Michael J. Coffey

How Does Coaching Work?

Although every coaching relationship is different, there's a pattern to many I like to call the Three A's": Act, Assess, Adjust. It's a cycle our coaching conversations often go through over time as clients move toward their goals.

Act: This part of the cycle includes talking about what you're doing and why. Figuring out next steps, and checking in to make sure you followed through. Or whatever form of accountability works best for you. The act phase is getting you into action or trying things out.

Assess: If taking action isn't an issue, or you've gotten some momentum, an area that often comes up next is checking the effectiveness of what you're doing. We can assess lots of things, from how well or how quickly you're moving toward your goal, or whether your goals need updating, or if it's the right way to be doing things for you and your strengths or if other approaches might be more suitable. It's asking "is there a better way?"

Adjust: The third part of the cycle is adjustment to your plans, goals, and actions. Nobody's perfect, which means everyone has room for improvement. This phase is for those who have learned something from acting and assessing and want to tweak the system so it's better. It's the bridge between learning from past experience, and preparing for the future. Which, of course, leads back to the Act stage.

 

I'm Michael J. Coffey and I have been a Certified Professional Coach since 2001. Since then, I have worked with many different kinds of people as a life coach or business coach. My most common clients are prospective and current small business owners, but I've worked with many people figuring out ways of living a better life. I also enjoy working with those whose work makes the world a better place, such as addressing climate change or the harms caused by systemic racism or homophobia. If any of the above seems intriguing or like it might fit the kind of support you're looking for, let's talks!