Finding time or the right environment for planning can seem impossible. Often daily demands such as the volume of meetings, staff needs or urgent issues take precedence. Sometimes it is behavioural; we choose to focus on the urgent and immediate despite knowing that the most important, longer-term objectives need to be tackled proactively.
Here, we might first break down your challenge into sub-categories, agree a target state and first steps for each area, and grade where you are now. This first session can provide a lot of clarity, conviction and even relief in regards to what must come next.
Following that, we do not focus on detailed project plans, but on what benefits you are trying to realise, what’s different about your target state, and if it is still too complex to tackle in one bite, what are the further sub-elements?
As with other topics, we explore what you have done so far, how you have approached similar challenges before and what worked. What are the critical success factors this time?
Now having a clearer picture of what you want to achieve and what is important for you; what could you do this time? Here the coach probes and challenges, sometimes repeatedly, to help you break new ground and not be constrained by lack of confidence or limiting beliefs as to what could work.
Usually, this results in a mid-level plan that you believe in, that you are motivated by and feels clear to you. We do not then flesh out the finer detail, but get started on execution.
What will you do this week for example? It may not be implementation, it might be syndicating your plan, it might be researching those of others, but it is taking action and retaining momentum despite the daily pressures you face. You assign specific dates and resources to each action to minimise the risk of it being de-prioritised and once the initial step is taken, the rest is straightforward.
I felt the need to change the way we engaged our clients. There was opportunity to stabilise our profits but risk that we would lose revenue. Working with Richard was the catalyst for me to assess the business case, strengthen my conviction and implement a pilot.Berry Driessen, Managing Partner, IE Digital Agency, 2014
