Designing Goals and Tracking Progress

• why tracking progress is essential to the coaching process
• how to identify and write goals that support action
• how you and your client can incorporate goals into a functional coaching action plan
• useful measurement methods and techniques to assess your client’s progress

Introduction: Matt’s Case

Matt is working with his coach, Walt, to strengthen his employee-development skills. He has verbally committed to providing more feedback to his employees, and he and Walt have had a high-level conversation about what this will look like. When Walt suggests documenting Matt’s intended actions in a written plan, Matt doesn’t immediately embrace the idea. How does Walt support Matt in reframing his thinking about coaching action plans?

Walt: So, Matt, let’s talk about the best coaching action plan format to document the actions you are going to take in support of your goal of improving your employee-development skills through more regular, specific feedback. The desired result of this, as I remember, is that you can readily access notes and observations that will support you in holding substantive performance feedback conversations with your team. Ultimately, your intention is to develop your folks so that they can head up teams of their own within the year. Is that right?

Matt: That’s the goal I want to go after. I’m not sure I want to document what I’m planning to do though. We discussed how I learn best, and I thought I was clear about my preference for an unstructured, fluid approach.

Walt: Yes, you were very clear about that preference. Maybe the word document is throwing us off here. It is my experience that a coaching action plan will allow us to focus on exactly the approach you’re looking for, so let me explain what I have in mind. You shared with me that you played football in school, right?

Matt: Yes, that’s right.

Walt: Okay. I imagine when you started you had to learn a lot of things, things like the rules, signals and what they meant, how to read other players, and how to execute the different plays—running, catching the ball, and taking a tackle. I guess in the beginning it was a lot to remember?

Matt: It sure was.

Walt: So, what helped?

Matt: Well, the coach kept a play book. And, we had regular practices where we focused on specific skills. We reviewed game tapes and critiqued what we had done. Some of us would get together outside of the team practice sessions and run plays ourselves. And, there was a running list of our team and individual stats throughout the season.

Walt: Hmmm . . . so, initially it was a lot to remember and focus on, right? There were rules and the mechanics? What changed as you improved?

Matt: Well, once I got the fundamentals down, I could focus more on other things—strategies, alternative plays, and things like that. I think I see where you are going here.

Walt: The whole point of creating a coaching action plan is so that we can keep track of where you want to go, where you are starting out, and what “plays” you want to try along the way. As you practice, we can see which “plays” work best for you and why and then build on that. The plan can look any way you want it to. The only requirement is that we write it down.

Matt: Can we draw it on a chalkboard with Xs and Os?

Walt: As long as it works for you.

Matt: Just kidding, where do we start?

At its heart, the coaching process is fundamentally about change. Coaches are charged with supporting their clients as they work to develop, acquire, strengthen, learn, and grow. The coach helps the client integrate multiple sources of information and feedback, plan goals for performance, and thereby achieve agreed-upon results. Throughout the coaching meetings, coaches help clients explore new thoughts, beliefs, actions, and skills that will strengthen the clients’ ability to take actions that will achieve their goals. Identifying and agreeing on specific goals allow the coach and the clients to concentrate their energies on desired results. The potential for positive results will be maximized if clear, measurable goals are created at the onset of the coaching relationship.

Typically, goals and desired results are documented in various forms, collectively referred to as action plans. Many people associate the term action plan with some sort of remedial performance effort. As we saw in Matt’s case, some clients may resist documenting their efforts. For our purposes, consider an action plan to be a treasure map. As the coach, you are “there to take the client to places where they would not have gone alone” (Reynolds 2006, I:57). The action plan outlines the desired destination (goal/objective), the mode(s) of transportation you will be using (for example, meetings, field assignments, journaling), your provisions (resources), the potential hazards (barriers), and the signposts or milestones you want to take in along the way (measures/progress).

Unlike treasure hunting, coaching can yield rich deposits all along the way to the defined X marks the spot. Coaching action plans make it easier to mine the nuggets that present themselves throughout the process and are critical as they facilitate tracking progress. They serve as a tool to remind you and your client of where you started, what ground you have covered, and where you are headed. Coaching action plans offer several additional benefits to the client and the coach:

• Action plans document identified coaching goals.
• Action plans support ongoing dialogue regarding goals and expected outcomes.
• Action plans allow the client to prioritize and focus on areas of greatest interest.
• Action plans provide the basis for tracking progress.

Identifying Coaching Goals

Many clients enter the coaching process with specific goals already identified. Goals may be identified by 1) the client, 2) the client’s boss, 3) the client’s organization, or 4) other sources. The goals clients wish to pursue will usually be directly related to feedback they have received. This feedback may be related to performance, interactions with colleagues, effectiveness with others, or ability to achieve expected results.

Whatever the feedback clients have received, coaches have the opportunity to help them consider, prioritize, and select the goals they are going to pursue. Fundamental questions for coaches to pose to clients at the beginning of the coaching process are “What result are you looking for?” “When we reach the end of our coaching relationship, what will have changed for you?” “What is it that you expect to achieve through coaching?”

This conversation will likely provide you with your first coaching opportunity as you work with your clients to state their desired goals in a positive way. Often clients phrase goals in the negative. They may use phrases like, “I want to be less adversarial” or “I want to have fewer misunderstandings.” They may use what Teri-E Belf, author of Coaching with Spirit (2002), describes as “free from language,” such as “free from stress” or “pain free.” As Belf explains, “free from language describes an anchor to the past” (134). Stating goals using positive language helps the client focus on the future. “I want to be more collaborative” or “I want to communicate clearly and directly” are positive goal statements.

At this point, the coach can ask, “If you are more collaborative, what will change?” or “If you are communicating clearly and directly, what will be different?” These questions provoke the clients’ thinking on the future state they are envisioning. Answering requires consideration of the desired result. Coaches want clients to paint as detailed a picture as possible of that desired result: “If I’m more collaborative, my peers will include me in strategy conversations and I’ll be able to contribute to agreements and decisions before they are finalized” or “If I am communicating clearly and directly, my direct reports will have fewer questions and will be able to complete assignments as agreed.”

Once coaches have a sense of what their clients want as their desired results, they should work with them to reality test. One way to do this is to quantify what they have described: “You say you want to be more collaborative . . . on a one to 10 scale, where one is low and 10 is high, how would you rate your collaborative skills?” “In the desired result you described, how would you rate yourself?” “Has there been a time when you operated at that level? Describe it to me.”

Your intention is to reality test your client’s stated goal. It is healthy to stretch when setting goals. It is also healthy to have a realistic view of what is possible in a set period of time. It is unlikely that someone will move from a 2 on the 1 to 10 scale to a 10 on the same scale without concentrated and prolonged effort. It is the coaches’ job to help their clients set achievable and challenging goals.

Selecting from Alternatives

Sometimes, your clients will generate numerous goals of interest. Other times, they will identify one or two goals that are related to a key skill area. In either case, it is important to consider current circumstances and help clients identify the goals they will focus on first. In making this selection, coaches should consider a number of factors:

• What strengths do the clients have to build on?
• What goal requires using those strengths?
• What are the consequences of taking no action? (Sometimes clients do not realize that choosing not to act is in fact a choice. To be fully informed, it is important for you to make this clear.)
• What are the pros and cons of each alternative? (Consider this for both the client and the organization. As the coach, you can help clients think through their choices within the context of their environment. The coaching process allows you to help your clients consider different perspectives by reframing the data they have available and looking at the data through a variety of lenses.)
• What opportunities are there for any quick wins? (Change is hard work, and it requires a lot of energy. If there is anything that your client can start or stop that will be visible and have an immediate effect, it will have an energizing effect and may lead to positive reinforcement from others.)

Writing SMART Goals That Support Action

The conversation thus far has covered what the clients want to achieve and what will be different when they achieve it. The coach and the client have generated a list of possible alternatives, and from that list the client has selected one, two, or three alternatives to pursue. While the possibilities for action may be limitless, the clients’ energy is not. Coaches should help the clients focus on a specific area and sequence the other goals behind it. For coaching purposes, a steady, purposeful effort in one direction will yield more successful, tangible results than a number of efforts in several directions.

Writing meaningful objectives is a topic discussed within many disciplines. The SMART acronym is one of the more standard approaches used in writing objectives and goals. Coaches can support their clients’ efforts by helping them write their goals using the SMART formula:

• specific
• measurable
• agreed-upon
• realistic
• time-bound.

Table 7-1 shows examples of typical coaching goals and how the SMART model can be used to create measurable coaching objectives. Note that the specific format doesn’t matter as long as the components are clearly stated and understood.

Incorporating Goals into a Coaching Action Plan

Once the clients have decided on the specific goal or objective they are going to work toward, it is time to select from a range of possible actions that might be taken. These actions will also be documented in the coaching action plan. Below is a list of possible actions a coaching client might take. Of course, actions must be appropriate to the goal or objective being pursued, but generic possibilities include the following:

• Journaling: keeping a running journal on actions taken, what went well, what didn’t go well, what was learned
• Assignments: conversing, conducting interviews, presenting, role playing
• Feedback: getting a buddy to observe you at a designated event and give you feedback on your effectiveness
• Reading: books, articles, websites
• Skills practice: slowly practicing an activity by taking baby steps (for example, for improved presentation skills, giving a small presentation in front of four or five people, then progressing to bigger groups)
• Props: taking a notebook to every meeting to take notes, instead of speaking out like you normally do; keeping a pair of eyeglasses in your hands as you talk to remind yourself to look beyond your own narrow view in discussions
• Information gathering: gathering information on a need or asking for assistance
• Research: conducting a benchmark study to establish goals and how-to ideas from those who may have a better perspective
• Role models: observing others demonstrating something.

Once coaches and clients have selected specific actions in support of their identified goals, coaches will want to choose a coaching action plan format. There are many choices available for documenting coaching goals. SMART objectives can be deconstructed into actions and dates for a simple, uncluttered coaching action plan such as the one in exhibit 7-1.

Table 7-1. Coaching Goals and Objectives.

Exhibit 7-1. Abbreviated Action Plan.

Table 7-2. Coaching Action Plan Samples.

These basic formats meet the SMART criteria. They include a specific goal or objective statement and actions that are measurable, agreed-upon, realistic, and time-bound. More substantive plans can include sections for detailing the results achieved and any reflection on the process. They may look more like exhibit 7-2.

Alternatively, you may have a client who is better served with more of a mindmap approach to action planning. The suggested elements are the same, but the format and presentation look substantially different, as shown in figure 7-2.

It is important to remember that the coaching action plan, in whatever format, is a tool supporting the coaching process. Your job as the coach is to use that tool to promote and support your client’s learning, insight, development, and achievement. As you move in that direction, you will want to record your client’s movement and track progress along the way.

Tracking Progress

You have worked closely with your client to establish goals and develop meaningful action plans. You learned important skills and approaches for helping your coaching client design and take effective action toward measurable goals. Measuring and tracking results is an ongoing process from the beginning to the end of the coaching relationship. It is important to apply different methods of documenting, measuring, and tracking the client’s progress toward the achievement of those coaching goals.

The action plan is a document that should be used to monitor progress, celebrate benchmark steps, add further notes and helpful mechanisms, and note special tasks to move through difficult transitions. The action plan should be the working document between you and your client as you progress from meeting to meeting.

Human nature will cause clients to revert to long-established behaviors—no matter how disruptive—when experiencing stress, frustration, health problems, pressure from upper management, loss of confidence, business downturns, or general life pressures. It is also human nature to make assumptions about how we are doing. People often label their efforts as either overly positive or overly negative without testing those assumptions. That is why the entire coaching process includes data gathering and assessment.

Given this, and given the fact that we are attempting to add new behaviors “over” long-established mental circuits (Rock 2006, 19-20), it is paramount to build in constant aids for staying on track. This is why there are established group activities and checkpoints like weight-loss weigh-ins, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and interim grade reports. Creating such aids for staying on track is also necessary during the coaching process. A measurement infrastructure supports the client as he or she works to incorporate new behaviors.

Larry’s Case

Larry was puzzled. He had worked so hard, and he didn’t know why things were going wrong. Six months ago, after receiving some feedback, Larry decided to work on improving his relationships with executives and managers across the three divisions within his agency. Larry had been told that he tended to act and think within his own silo. Folks felt he mostly defended and supported his own agenda within his own division, as opposed to taking a broader approach. He was told that it would be more helpful if he could demonstrate how his concerns and ideas benefited the entire organization, not just his own division.

Larry began speaking up in meetings and saying things like, “I have an idea, and I’d like to know how it will affect each one of your areas—and how we can make it a win-win situation.” In staff meetings with his own immediate team, he emphasized the need to cooperate with other areas, think globally, and try to solve problems across all divisions and branches.

About four weeks later, Larry asked a few of his colleagues and direct reports if they had noted any changes in his behavior. One person said, “Well, you know, Larry, I think you have been pretty positive lately. That has been good.” Larry pushed for more specifics, but couldn’t get anything. One of his staff members said, “Well, yes, I guess you have been acting like you care about the entire agency. You have made some inclusive statements. But let’s face it, Larry, you really are only interested in pushing our own area. You know as well as I do that if I’m faced with a decision that might help another division—but would hurt us in the process—that you expect me to play hardball. That’s what you taught me and many others on the team to do for some time now.” Larry didn’t know what to say. He was stunned with the directness and truth in the feedback, and he was also disappointed that his recent efforts were not viewed as genuine.

Larry decided to talk to Juan, an internal coach. Juan assisted Larry in designing a list of visible behaviors and actions that demonstrated the goal of “cross-functional cooperation, support, attitude, and involvement.” Juan designed a short survey on an index card, which included each visible action, a scale of one (not demonstrated) to five (demonstrated), and space for short comments. Then Juan had Larry come up with a list of five colleagues with whom he interacts several times per week who would be in positions to comment on Larry’s behaviors. Juan and Larry then role-played how Larry could ask each colleague to “join him in his work to improve cross-functional interactions” by taking notes over a period of three weeks and then sitting down and giving straight feedback to Larry. Juan pointed out that this would be a powerful coaching technique for the following reasons:

• Given that Larry would know that he was being measured, he would be more mindful. This real-time observation process would provide Larry with a constant incentive to practice the behaviors he was trying to master.
• The process would be a demonstration of cross-functional support because Larry would be including others in his development process.
• Larry would be encouraging others to partner with him in achieving his goal. Therefore, the index card technique would force Larry’s partners to look for new behaviors, not concentrate on every time he slipped.

At first, Larry wasn’t sure he wanted to do this. He confided that this made him feel vulnerable and like less of a leader. Juan agreed that the process probably felt uncomfortable. He pointed out that having to live with the present perception of “only being concerned about your own agenda” probably also jeopardized Larry’s future as a leader. Juan further explained that it takes not only practice and time to consistently demonstrate new actions, but also a long time for our environments to see us differently. Juan said, “Let’s face it, Larry. Your colleagues have worked with you for quite awhile. They have already slotted you and labeled you as a certain kind of person and leader. It takes effort to change that perception, and it often takes more than your demonstrating alternative behaviors—they too must make a decision to give you a chance and actually notice the new behaviors. Engaging your environment to take part in the change process completes this circle.”

Engaging people in the environment of your client in the coaching process is a valuable tool that supports achieving coaching goals.

Using Measurement Methods and Approaches

There are three important aspects of measuring results in coaching. The first two aspects have already been discussed: establish measurable objectives at the onset of the coaching relationship and collect performance and feedback data early in the coaching relationship so clients are able to measure where they currently stand in relation to those measurable objectives. The third step is the need for additional and repeated collection of performance and feedback data during and at the conclusion of the coaching relationship so clients can meaningfully measure progress.

There are several approaches to use for measuring pre- and post-coaching results. These action planning and tracking approaches will vary according to the level of coaching (individual, team, or organization) and may include strategies to address more than one level. The chart on measurement methods in table 7-3 duplicates many of the same methods outlined in chapter 5. This is to be expected since you may use some of the same measurement methods throughout the coaching process.

Choosing Measurement Tools

The next few pages include samples of five specific tools you can use to collect useful feedback midway and near the end of a coaching relationship. These tools should be tailored to your own coaching situations. The following tools are covered:

• quantitative gap analysis
• mini-feedback survey
• direct observation feedback
• self-assessment
• action plan self-evaluation.

Quantitative Gap Analysis

This tool is useful for measuring results of coaching and can be adapted for tracking individuals, teams, and organizations. As shown in table 7-4, it is a self-assessment that can be used during the coaching process to provide a quantifiable measure of change. A client’s own attitude provides the necessary mental push to consistently practice and master new behaviors.

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Moving Ideas to Action

As a way to combine the many techniques covered in this chapter, practice on yourself! Think of something you would like to master in your coaching toolkit, and complete the application template in table 7-5.

Table 7-5. Personal Action Plan.

1. One of my personal goals for becoming a masterful coach is
   
   
   
   
2. A SMART objective that will help me achieve this goal is
   
   
   
   
3. Measurement tools I will use to collect data on my present level of expertise are
   
   
   
   
4. Tactics and steps I will take are
   
   
   
   
5. Resources I will use to assist me on this are
   
   
   
   
6. A mid-course assessment tool I will use to track my progress is
   
   
   
   
7. Something I will do if I begin to lose focus is
   
   
   
   
8. I will celebrate my success by
   
   
   
   

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