Coaching Model: 6R

A Coaching Model Created by Ashu Khanna
(Transformational Coaching, INDIA)

6R Coaching Model:

I have been working successfully as a coach for several years with senior management. While coaching, I have adopted the 6R Coaching Model to define a structure to the process. This model has evolved as I have practiced as a coach.

I believe coaching enables significant benefits such as fresh perspectives, enhanced decision-making skills, greater inter-personal effectiveness and increased confidence. There is enhancement of productivity, satisfaction with work and life and achievement of goals. The fundamental premise on which coaching is successful is that coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole.

Through coaching, a client can empower themselves to grow effortlessly, take risks and accept change with confidence. It is our attachment to our conditioning, beliefs, interpretations that obstructs our growth. A coach helps a client through his/her presence to review whether they are caught in a time warp, question thoughts, build self-belief and find creative solutions to situations and take ownership for life. Coaching enables a client to gain mastery over their life.

Refine:

Refine can be linked to the ‘Goals’ of GROW model by Sir John Whitmore, where the client defines goals.

For the Coach:

• Coach enters into a coaching agreement with a client defining what the client wants achieve
• Coach establishes a rapport of trust and intimacy with the client
• Coach and client work as partners to refine the vision of the client
• Coach inquires to understand the client’s values, motivators etc.

For the Client:

• Client establishes a relationship with the coach
• Client partners with the coach to develop clarity on aspired vision and goals

Reality:

Reality can be linked to ‘Reality’ of GROW model, where the client shares about the situation and the coach actively listens to understand

For the Coach:

• Client shares in confidence the issue and what is the desired outcome
• Coach listens actively to the client to understand the present situation for which the client is seeking to achieve or overcome
• Coach’s presence creates the space for the client to share freely. The listening should be empathetic, without any judgments, pre-decided solutions and uninterrupted

For the Client:

• Client builds rapport with the coach
• Client openly shares about his perception of the situation and his feelings
• Client starts becoming aware of his emotions

Reflect:

Reflect is about providing the client space to introspect the situation and himself. It is the stage between Reality and Options of the GROW model as there is continued exploration of strengths, successes

For the Coach:

• Coach sits as a mirror and powerfully questions the client to create awareness of the situation.
• The process of sharing to an independent unbiased person who is committed to the client’s success is a gift that the coach offers to enable to client find the comfort and space to have an internal dialogue and shares thoughts with the coach
• Coach encourages the client to recount strengths and successes
• Coach listens patiently and attentively while the client explores various options available to resolve the situation. Every client knows the situation and solution best

For the Client:

• Client starts becoming aware of his thoughts, perceptions, interpretations
• Client acknowledges the strengths and successes

Review:

Review is related to the ‘Options’ of the GROW model wherein the client having got clarity on his vision and become aware of the situation and himself, starts exploring/ developing solutions.

For the Coach:

• Coach acknowledges and moves the client forward to look at the scenario from a fresh perspective
• Coach asks challenging questions to inquire into the validity of beliefs, interpretations and perceptions
• At all times, the coach believes in the client’s potential and encourages/acknowledges the client to raise the bar for exploration
• Coach creates an awareness of the fears or any other limiting beliefs that the client needs to shed to move forward
• Coach is empathetic while challenging and keeps his eye on the desired goal/outcome
• Coach may choose to go deeper if he sees an opening and open a wider window for the client

For the Client:

• Client starts moving forward by exploring options and questioning his beliefs
• Client is courageously stepping into the unknown and reviewing possibilities
• Client also is ready to go deeper and change perspectives and expand his thinking
• Client feels confident to explore his feelings and their source and create beyond what he may have envisioned

Recreate:

Recreate is linked to ‘Will’ of the GROW model since hereon the client moves from exploration towards the action phase.

For the Coach:

• Client confidently designs solutions and an action plan to accomplish the desired outcome
• Coach requests the client to define and commit to a time frame to work on the action plan
• Coach asks the client if there is need for any type of support to implement the action plan. This gives the client the space to be further vulnerable and ask for help, if required

For the Client:

• Client feels recharged and designs a detailed action plan to achieve his vision and resolve the situation
• Client commits to moving forward and taking action

Reconnect:

Reconnect is linked to ‘Will’ of the GROW model wherein the coach and client take accountability to manage progress

For the Coach:

• Follow up is an integral part of the coaching process. Managing progress and accountability ensure success of the coaching relationship and process
• Old behaviors are difficult to change and sustainable visible change occurs when there is consistency in action. Follow up by the coach, while keeping the responsibility of action with the client, ensures progress

For the client:

• Client has to take responsibility of taking action to fulfill his commitment of moving forward and turning his aspiration into a new reality.
• Client says if he needs support of anyone to achieve his goals and takes responsibility for the same
• This is the step where visible change occurs for the client and consistency in action to plan ensures success.