Goal Attainment Scaling

Walkthrough

Before Aspire gets going, Sarah and her coach write two goals with five levels each: much less than expected through much more. Mid-programme they rate. At close they rate again. The People team can read −2 to +2 without a story about ‘growth’.

1. 1 · Write the anchors first

   0 is the expected outcome if coaching works as planned. +1 and +2 are better. −1 and −2 are worse. Write them while hope is not yet doing the talking.

   • ·Coaches skip this because it feels slow. It is the whole method.
   • ·If +2 is fantasy, the scale is broken before you start.

2. 2 · Open the programme on the scale

   Session 1 ends with the anchors agreed, not with a vague SMART line. Sarah knows what 0 looks like in her calendar, not in a slogan.

   • ·‘Delegate more’ is not an anchor. ‘Two decisions a week taken by the team without me’ might be 0.
   • ·Share the scale with the sponsor if the programme is internal. Do not share session notes.

3. 3 · Close on the same scale

   The last sitting is a rating against the original anchors. You may rewrite a goal mid-programme. You may not quietly inflate 0.

   • ·A honest 0 is a success. Treat it as one.
   • ·This is how a People director puts coaching in a pack without theatre.

55-minute design sitting

1. 0′+10m

   Pick at most two goals

   GAS on five goals is wallpaper. Two will be used.

2. 10′+25m

   Write five levels each

   Start at 0. Then worse, then better. Concrete, observable.

3. 35′+10m

   Sanity-check with the sponsor

   If this is an internal programme, 0 should be recognisable outside the room.

4. 45′+10m

   Diary the ratings

   Mid-point and close. Do not leave them to ‘we’ll know’.