Find the *real* challenge!

This packed newsletter is about 'Frequency of Communication'. We update you on the coming Open House session.

Hey 👋

I hope you had a fantastic week.

Here's what this newsletter is about:

3 steps to finding the real challenge your coachee has!

Open House Recording available Join 'Ask Maik Anything'!

Our ongoing podcast series on the 'coaching agreement'

Enjoy!

Maik

About finding the *real* challenge 🎯

One of the critical success factors of a good coaching conversation is that we talk about what matters most! This can be trickier than we think!

Why? The first thing that people often come up with as a coaching topic is not what they *really* need to address the most to make progress. Finding out what you really want and what the actual challenge is can be a great coaching goal on its own!

I offer a simple coaching process here to help you as a coach to get to the *real* challenge:

1️⃣ "What do you really want? What's the ideal outcome?"

This type of question is designed to kick the coachee out of problem-thinking and help them focus on where they actually want to go! Listen closely and take notes. This step is as essential as entering your destination in your maps app when you begin a trip! It makes the next step much easier for the coachee to 'compute'.

2️⃣ "What is the real challenger here for you in getting there?"

Every part in this question is intentionally designed. 'What' gets to facts and is less judgmental than 'why'. 'Real challenge' is about identifying what is potentially in the way for the person to get to their destination. 'For you' is an essential part: it keeps the coachee focused on them, rather than talking about other people and circumstances. Intonate and emphasise intentionally when you ask this question. Listen closely and reflect on the responses.

3️⃣ "AND WHAT ELSE might be a real challenge for you?"

There is a reason why this is called the AWE question. Its impact if profound, especially if you don't rush here. Always operate under the assumption that the first thing that the other person mentions it not the *real* thing yet. Dig a bit deeper. Especially when you ask a team member / direct report for their real challenge, they might hesitate first and watch your reaction how safe it is to share in the first place. Show that it is really important for you to help!

If we follow this process, we are much more likely to discover together what is really in need to be addressed. I cannot understate how important it is to do this. It is extremely unlikely that we can guess correctly the actual challenge that someone has to overcome.

If you see a team member struggle with a task, don't just assume and decide what needs to be done to fix it. Hear them out and respect what they decide is their most important challenge to overcome. Doing this will likely be the most empowering, fastest and time-saving way to move forward for both of you!

Give it a shot in your meetings and conversations in the coming week!

Open House Recording is LIVE! 🎉

Hot-of-the-press: We had a fun Open House event on Friday, where we dove into the differences between advising and coaching and gave an overview of the program! You can already view the recording here!

As a follow-up, I will offer a dedicated hour next week on Friday at exactly the same time slot, where it's all about answering questions.

I will address some frequently asked questions and will be happy to share and respond especially to questions about:

how to build coaching skills that impact your work right away

how the Leader Academy is structured, schedule, flexibility, packages, etc.

what it takes to become an ICF accredited coach with IntelliCoach

what are the typical challenges of participants joining the program and how to overcome them

The Ask Maik Anything Session will happen on Friday 10 Sep, 2-3pm Singapore time.

Please feel free to forward this on to anyone who might be curious about the program! Yes, that exact friend or colleague!

Register for 'ASK MAIK ANYTHING' on 10 Sep 2021

Our Podcast Series on the 'Coaching Agreement' 🎙️

I just release the last of 3 episodes on the tricky topic of 'making a strong coaching agreement'.

This time, we go down to concrete competency/behavior level: I share the exact 4 professional coaching behavior markers that help coaches create a strong agreement, including examples!

"coach partners with the client to identify or reconfirm what the client wants to accomplish in this session"

"coach partners with the client to define or reconfirm measure(s) of success for what the client wants to accomplish in this session"

"coach inquires about or explores what is important or meaningful to the client about what they want to accomplish in this session"

"coach partners with the client to define what the client believes they need to address to achieve what they want to accomplish in this session"

Hope you enjoy this additional deep dive!

Listen to Podcast Episode 66

A final note before we go 🚶🏽

A map is not very useful if you don't know where you are!

Food for thought:

Where are you right now on your 'map'?

Where do you want to be?

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