7 Steps to Building a Coaching Development Plan:

1st Set the tone.

If youre initiating the relationship, establishthat coaching isnt a sign that the other
person is lacking in somecritical skill or doing something wrong. In fact, coaching
meansthat you see untapped potential in the other person and areinvested in
that persons success at work.

2nd Establish the goals.

You and the other person mustset the goals for the relationship. As the coach in the
relationship,you have two responsibilities in goal setting. One is to identifythe goals
you would like to see the other person achieve. Theother responsibility is to solicit
from the other person what goalsthey want to work toward. Without your active
solicitation, youmay end up being the only person setting the goals, whichmoves
you back to the boss/employee relationship.

3rd Set responsibilities.

The two of you must then decide how you can help each other develop. As a coach,
you havean additional responsibility beyond what you agree to in thispart of the
plan. You must also model the desired behavioursyou want to seeyou must walk
your talk. If you dont modelthe behaviour you want to help develop, then your
credibilityand your eectiveness as a coach are diminished.

4th Defne the process.

At a minimum, the two of you mustdecide when, where and how often youll meet
to check in witheach other. One caveat: coaching isnt about friendship. You canbe
friendly, but coaching is about improving performance at work.As part of deciding
how youll work together, you must alsodecide how youll address confict (and there
will be confict).

5th Acknowledge what you will get.

Youll probably learn agreat deal from the coaching relationship. Make sure that
youacknowledge the benets that you expect to get. For instance,being able to
conduct dicult conversations (conversationsthat include criticism) is an
invaluable skill. If you intend todevelop that skill as part of this coaching
relationship, point outthat you will be using this opportunity to practice in a
safeenvironment.

6th Establish benchmarks.

The plan must include clear measuresof progress and a schedule of when those
measures will be met.Benchmarks provide both of you with markers to determine
howwell things are going. However, be aware that not reaching thebenchmarks isnt
a sign of failureit just means that a timetableadjustment or course correction may
be needed.

7th Review the relationship.

When looking at a coursecorrection or the achievement of a major benchmark, take
thetime to assess if the coaching relationship should continue. If you decide
to discontinue the formal coaching relationship, be sure to debrief both the work
you did together and how thecoaching experience played out for each of you