"Unleashing Potential –

The Promise of Coaching"

Presented by:

Yvonne Freitas McGookin

&
Matt Aspin
Unleashing Potential: The Promise of Coaching

Three Levels of Listening

Level 1 – Internal Listening

 Listening to the words instead of the other person with the focus on what it
means to me
 Assessments, judgments, discernment and analysis are going on in my head
 The impact is on me – my own thinking and clarity. I am wondering what to say
next. This does not lead to insights about the other person

Level 2 – Focused Listening

 Listening for understanding – what is behind the words (values, qualities)

 Attention is with the other person – being more open and intuitive
 Acting like a mirror – being reflective about what is seen and heard

Level 3 – Expansive Listening

 Being fully present and feeling free to explore possibilities

 Listening with all my senses
 Noticing whatever wants to be noticed and offering it to the other person without
attachment

I know that you think you understand what you heard me say, but I’m not sure you realize that
what I said was not what I meant.
-- Unknown

Adapted from Co-Active Coaching by Whitworth, Kimsey-House & Sandah

"Unleashing Potential - The Promise of Coaching"

Yvonne Freitas McGookin & Matt Aspin
Coaching for Potential

A 6-Step Process

1. What Do You Want? (direction)

2. By When Do You Want It? (accountability/track/measure)
3. What Will That Get You? (motivation/benefit)
4. How Will You Know That You Have It? (evidence)
5. What Step Will You Take? (action)
6. By when, etc

For this process to be truly effective, you must remain committed to the concept
that the person you are coaching is Whole, Capable, and Resourceful. As they take
action and begin to encounter resistance, resist the urge to “solve” the problems
they encounter for them. Remain curious. Pay attention to what comes up for the
person as they work to find the answers on their own. Mix in the Powerful
Questions and Inquiries on the following pages as appropriate to help deepen the
learning.

Coaching has the potential to significantly increase a person’s capacity to develop

their own solutions to the challenges they face. It does require an initial
investment of time, and a commitment to stay the course. The payoff, however, is
an employee with increased self-awareness and confidence, and an ability to solve
increasingly difficult challenges on their own.

The people, led by wise leadership, will come to the realization, “We did it ourselves.”
-- Lao-Tsu

"Unleashing Potential - The Promise of Coaching"

Yvonne Freitas McGookin & Matt Aspin
Powerful Coaching Questions
(adapted from Co-Active Coaching by Whitworth, Kimsey-House & Sandahl)

What do you think will happen?

What’s you back-up plan?
How does it look to you?
How do you feel about it?
What do you mean?
Can you say more?
What do you want?
How will you know that you have reached it?
What will it look like?
How does this fit with your plans/values?
What do you think that means?
May we explore that some more?
What are your other options?
Would you like to brainstorm this idea?
Will you give an example?
What would it look like?
Will you tell me more about it?
Is there more?
How can you make it be fun?
If you could do it over again, what would you do differently?
If it were you, what would you have done?
What have you tried so far?
How is this working?
What is the action plan?
What support do you need to accomplish …?
What will you take away from this?
What are the possibilities?
What’s moving you forward?
What’s stopping you?
What resources do you need to help you decide?
What action will you take? And after that?
Where do you go from here? When will you do that?
What are your next steps? By when?

"Unleashing Potential - The Promise of Coaching"

Yvonne Freitas McGookin & Matt Aspin
Powerful Coaching Inquiries
(adapted from Co-Active Coaching by Whitworth, Kimsey-House & Sandahl)

An inquiry is a type of powerful question that is not meant to be answered immediately, but instead,
offers the “coachee” an opportunity for reflection, discovery and learning.

What do I want?
What am I tolerating?
Where am I not being realistic/practical?
What is the difference between a wish and a goal?
Where is my attention?
If my whole attention is focused on producing the result, what will I have to
give up?
What is working for me?
What will it take to keep me on track?
What am I willing/unwilling to change?
What am I settling for?
What is it to be creative/passionate/focused/a leader?
What is it to speak/act from my heart?
What does it mean to be proactive/centered/optimistic?
What is present when I am at my best?
What motivates me?
What am I resisting?
If I were at my best, what would I do right now?
What are my assumptions?
Where do I limit myself?
Where do I hold back?
What are my expectations?
How can I have this be easy?
Who can I get to play with me on this project?
What have I learned about myself?

"Unleashing Potential - The Promise of Coaching"

Yvonne Freitas McGookin & Matt Aspin
Unleashing Potential – The Promise of Coaching
Putting Learning into Practice

Coaching Exercise Feedback

The coachee provides the feedback below to the coach. Be as specific as possible.

1. What worked?

2. What didn’t work?

3. What did you want more of from the coach?

4. What did you see as the value of coaching?

5. Additional comments/insights:

"Unleashing Potential - The Promise of Coaching"

Yvonne Freitas McGookin & Matt Aspin
(Over for Coach’s Reflections)

The coach reflects on the experience and responds to the below questions.

1. What did I hear as the coachee’s agenda?

2. What worked for me?

3. What didn’t work for me?

4. What do I see as the value of coaching?

5. Insights/learning:

"Unleashing Potential - The Promise of Coaching"

Yvonne Freitas McGookin & Matt Aspin
WHY CREATE A COACHING CULTURE?
By Tom Crane, author of "The Heart of Coaching"

An organization’s culture is the collective (conscious and unconscious) attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors that define “how we do things around here.” This usually unspoken code of conduct is
rarely written down, but often described by the compilation of Core Values that hang on the walls of
offices. It is also know as the 800 pound gorilla that usually has its way with anything you toss its
way. So – culture becomes the filter through which ALL strategies and initiatives pass.

Leaders set the tone, pace, and expectations for a culture as they inescapably role model what is
expected, desired, and/or tolerated in the company.

This is what truly effective leaders do. They…

1. Set clear direction (vision, mission, strategy, goals) for the business, and do so as
collaboratively as possible.
2. Role model the core values of the organization.
3. Coach people to alignment and optimal performance on the above.

What has been largely missing so far in the above equation is the ability of the leaders and
managers to effectively coach. As leaders become skilled at the leadership practice of coaching (the
antithesis of ‘command & control’ management) and authentically become a coach for their teams,
they experience powerful benefits. They also set the tone and expectations for coaching becoming a
legitimate leadership and team practice within and across the business.

As this transformation occurs, this creates a “performance-focused, feedback-rich” organization that

creates and sustains a competitive advantage for the organization over its competitors.
Creating a Coaching Culture is THE NEXT STEP in the evolution of the high-performance
organization! This transformative step focuses the awesome power of coaching through its Leaders
and Managers becoming skilled coaches for their teams, and is combined with the teams learning
this common practice of coaching as an integral way of interacting with one another.

When an entire organization is “on the same page” and has a common coaching language and
approach to working together and solving problems, we see these results occur:
 Leaders become more effective in their roles
 More open and trusting relationships are formed
 Interpersonal and organizational conflict is more quickly resolved as it occurs
 Teamwork and true collaboration becomes easier – and expected
 Learning is captured and shared across the team more willingly thus reducing errors and
cycle time
 Creativity and innovation are unleashed and more energy is focused on solving external (and
internal) customer’s needs
 Resistance to change is greatly reduced – more people actively support change initiatives
because they are involved
 Organizational values are revitalized and become meaningful (perhaps for the first time)
 People receive the developmental time/attention they expect and need to grow – their needs
get met
 It becomes a better place to work – people become vastly more engaged in their work in
serving the mission of the business
 People have more fun and turnover is reduced

What is the value of these dynamics changing? The bottom line performance is directly
impacted!

"Unleashing Potential - The Promise of Coaching"

Yvonne Freitas McGookin & Matt Aspin
COACHING QUOTES

Learning is defined as a change in behavior. You haven’t learned a thing until you take
action and use it.
-- Ken Blanchard and Don Shula

Real education consists of drawing the best out of yourself.

-- Mahatma Mohandas Ghandi

Our chief want in life is someone who will make us do what we can.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coaching requires the very best from all aspects of our humanity. It is a path for the
courageous and for people who are committed to making a difference in the lives of
those they touch through coaching.
--Thomas G. Crane

"Unleashing Potential - The Promise of Coaching"

Yvonne Freitas McGookin & Matt Aspin