Coaching for Self-Development

At Progress Coaching we use a method called QALMS to map specific coaching strategies to our clients' areas of need. QALMS stands for: Questions, Activities, Learning Projects, Motivators, and Supplemental Coaching, and you can read more about the method in this article from the Forbes Coaches Council.

Last month I wrote an article entitled, "Do You Want to Be Trained or Do You Want to Learn?" where I discuss employees' role in the training and development process. In this follow-up segment, I'll share a set of strategies you can follow to create a coaching plan to help your team take charge of their own development and achieve their goals!

Questions to Ask When Coaching to Self-Development

“When you think of the phrase ‘Self-Development,’ what qualities or actions come to mind? How would you describe a person who takes charge of their own development?"

“On a scale of 1-6, with 6 being totally fired up and excited to develop yourself, and 1 being you have little to no motivation or desire to develop yourself, where would you rate yourself and why?” --- If their answer is lower than a 6, follow up with: “What do you think we could do together to move you closer to a 6?”

“When it comes to your own development, what actions or activities do you feel you need to spend MORE time on in order to be successful? What do you think you need to spend LESS time on?”

Activities for Coaching to Self-Development

WHITEBOARD COACHING: This can be done in-person on a whiteboard or virtually via Power Point.

On the left side of the board have the employee make a list of what their current state is, the actions they’re taking to support their own development, subsequent results of those actions, and how they feel about their current state of development right now.

On the right side of the board, have them list the ideal state they want to be in, what results they want to see in terms of their development (Promotion? Raise? Own their own company?), and how they want to feel (Visualize yourself where you want to be!).

Erase the left side of the board and create a list of specific actions that need to occur to make the right side a reality. Now you have a specific set of actions to coach to!

GOAL-BASED COACHING: This is a combination of questions & activities that you can do with an employee surrounding any personal or professional development goal.

G - What are 3-5 things you need to become really GREAT at in order to achieve your personal development goals?

O - What OPPORTUNITIES will be afforded to you if you become great at those things?

A - What are the specific ACTIONS you need to take to become great? What ACTIVITIES could we do together to help you along the way?

L - What will you LOVE about achieving your development goal?

Learning Projects to Assign When Coaching to Self-Development

Have the employee come back to your next coaching session with 2 examples of how they successfully demonstrated the actions they came up with earlier in your coaching session, and 1 example of a time where they felt they missed the mark. How do they plan to adjust their approach next time?

Have the employee come back to your next coaching session with 2 examples of a time where they stepped outside their comfort zone and what happened as a result. Was the result what they expected? What did they learn about themselves they're positively committed to improving?

Have the employee keep a journal with entries tracking their progress in implementing the strategies discussed from the beginning of your coaching conversation. They should note their successes in putting the strategy into practice, as well as times where they felt they lacked confidence or weren’t sure what to do.

Motivators for Coaching to Self-Development

Ask the employee, “How can I best support you in this process?”

Whenever you notice the employee successfully demonstrating the strategies and behaviors discussed in your coaching session, let them know that you noticed and that they’re doing an awesome job!

Write the employee a thank you card and mail to their home, or leave a sticky note on their desk to let them know you’re proud of them.  

Supplemental Coaching Strategies to Drive Development Between Coaching Sessions

Have the employee watch a YouTube video or Ted Talk on self-development, and ask them to come back with the following: What was your biggest takeaway from watching the video and how you do you think taking charge of your own development will lead you to greater personal and professional success?

Find a quote surrounding the topic of self-development and send this to your employee at the beginning of the week. Ask them to share with you how the quote resonated with them and what they plan to do positively as a result.

Have the employee read a personal development book - I recommend "Own Your Career, Own Your Life," by Andy Storch! Assign them to read 1 chapter each week and email you 1 specific action they’re going to take moving forward and how they think this will help them achieve their goals

Hope you've found some inspiration and ideas you can implement with your team members! If you have follow-up questions on anything I've listed here, don't hesitate to reach out to me.

If you're interested in learning what Progress Coaching can do for your company, check out our website ProgressCoachingLeader.com or schedule some time to chat with me! Click here: https://calendly.com/stephaniestrupp