108 50 TOPEXECUTIVECOACHES
tell everyone to share and discuss the answers. The conversation is made rig-
orous by a series of consulting-type questions: “ Why will you do that?” “How
will you measure it?” “How will you know if you’ve been successful?” Out of
those answers comes greater clarity and a further refinement of the goals and
action steps. The results are written down on an action-planning form. Then,
we go onto the next in the ser ies of 12 thinking exercises.
The experience is like going around a darkened house and turning on the
lights, one by one. By the time people have gone through the first session, all
the lights are on. Suddenly, they are able to think clearly about the things that
they are doing now that they wouldn’t be doing other wise. When they con-
sider that question, there’s almost always something in place that is a major
clog in the drain of their lives. By the time they come back for the next ses-
sion, they’ve broken up their partnership, started a new business, reorganized
their lives, increased their income, and gotten rid of their headaches.
Once the drain has been unclogged, people are ready for the higher work. I
have a seven-step process for examining the areas of their life, which we fol-
low in logical sequence. First, we determine true values. People know that
they have general values, but they also have values specific to areas of their
lives. We have values with our families, with our communities, and with our
work. We even have values specific to our colleagues and customers. Second,
we look at personal vision. I encourage people to imagine that they have a
magical wand. What would each area of their lives look like in perfect form in
three to five years? People think of how much money they would be earning,
how much time they would be spending with their families, and so on. Then, I
ask people to think about their goals. Goals are tangible things that must be re-
alized to achieve vision. Even though the soft side of life, such as relationships
and family, is ultimately more important, I keep bringing people back to their
business and work because I believe that it is more quantifiable and improve-
ments in those hard areas lead to dramatic improvements in the softer areas.
After goals come skills. What specific skills will they need to develop or
improve to achieve their goals? There’s a skill connected to every goal. The
reason people haven’t achieved a goal is because they have not yet developed
that skill to a high enough degree. Most people think, “I am what I am.” I tell
them to get over that. To allow yourself to be held back because you lack an
eminently learnable skill is a terrible waste.
From skills, we move on to qualities or habits. What qualities will you need
to develop these skills? In reality, all fundamental change occurs when we de-
velop certain qualities. We might need to become more disciplined, func-
tional, respectful, or patient. If these are qualities of personality and
character that are absolutely essential, what activities would you need to