When you’re first learning to coach, we all learn that a good coach can coach a client on pretty much any topic.  The norm in coach training is that the coach will start the conversation with, “What would you like to talk about?” and then the client could come back with any variety of issues: parenting, health, a personal goal, a work project, their own development, etc.  This is what I call “free-range” coaching – the coaching relationship can roam from one issue to another and the coach needs to be adaptive enough to coach on a wide variety of issues.  In fact, if you can’t coach with this kind of flexibility, you’re not a very good coach (IMO).

Most coaches who actually make a living from coaching have very few free-range clients.  Why?  Because most people who are willing to invest $100+ per hour for coaching have a clear and present issue on which they want to focus.  Free-range coaching tends to be well-suited for folks who want to fine tune their life – tweaking a relationship this week, working on their physical fitness for a few sessions, and then maybe getting some insight on a big decision.

One alternative to free-range coaching is what I call framework coaching.  With this approach, the coach brings a bit of expertise to the coaching issue. The coach doesn’t tell the client what to do (that wouldn’t be coaching!), but the coach does have a framework or model that is relevant to the client’s big agenda.  In the same way that a coaching conversation model (e.g., GROW, Hourglass, or Steps of a Coaching Conversation) frames up a single coaching conversation, a coaching relationship framework provides structure, direction, and support for addressing a client’s topic.  While a conversation model can support pretty much any coaching issue, a coaching framework is specific to a client’s situation.

Maybe some examples will help.  Here are three:

• Leadership Coaching. The framework I use with my leadership coaching clients moves through five stages: identity (Who am I?), family (Who’s with me?), discipline (What do I need to say yes/no to?), power (How do I need to show up?), and blessing (What is my impact?).  Within each of these stages, there are specific coaching tools and issues we address.  I draw out the client’s expertise and resourcefulness to create new awareness within the focus for a particular stage.
• Discipleship Coaching. I’ve seen several frameworks used in faith formation.  One such framework is the ConneXions Model by Tim Fearer. Using this framework, the coach invites the client to identify a topic related to five areas essential to Christian growth (Christ, character, competencies, calling, and community).  Then the client states the context of the topic and an outcome they want for the topic.  The coach offers categories of discipline that can support the growth of this trait: scripture (engaging with God), relational (engaging with others), experiential (engaging in real-life situations), and instructional (engaging with truth).  The client identifies the action(s) in each of the four categories that will best support her/him in addressing the topic.
• Career Coaching. Clients who are entering the workforce or considering a career change can benefit from a coach who offers a framework that shrinks this somewhat overwhelming set of issues down to a manageable process.  I don’t have a go-to framework for this area of coaching, but I have been trained in a helpful model (IDAK Career-match).  Knowing the factors that contribute to a successful career is an important and valuable aspect of any career coaching framework.  A simple career coaching framework might start by assessing the client’s values, talents, and interests.  In my opinion, knowing the values that most strongly impact a career match would be the “secret sauce” of a career coaching framework.  Assessments of personality and high performance patterns could also be helpful in determining what kind of work environment will be suit the client.  The framework could move from internal assessment to external investigation (what careers are available) and note any gaps between what preferred career requires and the client’s current capacities.  The coaching could conclude by supporting the client through the job search process while remaining motivated and aligned with what the assessments revealed.

A coaching framework is powerful in three ways:

• First, a framework naturally aligns with a coaching niche. Instead of coaching anybody on anything, you coach specific people who are dealing with a specific issue that is already important to them.  This makes marketing and new client development much easier because it focuses your non-coaching efforts such as workshops, writing, and networking.
• Second, a framework boosts confidence. To be an effective coach, you must be confident.  I like to say that confidence is like a dimmer switch on your competence.  You must be confident in your ability, in the client, and in the coaching process.  A framework touches on all three of these, amplifying your confidence and adding value to your clients.
• Third, a framework serves the client. Your client doesn’t necessarily want coaching – he or she wants the value that coaching provides, which is the resolution of an issue.  Using a framework supports the client’s efforts by helping him or her focus energy and resourcefulness in ways that are most useful.  A framework is a sort of “best practice” for the client’s issue within which the client can find a distinct and tailored solution without having to reinvent the wheel.

Do you use a framework in your coaching?  If so, other coaches could benefit from learning about it.  Please tell us about it in the comment section.