QALMS Cheat Sheet

The main idea of this information is about a coaching model called QALMS. QAL stands for Questions, Activities, and Learning Projects, while M represents the motivator and S represents supplemental coaching. Each component of QALMS has value for coaches, such as building self-awareness, facilitating change, and developing accountability. The motivator helps create emotional attachment for change. Supplemental coaching is a key aspect of progress coaching, which involves providing additional resources and activities to supplement direct coaching. The recommended time for one-on-one coaching is 8 to 12 minutes, and for group coaching, it is 20 to 30 minutes. It is suggested to spend about 5 to 15 minutes per week on supplemental coaching activities. Everything that comes back to progress coaching in terms of what we teach and what we build always comes back to something called QALMS. Now, the Q-A-L is really your four-step coaching conversation model, which can be deployed to individuals or teams. So QALMS stands for Questions, Activities, Learning Projects, then the M is the motivator and the S is the supplemental coaching. Each one of these components have a value to you as a coach. QALMS builds self-awareness for the person that you're coaching. It also gives you clarification of understanding, the A, the activity. The activity facilitates change. When you are coaching, you can't just have conversations. You also have to facilitate the components of change. Now, the learning project, which starts and ends the coaching conversations, really develops that accountability and ownership, which often leaders talk about. I have people lacking accountability. That bestows accountability in the rightful owner. Now, a key component is the M, the motivator. When we find out what motivates someone and we have the ability and have practice and prepared to bring that into our conversations, what we've done is built and created the emotional attachment for them to change. So let's say we're coaching someone and the person is really struggling with conflict. That conflict can be very arduous to improve. Most people don't like conflict, yet if you say, you know, Lisa, I was thinking about our ability to improve tough conversations, arduous conversations with teammates, and I think about how that might help you as a future leader. Now let's say her motivator is to become a future leader. In that moment, you've created the why. This is why you need to do this. Here's what's in it for you, which is the WIFT, what's in it for them. And then the supplemental coaching, and this is really one of the magical components of progress coaching. When you supplement your direct coaching, which is the QAL, you supplement it by, read this book. I want to set you up with Charlie, a mentor. I want you to practice with Bob as a peer. Here's an article. I want you to watch these four videos and email me two things you learned from each video as it relates to the area you're focused on as a coach. Supplemental coaching is exactly what it sounds like. It supplements, it supplements what you're doing with your direct coaching. Typically the rule of thumb is one-on-one coaching should be eight to 12 minutes, group coaching 20 to 30 minutes using your four-step model. Supplemental coaching for individuals and teams, we recommend picking no more than two, and it should really average out to about five, 10, maybe 15 minutes per week of supplemental coaching activity. Again, things where you don't physically have to be present.