“Audit” - a bird’s eye view

What is this?

This is based on an exercise from my Business & Leadership coaching programme, and we can vary it depending on what you are looking for.

Why do this?

This exercise helps you take a bird’s eye view.

If the term “audit” puts you off, relax. This exercise is simply to help you to take stock of where you are and get clearer on your priorities.

Sometimes we feel like we might be so stuck in the details that we might be missing something important. We say that we “can’t see the wood for the trees”. This bird’s eye view gives you the confidence that you have looked at the bigger picture before cracking on with a plan.

If you are unsure whether to do the “deep dive”/career coaching programme, the audit will help you decide.

Output: My clients tend to identify 1-3 areas on which to focus during the coaching. For example:

  • something around work,

  • something around capabilities,

  • and something around how to make it a priority to carve out time for themselves to focus on their own health and future.

You might want to develop a longer term vision, or you may have one and want to focus on identifying the milestones to help you on that path.

People often also just find it is useful to pause and look at things through a different lens. They often come out with some great ideas which they can just run with - ideas they don’t need to include as part of the coaching programme.

“I think the problem, to be quite honest with you,

is that you've never actually known what the question is.” 

(Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)

What do we look at?

We look at your saboteurs and their impact on you and others, safe in the knowledge that once you name them, you have more power over them and can start to free yourself from them and focus more on your natural strengths (by doing the Mental Fitness programme).

We explore other areas which are important to you. Options include:

  • Your business (or your department)

  • Your idea for a new business or charity

  • Your personal business values

  • Your leadership skills

  • Your baseline mental fitness levels

  • A career coaching exercise to explore your interests

  • Your “wheel of life” (a holistic look at your work and personal life, health, etc).

Reminder of coaching programme structure:

Step 1: An audit to set the direction (see above)

Next: Step 2: Build mental fitness foundation; and Steps 3 & 4: “Deep dive”/career coaching and Build and implement a plan