Professional Development Activity: World-Class Coach
How to periodize your continuing education
This is an activity you can do to put some structure around your continuing education planning. Or, if you manage a team, you can have them complete this activity to bring some clarity to their knowledge and skill gaps.
I call it World-Class Coach.
**If you’re not a coach, you should substitute in the title of your current or desired role.
Before you start, grab a pen and piece of paper.
This article is going to walk you step-by-step through the activity. However, if you’re planning on doing this activity yourself, don’t read the entire article beforehand. Please read and complete Step #1 before reading on.
Step #1
Imagine you get to meet the person who was just voted "World-Class Coach".
“World-class” is defined as: Being among the best or foremost in the world; of an international standard of excellence.
This international title is only given to one coach each year - so getting to meet this person is a big deal!
**If you’re not a coach, substitute in your current or desired title for the word “Coach”
Action: Write down 10 specific behaviors this person would have needed to exhibit in order to receive this award. These behaviors can span all categories - technical knowledge, technical skills, communication, cueing, business management, people management, etc. This list should be as specific as possible to your current or desired role.
Some examples…
“They come prepared with a detailed practice plan organized by the minute.”
“They give critical feedback in a timely manner, and they do it in private.”
“They have X license or certification.”
“When they speak, they don’t use filler words.”
If you’re planning to do this activity yourself, STOP HERE.
COMPLETE STEP #1 BEFORE MOVING ON.
Step #2
Once you have your list of 10 specific behaviors of a world-class coach, you're going to rate yourself on a scale 1-10 for each (and you’re not allowed to choose number 7).
On this scale, "1" represents "I never do this" or "I don't know how to do this" and "10" represents "I always do this" or "I'm an expert at this".
(Optional) If you want to get a more accurate picture of yourself, give your list of 10 behaviors to people you work with and ask them to rate you on a 1-10 scale for each item without choosing the number 7 (same as you did in Step 2).
Step #3
Once you have your ratings, reorganize your list so your lowest rated behaviors are at the top and your highest rated behaviors are at the bottom.
If there's a tie between two or more, organize them based on what you believe to be most important to your future success.
Step #4
For each of the behaviors, write down what category of training you'd need to find in order to increase your self-rating for that specific behavior.
Your categories might include:
On-the-job experience
Formal mentorship
Weekend course
Short-term academic
Long-term academic
If it falls into multiple training categories, list all that apply, but only those you'd willingly pursue (example: If one could fall under long-term academic but you have no interest in going back to school, don't list long-term academic).
Step #5
At this point, you've now identified:
Specific knowledge or skill gaps that directly contribute to your current or desired role
Training categories
Empowered with this information, you can now go find specific experience, training, and education that meets your exact needs.
And when you pursue that continuing education, you'll be more invested because you see how it fits into the bigger picture of you as a professional and your career.
Take it one step further…
If you do this exercise, take a picture of it and share on social media with the hashtag #ftsworldclasscoach to be entered into a raffle to receive one complimentary private communication or presentation skills coaching session with me.
Hit the ‘Like’ button or share your thoughts in the comments below.
The best compliment you can give me is to share this with another coach.
Thanks for reading!