Coaching Model: RCS Leadership

A Coaching Model Created by Todd Mauney
(Business Coach, USA)

This is an iterative yet dynamically evolving process primarily focused on coaching a business leader/executive. The overall model illustrates three dimensions always at play:

1. The thinking world, illustrated by the center wheel, identifies three central and critical drivers of personal change and transformation always evolving:

• Self-Awareness - one’s desire and ability to learn about themselves. The coaching process is always looking to increase and leverage self-awareness to create positive transformation and change.
• Beliefs & Values – what one believes and values shapes their judgments and decisions which effect their behavior and subsequent results. Clarifying these beliefs and values allows us to make conscious decisions about whether we want to continue holding on to them or consciously adopt new empowering beliefs and values with which we can align goals and behaviors.
• Personal Commitment – the backbone of change and transformation is one’s willingness to make commitments to themselves and others, including the coach. Commitment shows deliberate intention and a desire to move forward.  Without adequate commitment, change and transformation will likely stall.

2. The behavioral world, illustrated by the outer wheel, shows an iterative process to move from where the leader is currently are to where they want to be as a result of the coaching. This is a 5 step process with each header beginning with “A” to make it easier to remember.

Step 1:  Assessing their current reality

• Internal Reality – I typically use assessments to raise awareness around the individuals thinking and behaviors. This awareness empowers the individual to shift from limiting to empowering perspectives.  It also provides the leader a framework which allows them to better manage their thoughts and behaviors to improve results.  Lastly, we recognize strengths to leverage and potential weaknesses or blind spots which could be slow them down or prevent them from achieving their desired results or outcomes.
• External Reality – through this initial coaching phase we are also looking at the context in which the leader finds himself/herself. The context ranges from the people they work with, their office environment, the business culture and even the industry they’re working within to begin sorting out how these contexts impact the leader and vice versa.
• From this step, we can now begin to identify areas of satisfaction and strength as well as areas of opportunity, where something is missing, there’s a lack of satisfaction or a desire for something more. This defines the critical “gaps” for coaching.

Step 2:  Aim for the desired outcome or results

• Once we know the critical gaps from step 1, we can then turn them desired outcomes and/or results.
• These targeted outcomes and results must pass the SMART litmas test to determine if they’re specific enough to take action on, measurable to acknowledge progress, actionable where they have adequate control, realistic enough to believe and time bound to manage action steps.
• We will also frame these goals so they can stay top of mind and measured.

Step 3:  Align the goals with the leader’s values, context, plan and commitment.

• If the goals are not aligned with the leader’s values, they will inevitably be working against mental resistance. Their values become barriers for achievement.  We either reframe the beliefs or change the goals to align with the beliefs.
• Context plays a critical role in that achieving the goals will more likely happen with aligned people, resources and environment.
• Goals must also be aligned with a plan of action. Without some plan of action to substantiate the viability of the goals, the leader will likely lose faith and enthusiasm and will most certainly find themselves stuck lacking clear next steps.
• Lastly there must be an alignment of the goals with the commitment needed to pursue them. If the commitment is not there, we’ve essentially allowed the leader to set themselves up for failure.

Step 4:  Action is an absolutely essential ingredient to move forward and towards the desired outcomes.

• Creating a clear plan with projects, tasks and assigned accountabilities.
• Establishing a cadence of accountability means creating clear ownership of goals, timelines for achievement and a communication strategy for reporting on results.
• In addition to “one and done” projects, tasks and action items, we also must work on repetitious behaviors or habits. Habits allow us to create unconscious competencies making achievement more efficient.

Step 5:  Achievement is the ultimate objective, whether incremental or the desired outcome. Both must be acknowledged and celebrated.

• Acknowledging the small successes (lead metrics) in pursuit if the bigger goals (lagging metrics) will be important to maintain enthusiasm, motivation and perseverance. Achievement is often about building momentum.
• Achieving the bigger goals builds confidence and establishes a more clear return on investment for leaders, particularly in business.
• Celebration is essential to anchor the emotions of achievement, to create a compelling desire and courage to stretch for higher potential. It creates the emotional fuel for the achievement vehicle, the individual leader as well as the team.  

3. The coaching relationship, illustrated by the yellow background, suggests a cloaking of the entire process in the context of a relationship with the coach based on trust and accountability, also considered support.