“Will plus skill can thrill,” is a phrase people use in sport. So how does this apply in other situations? Imagine that you have been asked to coach a person, but you are not sure whether they are motivated. It can be good to establish their attitude before embarking on the coaching. The key question to answer is:

Let’s consider how you can explore this factor.

1) You can clarify whether the person is willing to put in the hard work required to reach their goal.

Clarify whether the person is prepared to work hard to reach their goal. You can, for example, invite them to fill-in and send you the ‘Coaching Contract’. (See the piece called 3 tips for establishing a coaching contract.) This asks the person to describe: a) The goals they want to achieve; b) Their responsibility in working towards achieving the goals; c) The help they want from you as the coach; d) The measures that will tell them they have reached their goals. Completing this contract shows the person is willing to put in lots of work just to get to first base.

2) You can clarify the person’s will to accept the pluses and minuses involved in reaching the goal.

This is a vital but often overlooked part of working with people. Looking at the goal they want to achieve, invite the person to list what they see as the pluses and minuses involved. One way to illustrate this, for example, is to consider the challenges facing a drug addict who wants to ‘change their life’. Looking at it from the addict’s point of view:

The pluses will be:

· They will live longer.

· They will possibly build better relationships.

· They will possibly like themselves more.

· They may feel in more control.

The possible minuses will be:

· They must take responsibility every day for the rest of their lives.

· They must find a new purpose - other than getting a fix.

· They must work to get money.

· They must make new friends.

· They must deal with their feeling without drugs.

The drug addict’s odyssey is one example – but every person’s journey will involve upsides and downsides. Let’s return to the person you are trying to encourage. Are they prepared to accept the whole package – the pluses and minuses involved in reaching their goal?

3) You can clarify the person’s will to keep working hard after they have achieved success.

This is crucial when, for example, working with rising sports stars. Some athletes develop a pattern of almost reaching their target - winning a tennis title, golf championship or whatever - but failing at the final hurdle. Certainly it can be due to circumstances, such as facing an outstanding competitor - but there can be other reasons. Subconsciously the person may feel:

“What happens if I win? Everybody will expect me to keep winning in the future. Am I prepared to give up my social life? Am I prepared to put in the hard work necessary to continue being successful?”

Some athletes answer ‘Yes’. Others are more uncertain and this shows in their performance. Clarify whether the person is ready to keep growing after their first triumph. After establishing a person’s will, help them to learn the skill they need to achieve their goal. You can then work together to achieve ongoing success. If you wish, try tackling the following exercise on clarifying a person’s motivation to achieve their goal.

The things I can do to establish a
person’s will to achieve their goal are:

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The things I can do to establish a person’s will to accept
the pluses & minuses involved in reach their goal are:

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The things I can do to establish a person’s will to keep
working hard after they have achieved success are:

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