Coaching Conversations

When coaching individuals, it is critical to set the tone and expectations in the first meeting or before.  Take some time to get to know each other and develop trust. I found a coaching template on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) website that was very helpful in structuring the conversation. 

During the first meeting, it is important to explain your leadership or coaching journey, ask questions such as why they applied to the program or sought out coaching and what they hope to get out of it. Establish how often your coaching meetings will take place and for how long. Consider assigning homework for the next meeting involving the completion of an assessment. This could be a personality assessment like the Big 5 Personality Test or a leadership assessment such as the Leadership Practices Inventory or LPI. 

In the second meeting, focus on goal setting and developing a plan. Be sure to start by asking how they have been since you last spoke and if there is anything new they would like to share. The MIT template refers to the LPI tool as part of its program. The LPI is a leadership assessment available for free on TheLeadershipChallenge.com which is designed to provide prospective on yourself as a leader with five main practices: 1) Model the way; 2) Inspire a shared vision; 3) Challenge the process; 4) Enable others to act; 5) Encourage the heart.  You can ask about their results from the assessment to help determine what areas they want to develop. Be sure to set a date for completion of the plan and collaborate on how success will be measured. 

Moving forward, a simple template for your meetings can include an initial check in on how they are doing, connect on the plan and progress, and establish next steps before the end of the meeting. 

I hope you find these free tools helpful in your coaching conversations!