Why do I need a life coach – Action planning
Once you have your goal(s), you need an action plan for achievement. An action plan in its simplest form is a checklist of activities and related resources. In the coaching world, action planning is the responsibility of the client as he is the one who is going to take the action. However, the coach plays an important role in three areas: specificity, timeline, and identification of resources.
The activities on the checklist must be specific. In the moment, the goal may be very straightforward but if not detailed enough, you won’t know exactly what to do and will need to revisit the original idea that led to the action. This will waste time. Let me give you an example. Let’s say your overall goal is to turn your basement into a club room and the first activity on the list is, “clean out the basement.” A coach will prompt you to get more specific asking, “How are you going to start”, “How will you know what to keep and what to dispose of”, and “What are you going to do with the items you are disposing of.” By asking these questions, your original activity turns into, 1. Identify where items to be donated will go, 2. Research what the landfill will take of the items to be disposed of, 3. Identify where you will put the items to be disposed of and those to be donated.” You get the picture. One activity with specificity turned into a minimum of three.
The timeline is also very important. Given how busy our lives are and the competing demands on our time, it is very easy to let action plan activities slide without a firm date. I find this true in two cases. If the activity is going to be hard, it is easy to put it off and do something easier. The second case is when the client is a procrastinator. Without a date (even with one), a procrastinator will put off to tomorrow what can be done today. Coaches are trained to ensure that clients set due dates for activities in their action plans.
Finally, let’s talk about resources. Resources may be time, money, and/or assistance from others. I have learned from years of working on projects that it is human nature to underestimate the resources needed to get a project completed. This will slow down the action plan and the client’s goal attainment. In the example above, the coach will get specific with the client about resources needed to “clean out the basement.” For example, the coach will ask the client questions like: “Is your car big enough to haul items to the landfill?”, “Are the items so big that you will need help?” and “Where will you store the items you are keeping while the basement is renovated?”
Project managers are likely to approach action planning with specificity, a timeline, and identification of resources but most clients are not trained project managers. A coach can bring expertise to the client via the coaching process to ensure complete and thorough action planning.