Provoke reflection

Want to empower others? Provoke them. Provoke them to reflect.

How does reflection empower? Here are responses from members of Connect2Empower, a professional development network for missionaries in Tokyo. Read More...

To turn a dream into reality, take action

What do you want to do? Things I want to do include living in a cottage in the Lake District. Read More...

Brainstorm your options, then commit to action

You have identified your goal. You’ve thought about what’s currently going on regarding the goal. Now you want to take action to achieve your goal. Good. Read More...

Be aware! Beware! Then, take action

You have established a key goal, one that will make a difference at work and at home. You’re committed to your goal, and you want to take action. Read More...

To clarify something, use "it's this, not this"

Want to clarify something? Make a list of what is is and what it's not. Here's an example what coaching is and is not. Read More...

Up for a challenge?

You are? Good. Try going for 1 hour without asking or thinking a single question. That’s right, not one question. How do you think you’d do? Read More...

Add LIFE to the GROW process

You want to empower others. You want to empower others to focus on their goals, work smart, and pursue their callings. And you have decided to use the GROW process, a 4-step process that moves a person from goal to action. Read More...

Defining goals is pivotal

I believe 3 things about you and about me:
  1. We want our lives to count for God, so we want to effectively use our limited resources.
  2. We want to grow, and we grow as we take responsibility to define our goals.
  3. When we define our goals, we clarify how we want to make our lives count for God and, consequently, how we can more effectively use our limited resources.
Read More...

Ask questions to provoke reflection

Asking questions is an effective way to provoke reflection. Here are 10 questions you can ask: Read More...

Establish a coaching culture

What’s the goal of a coaching culture?
Empowering staff to close the rhetoric/reality gap by using coaching to lead, manage, influence, collaborate, and communicate.

What will you see in a coaching culture?
In addition to staff participating in formal coaching, you will see:
  • More listening, less talking
  • More inquiring, less advising
  • More focusing others on taking SMART actions, less letting others pursue undefined actions
  • More encouraging, less criticizing
  • More empowering others to solve their problems, less solving others’ problems
What benefits does a coaching culture provide for you?
  • More collaboration, less conflict
  • More results, less activity
  • More staff being supported, encouraged, and held accountable to achieve goals; less staff just being assigned goals
  • More focus on the mission, less focus on other good things
  • More smart work, less hard work
  • More pursuit of defined excellence, less pursuit of undefined excellence
What problems can a coaching culture help you address?
  • Low morale
  • Miscommunication
  • Fear of change
  • Underperformance
  • Staff attrition
What factors encourage a coaching culture to start growing?
Leaders and managers supporting a coaching culture by:
  • Getting formal coaching
  • Getting basic coach training
  • Coaching staff members
  • Using coaching throughout each day
  • Talking about how coaching has helped them and the organization
Staff:
  • Getting trained on how to benefit from coaching
  • Getting formal coaching
To begin establishing a coaching culture, take this self-assessment.

Use LIFE to empower people to grow

People want to grow. You want to grow. People you know want to grow. And you can empower them to grow by using LIFE. What’s LIFE? A set of 4 skills. Read More...

Lead by asking

Ask questions to help your colleagues focus, think through problems, and reach their goals. For example, if your colleague wants to increase student understanding and application of a biblical perspective, ask: How can questions help? Read More...

GROWLIFE coaching workshop a success

On March 2, 20 CAJ staff and missionaries attended Close the Gap’s GROWLIFE coach training. Participants learned about, experienced, and used the GROW process (Goal, Reality, Options, Will do) and LIFE skills (Listening, Inquiring, Focusing, Encouraging). Read More...

Use the GROW process to empower people

People you know want to grow. Your family members want to grow. Your work colleagues want to grow. Your fellow church members want to grow.
Read More...

As a Christian coach, what do you believe?

Coaches are not counselors or mentors. Consequently, coaches operate on different beliefs than counselors and mentors. What are my coaching beliefs? I have 4. Read More...