From the Toolbox
Core Competency #10:
Planning &
Goal Setting
Developing and
maintaining an
effective coaching
plan with the client.
A Flight Plan
for Goal Setting
Sophie Bizeul, PCC
Sophie holds a master’s
degree in coaching and neurolinguistic programming
from Kingston University
(London). In addition to
her private practice at
essencialcoaching.com, she
serves as a Mentor Coach on
the Erickson International
team and works as an elite
results coach for a worldrenowned peak-performance
strategist. She specializes in
voluntary career transitions
by executives in their midlife
years. Her previous articles
on the science of setting goals
include “The Art and Science
of Career Goal Setting” and
“Tighten Your Seat Belt:
Taking Off for 2009!”
8 Coaching World
Beginning a coaching session or
engagement without a specific
goal in sight is like putting
a client on a plane with no
destination: She ends up going
from place to place, unsure of where
she’ll land next and running the risk
that she doesn’t like where she ends
up. This in turn means she might not
perceive much value from coaching.
In the absence of specific goals, clients
tend to be like passengers on an aircraft
they don’t feel responsible for—their
coach’s or their story’s. By contrast, if we
help our clients set goals for themselves,
they’re more likely to feel like they are
at the helm. As a result, they are better
able to enjoy both the journey and the
destination. They may not be aboard a
direct flight and they might encounter
unexpected disturbances along the
way, but being captain of their own lives
allows them to freely adjust the itinerary
until they reach an arrival point that truly
inspires them. So how can we support our
clients in designing a flight plan th