will make the biggest impact moving forward. 

Exercise in Perspective, Clarity and Focus

Pillars of Life

Exercise grid with example below.

A life coach may take a client through this exercise to help provide clarity and focus for your work together and support goal setting, to “check in” to see how things are going as coaching and action progresses, or to provide insight and coach on a particular topic in a session.

YOU can use it before your first conversation with a coach to get a sense of what is going on and how you are feeling in ALL areas of your life. 

Create your own table, and move through each category - those key areas that contribute to a flourishing, balanced life - providing a rating of satisfaction between 1 to 10 for each, with 1 as unhappy and unsatisfied, and 10 is very, very satisfied. Mark a horizontal line in the relevant column, and color/fill in as you wish, creating a visual for contemplation. [Note - this is not a rank ordering, this is an individual rating. E.g. you can have multiple 7s].

The pillars are:

• Family

• Friends

• Romance

• Fun

• Creativity

• Finances

• Physical & Mental Health

• Career or Professional Growth

• Spirituality or Personal Growth

As you move through the pillars, ask yourself and note:

• What does success look and feel like for each area?

• What would make that a score of a 10? 

• What does a 10 look and feel like?

This is not a report card for judgement, it is a tool to provide a snapshot of how you feel about your life right now. The goal is not to be perfect in every area, rather, to gain a subjective view of your life and provide insight on areas for potential change or protection.

After you’ve completed the pillars, step back and reflect:

• Do you have any 9s or 10s to celebrate? That’s incredible!! And frankly, many people have trouble giving themselves credit. High five to you!

• What is your overall impression of the snapshot of how you feel about your life right now? 

• What rating would you give your overall life?

• Which of these elements would you most like to improve?

• How do you feel about your life as you look at that pillar?

• What would it take to increase your rating by ½ point? 1 point?

What have you learned? What areas of your life would you like to focus on? What is the change you would like to see? Go talk to a potential coach about it!

PILLARS OF LIFE

Based on Pillars of a Balanced Life by Ben Dean, Ph.D., CMC, Mentor Coach