Things do not allows go as planned. This is especially true with careers. If we are thoughtful, we do an assessment, set goals, create a plan with action steps, and move forward with the expectation of meeting our goals. But to paraphrase John Lennon, “Life happens while we are busy making other plans”. We might have plans to complete a 4 years degree while working a full-time position, and then find that we are having a growing family, and as a result we are not able to meet all our responsibilities, and complete our course work as planned. Our we may have a plan to position ourselves for a management promotion, then discover that the company has been sold, and new management is coming in. Or we may be planning to undertake a career make-over, then see that there have been departures in our department, that puts more work on our lap, which makes personal goals nearly impossible. These things happen. But the real question is, “How do we respond”. My suggestion is that we not abandon our goals, and our plans, as we have identified them as being important, but rather reassess, and consider alternative steps, or time-lines, and move forward. This reassessment, and consideration of goals, and action steps becomes step six in the ASCEND COACHING METHOD. Simply said, step six is an assessment of progress, and determination of the next appropriate action steps. Relating this step to the software development cycle, this step six corresponds to “checkpoints”, and if needed, “change requests” that are common during the build phase in development. Before we take a closer look at what this step means in the method, it is worthwhile to consider the previous steps in the method, because each step tends to build on the foundation of the previous step.
PREVIOUS STEPS SUMMARY: For those that have read previous segments, you will remember that the new ASCEND COACHING METHOD is a marrying of best practices in the Coaching discipline with methods I have seen used in software, and systems development. It is important to state the new coaching method is sequential. That is, each step relies on work done in the previous step. In the first phase or step in the ASCEND COACHING METHOD, the coach will “Ask Questions”. Briefly stated, the coach interviews the client in a specific way. The goal is to understand the client’s vision, current state, time-lines, and expectations. We have found that the best way to conduct these client interviews are by using open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are questions that encourage clients to open up to discuss their dreams, or visions, their expectations, and any concerns. If step one is completed successfully, we will understand the client’s vision, or “future state”.
After step one, capturing of the client’s vision, coach and client can move on to the second step in ASCEND COACHING METHOD the “Assessment” phase. The assessment step is an evaluation of the important information the coach has gathered from the client interview in step one. The goals of “Assessment” are to understand the client’s vision (future state), and compare this against the client’s current state to determine how realistic the vision is, and estimate the effort that may be needed to deliver on the vision. In this second step, the coach also determines if any limitations will block progress, and if so, if any of those limitations can be removed, or at least reduced. Also, the client’s time frame needs to be considered, and discussed. It needs to be determined if the client’s time frame is realistic. Deadlines that are too aggressive, and unrealistic can lead to frustration for the Client. High level deadlines need to be discussed, and greed upon by client, and coach.
Once the coach has completed the initial interview in step one, and completed the assessment process in step two, coach and client can move forward to the third step in the method, “Set Goals”. Goal setting is core to the coaching discipline. Under the ASCEND COACHING METHOD we will see that in addition to an articulation of the client’s needs, and wants, we will also formalize, and introduce scope to the work to be done. The SMART goal setting format is simplified in the ASCEND COACHING METHOD. The simplified format for goal setting under the ASCEND METHOD becomes: 1) specific goals, 2) measurable goals, 3) include a time frame, and 4) be achievable.
Once the client’s goals are captured, and agreed on, we are ready to move forward to the next step in the coaching method; “Create a Plan”. It should be stated that it falls to the coach to initially draft a plan, but ultimately the Client “owns” the plan. Components of a proper plan include: 1) A re-statement of the client vision, and the client goals. 2) Identify all the resources needed to support execution of the plan. 3) Outline of the action steps that need to be completed during execution of the plan. 4) Estimate of the time needed to complete the execution of the plan. 5) Calling out of any constraints, or block to completing action steps, as well as suggesting ways to reduce, remove, or work around any blocks. The completed plan then needs reviewed, and agreed to by both client, and coach.
With the plan created, reviewed, and agreed upon by all important players, coach, and client can move forward to step 5, “Execute the Plan”. Execute the plan, means doing the work, completing the action steps. This is easy to understand. But understanding, and completing the action steps are two different things. In the previous segment we have seen the Coach can aid the client by breaking down plan milestones, or goals into workable action steps. Simply said, this step is about completion of action steps. And action steps are binary; either they are completed, or they are not completed. Completed actions should be celebrated! This is helps keep the client motivated, moving forward. If the action step is not completed as promised, the coach needs to partner with the Client to identify, remove, or at least minimize any block to completing the action step. As detailed in the previous segment, techniques exist to help with procrastination, including the “Five-Minute Rule”, or breaking the work down into time spent versus number of action steps, as well as motivation from the coach. Despite best intention, and best planning efforts, there is usually a need to reassess progress, goals, and time-lines. This then leads to step six in the ASCEND COACHING METHOD, “NEXT STEPS”.
STEP SIX – NEXT STEPS: The core to step six, “Next Steps” is evaluation of progress, and adjustments to the existing coaching plan, and associated action steps based on changes in the client’s life, missing of deadlines, or changes in the client’s goals. Relating this to project work I have witnessed in software, or systems development, it is very common for certain teams working on building the solution to fall behind, and miss a deadline. The reasons for missed deadlines can be many, and it often is not due to lack of effort on the part of development teams. But the key point here is that indeed, missed deadlines can happen. In fact, they often happen. Does this mean the project is scrapped? Not usually. Deadline are remapped. Sometimes scope of the project is narrowed. And often other downstream teams, such as testing, or quality assurance teams, are ramped-up, with the expectation they will be doing more intense testing of more features in an attempt to still meet the original deadlines. The main point here is that there are accommodations that are made. Sometimes this is changes in deadline dates, sometime removing some of the deliverables, and sometimes teams are ramped up to try to make up time that was lost in the missed deadline. In the world of IT, these changes touch many people, and many teams. Changes also can have a financial impact. In the case of a coaching relationship, the two parties most effected are the client, and the coach. It is important to call out, that “Next Steps”, a reassessment, may happen more than once in the completion of the method. Indeed, execution may need to happen several times in the execution of the plan – anytime gaps are identified, and best next steps are considered. To give some clarity, it probably is worth looking at the type of changes that can impact the original plan, and a consideration of the best “Next Steps” given those changes.
MISSED DEADLINES: Based on my years in career, and executive coaching, this tends to be the most common reason where things deviate from the plan. Clients often start out with the best of intention, but coaching work, and the associated action steps tend to be “just one more thing” added on to a weekly workload. A good coach can provide value by working with the Client to understand why the deadline was missed and providing guidance. If the general goals are still the same, and the client is still motivated, the easiest resolution is to reset the deadline, and review with the client if there are any obstacles to meeting the deadline.
CLIENT MOTIVATION: Sometimes client motivation can waiver. This is especially true when undertaking a job search. Offers may not come from the first or second interview. No one likes rejection, and there can be a lot of rejection in a job search, especially if offers take longer than expected to materialize. A good coach will find ways to keep the client motivated. One exercise I sometimes use in my practice is to have the client visualize, and then write down how a new job will benefit them. It may mean more money, or more time with family. Or it may mean just spending more time doing work that they love, and have passion for. Another technique is to review with the client the work they have successfully completed, and the value they have in the market place. A great coach will understand the best techniques to use on a particular client, and implement them.
CHANGED GOALS: Sometimes the client’s vision change, and this will change the goals, and the action steps. For example, the client may have started with a plan to enter into the accounting profession. They may have an action step to complete a couple basic classes in accounting. But after completion of the first class, they may begin to doubt they would be happy in the accounting field. In this case the coach needs to work with the client to understand why accounting is seeming unpleasant to them, and review why they considered accounting as a profession in the first place. Perhaps the appeal was around doing analytic, detailed work. Perhaps the appeal was having better job security. Regardless, the coach needs to have a conversation around these topics to see if the original goals are still valid, or if new goals need to be considered, and mapped out with the client.
SCARCE RESOURCES: Resources can be time, or money. During execution of a coaching plan they may struggle to find enough time to complete action steps. In this case, the coach can work with the client on time-management, and suggest setting some boundaries so that work can continue as planned. Sometimes money becomes an issue. Clients may experience some family obligations that make the original plan more difficult, or even find it hard to pay for extended coaching sessions. A coach can offer help in budgeting, and work with the client on setting priorities. Also, some coaches may suggest less frequent coaching sessions to accommodate the client’s budget. In this way the coaching relationship can be maintained, just with less frequent sessions.
There are certainly more changes that can arise during the execution of a coaching plan that require a reassessment, and consideration of next best steps, but the above are the most common. In summary, we have seen that step six in the ASCEND COACHING METHOD, “Next Steps” is an assessment, and consideration of the next best steps when execution of the coaching plan varies from what we expected. Reasons that things may vary from the original coaching plan can include missed deadlines, client motivation, changes in the client vision (or goals), or challenges with time, or money. The client should not be left to struggle on these issues alone. A good, and formally trained coach can work with the client to understand what the gaps are, and employ the best techniques to get work back and track, and update the coaching plan if need be. If the original client vision, and goals were worked through, and created thoughtfully, we should assume that they had value to the client. But in the real world, despite diligent planning, things change. Step six, “Next Steps” provides a way to reconcile actual work, against planned work as outlined the coaching plan, so momentum can keep moving forward to deliver the client’s goal and vision. Utilizing this step, the coach can continue to provide value to the client, and help deliver the client’s vision, and goals that are more realistic, but still inspire the client.
AUTHOR: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC is a certified Career, and Executive Coach. For more information see AscendProCoach.com
PREVIOUS STEPS SUMMARY: For those that have read previous segments, you will remember that the new ASCEND COACHING METHOD is a marrying of best practices in the Coaching discipline with methods I have seen used in software, and systems development. It is important to state the new coaching method is sequential. That is, each step relies on work done in the previous step. In the first phase or step in the ASCEND COACHING METHOD, the coach will “Ask Questions”. Briefly stated, the coach interviews the client in a specific way. The goal is to understand the client’s vision, current state, time-lines, and expectations. We have found that the best way to conduct these client interviews are by using open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are questions that encourage clients to open up to discuss their dreams, or visions, their expectations, and any concerns. If step one is completed successfully, we will understand the client’s vision, or “future state”.
After step one, capturing of the client’s vision, coach and client can move on to the second step in ASCEND COACHING METHOD the “Assessment” phase. The assessment step is an evaluation of the important information the coach has gathered from the client interview in step one. The goals of “Assessment” are to understand the client’s vision (future state), and compare this against the client’s current state to determine how realistic the vision is, and estimate the effort that may be needed to deliver on the vision. In this second step, the coach also determines if any limitations will block progress, and if so, if any of those limitations can be removed, or at least reduced. Also, the client’s time frame needs to be considered, and discussed. It needs to be determined if the client’s time frame is realistic. Deadlines that are too aggressive, and unrealistic can lead to frustration for the Client. High level deadlines need to be discussed, and greed upon by client, and coach.
Once the coach has completed the initial interview in step one, and completed the assessment process in step two, coach and client can move forward to the third step in the method, “Set Goals”. Goal setting is core to the coaching discipline. Under the ASCEND COACHING METHOD we will see that in addition to an articulation of the client’s needs, and wants, we will also formalize, and introduce scope to the work to be done. The SMART goal setting format is simplified in the ASCEND COACHING METHOD. The simplified format for goal setting under the ASCEND METHOD becomes: 1) specific goals, 2) measurable goals, 3) include a time frame, and 4) be achievable.
Once the client’s goals are captured, and agreed on, we are ready to move forward to the next step in the coaching method; “Create a Plan”. It should be stated that it falls to the coach to initially draft a plan, but ultimately the Client “owns” the plan. Components of a proper plan include: 1) A re-statement of the client vision, and the client goals. 2) Identify all the resources needed to support execution of the plan. 3) Outline of the action steps that need to be completed during execution of the plan. 4) Estimate of the time needed to complete the execution of the plan. 5) Calling out of any constraints, or block to completing action steps, as well as suggesting ways to reduce, remove, or work around any blocks. The completed plan then needs reviewed, and agreed to by both client, and coach.
With the plan created, reviewed, and agreed upon by all important players, coach, and client can move forward to step 5, “Execute the Plan”. Execute the plan, means doing the work, completing the action steps. This is easy to understand. But understanding, and completing the action steps are two different things. In the previous segment we have seen the Coach can aid the client by breaking down plan milestones, or goals into workable action steps. Simply said, this step is about completion of action steps. And action steps are binary; either they are completed, or they are not completed. Completed actions should be celebrated! This is helps keep the client motivated, moving forward. If the action step is not completed as promised, the coach needs to partner with the Client to identify, remove, or at least minimize any block to completing the action step. As detailed in the previous segment, techniques exist to help with procrastination, including the “Five-Minute Rule”, or breaking the work down into time spent versus number of action steps, as well as motivation from the coach. Despite best intention, and best planning efforts, there is usually a need to reassess progress, goals, and time-lines. This then leads to step six in the ASCEND COACHING METHOD, “NEXT STEPS”.
STEP SIX – NEXT STEPS: The core to step six, “Next Steps” is evaluation of progress, and adjustments to the existing coaching plan, and associated action steps based on changes in the client’s life, missing of deadlines, or changes in the client’s goals. Relating this to project work I have witnessed in software, or systems development, it is very common for certain teams working on building the solution to fall behind, and miss a deadline. The reasons for missed deadlines can be many, and it often is not due to lack of effort on the part of development teams. But the key point here is that indeed, missed deadlines can happen. In fact, they often happen. Does this mean the project is scrapped? Not usually. Deadline are remapped. Sometimes scope of the project is narrowed. And often other downstream teams, such as testing, or quality assurance teams, are ramped-up, with the expectation they will be doing more intense testing of more features in an attempt to still meet the original deadlines. The main point here is that there are accommodations that are made. Sometimes this is changes in deadline dates, sometime removing some of the deliverables, and sometimes teams are ramped up to try to make up time that was lost in the missed deadline. In the world of IT, these changes touch many people, and many teams. Changes also can have a financial impact. In the case of a coaching relationship, the two parties most effected are the client, and the coach. It is important to call out, that “Next Steps”, a reassessment, may happen more than once in the completion of the method. Indeed, execution may need to happen several times in the execution of the plan – anytime gaps are identified, and best next steps are considered. To give some clarity, it probably is worth looking at the type of changes that can impact the original plan, and a consideration of the best “Next Steps” given those changes.
MISSED DEADLINES: Based on my years in career, and executive coaching, this tends to be the most common reason where things deviate from the plan. Clients often start out with the best of intention, but coaching work, and the associated action steps tend to be “just one more thing” added on to a weekly workload. A good coach can provide value by working with the Client to understand why the deadline was missed and providing guidance. If the general goals are still the same, and the client is still motivated, the easiest resolution is to reset the deadline, and review with the client if there are any obstacles to meeting the deadline.
CLIENT MOTIVATION: Sometimes client motivation can waiver. This is especially true when undertaking a job search. Offers may not come from the first or second interview. No one likes rejection, and there can be a lot of rejection in a job search, especially if offers take longer than expected to materialize. A good coach will find ways to keep the client motivated. One exercise I sometimes use in my practice is to have the client visualize, and then write down how a new job will benefit them. It may mean more money, or more time with family. Or it may mean just spending more time doing work that they love, and have passion for. Another technique is to review with the client the work they have successfully completed, and the value they have in the market place. A great coach will understand the best techniques to use on a particular client, and implement them.
CHANGED GOALS: Sometimes the client’s vision change, and this will change the goals, and the action steps. For example, the client may have started with a plan to enter into the accounting profession. They may have an action step to complete a couple basic classes in accounting. But after completion of the first class, they may begin to doubt they would be happy in the accounting field. In this case the coach needs to work with the client to understand why accounting is seeming unpleasant to them, and review why they considered accounting as a profession in the first place. Perhaps the appeal was around doing analytic, detailed work. Perhaps the appeal was having better job security. Regardless, the coach needs to have a conversation around these topics to see if the original goals are still valid, or if new goals need to be considered, and mapped out with the client.
SCARCE RESOURCES: Resources can be time, or money. During execution of a coaching plan they may struggle to find enough time to complete action steps. In this case, the coach can work with the client on time-management, and suggest setting some boundaries so that work can continue as planned. Sometimes money becomes an issue. Clients may experience some family obligations that make the original plan more difficult, or even find it hard to pay for extended coaching sessions. A coach can offer help in budgeting, and work with the client on setting priorities. Also, some coaches may suggest less frequent coaching sessions to accommodate the client’s budget. In this way the coaching relationship can be maintained, just with less frequent sessions.
There are certainly more changes that can arise during the execution of a coaching plan that require a reassessment, and consideration of next best steps, but the above are the most common. In summary, we have seen that step six in the ASCEND COACHING METHOD, “Next Steps” is an assessment, and consideration of the next best steps when execution of the coaching plan varies from what we expected. Reasons that things may vary from the original coaching plan can include missed deadlines, client motivation, changes in the client vision (or goals), or challenges with time, or money. The client should not be left to struggle on these issues alone. A good, and formally trained coach can work with the client to understand what the gaps are, and employ the best techniques to get work back and track, and update the coaching plan if need be. If the original client vision, and goals were worked through, and created thoughtfully, we should assume that they had value to the client. But in the real world, despite diligent planning, things change. Step six, “Next Steps” provides a way to reconcile actual work, against planned work as outlined the coaching plan, so momentum can keep moving forward to deliver the client’s goal and vision. Utilizing this step, the coach can continue to provide value to the client, and help deliver the client’s vision, and goals that are more realistic, but still inspire the client.
AUTHOR: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC is a certified Career, and Executive Coach. For more information see AscendProCoach.com
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