Looking Behind and Ahead: A Self-Assessment Tool for Coaches

Periodical self-assessment is important for coaches. And what better time to gauge your growth over the past year and set new goals for the year ahead than now. To help guide the process, I’ve created a simple assessment, based loosely on the wheel of life.
Consider taking a half-day retreat and prayerfully answer the questions below:

Faith

1. Spiritual formation and growth is foundational to all that we are and do as Christian coaches. How have you grown spiritually over the last year? What areas of your spiritual life have you neglected?
2. What new spiritual disciplines or practices would honor God and foster growth in the year ahead?

Career

1. Reflect on the last six months of your career. What worked? What didn’t? Are there things you should do more of? Less of? What are you pretending not to know?
2. Look ahead to the first six months of the New Year. How do you sense God leading you in the area of your career? How is God reshaping your business?

Health

1. Looking back at the past year, how well did you steward your health? Did you exercise? Eat well? Reduce stress?
2. As you prayerfully ponder the year ahead, what changes is God inviting you to make? If you’ve been unable to overcome obstacles in these areas in the past, who do you need to partner with to gain the results you want?

Relationships

1. How would you rate your relationships, particularly those with family members, over the last year?
2. What changes do you need to make in key relationships in the year ahead?

Professional and Personal Growth

1. As you reflect on the past year, how much time, energy, and resources did you invest in professional and personal growth? What classes did you take? What books did you read?
2. Ask God to reveal which areas He is inviting you to grow, both professionally and personally in the year ahead. Then, put to paper a professional and personal development plan for the new year. Show it to a friend and ask him or her to hold you accountable.

And for those who would like to go deeper or create an in-depth personal life plan, consider Michael Hyatt’s excellent free resource, Creating a Personal Life Plan. Subscribe to his email newsletter, and you can receive it free.