How can you follow up with a coachee to ensure progress is being made?

"Plans are nothing; planning is everything." – Dwight D. Eisenhower. This insight speaks to the essence of coaching, where the co-creation of specific action plans between coach and coachee is crucial. By ensuring each session concludes with agreed-upon actions, outcomes, and deadlines, coaching transcends conversation, becoming a structured pathway to achievement.

As a professional and executive coach, I recommend the following strategies to ensure progress in collaborating with colleagues: Schedule regular check-ins to discuss progress and address challenges, clearly define goals and expectations at the outset, utilize project management tools to track progress and assign tasks, offer support to overcome obstacles, provide constructive feedback to highlight improvements and achievements, encourage open communication to discuss any issues, monitor key milestones to ensure the project stays on track, and be flexible in adjusting plans as needed. By implementing these strategies, you can effectively follow up with your colleague and ensure that progress is being made.

It's key to decide the role you as coach are going to play. Is the accountability that they proactively will come back to you with actions or are you committing to following up with them (I would definitely focus on the first)? They are the owner of the actions.

Given that so many parts of the relationship between a coach and coachee involve intangible elements, having a consistent way of identifying exactly what "Tangible" actions will be done, who will do them, where they fit in with the coachees overall goals and objectives between appointments; is critical. By having specific tangible goals or actions coaches are better able to establish and demonstrate for their client, the overall value, and therefore ROI, the coach is bringing to the client. The practice also gives the coachee a tangible way of measuring their commitment, their willingness to achieve the goals they expressed a desire to achieve, once again, reinforcing the value they are receiving, and progress they are making.

Please, for the sake of all that’s grammatically holy - admittedly a thin list - can we talk about coaches and “the coached.” “Coachee” rips off the tongue like some bad legalism — lessor and lessee. Making us all the lesser in the articulation.

Coaches have no skin in their client's game. A coach brings no judgement. So if an action is done or not done, your coach isn't go to judge, or be angry, or be disappointed. The coach is not a teacher. There is no "homework". Any commitments made are made by the client, for the client, for the sake of the life they want to create. Get detailed on the agreements and expectations set around accountability. The coach is often not the best accountability partner. Look to life partners, colleagues, bosses, direct reports, friends. The sense of accountability is often higher when the accountability partner comes from one of these groups.

"Turn your follow-ups into a communication buffet! ?????? Whether it's a quick text to cheer on your coachee like their personal hype squad or an epic video chat that feels like a mini-series reunion, mix it up! ???? Dive into their inbox with motivational emails or surprise them with a good old-fashioned phone call (yes, they still exist!). The goal? Keep them on their toes, engaged, and ever so curious about what form of encouragement will pop up next. It's like a coaching flash mob; they'll never know where or how the next boost will come from! ???? #CoachingCreativity #CommunicationFeast #SurpriseSupport

Comunica??o é sobre canais , sim aproveitar todos os disponíveis, mas é principalmente sobre a clareza do conteúdo. Comunica??o plena e aberta é o maior desafio a ser alcan?ado. Muitas vezes pensamos que a troca de frases entre as partes foi um processo de comunica??o, mas a comunica??o em nível mais profundo é o grande desafio. Qual canal pode deixar o coachee mais confortável em se abrir e a verdadeira comunica??o acontecer. Tente perceber qual ou quais s?o estes meios.

When following up I see two core focuses, encouragement & feedback. Encouragement: this is important to keep the clients confidence levels up and ensure they know that they have our support. Feedback: This is NOT a way to determine if they have been successful, it is a way to check in on the journey and adapt as a coach to ensure the client is getting the most out of the sessions. All of this can be done over email, phone or messages however boundaries are incredibly important when using this approach.

While having a follow up conversation with a coachee , its good idea to start with the questions round the progress coachee made on his commitments from past conversation. Providing a positive feedback on his effort, approach and progress is a good way to encourage him. Any setbacks can be reflected through more open questioning so that it helps coachee move forward using alternate approach next time.

Incorporating a strengths-based approach to feedback can profoundly impact a coachee's progress. Highlighting what coachees do well, alongside areas for improvement, not only bolsters their confidence but also motivates them to leverage their strengths in overcoming challenges. This method aligns with positive psychology principles, fostering resilience and a growth mindset. By framing feedback within the context of their strengths, coaches can inspire coachees to see obstacles as opportunities for development and growth, enhancing the effectiveness of the coaching process.

Imagine your feedback as a sandwich, the kind that's so good it could turn a Monday into a Friday! ?? Start with a slice of praise bread, layer it with the meaty specifics of their actions, add a dash of constructive sauce, and top it off with another generous slice of encouragement bread. ???? Serve it fresh and watch your coachee devour it with the eagerness of a lunch break! Keep it light, keep it flavorful, and always, always make sure it's nourishing for their growth. Bon appétit to progress! ?? #FeedbackFeast #ConstructiveCuisine #GrowthGourmet

Encourage open and honest feedback from the coachee about their experiences, challenges, and successes since the last coaching session. Use reflective questioning techniques to help the coachee gain insights into their progress and areas for further development.

For years, we've been all about praising and pointing out what needs fixing in our coachees' actions. But, turns out, the usual "good job here, but fix this" feedback isn't the best way to help. A more constructive feedback approach involves acknowledging exceptional outcomes, discussing why they worked, and emphasizing strengths. This strategy fosters growth by building on what coachees already do well.

Self-Reflection forms the most important pillar for sustained success in any coaching intervention. Clarity and confidence during sessions is almost a given; what is really needed is the client take this lamp of awareness and continue to use its light as they chart their future actions. And the habit which keeps this lamp alive is self-reflection. An effective Coach nudges the client to trigger this habit and the rest of it falls in place if the coaching sessions have been well executed and an action plan agreed upon.

Based on my extensive experience of working with senior leaders, I have learned that practising self-reflection is crucial for progress, although it is a habit that takes time to develop. According to a recent study by Adecco, 68% of leaders experienced burnout last year. With this in mind, coaches should be aware of the struggles that leaders face and set reasonable expectations around self-reflection. For instance, I used to ask leaders to answer some questions daily, weekly, and monthly on a reflection tracker, but I noticed that only a few did it. Therefore, I had to change my approach.

This is one of the most important parts of a successful coaching journey. There is many ways to do this either at the start of each sessions, the end of each session or during the feedback collection between sessions. The more, we as coaches can encourage and build in self-reflection to our clients thoughts the more transformative coaching will be for them. I often spend a lot of time in reality and understanding what's happening now vs where the client wants to be as I find this section really unlocks the progress forward.

"Reflection is the lamp of the heart. If it departs, the heart will have no light." – Imam Al-Haddad. This philosophy is essential in coaching, emphasizing the importance of reflection at the beginning of each session. Encouraging coachees to review their actions, outcomes, and insights since the last meeting fosters a culture of self-directed learning and accountability.

Journaling and structured reflection are awesome ways of building self-awareness. Experimentation is key here. Play with different questions and inquiries. Try out different reflective templates.

The way the question is phrased misses out, I believe, on the concept of co-partnering with your client. You decide together how progress will be measured. It’s not something that the coach decide on their own. But I may have misunderstood the question…

Celebrating successes goes beyond acknowledgment—it's about reinforcing the positive behaviors that led to those achievements. As a coach, linking these successes to the coachee's personal growth journey and the broader goals they've set can deepen their understanding of their own development. Encouraging coachees to reflect on their journey and the steps that led to their achievements can foster a sense of self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. This reflective celebration not only amplifies the positive impact of the achievements but also embeds a culture of continuous learning and growth, vital for long-term development.

Acknowledge and celebrate the coachee's successes and achievements, no matter how small. Recognising progress can help motivate the coachee to continue working towards their goals.

Cada sucesso, pequeno ou grande, deve sim ser celebrado. O refor?o positivo constante alimenta um processo de evolu??o constante. Mas, tal como o feedback, há que ter sensibilidade em n?o supervalorizar os progressos para n?o banalizar a ferramenta.

In our hurried, results oriented society, we often miss opportunities to thoughtfully reflect on progress, acknowledging accomplishments and what we've learned along the way. Envisioning success as part of the goal setting process, planning anticipated milestone timelines, and checking in, regularly, sets coaches up to reinforce celebration as a habit, which creates energy to propel further progress. Beyond this, celebrating interim successes, acknowledging growth, and reevaluating current reality is a valuable executive influencing skill, supporting leaders' ability to achieve big results through others by creating a trust-based culture of collaboration, including celebration and open communication.

Encourage the client to take responsibility for their own progress. As an executive coach, you're not there to micromanage. The client should feel motivated and accountable for their own advancement.

You can become a greater accountability tool if you: 1) Believe in the client and provide positive recognition 2) Check-in regularly to ensure they know there's someone there supporting them 3) Set very clear expectations 4) Keep the actions realistic, and create the opportunities for quick wins 5) Celebrate their success 6) Try to do something with them When you build a trusted relationship with the client and support them. Alot of magic can happen

Controversial, but I do not 'ensure' that progress is made. I do give tools and methods, develop skills and habits, share my experience and wisdom as appropriate, and most importantly my presence to support and challenge my clients. AND the work is up to them. If you invest in coaching as a coachee, do it when something is at stake, and you are committed, choose a coach you resonate with, show up for the sessions, and show up for yourself in between. Your career, your life, get help and make it count.

Establishing accountability partnerships is highly effective for achieving professional growth and development. It involves pairing up the coachee with a trusted colleague, mentor, or accountability buddy who can provide regular check-ins and support to ensure progress is being made. By setting specific goals and milestones together and scheduling regular meetings or check-ins, both parties can review progress, discuss challenges, and provide support and encouragement. This partnership encourages the coachee to remain committed, accountable, and focused on their development journey, leading to a more successful outcome.

Schedule follow-ups. When this happens, the coachee is aware of when the next catch-up is, and this increases accountability. Be available to the coachee between sessions for any questions or support.