You just completed a coaching session with your executive coach. Now, how do you make the most of this investment in yourself?
Reflect on Your Coaching Session
The first 15 minutes after a coaching session are critical elements to maximizing your personal investment. A most beneficial means of integrating the insights gained is to immediately spend 10-15 minutes quietly reflecting on questions such as:
- What did I just learn?
- What insights about myself did I just gain…get reminded of?
- What helpful perspective on my circumstances did I gain?
- What growing edges did I become more aware of?
- Are there any revisions or refinements to the Next Steps I came up with at the end?
Contemplate these and any other questions you find helpful. Then, capture the answers into your coaching journal or, if you keep one, your professional daily record of events. Make this a regular habit. Set the end of the session as your trigger, and schedule for it.
Refine Your Thoughts
Once you’ve followed through on the reflection exercise, schedule a time to reflect again on what you wrote down. Refine your plans and attach your decisions to other actions that will help you act on them. Then reward yourself for following through on 1) Participating in your session and, 2) Investing the time in reflecting and planning.
When you meet again with your executive coach, report your additional insights, learnings, and achievements. This will reinforce the decisions and actions you have taken to move forward on the important things in your life and career. In both short and long-term ways, this investment of time, energy, and finances into coaching will be paying you immeasurable dividends.
One more thought: As you engage in moments of reflection, ask yourself, “What are the questions I wish my coach would have asked me?”
