How far should we push a coachee to establish their goals and objectives?
25 Aug 2009
When I meet with a new coachee for the first time one of the first, important items on my checklist is to review with them what their goals and objectives are for this coaching work.
I may well have already been given a brief or objectives for this coaching assignment by the sponsor or by the employee's line manager at the start of this process and if so I would discuss this with the coachee to ensure that they know about and understand this. Ideally the coachee will recognise, understand and agree with these objectives and feel committed to working to achieve them with the support of my coaching. If the coachee doesn't recognise, or agree with these objectives, then I will encourage them to go back to their line manager and sponsor to seek clarification and agreement. I do not think it is my responsibility as a coach to do this but rather that it is the coachee's job to do so and an important signal to them about their responsibility to take action to bring about learning and change for themselves.
Whether or not there is a clear brief from the client sponsor or line manager about the objectives for this coaching work then I will always invite the coachee to explain both their longer term bigger picture goals in life and work as well as their shorter term more specific goals and desired outcomes from this coaching work. This serves as a guide to and direction for the discussions and also provides us and the organisation if appropriate something specific and tangible with which to measure the progress and success of the coaching. These goals and objectives could include things like:- achieving financial targets, performance measures, personal learning objectives, career progress steps, positive feedback from employees, peers, managers, or customers, or suppliers.
If the coachee is clear about these goals and objectives at the outset then all well and good but we still need to recognise that these objectives can evolve and change over time. If the coachee is not immediately clear about their goals and objectives at the first coaching session and needs time to think about them more deeply then this is fine and we will pick it up at the second coaching session. If a coachee then still has difficulty in identifying their objectives and desired outcomes from these coaching sessions then I would have a clear discussion about the value and direction of this work for them and if they are still unable to identify any objectives for the work then it would cease. objectives
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