Coaching Model: A-S-P-I-R-E

A Coaching Model Created by Marie Holive
(Executive Coach, UNITED KINGDOM)

Opportunities don’t happen. You create them. C. Grosser

Organisations:

As an Executive Coach, I partner with organisations to increase the performance of their executives. My executive coaching is especially useful to leaders who have just joined a new executive team or have been promoted into more a more challenging position, those who have high potential but are somehow not being the best they could be and those who need to hone their leadership skills. My executive coaching helps leaders better understand their strengths and development opportunities, then gain new skills and knowledge to translate this self-awareness into improved performance.

Individuals:

As an Executive Coach, I partner with individuals who want to clarify their personal vision, their aspirations. It is especially useful for individuals when they are at an inflection point in their career or life and decide to step back to create a clear vision of the future they want for themselves. Anyone who wants to take more control of his or her future will benefit from this process. It’s especially helpful for people who are trying to choose which path to follow and have a few options to choose from.

I developed the ASPIRE coaching model as a foundation for the coaching journey with all of my clients.

To ASPIRE means to direct one’s hopes or ambitions towards achieving something (as per the Oxford dictionary). In other words, to seek to attain or accomplish a particular goal that one strongly wants to reach. What is the A-S-P-I-R-E coaching model?

Stage 1: A –“Define your Aspirations”

During stage 1, the client defines his/her Aspirations, goals, personal vision, hoped-for-future.

This is an essential step at the beginning of the coaching journey to explore what the client really wants to achieve and that is at the core of the coaching agreement with the client.

Example of tools the coach could use:

• Wheel of life: the purpose of this tool is to rank clients’ level of satisfaction in various life areas or professional areas in a visual way. This visual representation helps the coach and the client get an understanding of where the gap lies between the client’s current situation and the client’s aspirations. The wheel of life highlights two things: 1) the priorities of the clients: what’s most important to them? 2) the areas that need more attention to reach deeper level of fulfillment. At this stage the focus is to look at the desired wheel of life to capture the aspirations.
• Visualization: this is a powerful tool for goal setting. Whilst visualizing, the clients will imagine the future where they have already achieved their goals. They will hold a mental picture of it as if it were occurring right at that moment, engaging all five senses and capturing as many details as possible.
• Value exercises: there is a number of ways to determine the values of the client. As an example,the coach can ask the clients to pick the values that resonate with them from a list provided to them. Then they group the similar values in five big groups and choose one word within each grouping that best represents the label for the entire group. That exercise is a great way to check with the clients that their aspirations are in line with their values.

Overall the purpose of those tools is to help the clients identify what is important and what the hoped-for future looks like.

Examples of questions the coach could ask are:

• What would you like to achieve through coaching?
• What will success look like to you?
• What brings you satisfaction?
• What vision do you have for your life when it reaches its pinnacle?
• What are your most important goals and dreams?
• What regrets would you have if you were to die tomorrow?
• Imagine you have achieved your goals:How will your life be different?how will you feel & what will you do?
• How will you know you have succeeded?

Stage 2: S –“Situation, Strengths, where you Stand”

The purpose of stage 2 is to identify what is and help the client become aware of it:

• Exploring the Situation surrounding the clients in the context of their aspirations. What is missing?
• Understanding the clients’ Strengths:what the clients are great at and how that could help them achieve their goals
• Where the client is Standing: understand their behaviours, their personality, their style and how that affects others.

Example of tools the coach could use:

Wheel of life: At stage 2 the focus is to look at the current wheel of life and compare it to the desired wheel of life to identify the gaps and imbalances.

Strength Finder is a useful tool that could be used to help the clients become more aware of their strengths. The more they know how to use their strengths and use them, the more fulfilled they are and will reach their aspirations.

In the CliftonStrengths online talent assessment. That one-hour assessment helps the clients discover what they naturally do best, learn how to develop their greatest talents and to live being at your best.

Other psychometric tests like behavioral profiling and personality profiling assessments, 360 assessments could be very useful in the context of working in teams and improving performance. A few examples are DISC, Myers Briggs, Enneagram.

Examples of questions the coach could ask:

• What are the gaps versus your aspirations?
• What are your feelings about your current situation?
• What are you great at? How can this help you to achieve your goals?
• What is missing?

Stage 3: P – Plan:the Path forward

During stage 3, the coach partners with the client to generate options and possibilities to move forward. As a result, the client starts identifying the path forward and outlining the plan to get closer to their aspirations.

Examples of questions the coach could ask are:

• What skills and knowledge do you need to achieve your goals?
• How will your strengths help you to achieve your goal?
• What structures do you need to put in place to be successful?
• What else do you need to achieve your goals?
• If you had no limitations how would you move forward?
• What is the first action you can take towards your goal?
• How could you break down the goal into smaller goals?

Stage 4: I – Identify the obstacles

During stage 4, the coach partners with the client to identify what could come in the way. It is critical to pinpoint the challenges so the plan could be revised accordingly.

Examples of questions the coach could ask are:

• How many times have you tried to achieve your goal?
• What has stopped you from achieving your goal and what is stopping you now?
• What needs to change so that you can achieve your goal?
• What would happen a year from now if nothing changes?
• How do you treat yourself when you hit setbacks?
• Who are your biggest invalidators? And why?
• What are the limiting beliefs that are preventing you from moving forward?

Stage 5: R – Review & Revise the plan

Once the obstacles are identified stage 5 is about reviewing and revising the plan to overcome those obstacles.

Here are two examples:

1/ If at stage 4, some gaps in skills and knowledge are identified and those are required to obtain a desired promotion at work, it is important to explore how the clients could build an action plan to get the required training, learning and experience. Those tactics could then be integrated into the overall plan.

2/ If at stage 4, a limiting belief is identified: the client thinks she is not good at connecting with people and connecting with people is a prerequisite to perform in her new job then that limiting belief needs to be explored and in partnership with her coach, she can identify tactics to replace that belief with one that will help her achieve her goal. In this instance, the coach could use the power tool positive thinking versus negative thinking developed by Marie Holive.

Examples of questions the coach could ask are:

• What do you need to add to your plan to overcome those obstacles?
• What support systems could you put in place to keep you on track?
• What resources do you have that will assist you in accomplishing your goals?
• That limiting belief is coming in the way. What is true about it today?
• What do you need to replace that limiting belief with to move forward?
• How is this new awareness about obstacles changing your plan?
• What elements does your plan need to be executed successfully?
• What has worked in the past in similar situations?
• What and who will sustain you if things get rough? What is the best way to trace your journey, so you know you are moving in the right direction?

Stage 6: E – Empower yourself, Execute the plan, Evolve

Having a solid plan is essential but it is not the same as executing it. During stage 6, the final stage of the coaching journey the coach partners with the clients so they give themselves the means to move into action.

The E stands for “Empower yourself, Execute the plan and Evolve” the aspirations and the plan as needed. Indeed, having the right mindset and attitude is instrumental to implement the plan. Regarding the execution, it is important to check on progress and celebrate small wins so the coach can ask questions around that and acknowledge the clients for the progress made. Finally “Evolve” because often the client will need to stay flexible with the plan and aspirations, adapt to new situations and obstacles so the coach can partner with the client to revisit some of the steps along the new journey that begins.

Examples of questions the coach could ask are:

• What keeps you motivated?
• What do you need to move into action?
• What can you set up before kicking off your plan so you can get the best out of the journey ahead?
• What mindset do you need to keep going?
• How is it going? What is working and what is it not?
• How do you feel looking at what you’ve achieved so far?
• How do you feel looking at your plan now?
• What has changed since you started moving into action?
• What have you learned about yourself?
• What are your wins since we last talked?

Please note that the coaching model ASPIRE is about rising up to a great plan, fulfilling a meaningful mission. It is internal motivation, but it is also the first step towards INSPIRE as a leader: what we aspire to stirs inspirations in others to join in and we are open to be inspired. It is the fuel of our aspirations. I strongly believe that ASPIRE and INSPIRE are meant to work together.

As an Executive Coach, once individuals have developed their aspirations, and aspire to meaningful, purpose-filled goals, I then help them reflect on how to inspire others as a leader to accomplish even greater things. With aspiration, they see what can be achieved. With inspiration, they energise people around them to make it possible. This is when magic happens!

 

<<Find out more about how to create your own Coaching model at ICA>>