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    The Progress Coaching Blog

    Set Up Your Day for Coaching Success

    September 19, 2018 Posted by : Katie Allbee
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    coaching-success

    As I was scrolling through my phone this morning, I came across a recent article on Forbes, "Doing This for 5 Minutes Every Morning Can Make You Nearly Twice as Productive". Turns out my daily ritual of scrolling my phone before I even consume coffee isn't setting me up for success. Luckily, I'm not alone. More than 7,000 people have taken the free online test “How Do Your Time Management Skills Stack Up?” 66% of people check their email, while only about 34% make a plan for the day. How does this translate to your day? Check out the article above for some really interesting data analysis.

    What does that mean for us folks who check our email, Twitter, Instagram... well, I know what I'm doing. I'm not creating a plan for myself, and I'm not holding myself accountable for daily success. But what does this specifically have to do with coaching and the people we're coaching? What does daily planning have to do with coaching strategy and approaches? One of the most common responses I receive from clients when I ask how they're feeling as coaches and the coaching process is something along the lines of, "Well, I feel like I don't plan or my coaching doesn't go as planned/anticipated." My response is usually something like, "What will you do to successfully plan your coaching approach for next time?" Here are a few things to help you successfully set up your day for coaching success:

    1. Use goals to frame your approach- We often know what this looks like to us as managers or coaches. But is the person that you're coaching on the same page? What do their goals look like? Are they in alignment with yours as a coach? Making sure you understand what motivates your coach-ee is vital to lasting success with coaching. Not only is consistency key, but goals are inherently positive. When you lead with positives, your coaching sessions will follow a similar tone.
    2. Define and coach- Just like using goals to frame your approach, getting everyone on the same page with your coaching definitions is crucial to your overall success. What engagement means to you and what engagement means to your employee could be extremely different. Set yourself up for success by taking the time to go over your definitions and iron out the areas that differ.
    3. Outline your conversation- Let's be honest- do you know what to say and do 100% of the time with all of your conversations? To complicate things, do we know what to say when items of conflict or difficult conversations come up? The more you set a general outline of what you need to talk about and approach prior to the conversation, you'll be able to reference something if you get flustered or lack the confidence during a moment of difficulty.
    4. Positive mindset- "I have to run today" vs. "I get to run today". Fitness coaches have mastered the art of positive mindset and the power it holds over the ability to be successful with our plans. When we frame our coaching as "I have to coach today", we do a couple of things that are working against us. First, we're approaching it more as a chore rather than an opportunity. Second, we're more likely to put it off, just like we do with exercise. When we frame coaching as something to get excited about, we're more likely to gravitate towards it and complete it with enthusiasm.

    Just like anything that involves working with other people, there will be days where planning doesn't produce the results we're looking for. It's in those moments that we rely on methods to set ourselves up for success rather than using it as an excuse to drift away from coaching. What are some ways you set yourself up for coaching success? Did you find yourself questioning how you set up your day for success? I know that going forward my first priority will still be getting caffeine in my system, followed by creating daily goals while I complete and check off my first task of the day.

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    About Author

    Katie Allbee
    Katie Allbee

    Katie began working at Progress Coaching as an administrative assistant, developing the the role of Coaching Strategist. Thinking she'd leave after she graduated from her graduate program in counseling, she began to see the parallels between counseling and coaching and couldn't leave. Katie holds a bachelor's degree in Education and Psychology, and has a Masters in Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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