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A wise man once remarked, "Pray for potatoes, but pick up a hoe." Notwithstanding all the energy we have put into coaching in the first four stages of the ARROW sequence, in some ways we have achieved very little. In truth we have thought, pondered, intellectualized and navel gazed but changed nothing. This is why the final part of the model - Way Forward - is so vital, because it's where we turn thought into action. If we've coached well to this point we should begin to see a rise in energy levels of the people we coach as they realize that they are resourceful and can move their own issues forward and become excited at the prospect of doing so. It can be really useful if we, as coaches, mirror this excitement to signal our belief and to encourage a definite course of meaningful action. Many coaches report that this part of the process is largely automatic and it is often simply a matter of making sure people plan their actions in a sensible and logical way. In many ways coaching for a Way Forward is akin to the kind of action planning that most people are used to anyway. We need firstly to have the coachee outline exactly what it is they intend to do. Detail is crucial here so challenge any vague responses. I also recommend having them state exactly when a planned action will begin and end. Such a date does not have to be considered irreversible; it can be changed as things move on. But without at least an aspirational completion date there can be no real commitment. Next we should encourage the coachee to consider whether anyone else needs to be aware of their plans and how and when they will inform them. We should also invite them to think about any other resources that may be required and create a plan for getting them. Throughout the Way Forward stage we should always encourage the coachee to focus on what they WILL do rather than what they COULD do. Towards the end of this part of the conversation it's wise to check that the course or courses of action decided upon will deliver the aims established at the start of the session. Any assistance that we feel we can provide as a coach should be offered rather than imposed. I like to end by asking the person being coached to rate their commitment to taking the course of action they have thought out on a scale of 1-10. We might think that because we have gone through the model thoroughly and carefully that the answer here will always be ten but this isn't necessarily so. There are times when a coachee will still appear reluctant to move forward despite a well-constructed coaching session and when this happens there is invariably a blockage somewhere. It may be because our coachee feels that other parties involved in the issue will not play their part in moving things forward. Sometimes it's because people are absolutely clear about what needs doing and certain it will work, but lack the courage to put the plan into action. Generally speaking, if we get an answer to the final question of anything less than 7, then the chances are that the person will not take action and our coaching session will have proven ineffective. We need to discover what the barrier is by asking a further question - "What would make it a 10?" In answering this question the person being coached will come to understand what's preventing full commitment and we will perhaps have uncovered a more deep-rooted coaching issue. Sometimes by the time we get to Way Forward we find that the person has articulated the same solution two or three times in the session. This is perfectly okay and suggests that such a solution is one to which the person will be most committed. In this way, going through the coaching ARROW is rather like going up a spiral staircase. We will see the same things each time we go round but always from a slightly new perspective and so we build a more complete picture.
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