Conversations that Inspire: Coaching for Learning, Leadership and Change

ALA #1
Coaching Process Overview

***Please note, there are slight changes between the directions provide in the video and the
requirements of this assignment. Follow the directions as listed below***

BASIC ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE

1. Identify 2 individuals willing to be coached. Since this is a learning exercise, we suggest

finding individuals who are high performers in your organization and/or have a strong
interest in personal learning, growth and development. Don’t start with people you think
need to be fixed in any way because that will impede your ability to coach for development.
2. Set up an initial meeting in which you provide an overview of the coaching process and
discuss the coachee’s desired outcomes or objectives. In a sense, this is your contracting
phase. Since you are initiating the engagement for your learning, you may end up
suggesting the objectives but it is good practice.
3. Schedule your first meeting. It’s common for this first meeting to last 90 min since you are
still building a relationship while simultaneously guiding your coachee to begin
exploring. 60 min is a reasonable estimate for subsequent meetings.
4. Work with your coachee to establish a coaching schedule that works for both of you. We
recommend meeting every week to maintain momentum
5. When you complete each coaching session, write a brief essay of two paragraphs regarding
the experience and outcomes with as much detail as you can in the limited space.
6. At the conclusion of the coaching engagement write a brief essay of three to four paragraphs
regarding your overall experience.
7. Review the remainder of this document: Conversations that Inspire: Coaching for Learning,
Leadership and Change Coaching Process Overview

You will end up with a total of 6 essays for each coaching engagement. These six essays together
will make up your case history report for each person coached and will be what you submit for peer
review. The next section contains the scoring rubric that will be used for the peer review to help
guide your writing.

Coaching Philosophy
“. . . a leader’s premier task- we would even say his primal task – is emotional leadership. A leader
needs to make sure that not only is he regularly in an optimistic, authentic, high-energy mood, but
also that, through his chosen actions, his followers feel and act that way, too. “

~ Dan Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee in

“Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance”, HBR 2001
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Outstanding leaders and managers distinguish themselves by their ability to understand and manage
their emotions effectively and to build resonant relationships with others. While it is a given that
technical and functional expertise is the foundation for effective performance, research has shown
that Emotional Intelligence (EI) competencies overwhelmingly distinguish outstanding leaders from
average performers.

Helping leaders deepen and broaden their emotional intelligence and enhance their emotional
leadership is the primary focus of this executive coaching process. Building upon the conceptual
framework of EI, this coaching approach is further anchored in two core theories: adult learning
theory and intentional change theory. Adult learning theory suggests that adults learn and change
their behavior most when they want to or need to change. In essence, learning needs to be self-
directed as the motivation and readiness to develop comes from within the individual, not from
external sources. Intentional change theory (ICT) provides the foundation for optimal learning and
development through 5 discoveries:

1. Discovering your Ideal Self

2. Understanding your Real Self
3. Creating a Learning Agenda
4. Experimenting with New Behaviors
5. Leveraging Trusting Relationships.

Intentional Change Theory (Boyatzis 2000) provides the framework for sustained learning
and change

Coaching Roles and Process

In the coaching process, you’ll move clockwise around the ICT model, spending time in each phase
of discovery. The coach’s primary role throughout the process is to serve as a trusted guide,
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 provide a safe, supportive space for reflection and growth and to facilitate self-directed learning and
behavior change for the client. Suggestions for the coach and client role in the engagement are
outlined below:

Client Role Coach Role

 Demonstrate commitment to the process  Facilitate the coaching process
 Schedule coaching meetings (shared)  Schedule coaching meetings (shared)
 Be open to feedback and be honest with  Help interpret data/assessments
coach  Ask questions: act as guide
 Take action toward your development  Maintain confidentiality
 Take an active role in your coaching, get  Customize the coaching process for you as
what you need out of the process an individual
 Review development plans with relevant  “Push the envelope” – help you to a point of
others discomfort, which means real change is
 Transfer your learning to others through occurring
your role as leader and coach  Help you understand the self-directed
change process

The coach and client will meet five (5) times over the next five (5) weeks. These meetings can be
conducted in person, over the phone, via Skype or other video-based technology at times that are
mutually convenient for both individuals. In general, the process begins with the client’s
exploration of his/her personal vision and life and career aspirations. The following meetings will
focus on discovery of strengths and developmental opportunities and creation of an individual
learning plan, including learning goals and action steps. In later sessions, the focus shifts to
implementation of the learning plan and sustaining learning and development beyond the coaching
engagement.

Coaching Process

Session #1: Getting Started

 Get acquainted
 Provide an overview of coaching process
 Coachee desired outcomes and roles/responsibilities
 Schedule remaining 4 coaching sessions approximately every 2 weeks
 Assign “Crafting Your Personal Vision” exercises as preparation for Session #2

Client Preparation for Session #2:

 Complete “Crafting Your Personal Vision” exercises

Session #2 Focus: Ideal Self and Personal Vision

 Confirm objectives of coaching relationship and roles/responsibilities
 Discuss “Crafting Your Personal Vision” exercises and draft of personal vision or use time to
complete together if not done in advance
 Assign “Personal Balance Sheet” as preparation for Session #3

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Client Preparation for Session #3:
 Update personal vision statement
 Complete “Personal Balance Sheet “

Session #3 Focus: Real Self

 Review client’s updates to personal vision statement
 Discuss client’s strengths and developmental opportunities
 Review draft of Personal Balance Sheet or use time to draft together if not completed in advance
 Begin exploration of client’s development priorities via questions such as “what competencies do
you wish to develop?” What do they have energy to work on?
 Assign “Learning Plan” as preparation for Session #4

Client Preparation for Session #4:

 Update vision and personal balance sheet, if applicable
 Complete Learning Plan, including at least 2 Learning Goals, action steps and milestones

Session #4 Focus: Developing a Learning Plan for Change

 Review client’s updates to previous work if applicable
 Discuss client’s Learning goals, action steps and indicator of success
 Review client’s draft of Learning Plan or use time to draft together if not completed in advance
 Assign “Personal Board of Directors” as preparation for Session #5

Client Preparation for Session #5:

 Update Learning Plan
 Complete “Personal Board of Directors” exercise
 Reflect upon insights from the coaching engagement

Session #5 Focus: Implementing the Learning Plan

 Discussion of activities since last session
 Evaluate what is working and what is not
 Discuss Personal Board of Directors exercise or use time together to draft if not completed in
advance
 Discuss plans for sustaining change efforts into the future
 Discuss client insights from the coaching experience
 Conclude coaching engagement

Essay Guidelines

After each coaching session, write an essay of one to two paragraphs of the experience with each
person. DO NOT INCLUDE THE PERSON’S NAME, but indicate their position relative to you (i.e.,
subordinate, friend, boss, etc.). The essay should include:

(1) a brief description of the person’s performance prior to the session;

(2) a brief description of what occurred in the session;
(3) the person’s mood at the beginning, during, and after the session/s, as well as your mood before,
during and after the session/s;

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(4) analysis of what happened;
(5) what, if anything, you expect will be the outcome of the coaching and
(6) concepts covered in the readings and discussion groups

The essay should include concepts covered in the readings and from discussions in the discussion
forums. For example, you should include components of Intentional Change Theory (ICT), the Ideal
Self, the Positive and Negative Emotional Attractor (PEA and NEA), tipping points and moments of
discontinuity.

The grade will be determined on the basis of: (A) the quality of the story and the degree to which it
was coaching with compassion versus coaching for compliance; (B-F) the use of concepts from ICT
used in the analysis. See later section of this syllabus for details of the key concepts and grading
criteria.

This should be practicing coaching with compassion. This is NOT practicing coaching for
compliance. Therefore, do not engage in a session with someone who you are trying to fix, save, or
rehabilitate. Similarly, it is recommended that you do not engage in a session with someone with
whom you are currently feeling angry or frustrated.

Evaluation criteria: Case #1 Case #2

A. First session 0 1 2 0 1 2
B. Second session: Ideal Self 0 1 2 0 1 2
C. Third session: Real Self 0 1 2 0 1 2
D. Fourth session: Learning Agenda 0 1 2 0 1 2
E. Fifth session: Implementing plans 0 1 2 0 1 2
F. Overall: Did the coach follow coaching
with compassion? 0 2 4 0 2 4

INDIVIDUAL COACHING SESSIONS AND ESSAY SCORING GUIDELINES

Session #1: Getting Started

 Get acquainted
 Overview of coaching process
 Coachee desired outcomes and roles/responsibilities
 Schedule remaining 4 coaching sessions approximately every week
 Assign “Crafting Your Personal Vision” exercises as preparation for Session #2

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Essay Rubric for First Session:

Criteria A: Did the coach establish a clear agenda?

0 If the coach told the coachee what would happen and explained each of their roles but did not ask
the coachee about his/her objectives and expectations.

1 The coach had a pleasant “getting to know you” conversation but did not explicitly discuss what
the person wanted out of the sessions.

2 If the coach asked the coachee what he/she wanted out of the coaching sessions and clarified each
of their roles and responsibilities.

Session #2 Focus: Ideal Self

 Confirm objectives of coaching relationship and roles/responsibilities

 Discuss “Crafting Your Personal Vision” exercises and draft of personal vision or use time to
complete together if not done in advance
 Assign “Personal Balance Sheet” as preparation for Session #3

Essay Rubric for Second Session:

Criteria B: Did the coach draw out a personal vision from the coachee?

0 If the coach did most of the talking and told or prescribed to the coachee what they should aspire
to and dream about.

1 The coach did some of above and below.

2 If the coach listened deeply and asked questions to help the coachee reflect upon and develop an
image of his/her work and life in the future.

Session #3 Focus: Real Self

 Review client’s updates to personal vision statement

 Discuss client’s strengths and developmental opportunities
 Review draft of Personal Balance Sheet or use time to draft together if not completed in
advance
 Begin exploration of client’s development priorities via questions such as “what competencies
do you wish to develop?” What do they have energy to work on?
 Assign "Learning Plan" as preparation for Session #4

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Essay Rubric for Third Session:

Criteria C: Did the coachee discuss their strengths and weaknesses?

0 If the coach allowed or provoked most of the time being spent discussing weaknesses.

1 The coach did some of above and below.

2 If the coach allowed or provoked most of the time spent discussing strengths AND
elicited recognition of a few weaknesses, and summarized them in a personal balance
sheet.

Session #4 Focus: Developing a Learning Plan for Change

 Review client’s updates to previous work if applicable

 Discuss client’s Learning goals, action steps and indicator of success
 Review client’s draft of Learning Plan or use time to draft together if not completed in
advance
 Assign "Personal Board of Directors" as preparation for Session #5

Essay Rubric for Fourth Session:

Criteria D: Did the coachee begin to articulate learning and development goals?

0 If the coach allowed or led the coachee to create Learning Goals that focused only on what
others expected of that person.

1 The coach did some of above and below.

2 If the coach helped the coachee to discover, describe and/or confirm development goals and
action steps.

Session #5 Focus: Implementing the Learning Plan

 Discussion of activities since last session

 Evaluate what is working and what is not
 Discuss Personal Board of Directors exercise or use time together to draft if not completed in
advance
 Discuss plans for sustaining change efforts into the future
 Discuss client insights from the coaching experience
 Conclude coaching engagement

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Essay Rubric for Fifth Session:

Criteria E: Did the coachee think about people who could help him/her develop?

0 If the coach didn’t review Learning Goals and people who could help.

1 The coach did some of above and below.

2 If the coach helped the coachee to review and commit to his/her Learning Plan and consider
people who could provide support for the journey of change.

Essay Rubric (for overall assessment of the entire process):

Criteria F: Did the coach follow coaching with compassion?

0 If the coach slipped into coaching for compliance, giving tips, recommendations and telling the
Person being coached what to do.

2 The coach had some of the time in coaching with compassion and some of the time in coaching
for compliance.

4 If the coach followed coaching with compassion and appeared to bring the person into the PEA
And keep them in that state for most of the coaching sessions