13 December 2024
As this year draws to a close, many of our conversations with clients will be reflecting back over the last 12 months to see if they were able to achieve all of the things they set out to. And if not, try to identify the things that could have caused things to go off track or agree what can be done differently in future to ensure they are going to be successful when they plan ahead for 2023.
However, we know life has been quite unpredictable again this year and many of us have simply had to accept that some things were just not going to be possible, so how can we help our clients to set realistic goals, when we are all unsure what exactly is going to be possible?
The first thing to remember is that nothing in life is ever going to be perfect or go entirely to plan, even if we do everything we can to try and make things happen in the way we hope they would. The other key to this is to just be realistic about what is possible when we plan ahead, but trying not to put too many things on hold, especially when we could just make some plans for the future.
A good coach can help people spot an opportunity, set goals and see things through, so they can broaden their scope of possibilities and develop new potential. It’s important for the individual to understand how they feel now and how they want to feel (or think they will feel) as a result of any change they are now ready to make when they plan ahead.
“If you don’t know where you come from, then you don’t know where you are, and if you don’t know where you are, then you don’t know where you’re going. And if you don’t know where you’re going, you’re probably going wrong.”
Terry Pratchett
Whenever your client is ready, ask them to press pause on their day so they can reflect back to plan ahead. This can be something they complete on their own between your coaching sessions or as part of a coaching session where you lead them in a review of their year and ask your client to picture their ideal self (future state), then compare it to their current self (current state).
If you are looking to help your clients plan ahead, then our popular ebook will hopefully guide you through the process and capture the discussions. It has three main sections to help you guide your clients through a review of their achievements or any missed opportunities from the last 12 months. It then walks you through the all-important activity where you plan ahead and set some realistic goals for the next 12 months.
This can be especially helpful if one of your clients is at a crossroads or feels they did not achieve everything they set out to this year and would like to press pause so they can reflect back and plan ahead.
And remember, when working with a client who would like some help planning ahead, making commitments or agreeing goals, it can be helpful if you are asking questions that offer some positive or friendly challenge.
Our exclusive review of the year ebook is now available from our online shop and includes the key questions to ask when looking back and planning ahead:
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