The 5 Rs I referenced in yesterday’s blog entry (relate, reflect, refocus, resource and review) can also apply to the coaching relationship in a more macro sense. You build more of the relationship on the front end, you reflect to determine goals for the coaching relationship, you refocus to consider solutions, you resource to figure out a way to get there, then you review your progress at the end of the coaching relationship.
In a sense, the 5 Rs put a map in front of you. That map can be a bit disorienting at first until you figure out where you are and what the major landmarks are. But then when you clarify that and determine where you’re going, suddenly the map is immensely helpful. You can use it to chart a course.
Now in coaching relationships, we’re explorers. We don’t have detailed maps. We may have general information about the terrain we’re dealing with… mountains over there, a river somewhere through the middle. The map is a bit sketchy and we can adapt it as we go. But it does provide clarity in terms of a general direction.