Prior to becoming a coach – in my corporate job – I had been in the habit of creating a weekly report to submit to my director that communicated my work activities of the week. I suspected this habit might be helpful to continue when, ten years ago, I began to establish my coaching business. So I decided to incorporate this practice into my own coaching and asked my mentor coach for accountability. This was the beginning of my “Friday Reports.”
My Friday Reports documented my business projects, challenges and accomplishments for the week. Every week I’d submit my report to my mentor coach for accountability. The reports helped keep me focused and highlighted opportunities to celebrate. They became a tool (from coach training, recall the term “structure”) that ensured my moving forward.
This practice illustrates the value of mentor coaching – of coaching in general really. In theory I could’ve written reports and “submitted” them to myself, but I wasn’t likely to do that. The structure established by the coaching relationship fueled the success of my Friday Reports and contributed to propelling me forward.
I’ve passed this tool along to many of my mentor coaching clients and here are a couple of creative ways they have managed their reports:
- One client opens the report document on her computer at the beginning of the week and adds to it throughout the week. On the day she submits her report it is already completed and ready for her to email to me.
- Another client works a four day week. On the first day of her week, she writes the report as she wants to see it completed on the fourth day. (And isn’t this an awesome use of vision-casting and “closing the gap” to achieve that vision!) She refers to the completed report throughout the week and uses it to guide her.
- Friday reports were my thing. I have clients who do Monday reports, Thursday reports, etc. It’s all about what works best for the client, right?
What would your best version of “Friday Reports” look like? How could your version of “Friday Reports” propel you forward?