Coaching Tip: Create a Toolbox of Clippings

Originally Submitted on 5/17/99.

Introduction

Develop a *tool box* of clippings that contain ideas, techniques, and book references, with a folder for each of the many client issues that you meet frequently.

The Coaching Tip

Well-trained coaches already have, as part of their training materials, a ready made tool-box of techniques and procedures for many of the client issues that they will encounter. However, this is a resource that can and should be constantly supplemented.

To develop your tool-box, if you don't already have one, set up a series of file-folders labeled with the issues that are raised most frequently by your clients. Examples may include problems at work, being disorganized, not having enough time, difficulty in relationships, and so on. Then, as you read, get into the habit of clipping useful articles and dropping them into the appropriate folder. If you find something relevant in a book, make a note of the title and page number, and drop that into the file-folder also.

Next time you are preparing for a session with a client, pull the folder relating to that client's most pressing issue and glance through it for inspiration before the call (or meeting). Of course, these folders should not supplant the materials you got in your training, but they can be a useful supplement. We can never stop learning.

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