In the workplace I was taught how to use behavioral coaching to help new employees meet goals. This was absolutely an eye opener for me, and I realized that I could apply the technique to other parts of my personal life.
On a basic level, behavioral coaching is a way to encourage an employee to change their behavior by getting them to tell you how they are going to do change, and why, and how they will benefit.
For example, when my nephew was younger he had a habit of tossing his school stuff aside when he got home from school, putting off homework, and then going to bed with a messy room. After a short discussion he concluded that it was in his best interest to keep his school stuff organized and his room tidy because if he had extra time in the morning he could play Minecraft before he got on the school bus, but that didn’t happen if he was running around trying to find his school things, finish assignments, and tidy his room.
Pretty awesome conclusion for an 11-year-old.
However, if you are reading this you are probably not concerned with playing video games before getting on the school bus, so think of something else that you need to do but are in the habit of avoiding, forgetting, or procrastinating.
In the workplace I was taught how to use behavioral coaching to help new employees meet goals. This was absolutely an eye opener for me, and I realized that I could apply the technique to other parts of my personal life.
On a basic level, behavioral coaching is a way to encourage an employee to change their behavior by getting them to tell you how they are going to do change, and why, and how they will benefit.
For example, when my nephew was younger he had a habit of tossing his school stuff aside when he got home from school, putting off homework, and then going to bed with a messy room. After a short discussion he concluded that it was in his best interest to keep his school stuff organized and his room tidy because if he had extra time in the morning he could play Minecraft before he got on the school bus, but that didn’t happen if he was running around trying to find his school things, finish assignments, and tidy his room.
Pretty awesome conclusion for an 11-year-old.
However, if you are reading this you are probably not concerned with playing video games before getting on the school bus, so think of something else that you need to do but are in the habit of avoiding, forgetting, or procrastinating.
Why don’t I bother to do it?
And what can I do about it?
And how will I make that happen?
You can read about my journey to be better at recycling here – and in the comments tell me what you think! Have you tried this self-coaching technique? How did it work?
Rebecca, Naturally 