Help Your Client Identify and Anchor Resources

As a coach, one of your key responsibilities is to help your clients tap into their inner strengths and uncover the resources they possess. Resources in coaching refer to the tools, qualities, and support systems that individuals can draw upon to navigate challenges, achieve their goals, and create meaningful change in their lives. By helping your clients identify and anchor their resources, you empower them to tap into their full potential and achieve the outcomes they desire.

Resources can take many forms, both internal and external. Internal resources include strengths, skills, knowledge, beliefs, values, and experiences. External resources encompass supportive tools, relationships, networks, mentors, opportunities, and other external assets. Recognizing and leveraging these resources is crucial for personal growth and transformation.

In the journey of personal growth and development, it is crucial for clients to understand and harness the resources available to them.

To assist your clients in this process, we offer practical tips that you as a coach can use to guide them towards a deeper understanding of their resources and how to leverage them effectively.

Encourage your client to challenge these negative thoughts and beliefs, and collaboratively reframe their language to be more resource-oriented. Here are some clear and structured steps you can take:

• Identify deficit-oriented language used by the client during coaching conversations.
• Encourage the client to question and challenge these deficit-oriented thoughts and beliefs.
• Collaboratively reframe the language by replacing deficit-oriented terms with resource-oriented terms.

Example: When your client says “I’m not good at…”, subtly insert a “yet” to make them aware. Or, look for exceptions like: “Is it really always like this? Can you think of a situation where you managed…?”

Questions you may ask your client:

• Can you share an example of a recent situation where you noticed negative language in your thoughts?
• How can you reframe your language during challenges to focus on your strengths and available resources?

Guide your client to reflect on their role in those experiences and the strengths they utilized. Here's how you can help your client reframe their past experiences:

• Explore significant past experiences or achievements with the client.
• Help the client reframe the experience by focusing on their accomplishments, growth, and lessons learned.

Example: If a client achieved a challenging goal in the past, the coach can guide them to identify the strengths and strategies they employed to overcome obstacles and succeed, reinforcing their confidence and belief in their abilities.

Questions you may ask your client:

• What thoughts or beliefs held you back during that past experience?
• Can you find a different way to view that experience that opens up new insights or growth opportunities?

Promote a collaborative atmosphere where clients can inspire and support each other. To make this process effective and empowering, you may follow these steps:

• Create a safe and supportive coaching environment.
• Encourage the client to share their achievements, progress, and successes with the coach and, if applicable, in a group coaching setting.
• Facilitate feedback and celebration from both the coach and peers, acknowledging and validating the client's accomplishments.

Example: In a coaching group, invite clients to name strengths they see in their peers. This process can be enhanced by using strengths coaching cards (you may also see this related blog post: Embracing the Power of Appreciation: Recognizing Individual Strengths in a Team).

Questions you may ask your clients:

• What are the unique strengths within this group that contribute to a positive and collaborative team culture?
• How do you think sharing your achievements with them could positively impact them or your relationship with them?

As a coach, you can guide your client towards positive self-perception by engaging them in a self-appreciation exercise. Here are some tips to create a supportive and empowering environment:

• Guide the client to reflect on their recent achievements, strengths, and positive qualities.
• Encourage the client to write down or verbalize self-praise statements, focusing on specific accomplishments and their personal qualities.
• Discuss the self-praise statements with the client, reinforcing their positive self-perception and building self-confidence.

Example: The client can write statements like, "I successfully led a team through a complex project, demonstrating my leadership and problem-solving skills," or "I am resilient and adaptable, as shown by how I overcame challenges in the past."

Questions you may ask your client:

• What unique strengths and qualities do you take pride in possessing?
• Think about a recent positive outcome or achievement. How did your strengths play a role in this success?

We provided below a set of concrete steps that you can take on to guide your clients in this process of exploring and harnessing their resources effectively.

Scenario:

Imagine that your client has just finished explaining their present circumstances and objectives. At this point, you, as their coach, have laid out an array of coaching picture cards right before them.

1. Explore all cards

Encourage your client to take a step back and view the entire deck of image cards before them.

Encourage them to spend enough time carefully examining the images. This process will help them to remind them of all the important resources available that will help them achieve their ultimate goal.

2. Pick a card for every resource



Request your client to handpick three to five image cards that symbolize the vital resources they possess for their journey ahead.

These resources may encompass their unique skills, strengths, or support network, shown well in the chosen cards.

Once they have made their choices, guide them in elaborating on why they've chosen these specific resources and how they can leverage them effectively to achieve their goal.

3. Dive deeper into resource card

Use thought-provoking questions to help your clients explore the chosen cards and recognize their own potential. For example:

”Where exactly in this picture do you see [resource]?”

"Are there other resources you could use that come to mind when you look at the cards?”

“How might the resources you've chosen assist you in overcoming challenges?”

By employing this approach, you facilitate a profound understanding of their resources and how they can strategically apply them to attain success.

After your client has gained a clearer understanding of their existing resources, the steps below will help your client create a visual representation of their journey:

Use image cards to show what your client has and needs to achieve their goal.

Put the starting point, target image, and chosen resource cards in order from left to right. This shows their current state, desired outcome, and the tools they have.

This step helps in identifying the resources they have and the resources they need, making the process of achieving their goal more manageable.

Ask your client to create a collage of the images and let them take it home as a reminder of the resources and support they have to achieve their goal.

This step helps in reinforcing the idea that they have the necessary resources and support to achieve their goal, and can serve as a source of inspiration and motivation.

It also allows your client to have a tangible representation of their goal and the resources they have to achieve it. It also gives them a sense of ownership and control over the process, which can be a motivating factor.

By implementing the methods above with card sets that resonate with your clients, you can create a customized coaching experience that taps into their unique abilities and resources.

At metaFox, we understand the importance of tailoring coaching to suit individual needs and preferences. Scroll over the products below to find what works best for you.