Boost your appraisal results with effective goal setting via coaching

I remember my first appraisal at TV 18 in 1996, with Network 18 founder Raghav Bahl and Hardev Sanotra, then executive editor of Asia Business Dow Jones India ( a TV business news joint venture with TV 18). I was so nervous I could barely breathe. The feedback was invaluable, I was told that I was an asset in news-gathering and more importantly that I should focus on more exclusive stories. This gave me a definite goal. For many of us reporters in 1993 who grew up reporting for TV, the focus was more on gathering the visuals and bytes, rather than exclusives.

Things have changed in the last 30 years. Whether annual appraisals are needed at all, is an ongoing debate. GE, Microsoft, Deloitte and Dell are just some of the firms that have done up with the annual appraisals.

If your firm is doing appraisals or not ( likely they are), coaching can help you set firm growth goals for yourself and assess if your current work serves your goals. It becomes very easy to get caught up in the metrics of the organisation you are with, rather than your own career priorities. Your current job could also be what. you love best, even then it would be helpful to understamd that and look at where you can go next. With business timelines evolving quicker than ever thanks to AI and tech disruption, coaching can help you keep abreast and thrive in an uncertain environment.

Here is how coaching can help

As per the core competencies defined by the International Coaching Federation, a key priority for the coach is to "Facilitate client growth definition". This means the coach partners with the client to transform learning and insight into action. Promotes client autonomy in the coaching process the following ways:

1. Works with the client to integrate new awareness, insight or learning into their worldview and behaviors. In simple terms this means doing a 360 view of your career, your strengths and challenges and its ecosystem.

It helped me tremendously to know from Raghav Bahl during an editorial brainstorming that one must have both PR skills and intelligence to succeed. A basic truth, but hard to learn at 21.

2. Partners with the client to design goals, actions and accountability measures that integrate and expand new learning This is very key. Whether you are at the start of career or an emerging leader, holding yourself accountable to your own goals can be very hard. We resist our own goals the most, most human beings have trouble prioritising themselves. Coaching is the best way to make yourself the priority at work and in life. A healthier, happier, more aligned you can only benefit you and those around you. Long ago, talk show megastar Oprah Winfrey, featured someone who signed a contract with herself, a very cool way to commit to your goals.

3. Acknowledges and supports client autonomy in the design of goals, actions and methods of accountability : Coaching is not mentoring or counselling. Any coach that attempts to direct your goals and actions is not doing you any favours. Ultimately any goal and its accountability has to resonate with you and not the coach. That's why Elon Musk would be a terrible coach and Anand Mahendra probably a great one.

4. Supports the client in identifying potential results or learning from identified action steps :You may well ask that if the coach does not tell you what do they do! Well, the coach's role is to ask you the right questions that will help you arrive at your goals and steps ahead. This powerful question based approach is very effective in inviting you to explore what you truly want.

5. Invites the client to consider how to move forward, including resources, support and potential barriers: The last step of the process of goal setting is having a next steps solid plan for yourself. When you start a new path, the challenges to walk on it can seem both vague and insurmountable. This is where a coach can help you talk them through, find a plan to address them and pivot.

Happy appraisal season! Only this time the appraiser is YOU.

Paarul Chand is the founder of Whyte Sky Coaching, coaching for life at work.