A Coaching Model Created by Tim Jordan
(Executive Coach, UNITED KINGDOM)
STOP, LOOK, LISTEN…AND ACT
Every so often we need to break away from the fast paced, ever moving world we live in and STOP, breathe, relax, reflect and meditate. Just stop what we are so busy doing and give ourselves time to instead think about what we are doing and where what we are doing is taking us.
Everyone is busy surviving, living, working, but once in a while we just need to STOP and think about what we are feeling about the direction we are headed.
Once we stop, it’s time to LOOK. Look at ourselves firstly and evaluate if where we are headed is where we want to go. Look around, look at our personal life, look at our family life, look deeply, not just on a shallow plane, but look honestly at ourselves. Be true to yourself. Explore your thoughts about where you are at in your life.
Once we have stopped and looked, it’s time to LISTEN. Listen to others, ask questions, hear what’s really going on, find out new information, hear new ideas, listen to what works for others and be willing to improve yourself and not be stuck in a rut of what your life is, but rather see it for how you want it to be.
Finally, it’s time to ACT! You have stopped, you have looked and you have listened. You have new ideas, new information, perhaps new goals, maybe new direction, new friends, new feelings, fresh steps you want to take – make a plan to do them and put the plan into action!
This model called “Stop, Look and Listen” can take place in a short amount of time or over a longer period of and depends on the person and what they are looking to obtain from their time and how much time they are able or willing to put into each step of the process. It is a model that can delve deep with someone over time or it can be a model that is used in one coaching session.
This model can also be compared to as the analogy of driving on a high way and coming to a sign that says:
Stop, Look and Listen
This is usually a good moment to follow what the sign says, follow the steps and then proceed in the direction you want to go.
