Commitment To Action
Ending a coaching session without a Commitment To Action is a trap
I encourage leaders I work with to ask themselves two questions after each coaching session:
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What difference have I made?
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What will my team member now do differently (or more effectively/consistently) as a result of my intervention?
These are action-outcome focused questions.
Asking yourself these two questions forces you to think about what the effect of your coaching session actually is, and the value you have added to your team member and your business.
And to be able to answer these questions confidently you have to be certain your team member is going to take some action as a result of the coaching conversation or session.
It’s the Commitment To Action (CTA) your team member makes at the conclusion of the coaching conversation that will give you confidence in what they are going to do, or attempt to do.
To gain a Commitment To Action at the conclusion of your coaching conversation there are a number of things you can do. As a start, consider asking your team member these questions:
• Exactly what are you going to do differently?
• When will you do it?
• Show me (demonstrate) what it is you will do and how you will do it (practice).
• What assistance do you need from me?
If the person you are coaching can confidently answer these questions and demonstrate what they are going to do, or try to do, it is highly likely they are going to make a genuine effort.
And with those questions answered, you should be able to confidently answer these two action outcome focused questions:
1. What difference have I made?
2. What will my team member now do differently (or more effectively/consistently) as a result of my intervention?
Remember, a coaching conversation or session that doesn’t conclude with a Commitment To Action is just
a nice chat!
The purpose of a coaching conversation or session is to help your team member improve their performance. And their performance can only be improved if they commit to changing their behaviour or actions.
Take action now:
Use the questions on the worksheet to prompt you in gaining a Commitment To Action from your team members at the conclusion of a coaching conversation.
