My top coaching tip: use a framework

Lately I've been working as a coach through Creative Bridge, Barclay's Eagle Labs and my own network. I love this work - I've really missed coaching as a line manager.

I've met 35+ people in the last few months and have refined my approach a lot. My number one takeaway as a coach so far? Introducing a framework is such a powerful way to support someone. 

How frameworks help coaching

I use frameworks for two main things:

• To help people understand the situation that they're in, and
• To help people decide what to do next

Using frameworks as a coach or manager

What do I mean by frameworks? Here are some of the problems that I've heard in the last few months:

1. I need to give feedback and don't know how
2. I have a cool product but it's not landing with customers
3. I don't know what to do next with my business
4. I hate the dynamic I'm in with my team members
5. I don't know how to bring my product to market

In each example, we used a framework to approach it:

1. Feedback: the BIFF framework
2. Value prop not landing: Value Proposition Design canvas and the Obviously Awesome positioning framework
3. Business strategy: Business Model Generation framework
4. Team member dynamic: Transactional analysis framework
5. Bringing product to market: Monetizing Innovation framework

If you identify that you're in an unhealthy dynamic at work because you accidentally "parent" everyone, it's much easier to address that problem. If you learn that your business is a two-sided marketplace, it's much easier to find out how others have succeeded and failed. 

My role as the coach

Using frameworks also makes my job easier. It's so tempting as a coach to tell someone what to do, and using these frameworks keeps me right. My job isn't to be the smartest person in the room, it's to be the better-equipped person with a toolbox of frameworks that I can select for this situation. Understanding that has made my jobs as a coach much easier, and much more rewarding.

Being Human At Work

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