Here’s one thing I’ll often do in my coaching relationships when people are feeling overwhelmed or don’t have enough clarity on what to do:
Instead of thinking of all the possible things that we could or should do, let’s articulate the big rocks that need to be addressed. These might be things like “assess our current leadership development system” or “hire a new staff member.” Once we have those big rocks identified, we need to narrow them down. Which of these are most important? Then we go through each of the identified priorities and ask what action steps can be taken right now to move forward within the next thirty days.
Engaging in this process helps people understand their next steps so they can start making progress. It’s helpful so people don’t get lost in seeing the whole huge scope of everything that needs to be done, which can be overwhelming and even paralyzing. They walk away from the coaching session thinking, “I can do these few actions and move forward.” And that helps them gain traction.