Coaching Yourself: A Self-Improvement Framework (Part 1)

The Manager Tools Coaching Model

• 💡 The Manager Tools coaching model is a goal-directed, weekly, iterative process designed for self-improvement.
• 🎯 It's presented as a tool to help individuals grow skills without waiting for a boss or formal training.
• ✅ The core idea is to transfer the act of checking progress from a manager to oneself.

Setting a Clear Goal

• 📌 To start, decide on a specific goal for improvement and establish how progress will be measured.
• 🎯 A vague goal like "lose weight" is insufficient; a clear goal needs a deadline, a desired behavior, and a quality standard.
• 🚀 Visualizing the end state and being motivated by it is crucial to avoid letting oneself off the hook.
• ⚠️ The model emphasizes not beating yourself up about the work required, but focusing on the desired outcome.

Defining Your Goal: Deadline, Behavior, and Quality

• 🗓️ Set a realistic deadline, ideally 4-12 months away, to allow ample time for change.
• 🗣️ The behavior should be the actual action you want to improve, not a task related to it (e.g., "not interrupting" rather than "thinking about not interrupting").
• 📈 A quality standard is essential to ensure genuine improvement and avoid loopholes (e.g., not interrupting while contributing at least five times).
• 📝 The goal structure follows a DBQ (Deadline, Behavior, Quality) format, distinct from SMART goals.

Brainstorming Resources for Improvement

• 🗺️ Once the goal is set, the next step is to brainstorm resources that provide information and techniques you don't currently possess.
• 📚 This can include books, online resources like podcasts or forums, or even seeking feedback from peers or recording yourself.
• 💡 The purpose of brainstorming is to explore various paths to improvement, acknowledging that the most effective solution might not be obvious.
• 🧩 It's acceptable to try different resources and techniques, even if they don't immediately yield results, as the goal is to find what works for you.