How to Coach Yourself and Others Popular Models for Coaching | Page 285

reality or, from the opposite side, the coachee may be overly
eager to escape the world in which they live.
Develop an Action Plan
The most important part of the coach’s role is to help the
coachee develop a plan to achieve their goals from their current
position. The coaching relationship thus far is focused on
questioning but, by the third signpost, the coachee will likely be
looking for advice. Developing and following a detailed plan will
help the coachee handle the tensions on the way to achieving
the goal. However, the coach needs to beware of putting too
much emphasis on a plan and, in some cases, it may be
necessary to allow the coachee to let matters unfold rather than
follow a script.
Manage Goal Tension and Minimize Conflict
As the coachee works toward the goal, the role of the coach is to
anticipate where the coachee may have difficulties and where
the tensions of reaching goals may be too difficult to overcome.
Here is where the coach really demonstrates their value. The
coach needs to be able to anticipate tensions, be available to
assist the coachee as these tensions grow, and aid the coachee in
minimizing these tensions in order to allow the coachee’s
creative abilities to work unencumbered. In many cases, the
coachee will have to adjust his or her plans and the coach will
need to be able to provide suggestions. Forrest coaches
anticipate these issues and, by being proactive, can profoundly
help their coachees.
Measurements and Adjustments
Ongoing through the engagement is the necessity to set
measurements and make adjustments. Measurements will be as
complex or specific as the engagement requires, and may be as
simple as checking-in after every session to see how, and how
much, they valued the session. The more mature coaching
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