| This is part three of a five part series on becoming a | | | | you or convinces you to achieve, they are things that |
| better coach. Each article explores a different element | | | | tug at your heart, that cause you to push a little harder, |
| of what it takes to help others accomplish more than | | | | work a little longer, and get up a little earlier. If you |
| they thought they could and become the kind of coach | | | | understand the goals that would cause another person |
| that can consistently build high performing teams and | | | | to do these things, congratulations, you have the |
| an unstoppable organization. | | | | foundation you need to be able to coach them. If you |
| I touched on the subject of goals very briefly in my | | | | don't know what those compelling goals are for |
| first post in this series but I want to dive a little deeper | | | | someone you are coaching, then it's likely that you are |
| into the discussion of goal setting and the power of | | | | coaching them to achieve your goals, not theirs. That's |
| helping others set and achieve meaningful goals as | | | | rarely successful and never sustainable. |
| well as the importance of a coach understanding the | | | | One of the fallacies about goals and goal setting is that |
| goals of others. | | | | there are personal goals and business goals. Let's face |
| I was working with a group of sales managers | | | | it, being successful is hard. People who get there do it |
| recently when I asked each of them to take a few | | | | because of something they want to personally feel, |
| moments and write down the goals of their top three | | | | experience or achieve. If a person can't connect |
| performers. None of the sales managers could | | | | business success to something that is meaningful to |
| answer the question with anything more than a few | | | | them on a personal level, they have very little chance |
| vague guesses or some business jargon. I've asked | | | | of making it happen. All goals are personal goals, |
| that question several times and the outcome is usually | | | | whether or not they are related to what a person |
| the same. On a very few occasions, I have had a | | | | does for a living. Often as coaches, we hold ourselves |
| manager very clearly describe what their team | | | | back from asking about what people want to achieve |
| members wanted out of life, out of their career, out of | | | | in life and limit our discussions to the goals that are |
| their year. When I ask these managers to tell me how | | | | directly related to the business. Unfortunately, while we |
| successful their team is relative to the others in the | | | | can separate the two things on paper, or in a |
| business, it's always at or near the top. More | | | | performance management plan, we can't separate |
| importantly, they sustain that kind of performance. | | | | them inside the person. When was the last time you |
| They are successful every year, not just sometimes. | | | | worked hard, went the extra mile and overcame |
| These managers understand that in order to coach | | | | challenges to accomplish something that meant nothing |
| someone, you have to know what they want. If you | | | | to you on a personal level? |
| don't know, you have to find out. If they don't even | | | | Helping others set goals and understanding the ones |
| know themselves, you have to help them discover it | | | | they already have is critical to the coaching process. |
| for themselves. Any leader who wants to help others | | | | Coaching someone without that understanding is like |
| achieve their potential has to have a clear | | | | giving them directions to Chicago when they are trying |
| understanding of that person's goals. You simply can't | | | | to get to Seattle. Even if you do manage to get them |
| help anyone get where they want to be if you can't | | | | to Chicago, pretty soon they will be looking for |
| even identify that place. | | | | someone else who can help them get to Seattle. |
| There are a lot of ideas floating around about goal | | | | Find out where they want to go and who they want |
| setting. The most prevalent is probably the SMART | | | | to be. Find out what's driving them, energizing them and |
| acronym. It states that effective goals must be | | | | inspiring them. Find out what they are passionate about |
| Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and | | | | and what they are committed to. Once you |
| Time-bound. All of these are beneficial components of | | | | understand these things then, together, you can create |
| a well-written goal but they fail to address the most | | | | the road map to help them get there. If they don't yet |
| important factor. The goal has to be compelling to the | | | | have a clear set of goals, then help them create that |
| individual who is setting it. I could set a goal to climb Mt. | | | | vision for themselves. Do that for someone you are |
| Everest by the end of 2012 and while I could certainly | | | | coaching and you will change his or her life. You will |
| construct it to fit the SMART acronym, I will never | | | | change your life as well because you will become the |
| achieve it. I simply don't have a burning desire to climb | | | | kind of coach that can help others create and achieve |
| Mt Everest. | | | | their best future. That's a goal you might find more |
| Goals are not something someone writes down for | | | | satisfying than any other. |