3 More Ways to Use the Coaching Wheel: Find Calm, Be a Better Parent & Get a Promotion!

In this latest article all about the Coaching Wheel, we explore 3 specific examples of how to use the Wheel of Life in new ways. First is the Calming Wheel, then the Parenting Wheel and finally the "Get a Promotion" Wheel.

See all our Wheel of Life Articles here >>

1) A Calming Wheel for Your Clients

Stress is endemic in modern life. It's easy to use a Blank Life Wheel to help clients make a plan that calms them—and reduces their stress.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. First get clients to identify and label a blank wheel with 8 things that they find calming. Ask something like:
   • What do you do to find calm in life? What do you do regularly to calm yourself?
   • What strategies, actions and techniques do you use?
     • TIP: We're looking for things they can do (or not do!) that calms or helps reduce their stress.
     • TIP: Let clients know these can be things that make them feel better in the moment as well as longer-term habits or activities too.
   • Ask clients to think broadly. If they're struggling to come up with 8 things you can ask them to:
     • Consider the 5 senses (sight/sound/touch/smell/taste).
     • Think back in time: What has worked in the past? What was calming when you were small?
     • Imagine a time recently when you were particularly stressed: What did you do (or not do)?

• TIP: Some clients may not know what calms them and will find it hard to come up with 8 things for the wheel. If so, this is a great coaching opportunity.

2. Once your client has a list of 8 items, next ask your client to score out of 10 how powerful each item is as a stress-reducer.
3. Now review and discuss the resulting scores. Ask questions like:
   • What surprised you?
   • Which technique or strategy do you use most often? Why is this one used the most? How is that working for you (or not)?
   • So which technique works the best and why?
   • What works the least? And why do you think that is?
   • Which technique would you like to do more of? And less of?
   • How could you adapt "calming" item _____ to increase your score?
4. Finally, wrap-up by brainstorming an action plan:
   • Identify 1-3 actions your client can commit to that'll reduce their stress.
   • TIP: This may mean choosing a new core calming strategy!

Get a Free Blank Wheel of Life below:

2) A Parenting Wheel

Use a Blank Coaching Wheel to help clients prioritise which areas of their parenting to focus on.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Ask clients to label a blank wheel with 8 things they consider important to be a good parent.
   • We don't want our clients simply listing the areas they need to improve.
   • Instead what we want here is for them to ponder in a heartfelt way, the 8 things the client thinks make up being a good parent.
   • If it helps, you can ask them to consider what their own parents did well—and didn't do well—when they were growing up.
2. Next, ask your clients them to score how well they think they're doing in each area.
   • IMPORTANT: Ask your clients to be kind and patient with themselves as they consider their scores. This is simply a tool to identify and prioritise areas to focus on.
   • TIP: Do not allow your client to use this as an opportunity to 'judge' themselves! If it helps, ask them to imagine that an extremely kind and understanding parenting expert is doing the scoring.
   • TIP: If necessary, remind clients that being here and working with you is a wonderful example of being a good parent (eg. being willing to learn and wanting to improve!)
3. Review and discuss the resulting scores. Ask questions like:
   • So, as you look at your completed parenting wheel, how do you feel?
   • What surprised you? And what didn't?
   • Which area most needs your attention?
   • And which segment would you be most excited to work on?
4. Finally, develop an action plan.
   • One option is simply to focus on the areas that have the lowest scores. But my recommendation is to choose 3-4 areas to work with:
     • First ask them to choose 1-2 areas with a high score and then ask how they could boost this area they're good at!
     • Then ask them to choose 1-2 areas with low scores, and come up with an action plan to raise these scores as well.

Love this? Get Your Free Blank Wheel of Life below:

3) Get a Promotion at Work Wheel *

Help your clients get that promotion with a Blank Coaching Wheel!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Ask your client to label the wheel "My Promotion Wheel" (or similar).
2. Next ask your client to identify 8 key areas they need to be competent in (eg. knowledge/skills) to get their promotion.
   • TIP: Your client may first need to do some pre-work to identify the skills/knowledge needed for the promotion.
   • This might mean some homework like online research, talking to the HR department and/or their boss and reviewing the job specification.
3. Now ask your client to score how competent they are currently in each area out of 10.
4. Review your client's competency scores and make an action plan.
   • Clarify whether each 'gap' is a skill or knowledge gap. This will help when it comes to choosing actions!
   • As they look at their wheel scores, what most surprises them? Excites them? Scares them?
5. Next, explore action ideas!
   1. If a competence is 7/10 or less:
      • How can they raise their competency levels in the areas where they are 7/10 or less?
   2. If a competency is 8/10 or more:
      • How can they highlight their competence and strengths in these areas where they already excel?
6. Finally make an action plan and identify next steps or actions

* If you like this Promotion Wheel idea, check out our Career Wheel below:

We also turned this popular Promotion Wheel idea into a done-for-you Career Wheel Tool with instructions. Use this exercise to help your clients get a new job or promotion. Now also in our Career Coaching Toolkit!