Coaching Model: DRIVE

A Coaching Model Created by Rachel Loock
(Leadership and Career Coach, UNITED STATES)

You’re in the Driver’s Seat ~ Where Will You Go?

Introduction

As a leadership and career coach, I am passionate about helping my clients reach their goals and be the best they can be within their organizations and their careers. I partner with my clients to advance their story and be better than they were before. Whether the client wants to become a more effective leader, lead from where they are, and/or make a career transition, I am their collaborator in this journey.

By creating a safe, confidential, and supportive environment, I provide a space where the client can discover, explore, and clarify their professional and career aspirations, goals, and challenges, with an advocate and a resource, without fear of judgment.

As facilitator and partner, I support the client in their journey to achieve positive outcomes and reach their destination. Through a combination of active listening, being fully present, dancing in the moment with the client and asking powerful questions, we build a trusting, working relationship that aids the client in value clarification, learning, goal setting, and personal growth.

Establishing the Coaching Relationship

At the very beginning of the coaching relationship, to clarify expectations on both sides, coach and client will also sign a coaching agreement that addresses what coaching is (and isn’t), maintaining client confidentiality, the number of coaching sessions agreed upon, fee, length, frequency, meeting place (e.g., in person, via phone, or Skype, etc.) and any other parameters agreed upon by coach and client. An assessment of whether the client and I will be a good coaching match will also be determined. If the client seeks consulting, counseling or therapeutic services, or a different type of coach, I will make a referral as appropriate. This remains constant throughout the coaching relationship. If at any time it becomes apparent that the client would benefit from the services of another professional (e.g., psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, another coach, lawyer, accountant, etc.), I will make the appropriate referral.

To start the coaching process, the client will provide basic background (e.g., employment, education, professional and career goals, strengths, areas for growth, etc.) and contact information through the completion of an intake form.

Prior to each session, the client will also provide information about what they hope to gain from coaching and, if applicable, past experiences with coaching. A pre-session intake form (completed by the client prior to each coaching session) will be utilized help the client identify actions completed agreed upon in the previous session, successes and challenges in the time frame leading up to the session, areas the client wants to work on during upcoming coaching session.

The DRIVE Model

The DRIVE model is the framework I utilize in the leadership and career coaching provided to my clients. The DRIVE model pulls from theories and interventions from cognitive behavioral coaching (Beck, Ellis, Neenan and Dryden), positive psychology (Seligman), and the Co-Active Coaching Model (Whitworth, Kimsey-House, and Sandahl). The model also is constructed under the premise that real change and personal growth begins with a change in thinking or perspective.

In each step of the DRIVE framework there are questions for coach and client to explore, and from that exploration, co-create an action plan. While there is generally a linear direction to the process, depending on the client’s self-awareness and aspirations, there will be detours and curves in the road as the client moves back and forth between steps as they gain more self-knowledge and awareness in pursuit of their goals. In each phase of the process, there are examples of coaching techniques and tools described that may be used with the client. Questions listed below are provided for the sake of example (and not all inclusive) and will be used as appropriate, depending on the client’s agenda and goals. Not all questions will be utilized with all clients. Assessments will be used as appropriate to clarify values, identify strengths and areas for growth.

Destination

Vision/Goal – Where do you want to go?
What are your leadership/career goals?
What is the dream?
What is possible?
What does it look like when you get there?
What is the change that needs to take place?
What are some of the negative thoughts that are holding you back?
What’s the first step?
How will you know when you’ve arrived?

Reality

Examine current reality and explore options driving forward

Brainstorm possibilities/explore routes that will lead you to your destination
What are the bumps in the road (e.g., distorted or unhelpful thinking patterns)?
Where is the path smooth? Where do you flourish ” as a leader and/or in your career?
Interventions that may be used at this point in the coaching process include 1) Three good things, 2) Gratitude visit, 3) Savoring, 4) Reflected best self
How do you see yourself? How do others see you? Who are your advocates?
What is the impact you have on others (as it relates to leadership coaching)?
How can I be a more effective leader?
How can I be more successful (satisfied, impactful) in my career?
How can I translate my skills to the marketplace (as it relates to career coaching)?
Identify your true strengths, talents and values.
What assessment tools are most appropriate (e.g., Values in Action Institute Inventory of Strengths (what do you value), Wheel of Life, MBTI (what energizes you), DISC (how do interact with others), Career Leader (skills, values, interests as they relate to career), Strengths Finder, 360 Feedback, etc.) to aid the client in values clarification and/or enhanced understanding in a desired area of growth, areas of strength, etc.
After identifying these, how can you build upon them, use them to negate a weakness or challenge?
How can I change my thinking around an issue or challenge? Where is my thinking distorted, or where would a new perspective be more empowering?
Identify your weaknesses/challenges – how can these be minimized?
What external or market (in the case of career coaching) factors provide opportunity or threat?

Implement Action plan

Create a road map for your journey.
How can lessons learned from prior successes inform or support future challenges?
Enhancing self-awareness, managing negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, frustration, etc.
Where do you want to be in 6 months, a year, five years? What steps do you need to take now to reach those goals?
Break the journey into smaller SMART goals to reach your final destination.
Identify barriers to achieving goals
Generate alternative options
Leverage your strengths to accelerate the journey, specifically, how can you use your strengths to achieve your goals?
How will you get from point A to point B?
What might be some challenges along the way?
How will you deal with setbacks and obstacles along the way?
How would you like me to hold you accountable for the actions agreed upon?

Validate and Reflect

Does the road map align with your values and beliefs?
What’s needed (e.g., energy, regular maintenance) to ensure your goals and actions support your values?
Is the action plan in alignment with the organization’s purpose and objectives, with your goals and values?
Tools to aid in reflection – journaling, meditation, etc.

Evaluate

Did you reach your destination? Celebrate!
Did the path change?
What did you learn?
What can be learned from set-backs?
How are you interpreting the set-back? Can another perspective be utilized?
Where is recalibration and adjustment needed?
What is the road moving forward?
Evaluate the coaching experience via an evaluation form completed by the client

Summary

Concluding the Coaching Relationship

As part of the coaching agreement, the client and I agree to a specified number of coaching sessions. As we move to the end of the coaching relationship the goal is to help the client transition from the coaching relationship to a place where they can coach themselves. Examples of questions to be used in the final sessions to aid the client in making this transition include the following:

What was your greatest takeaway from the coaching relationship?
What supports or structures can be put in place to help in reach future goals, maintain new behaviors?
Create a maintenance plan that includes resources the client can access once coaching has ended.
Determine the resources (e.g., books, web sites, etc.) that will be accessed to support continued learning and growth.

Resources

For additional information about the coaching theories (e.g., positive psychology, cognitive behavioral coaching, Co-Active Coaching, etc.) and assessments (e.g., MBTI, Strengths Finder, DISC, VIA, etc.), referenced in the DRIVE model, please visit the web sites below.
Positive Psychology Center http://www.positivepsychology.org/
International Association of Cognitive Behavioral Coaching http://www.international-coaching.org/iacbc
Co-Active Coaching www.coactive.com/toolkit
Values in Action Survey – Authentic Happiness – University of Pennsylvania https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/
DISC Personal Assessment Tool https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/
Gallup Strengths Finder http://strengths.gallup.com/default.aspx
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) https://www.cpp.com/products/mbti/index.aspx