6 Steps to Help You Write a Coaching Plan
A coaching plan is the map or blueprint of the coaching strategies a coach is going to follow and the actions they are going to take in order to motivate the required change in the client and to enable them to reach where they want to be. There are employee coaching plans as well which a manager develops in order to keep the employees motivated and well aware of current market trends.
A coaching plan is developed with the help of the coachee. The coach works with their client in order to develop the goals that they want to achieve with the help of coaching, and plans a series of actions that the clients take so that they are able to reach their destination.
Developing coaching plans is very important in the process of coaching. Coaches are able to stay on track and not get lost when it comes to following the strategy. Coachees remain focused on their goals with the help of a coaching plan which keeps them motivated throughout their coaching journey. There are different coaching models that coaches follow in order to prepare their coaching plans. Some of those models include The GROW coaching model, The CLEAR model for life coaching, The STEPPA model, and the OSCAR model.
There are many benefits of a coaching plan for employees as well as for other clients. For instance, a coaching plan helps establish clear expectations for both the coach and their client, helps identify the goals for each coaching session, helps to track the progress of the person being coached, and a coaching plan helps in the evaluation of the performance of the coach at the end. The six steps to write a coaching plan are given below:
- Identify the objective
- Review the skill set
- Set the timeline
- Provide a deadline
- Stay relevant
- Ensure accountability
1. Identify the Objective
It is important to identify a clear and achievable objective when you start developing your coaching plan. You need to be aware of your client’s priorities and where they want to see themselves at the end of the coaching process in order to identify the right objective. You need to assess and analyze your client’s current circumstances vs. their goals, the obstacles in the way of achieving the goals, as well as their will and commitment to their goals while you identify the objective for your coaching process.
It is important to identify the objective of the coaching process at the very beginning of your coaching journey because doing so helps set clear expectations from both sides and plays an important role in dealing with confusion. Moreover, it gives the coach a chance to peek into their client’s life and use the key insights gained to support their client to achieve greatness.
2. Review the Skill Set
A coach needs to review the skill set and be aware of the knowledge that the coachee currently possesses in order to be able to develop an effective coaching plan. The client’s skills are reviewed using various resources, such as questionnaires, one-on-one interview sessions with open-ended questions, and worksheets.
It is important to review the skill set and identify the knowledge gaps of the client because it enables the coach to develop an action plan that aids the client in their personal and professional development.
3. Set a Timeline
The coach and the coachee collaboratively set a timeline for each task the coach assigns. There is a deadline to do every task so that the coachee is able to bring about the required change and gets nearer to achieving the end goal of the coaching process.
Setting the timeline is a crucial step in developing an effective coaching plan because having deadlines looming over your head enforces accountability and keeps you motivated. Having a timeline makes sure that the client incorporates the task assigned by the coach in their daily routine and is able to move forward each day.
4. Provide a Deadline
The coach must have an accountability plan in their coaching plan with schedules and provide a deadline for each task. Deadlines ensure that the client stays on track and follows the action plan that the coach and the coachee have mutually developed.
A coach needs to ensure that the client regularly provides them updates on their progress so that they are able to encourage them, motivate them when and where needed, and help them resolve problems if there are any.
5. Stay Relevant
The coach needs to make sure that they stay relevant and focused while writing a coaching plan. Staying relevant means that the activities they plan, the goals that they decide for each coaching session, the worksheets and exercises they design, the tasks they assign which include journaling, reading, and other self-guided activities, and the behavioral targets they set for their client, relate to the end goal of the coaching process.
It is important to stay relevant while writing a coaching plan because it helps you to stay focused on your end goal and you are less likely to go astray, regardless of whether you are the coach or the person being coached.
6. Ensure Accountability
Ensuring accountability plays an important role in motivating sustainable change in the perceptions, beliefs, and actions of the person being coached. The coach needs to have a system of transparent accountability in place, be it in the form of a simple Q&A, a rubric to measure the improvement in performance, or any other useful accountability tool.
Accountability is crucial to the success of any coaching process. Accountability makes sure that the client follows the action plan since they are well aware that they are going to be checked, and thus are far more likely to achieve their short-term and long-term goals.
What Is a Coaching Plan?
A coaching plan serves as a blueprint or a roadmap that includes the strategies, an action plan, an accountability plan, activities, and feedback patterns that are used to achieve a certain goal at the end of the coaching process. There are employee coaching plans as well, which serve as a tool to measure the current performance of the employees and to improve the performance to a certain level by targeting the development of specific skills.
Coaching plans include schedules and deadlines which are used by the coach to hold the coachee accountable and to achieve a certain goal within a particular time frame. Coaching plans are used to develop new skills, as well as to polish and enhance the skills that the coachee already has.
How Does a Coaching Plan Work?
A coaching plan works by providing a guideline to the coach and helps in setting clear expectations both for the coach and the coachee. So, what is coaching? Coaching is the continuous process of observation, planning, delivering, providing feedback, and then planning again, and the coaching plan keeps the process of coaching going. It keeps the coach and coachee on track and serves as a tool to analyze the current performance of the person being coached.
The purpose of a coaching plan is to locate the areas of improvement in the performance of the client and to develop actionable goals in order to deal with those areas of improvement. A coaching plan helps in determining the obstacles in the way of achieving a client’s goals as well and contains information about deadlines and schedules so that the coach is able to keep track of the client’s progress.
What Is the Importance of Coaching Plans?
The importance of coaching plans lies in the fact that they support both the coach and the coachee in several ways. Coaching plans enable the coach to collaborate with their coachee in a better way and to keep track of their performance effectively. Why is coaching important? Coaching is important because it has a positive impact on self-confidence and work performance.
Coaching plans keep the coach and the coachee motivated by helping them to stay focused on their short-term and long-term goals. Additionally, coaching plans are important because they help the coach keep their signature style in coaching which makes them unique and ultimately a better coach.
What Are Some Coaching Plan Examples?
There are many coaching plan examples that are developed with the help of a coaching model or according to the unique coaching strategy of the coach to meet the specific needs of a client. What are the examples of coaching? A strength-based coaching plan is the first example of an effective coaching plan which is centered around enhancing the strengths of coachees and using those strengths to boost their confidence and develop their targeted skills.
There is a second coaching plan example which is based on the GROW model of coaching. The coaching plans that are based on the GROW model focus on the short-term and long-term goals of the coaching process. The third example of a coaching and mentoring plan is the solution-focused coaching plan in which the coach focuses more on the solution rather than fixating on the problem that has already occurred. A general example of a coaching plan is given below.
Name of the coachee: XYZ
Designation: CD
Date:
Strengths: …….
Areas of improvement: ……
Problem: ………….
Solution: ………
Goals: ………
Plan of Action: …………
Next Session Date:
What Are the Benefits of a Coaching Plan?
The benefits of a coaching plan include clear expectations, tracking the progress, greater accountability, a more organized coaching process, a signature experience for the client, improved collaboration, and saving time and money. Here are the benefits of a coaching plan.
- Clear expectations. The coaching plan informs the client about the coaching strategy and the coaching materials the coach is going to use during the coaching process. Therefore, it prevents the clients from having any surprises and allows them to be present.
- Tracking the progress. Coaching plans help track the progress of the client by keeping a record of their growth and short-term goals.
- Greater accountability. A coaching plan allows the coach to hold the client accountable at each and every step of the coaching process by assigning them tasks, such as doing a worksheet, studying the given material, and completing the homework.
- A more organized coaching process. A coaching plan helps the coach to remain organized during the coaching process. Coaches are aware of what materials to use in which coaching session and when to move forward when they have it all penned down in the form of a coaching plan.
- A signature experience for the client. A coaching plan aids the coach in keeping a record of their best practices, so they are able to recreate the signature experience for their next client.
- Improved collaboration. Coaching plans improve communication and collaboration between the coach and the coachee. The coach is able to cater to the needs of their client in a better way and the client is well aware of the action plan so they put their complete trust in the coach.
- Saving time and money. Coaching plans help the coach to create a reusable process; thus, they do not have to waste time planning a coaching session from scratch every time, which saves a lot of time and money.
What Are the Challenges of a Coaching Plan?
Some of the prominent challenges of using a coaching plan include not being able to try new strategies, not catering to the individual needs of each client, lack of flexibility, lack of details, and trouble adapting to new practices and technologies. The challenges of a coaching plan are given below.
- Not being able to try new strategies. When coaches follow a coaching plan strictly, they avoid trying new strategies in their coaching and just stick to what has worked in the past.
- Not catering to the individual needs of each client. Every coaching client is different and so are their needs and problems. Following one coaching plan for each and every client does not allow the coach to cater to the individual needs properly.
- Lack of flexibility. Coaches become less flexible when they follow a coaching plan since they try to do everything exactly as given in the plan and care less about the other things that are likely to work better.
- Lack of details. Coaching plans do not contain all the answers and solutions to each and every problem. Therefore, they sometimes lack critical details that are required in order to deal with a specific problem.
- Trouble adapting to new practices and technologies. The coaches face trouble adapting to new practices and coaching tools when they are too habitual in working according to a plan which kills the innovation and creativity factor in the coaching process.
What Are the Key Elements of a Coaching Plan?
Some of the key elements of a coaching plan include the demographic information, the terms and agreement of coaching, the goals of coaching, the action plan, the resources, the obstacles and how to deal with them, the system to track the progress, and the outcomes of the coaching process. Here are the key elements of a coaching plan.
- The demographic information includes important background info about the person being coached. This information plays an important role in analyzing the problem of the client and reaching its roots.
- The terms and agreement in a coaching plan describe all about the coaching relationship. The section covers the number of sessions per month, the duration of coaching sessions, the non-disclosure agreement, and other key aspects of the coaching relationship.
- The goals of coaching in a coaching plan include all the short-term and long-term goals that the client wants to achieve with the help of coaching sessions.
- The action plan in the coaching plan includes all the steps that the coachee needs to take in order to accomplish the goal.
- The resources include all the resources that help facilitate the transformation in the client, such as reading materials, worksheets, journals, and assessment questions.
- The coaching plan enlists the obstacles that the client is likely to face while trying to achieve their goal.
- The solution to the common problems faced by clients is listed in a coaching plan.
- The coach develops a process to track the progress of the client and to hold them accountable so that they stay on track.
- The general outcomes of the coaching process are given in a coaching plan.
How Is a Coaching Plan Implemented?
A coaching plan or an employee coaching plan is implemented by establishing the strengths of the person being coached so that the coach is aware of what new skills they have to work on to develop in the client. Then the coach locates the areas of improvement in the person being coached and modifies their coaching plan in a way that helps deal with those areas of improvement.
The coachee is asked to evaluate their performance and the coach and the coachee collaboratively identify the obstacles in the way of achieving goals. The ways to overcome the obstacles are included in the coaching plan. Lastly, the long-term and long-term goals are decided mutually by the coach and the client and they develop an action plan which includes in it the step-by-step process to achieve those goals.
Why Do Employees Need Coaching Plans?
Employees need coaching plans to guide and support them in their personal and professional development and to help them grow in their respective roles. A coaching plan for employees is used to set clear expectations about what the coach or the manager as well as the employee is hoping to achieve from the coaching process.
Is a Coaching Plan Necessary?
Yes, a coaching plan is necessary for both the coach and the coachee because it enables them to have clear, well-defined, and achievable goals for the coaching process. The coaching plan contains an action plan, as well as schedules, deadlines, coaching activities, and coaching materials. A coaching plant keeps both the coach and the person being coached motivated and helps them to stay on track.
