3 Powerful Ways to use the Wheel of Life in Career, Executive or Business Coaching!

The Wheel of Life tool can be customised to an individual client’s situation in a surprising number of ways. In this article we look at using the Coaching Wheel in Career, Executive or Business coaching (although other niches will also find these tips and ideas transferable).

To learn even more about this powerful coaching tool read: The Complete Guide to the Wheel of Life.

1) Help Clients Make a Decision

The decision your client is making can be choosing between a number of options or a simple “Yes” or “No” decision.

Examples of when to use:  Use when a client is looking at a number of new career options. Also good for considering whether to accept a promotion or move jobs, and when a client needs to make a business decision.

1. Clarify the decision being made, and then ask your client to write out each option they’ve identified on a piece of paper.
   • If it’s a “Yes” or “No” decision then these are the two options.
2. Take the first option and using the standard Wheel of Life Categories give the option 1 point for every wheel category that is improved or helped by that decision.
   • TIP: For a more definitive answer, allow clients to score 0.5 points for a little improvement, 1 point for  improved and 2 for significantly improved.
3. Repeat this process for each option.
4. Review the scores.
   • How do the scores for each option compare? Are the scores as your client expected?
   • Discuss the differences in scores and how the client feels about each decision in light of the scores. Remember this scoring considers how each decision will impact their life as a whole.
   • Ask if their gut feeling aligns with the highest scoring option. If not, why do they think that is?
   • How does their “Head” (logical side) feel about the score results? How does this compare to how their “Heart” feels (their emotional response)?
5. What action/s could they take now? Are they ready to make their decision? Do they need to do more research? Talk to family or an expert? Ponder this new information?
6. Make an action plan! If they’re ready to make a decision, they’ll need an action plan. And if they’re not? They’ll STILL need an action plan.
   • TIP: Make sure they commit to at least one action!

2) Help Clients Get Positive after a Career or Business Disappointment

Examples of when to use: Use when a client has just had a disappointing appraisal or has been passed over for promotion or business opportunity. This technique is also good when a client is feeling tired and uninspired or is looking for new ways to move forwards.

We all know that the area for greatest improvement lies with our strengths (and not our weaknesses):

1. Ask your client to label a blank wheel (free blank coaching wheel here) with 8 Key Strengths. This could be strengths in their Businesses or Careers. Questions to ask could include:
   • What is at the core of your success so far—what makes you or your business successful?
   • What are your strengths and unique qualities?
   • What are you particularly good at?
   • When do you (or your business) shine brightest?
   • For more great questions to identify strengths, check out the Free Tool 25 Powerful Questions to Identify Strengths
2. Then ask them to score out of 10 how satisfied they are with each area. Consider how well are they using or demonstrating this quality right now.
3. When complete, review the scores. Ask questions like:
   • Where are they using their strengths well?
   • How can they do more of that?
   • What strengths are not being used or demonstrated in the world?
   • How do these scores relate to their current situation?
4. How could they raise their scores? Help your client brainstorm and come up with 5-10 actions to boost their scores and get positive!
5. Make an action plan! Help your clients choose and commit to 1-3 actions to move forwards with.
   
   • TIP: Ask your client to commit to one action for that day to get them moving right away!

3. Help Clients Gain Insight and Understanding in a Difficult Situation

This exercise can help people gain a greater awareness and move forwards from a difficult situation. This works especially well when it’s a public issue and client is feeling influenced, pressured or judged by people around them.

Examples of when to use: A key employee has quit, your client has received bad press or a product has failed. Also when your client is feeling stressed and overwhelmed, has had a disappointing appraisal or has been passed over for promotion or business opportunity.

Help your client move forwards by connecting with, and valuing what THEY think, rather than what others think:

1. Ask your client to take a blank wheel (free blank coaching wheel here) and write at the top of the page: What I think about _____ (the current situation).
2. Then ask them to label the wheel with 8 different answers. Questions to help your client can include:
   • What’s important to ME in this situation?
   • What do I need to recognise?
   • What could be a blind spot? What am I not seeing about _____ (the situation)?
   • What matters in the short term? What matters in the long term?
   • Who else is a stakeholder or has a valid viewpoint I could include?
3. Next ask them to score out of 10 how important or significant each area/answer is to them.
4. When complete, review the scores. What have they learned? What has been useful to acknowledge? What surprises are there?
5. Then, looking at the high scores in particular, ask your client what they could they do? What actions could they take to move forwards?
   • TIP: Make sure they commit to at least one action – as soon as possible!

Get your Free Blank Wheel & Wheel of Life here: