Power Tool: Purpose vs. Plan

A Coaching Power Tool Created by Jenna Loh
(Career Coach, MALAYSIA)

Overview

Purpose has been defined as the main reason for which something is done or created. A sense of purpose and the ability to be purposeful have been identified as the main drivers behind personal achievement, success and satisfaction. This is evident as more and more coaching methods are now being increasingly employed to evoke the sense of purposefulness in all aspects of our life to generate the higher levels of motivation needed for personal advancement and achievement.

Planning on the other hand has always been all about the details involved in a proposal for doing or achieving something. For example, Planning is very much like looking over a detailed map that outlines the typography of the terrain and the numerous challenges facing the journey from one point to another. In this respect, the Purpose of the journey becomes the deciding factor. Planning is therefore involving the overview and details about the entire process whereas the Purpose will focus on achieving the main objective of the entire exercise.

Introduction

Increasingly as organizations re-invent themselves so as to stay relevant to their customers and stakeholders, people are also similarly caught up with the changes necessary for them to remain relevant to their own careers and lives. In order to plan for a brighter future, more and more people are open to new ways to re-engineer their lives through changes in their mindset and behavior. Most re-engineering involves life-changing processes and in order for these to be successful, they have to be accompanied by behavioral action undertaken by the individual. This is where Purposeful Coaching can be best utilized as the intervention specifically designed to initiate this behavioral change and to impact the individual’s action on their desired outcomes.

Coaching in General

Besides providing the necessary structure and support for individuals to focus on their own objectives, Coaching directly stimulates the individuals to grow themselves beyond their present levels of performance and beliefs, as follows:

• Build a strong personal foundation with personal self-confidence;
• Discover and develop own personal image, vision and core values;
• Develop appropriate goals, strategies, tactics and action plans to break free from repeating patterns of self-denial, self sabotage and introduce disruptive changes to habitual responses which are detrimental;
• Enhance own personal and leadership skills to pursue full commitment towards personal development.

It is mainly because Coaching excites and stimulates the inner self on this journey of self discovery and development that new opportunities become available for personal fulfillment and achievement. This journey confronts both our fears of failure as well as our successes where every step requires us to scrutinize even our natural negative prejudices as well as resist the familiar “pull” from family, friends and co-workers to travel the easy passage back to our previous habitual ways of mediocrity.

Therefore, to create and then to sustain change in the face of so many opposing forces, a powerful and motivating answer is to apply the Purposeful Coaching experience.

The ACE of Purposeful Coaching

Coaching usually begins with self discovery. Allowing the individual to reflect will encourage the freedom of expression where hidden, unhealthy thought-processes will surface very clearly together with any negative beliefs, self- doubts and fears which may have been hindering the individual’s progress in achieving his goals and objectives. The Coach’s presence helps the individual develop the self-awareness and clarity of who he is, what his innermost core values are and where he wants to go. This point of awareness will form the new starting point of a journey of self-development and achievement.

Coaching prioritizes the alignment of the individual towards his own goals and objectives. The Coach uses the tools learnt from ICA to encourage new thought-processes and beliefs that can further support and propel the individual towards the successful accomplishment of his newly-realized goals and objectives. Subsequently, the Coach solicits the continual commitment from the individual to secure his persistence in pursuing his objectives. Coaching therefore commits the individual towards his present moment and underlines the importance of his action NOW to ensure his prosperity in the FUTURE.

Experience breeds courage and the coaching experience also provides many opportunities for bravery especially when life-changing processes are involved. Through coaching, as the individual reviews the progress made so far, he continues to re-commit himself to the entire process of change thereby focus on achieving success with greater resolution. Coaching becomes self-sustaining when progress achieved can in turn fuel determination, perseverance and even effect any changes deemed necessary.

Purposeful Coaching constantly challenges the individual to be firmly committed towards achieving his goals and objectives. In order to fulfill this commitment, the individual needs to be self-disciplined and self-motivated to travel outside his comfort zone and take the necessary risks. The Coaching experience imparts to the individual a strong sense of self-worth, self-awareness and deeper understanding of reality as he learns to listen to himself and thereby live out his life of purpose.

The Purpose of Life is a Life of Purpose. Robert Bryne