Coaching Menus

How do I choose what to talk about?

Generally the best things to work on during your coaching sessions fall at the intersection of your developmental goals (outlined in your Leadership Roadmap) and what is feeling especially top of mind and important for you at the time of your session with your coach. You may choose to focus on more urgent topics (e.g., a performance management conversation you have to have) or less urgent topics (e.g., strategic planning for the next quarter).

How your coach can show up

Supportive
“That sounds rough”

Challenging
“You know you are better than that”

Curious
“What are some other ways to think about that?”

Directive
“Here’s are some other ways to think about it.”

Unstructured
“What does your gut say?”

Structured
“Step one, step two…”

Asking
“What do you want to do about that?”

Telling
“You need to do something about that”

Self Directed
“Where do you want to go from here?”

Coach Directed
“Here’s where we need to go from here”

Tools/Content
“Here is one technique you can try”

Thinking/Mindset
“What’s getting in the way of finding a solution?”

Trust
“I know you’ll get this done”

Accountability
“How can you ensure that you get this done?”

How can I make the most of my coaching calls?

This menu is designed to give you an idea of some of the options you have for how to use your time during coaching sessions. This list is by no means comprehensive. Ask for what you need from your coach whether it is on this list or not. You and your coach can then create a plan for how best to use the time during your call.

Your coach can help you facilitate new observations – help you see things in a new way

Facilitate action based oﬀ new observations – creating actionable strategies or practices

Talk through performance strategies – bounce ideas back and forth

Think of new areas to work on – we never stop growing

Brainstorming new ideas and performance strategies

Active listening / empathy – sometimes, just being heard is all we need

Reﬂect upon a challenging experience – to gain insights and learning

Prepare for an upcoming important meeting/conversation/event

Identify conscious and unconscious patterns that impact leadership

Work through events that trigger reactions – strategize ways to respond

Consider your leadership philosophy and values and whether you are operating in alignment with them

Explore the mindset and thinking of the next level up leadership

Reflect upon the impact you are having on others

Manage your perception

Add leadership skills to your tool-belt

Reﬁne/improve your current leadership skills

Reﬂect upon a challenging relationship – to gain insights and learning

How can I make the most of coaching in between my coaching sessions?

This menu is designed to give you have for working on your leadership development in between your coaching conversations with your coach. This list is by no means comprehensive. Ask for what you need from your coach whether it is on this list or not. You and your coach can then create a plan for how best to use the time during your call.