Coaching Model Assessment Name: Date: Student ID: Email: Pramod Nigam 26th October, 2012 187577995 (F2F,

Bangalore, I Batch, Jan 2012) pramod.nigam@gmail.com

Complete your coaching model in the space below. Then email this document as an attachment to assessment@icoachacademy.com

My Coaching Model
I-GOLF - Coaching and the Game of Golf

Playing Golf requires certain skills & tools and following a process. A golfer goes through Preshot routines, goes to the tee-box for a drive, plays the fairway game, plays short game, as required, and finally ends the hole by putting the ball in the hole. Coaching, like golf, also requires skills & tools and requires a process to be followed. There are several coaching models available in literature, however, my model I GOLF outlined below draws heavily from the game of Golf and the GROW & BIGWIN models of coaching. The model is explained below:

Initiate
Initiation means before starting a coaching session which is greeting the client, acknowledging her presence and celebrating past successes. A recap of the previous coaching session is also a good idea before starting a session.

Goal Setting Specific Outcome

In Coaching it is important to understand what is the issue? Agree with client what would you like to achieve by the end of this session? Determine the specific goal for the session. What do you hope to accomplish? is a typical goal-directed query. Contrast between end goals, like I want to be the CEO, and performance goals, such as I want to sell 100 cars.
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Some of the important questions to be asked at this stage are: What is the issue? What is the desired outcome? Relate this to current reality and paraphrase and clarify. Finally, ask the client as how will he know that he has achieved (the goal)?

Observe, Listen, Empathize

In coaching this is where a coach spent most of the time. Coach is present and remains nonjudgmental and takes the client to a goal with good listening and right questioning. The coach explores the issue further, listens, empathizes, and raises awareness of current situation. Examines how current reality is affecting the goals, explore feelings and emotions. How does this really affect you? Whats underneath all this? Keep the questions forwardfocused. Some helpful questions are: How is it affecting you? What are you observing about this? What are you assuming about this? What have you done about this so far? What is holding you back from finding a way forward? From here go on to explore options to move forward.

Let Client Decide among the explored Options

Coach then encourages client to develop options. He challenges the client where required. Dont let client arbitrarily limit their choices, have them create lists of options and examine the pros and cons of each one. Helpful questions are: What can be done about this? What else could client do? Dont worry about whether its realistic at this stage Who can help client you on this? Identify and assess possible options.

Thats a great idea, whats another? Or ask, Which of the options gets you closest to what you want? You may say Imagine having a dialogue with the wisest person you know. What would he or she tell you to do? Or, What advice would you give a colleague in your situation? Encourage solution focused and action oriented thinking and brainstorming. Coach can offer own suggestions, if client is stuck but carefully and with permission.

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Some tips: Use Humour, metaphor, silence and challenge Explore through open ended questions Use appropriate Tools - Visualization, role play, wheel of life, etc.

A cardinal principle to be followed - coach does not offer solution - Client has to develop and decide on the preferred option

Forward Planning Actions, Time Frame

A good closure with clear action forward is very important in a coaching session. Help client define the next steps, develop specific action plan, fosters motivation to maintain momentum, be specific and define timing. What are you going to do? What steps do you have to take to get there? or When will you do that? Encourage the client to charge along ambitiously. For example, if client says he or she will start to solve a problem by having a conversation with a relevant person next Friday, you could say, How about this Friday? Some helpful questions at the stage are: When precisely are you going to start and finish each? Who needs to know what your plans are? What support you need and from whom? If there is no solution, discuss how to move forward? Finally, coach should close session with To what extent does the options develop meet the objective? And how does client feel now?, and, What could the I (Coach) do to support you? Learning from Golf for a Coach As a coach one can learn a lot from the game of Golf. A few key learning are: A golfer competes with one self so you decide your pace. In coaching the client decides the pace, of course a coach challenges where required . Pace The pace of gold is unique Between shots a negative train of thoughts can be devastating Pressure of Competition- In any other game if had a bad game you can tell yourself that my opponent was playing particularly well that day. A golfer is responsible for ones action, takes credit for a good hole and blame for a bad hole. Famous golfer Jeev Milkha Singh says he listens to his caddys advice but finally he takes his decision and blame or credit is always his. Similarly, a cardinal principle of coaching is that its the client who decides the action and takes the credit or blame for that. Be present, focus on ball when you hit the ball. Negative thoughts about a water body around, hazard, etc should not affect the golfer. A coach must be present and be non judgmental in the whole process
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In golf you have to be always looking forward. A birdie or par in the previous hole is not a guarantee similar result in the next hole. Similarly a bad shot should not spoil your rest of the game you can always recover in the next shots. A coach must, in the same way, should help client always moving forward and not bogged with the past. In golf, there are several things are not in your control viz. greens, Fairway conditions, wind speed or direction, but you have to decide your strategy and play a good game, sometime by challenging yourself. Similarly in coaching you decide your goal based on what is in your control Listening can be more of an asset than it is generally given credit for in golf by listening to the sound of ball as it is struck you can learn to discriminate whether it is being hit inside, outside or directly on the sweet spot. As this awareness increases so does percentage of solid shots. In coaching active listening is key for the coach. Ethics and Values This is a very important lesson for a Coach. In Golf no one is watching you, you need to be truthful to your own conscience and play your game. In Movie The Legend of Bagger Vance no one watched the ball moved or complained but Junuh, the hero, against the advice of many, himself declared that the ball has moved after he tried to remove an obstacle and took penalty strokes. Junuh pulls back to a tie with Jones and Hagen when he had a clear change to win. Finally, an anecdote from the same golf movie highlights another important message for coaches - A coach should know when to quit. In the movie, seeing from the aforementioned incident that Junuh has grown and matured, Bagger, the Coach and Caddy decides that Junuh, the golfer doesn't need him anymore. Bagger leaves him as mysteriously as he met him, with the 18th hole unfinished!

References: 1. GROW Model Coaching for Performance, Fourth Edition, by John Whitmore 2. Grown Model Notes / reading material from ICA classes 3. A Managers Guide to Coaching by Brian Emerson and Anne Loehr 4. Inner Game of Golf W Timothy Gallaway, 5. The Legend of Bagger Vance, An American Film, by Robert Redford, year 2000

Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd. Use is governed by the Terms and Conditions at http://www.icoachacademy.com Last updated Feb 2006