After working with Katrina to develop strategies for starting her new job as outlined in the previous blog, I also asked questions about personal significance, awareness, and acknowledgement as taught during coaching certification. Here are examples:
- How do you feel about your strategies?
- What are your new insights?
- How do you want to be perceived in your new job?
- How will you know when you achieve this?
- What will you say and do to create that?
- How will you think and feel to create that?
- How do you want to acknowledge yourself for your work and awareness?
After Katrina had been working for 4 months, she was ready to start thinking through her career path with the company. During the coaching session, we explored the elements for planning her career path and how she defined each:
- Value – what unique value I bring to the company
- Strengths and Weaknesses – my strengths and how to maximize them; my weaknesses and how to manage them
- Goals – what I want to accomplish at work
- Timeline – put goals on a timeline that encompasses the short term and on out using a big picture approach for the long term
- Network – who is in my network, how I help them, what I can ask them to help on
- Strategies – what my approach will be to achieve goals and advance to the next level on the job
The exploration highlighted who Katrina is and what she offers. Next, I asked Katrina about her action plan for each of the elements. She defined action steps that involved doing as well as actions that focused on thinking, reflecting, and being aware. This is an example of incorporating both who the client is and what they do as discussed in coach training.