Tweak Your Biz » Management » Manager as Coach (part 5 of 5)

Manager as Coach (part 5 of 5)

by Elaine Rogers on February 3rd, 2010
10 Comments



This is the last part of a 5 part series on the the skills of a coaching style Manger

  • Good listening skills – Part 1
  • Good questioning skills – Part 2
  • Ability to provide effective feedback – Part 3
  • Ability to set goals – Part 4
  • Ability to create action plans and see them through – Part 5 (this post)

Part 5 – Creating Action Plans:

So now your goal is SMART (see part 4), where do we go from here?

1. A goal gets you from HERE to THERE. Imagine the THERE – picture it

2. Decide what you want to BE, DO, and HAVE with relation to your goal

3. Ask yourself WHY you set that particular goal:

– Ask yourself what you will gain from achieving this goal – make an extensive list (when you think you are finished, list 5 more)

– Ask yourself what you will lose by not achieving this goal – again make a list (stretch your imagination again on this one)

4. Internal motivation is the only lasting motivation – ensure this goal motivates you. Ask yourself if this goal is in tune with your reality, your visions, your values and your belief system, as well as the organisation’s needs.

Planning for Action

Planning for Action

5. TEST your goal – does it stretch you – will you grow as a consequence? Your answer here should be YES, if not refer back to point 4.

6. Stick to your goal and don’t change it, unless altering a portion of the goal will improve the outcome for you. Changing can be a consequence of distraction or procrastination, both detrimental to achieving goals.

7. Give your goal time to grow, be patient with it, become it’s friend and advocator. Watch out for shortcuts and shortfalls.

8. Plan your actions – probably the toughest part of goal setting – is acting. ACT now!!! Don’t bother waiting for the perfect time or conditions, because they will never arrive. (Believe me, I’ve been there many times, I am sure you have also!) Waiting for the perfect time is the perfect excuse for doing nothing!

Do you feel good Action Planning is an important skill for a Manager to hone? Do you think most Managers would posess these skills naturally?

Have you any tips to make action planning easier??? (we all want easier)



Category: Leadership

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The Author:

Elaine Rogers is a Business Training & Development Specialist. She provides training and coaching in the areas of IT Skills, Business Skills, and Soft Skills. Elaine has just launched a new online training store at http://www.thesmarttrain.com that provides videos and workshops in the areas of IT, Business and Soft Skills. http://www.thesmarttrain.com

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Add Your Comment

  • http://www.channelship.ie/blog/ fred

    Nice one Elaine. The action plan is definitely a must.Point 7 got me thinking. It's one of the toughest to do in my opinion. You're so excited to get there that you don't realise that you need to wait, while you work. It's very easy not have not the best day and question everything, and take… “the shortcut” and immediately become an opportunist. We've all done it.I believe the success in a well executed plan of action resides a lot in being patient, watching your plan develop gradually.

  • paulmullan

    Good post / group of posts.In relation to the point about action. My philosophy is a bit like “jump of the side of the mountain and build the wings on your way down”. As you rightly point out many people spend their life getting ready or aiming at the target and never pulling the trigger. I read once that instead of “ready, aim, fire” it should be “ready, fire, aim” and then use the feedback from your first shot to get you closer to the target on the next one.P

  • http://www.btbtraining.com/blog Niall Devitt

    Hi Elaine, I've really enjoyed the series. You have provided really excellent advice for managers of people. As regards goals, I am a bit of a sceptic, in that they sound nice on paper but in my experience are rarely achieved in real terms. I think that a goals are often to loose, I prefer results and indeed even failure. Failure can actually bee quite positive if we take the time to analyse and learn from it.

  • elainerogers

    Well I suppose it's something like jumping ahead and taking risks instead of weighing up the pros and cons and turning a potentially dangerous risk into a calculated risk, more chance of a successful outcome :) I agree excitement is important – we need to feel energised by what we plan, but to pace ourselves also.Thanks for the comment Fred!

  • elainerogers

    Indeed Paul,Balance, timing, motivation, perseverance, energy are all key to following through a plan of action.I just hope that those who ready, fire, and aim don't kill off the plan on first shot :)

  • elainerogers

    Well you've hit the proverbial nail on the head there Niall – goals CAN be too loose! If that is the case – it is not a focused or “SMART” goal, and not worth having.We need to tighten up the borders around goals and set proper plans and timing for them to be successful.”Failure” is a chance to learn from the plan that simply didn't work. Find the reasons and review, back to the drawing board so to speak, and change direction, do something different:Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results – Insanity (I would have to add here though, that a little madness is always good)

  • elainerogers

    Well I suppose it's something like jumping ahead and taking risks instead of weighing up the pros and cons and turning a potentially dangerous risk into a calculated risk, more chance of a successful outcome :) I agree excitement is important – we need to feel energised by what we plan, but to pace ourselves also.Thanks for the comment Fred!

  • elainerogers

    Indeed Paul,Balance, timing, motivation, perseverance, energy are all key to following through a plan of action.I just hope that those who ready, fire, and aim don't kill off the plan on first shot :)

  • elainerogers

    Well you've hit the proverbial nail on the head there Niall – goals CAN be too loose! If that is the case – it is not a focused or “SMART” goal, and not worth having.We need to tighten up the borders around goals and set proper plans and timing for them to be successful.”Failure” is a chance to learn from the plan that simply didn't work. Find the reasons and review, back to the drawing board so to speak, and change direction, do something different:Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results – Insanity (I would have to add here though, that a little madness is always good)

  • paulmullan

    Its the poor innocent bystanders I am worried about :-) Think the people who penned that were targeting those who spend their life planning and never actually do anything or pull the trigger. I agree that planning is important!!Thanks P

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