Focus Question: What questions will open up the space for EXPLORATION, FOCUS, CLARITY, INSIGHT or ACTION?
 
Description
Influence in the remote space can be a more powerful skillset than leadership. Our ability to have great conversations while working with others is critical for success. This entails supporting people to do their best work, when we might not be able to see their context. With that in mind, coaching becomes an essential modality and skillset for remote professionals at all levels. Coaching can take many forms and at its essence it is a partnership between two or more people where the coach helps the person being coached gain clarity, and support action around their key goals.
 
In the remote space, coaching may take place between a boss and their direct reports, or even two peers.
 
Questions are the heart of great coaching, and in the original core coaching competency framework of the International Coaching Federation, questions may “evoke discovery, insight, commitment or action”. 

Questions are the heart of great coaching, and in the original core coaching competency framework of the International Coaching Federation, questions may “evoke discovery, insight, commitment or action”.
 
In any conversation it can be useful to focus on questions that are:

• Short and to the point- 5-6 words each
• Focused on the topic at hand
• Asked one at a time. When we ask more than 1 question people don’t know which one to ask first
• Often start with a WHAT? How questions will point someone to how to do something – process. WHY questions will point to what’s important about the topic.

Some of my favorite coaching questions can be found in this short video – link to 20 Coaching Questions on my Youtube channel.

As I wrote in a 2017 article on Questions and Team and Group Coaching it’s also important to:
1. Keep them short, concise and to the point. Often the most powerful questions are often only 5-6 words in length
2. Adjust your questions according to the styles and preferences of the person involved
3. Provide an opportunity to focus, identify options and possibilities, to expand awareness, or to facilitate action
4. Notice any biases in our questions. Where are your questions focusing – at the 30,000-foot view OR in the weeds, around action AND awareness?
5. Use the language of the client and watch for “coach-ese” or coaching jargon.
(Reference: Britton, 2017. Questions and the Group and Team Coaching Process) 

Activity
Consider how you can incorporate the key points of today’s session. Make a list of 20 different questions you’d like to draw upon in upcoming conversations.
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For more on this topic check out: My 2013 book – From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching. You will find more about the topic of scaling the coaching conversation to more than one person in the book.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Focus Question: What are the tasks which you need to let go of and have others complete?

Description
There’s usually never enough time to get things done in our work. One area which most professionals struggle with is delegation. This is particularly challenging when working in the remote space as we need to be even more specific and strategic in what we can delegate, to whom and what it can look like.

Delegation is successful when we are clear about the task that needs to be completed, when we ensure that the person doing has the resources and authority to get it done, and that we also follow up regularly with the task.

Throughout the last three decades of my career, in teams large and small, intact, and remote, I’ve found delegation to be a growth edge for everyone – leaders and team members alike.
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In the spirit of keeping things simple, I have had people reflect on the 5Ws and an H of delegation as they think about:

• WHAT they want to delegate?
• WHO has the skills to do it?
• WHEN can they do it? What are key milestones towards project completion? When will you get things done?
• WHERE can the person being delegated to go for information and resources?
• WHY? What’s important about this task? What does the person need to know about WHY the task needs to be completed on time, with accuracy etc. Provide context around this.
• HOW can they do it? What are some of the key steps and resources required? Are there specific decision points they need to be aware of?

Using these questions as a conversation prompter can be valuable in terms of making sure that delegation is successful for everyone.

Activity
Today I am inviting you to take stock of all the things that are on your plate. As you consider past focus areas like the 80/20 Rule, what do you notice about where you are getting your impact and results in your work? You may recall that the 80/20 Rule – also known as Pareto’s Principle - indicates that we tend to get 80% of our impact from approximately 20% of our efforts.
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Key Tasks I need to do (or delegate):
Identify one or two tasks you would consider delegating. Using the following chart, work through the associated questions:

Best wishes, 
​Jennifer

Focus Question: What have you achieved so far this year?

Description
What a year! This week you are encouraged to take stock of what you have been working on and achieving this year.

I’m going to borrow from last year’s mid-point check in which I shared as part of the 52 Weeks PDT series:

This week you are encouraged to block off time to take stock of your achievements. First, review your annual plan. You may want to include some information around these questions:

• What have you achieved so far?
• What new items do you want to add?
• What can you check off your list?
• What have been key lessons since the start of the year (or the 52 weeks)?
• What’s different about you/your business?
• What’s really important for you to focus on in this last half of the year?
• By the end of the 52 weeks, I want to be sure I….

Creating intentional pause points is an important part of any coaching and learning process. Being able to stop and reflect is also critical for business success.
 
While we can keep on doing, are we doing the right things which have impact? What is working and what is not?
 
This is the premise of the Virtual Retreats I host throughout the year in the PlanDoTrack series, as well as the month end reflection and monthly planning hacks.

Activity
Use this as a time to focus in on what you have achieved in the first half of the year.

​Questions you might want to reflect on are:
1. What's important about achieving or completing this goal? (Coaching Note: As we know as coaches, it can be useful to reconnect with the 30,000-foot view and WHY the issues are important. As you step back - or step up - to look at this, what new energy and ideas are generated?)
2. What is the quickest way to achieve it? What's another way? And another way? (Coaching note: as we often see, generating alternative solutions can be invaluable and spur us on to more complete solutions.)
3. What shiny, red objects have shown up? Which are causing a distraction?
4. What's most important to you in your business right now?
5. Who can provide the support and resources you need to be successful?
6. What do you need to say NO to in order to focus on your goal?
7. When did you last pause to take stock (and TRACK) where things were at?
8. What's going to create some momentum for you?
9. What are you doing to note, and celebrate, milestones (and learning) along the way?

Best, 
Jennifer
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These were questions I included in September 2018: https://www.coachingbusinessbuilder.com/blog/less-than-100-days-to-go-in-2018-what-do-you-want-to-focus-on

​Jennifer Britton
Co-host of the Remote Pathways Podcast
Potentials Realized – Coaching, Training and Consulting Services for remote teams, leaders and professionals 
 
Check out the most recent Remote Pathways Podcast Episode, where we explore the people, places and processes of exceptional remote work. You can listen to the latest episode here, or on your favorite podcast player.

Focus Question: What’s important to note about your work right now?

Description
Every quarter, I’ll be including a pause point to undertake a quarterly checkpoint. In addition to weekly and monthly planning, it can be valuable to spend time doing some quarterly planning. Looking across your goals and achievements over a three-month period, can provide a different perspective.

Activity
Earmark 30 – 60 minutes to undertake your Q1 checkpoint. If you prefer to do this in the company of others, consider joining me for a quarterly planning session.
Grab a pen and your planner or journal. You may wish to set a timer, giving yourself 3-5 minutes to reflect on and capture your thoughts around each of these questions.

Note the following:

• What have you accomplished?
• What are the things which are still needing to get done?
• What has been your key learning over time?

 
Over the last three months ask yourself:

• What are the patterns you are noticing?
• What has shifted?
• What has stayed the same?
• What are you surprized about?
• What are you doing to leverage your strengths?
• What strengths are becoming overmagnified?
• What habits are helping you? What habits do you want to put more attention around?

 
Note your programming and/or services deliver. Ask yourself:

• Where have you been spending your time?
• What have you done to prioritize? What’s working and what’s not?
• How much volume of work have you been completing?

 
For more on this topic check out:
PlanDoTrack – Quarterly Planning Section
Remote Pathways New Guide – Quarterly Checkpoint (Day 30)

Enjoy your reflections!
​Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Co-host of the Remote Pathways Podcast
Potentials Realized – Coaching, Training and Consulting Services for remote teams, leaders and professionals 
 
Check out the most recent Remote Pathways Podcast Episode, where we explore the people, places and processes of exceptional remote work. You can listen to the latest episode here, or on your favorite podcast player.
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Focus Question:  What type of peer support could you benefit from? What are you curious about learning about from your peers? (Knowledge, resources, tricky issues, hacks etc.?)
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Description
Peer support is an often-underutilized component of any learning process inside, and outside, of organizations.

Peer support can take many forms:

Learning partners – Partnerships can be formed with members of the same team or different teams to provide a wider view of the work, role industry and/or organization,  Learning partners may be assigned specific questions that they explore together so they can learn more about each other’s roles, processes, skills etc.  Learning partners can also be used as part of larger training, with partners meeting in between modules to support each other’s implementation of skills.

Job Shadowing – This involves spending time with others and following them through day-to-day operations. Job shadowing provides a “birds-eye view” of how tasks are done.

Action Learning Groups – Groups of peers may come together and work real-time on current challenges and opportunities in an organization.

Peer Coaching – Connected with other learning initiatives, small groups of peers may come together for discussion, sharing and learning about what’s working, what’s possible and what’s challenging with their work and/or their role.
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What else might be possible?

Activity
Consider the different opportunities you have in place for more peer learning and support.
What are the things you are curious about?

• How people do things? (i.e. organizing, systems, relationships, etc.)
• What people do and what they are responsible for?
• How they approach tricky issues?
• What resources they would recommend?

For more on this topic check out:
PlanDoTrack – Quarterly Planning Section and related questions.
Effective Virtual Conversations – chapters on peer learning.

Wishing you the best, 
​Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton
Co-host of the Remote Pathways Podcast
Potentials Realized – Coaching, Training and Consulting Services for remote teams, leaders and professionals 
 
Check out the most recent Remote Pathways Podcast Episode, where we explore the people, places and processes of exceptional remote work. You can listen to the latest episode here, or on your favorite podcast player.
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