Posted on December 11, 2008 by Christina

So you’ve been coaching with your partner for a few weeks now, and you’ve noticed a pattern. While the energy is great during the coaching sessions, your partner has not been completing all of their commitments. What can you, as a coach, do to help them complete all their commitments?

Step 1: Identify why they are not completing their commitments.

Step 2: Brainstorm solutions with your partner.

Here are some common reasons why people do not complete their commitments and potential solutions:

1. Trying to do too much – Sometimes we get so excited about our goals that we try to do everything all at once. We end up overestimating the amount of things we can get done in between each coaching session. If your partner is trying to do too much between coaching sessions, help them prioritize the most important things and help them realistically figure out how much they can accomplish in a week.

2. Goals are not a priority – Has your partner repeatedly not finished their commitments for a specific goal? if so, then maybe this goal is just not a high priority goal for them right now. That’s not a problem, we often have many goals in life and we focus on completing a few of them at a time. This just might be a signal to re-prioritize your partner’s goals. In the process of re-prioritizing their goals, your partner will either feel a renewed commitment to this goal, or they will decide that this goal is just not a high priority right now and they can work on it later.

3. Can’t remember their commitments – If your partner is having trouble remembering their commitments, there are a couple of things you can do to help them. You could print off a copy of your partner’s commitments for them. Or, if you’re partner users an electronic or paper-based day planner, then suggest that they schedule time during their week to complete their commitments.

4. Individual commitments are too large – Sometimes we commit to a huge task without realizing that it is a series of smaller tasks. For example, say your partner committed to setting up an automatic savings plan, and then when they went to complete the task they realized that there are a series of steps involved in completing the task: a. decide how much money to save b. decide how frequently they will save money c. go to the bank and request for an automatic savings plan. You can avoid this problem by helping your partner break down their commitments into small steps as you create their commitments during the coaching session.

Good luck and Happy Coaching!

Christina