Coaching Models: STEPPA

November 30, 202510 min read

Coaching Models: STEPPA

STEPPA Coaching Models bring together the essential components of successful coaching: identifying the Subject, target and objectives; recognizing and validating Emotion, perception, and choice; planning and pacing activities while also addressing larger issues; and eventually adopting or taking action to put newly gained insights into practice. This multi-layered approach encourages personal development by drawing out your thoughts on how best to confront any given challenge.

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One model that can offer immense value to an organization's coaching program is STEPPA. This model has been designed around seven key areas and provides a simple yet effective method for enhancing individual performance while facilitating team cohesion and organizational excellence. 

Are you looking to become a better leader? Learning how to effectively manage and motivate personnel is key to achieving success in any leadership role. Coaching models offer guidance on how best to manage personnel, allowing leaders to assess their skills, develop strategies for improvement and maximize the potential of their team members. As organizations become increasingly sophisticated and place emphasis on optimizing performance, the importance of a quality coaching process becomes paramount. A great way to ensure this is by not only understanding the different models of coaching but also utilizing them effectively. Here we will discuss STEPPA Coaching Models in detail.

What is STEPPA Coaching Model?

The STEPPA Coaching Model is a powerful mentoring and coaching tool developed by Angus McLeod and his coach. This model is definitely based on the idea that emotions play a key role in the achievement of success, particularly when one is presented with a difficult situation or problem. By focusing on those emotions and transforming them into goals, the model allows individuals to make tangible improvements that can help them move past their challenges. Notably, this model has been used to great effect among professionals who need to find solutions during moments of duress.

Key features of STEPPA Coaching Model

The key features of STEPPA Model can be understood by breaking down the acronym:

Subject

Within the STEPPA Coaching Model, the developer discusses the focus for the client during their coaching process, as well as what type of outcomes they would like to achieve. It is crucial for the coach to comprehend and be mindful of the context of their client or team's situation from the get-go. Taking into consideration emotions while having this conversation is also imperative, as emotions can quickly lead to a negative atmosphere if not handled properly. Comprehension and attention to detail are additionally important factors when it comes to providing assistance through coaching.

Target Identification

The STEPPA Coaching Model provides a guiding framework to help coaches assist their clients in reaching their goals. As part of this process, it is much necessary to identify the objectives that need to be achieved in order for the client to realize what they desire. To do so, the coach must discuss with the client and pinpoint their desired goals. The SMART method is a useful tool to organize and lay out the objectives precisely yet accurately. This way, it will be possible for the coach and client to devise an effective plan of action that is tailored around these objectives and has achievable results that both parties can strive for.

Target Identification
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Emotion

The STEPPA Coaching Model helps coaches to work with clients on the process of target identification. Through this model, coaches are able to understand and interpret the emotions that arise in order to leverage these emotions and implement strategies to achieve the desired objectives. This can often involve managing negative emotions in order for clients not to become blocked when it comes to achieving their goals. The coach must take special care in essentially 'reading' their client's emotions in order to better guide them through the process. With careful navigation of this part of the process, a successful target can be identified and affirmed by both client and coach. 

Coaches that are experienced in the STEPPA Coaching Model have mastered the ability to use emotions as a valuable asset during their training sessions. Through careful interventions, personal talks, and regular follow-ups, these coaches strive to create a harmonious balance between an individual's emotional well-being and their responsibilities on a project. As a result, high performance is achieved while still honoring each client's mental health.

Perception and Choice

In the STEPPA Model's Perception and Choice step, coaches build on the client's awareness to understand and explore how their current reality can be altered. They use probing questions to help the client gain a comprehensive understanding of any potential opportunities and alternatives at hand in order to identify the best available options and move more accurately toward desired outcomes. The coach also acts as a sounding board, allowing the client to get clarity on their feelings and intentions when making influential decisions. Together, they delve deeper so that together they can develop appropriate plans for the change needed to achieve their goals.

Plan and Price

Coach uses Plan and Price as the relevant step in the Steppa Model to create achievable goals and develop a timeline with key dates/moments. Through Plan and Price, coaches help clients evaluate strategies, make concrete decisions, and support them without taking away the importance of decisions in the Plan. These plans enable clients to gain clarity on what must be done to fulfill their objectives. Coaches should utilize Plan and Price by creating an actionable timeline that takes into account the importance of each decision considered in their client's Plan.

Plan and Price
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Action

The Adapt or Action step of the Steppa model is a crucial stage in the coaching process. Here, motivation is key, and coaches must emphasize positive emotions to help their client reach their proposed goals. By engaging in deep reflection together before executing any organized plans, the coach and their client can review the progress made thus far and take the actions needed to accomplish what was discussed beforehand. This accompaniment is empowering for clients as they are fully confident in achieving success.

How can you use the STEPPA coaching model to achieve success with your clients?

The STEPPA Coaching Model is a unique approach that recognizes the significance of emotions in achieving motivation and objectives. In this model, a coach embarks on the journey with their team to encourage and uphold the right balance of motivation and performance in accomplishing goals. By understanding both parties' feelings and needs through fostering open communication throughout the process, the coach can help properly motivate individuals to reach their potential and impart positive outcomes for all those involved. 

The STEPPA Coaching Model seeks to support clients as they improve their lives and reach their goals. It consists of five main steps: Target identification, Emotion, Perception and Choice, Plan, Pace, and Adapt or Action. Through this model, clients are able to more accurately assess where they are in terms of their objectives and what is needed to accomplish them. This structured approach allows clients to feel a sense of direction, enabling them to achieve for themselves a greater level of self-efficacy and confidence. This methodical approach, combined with professional guidance, can ensure that clients will have the best resources available in order to move forward in an efficient manner toward desired targets.

Benefits of Using the STEPPA Coaching Model

The STEPPA Coaching Model is a powerful tool for both individuals and organizations, helping people achieve their desired outcomes and reach their full potential. It focuses on five essential steps: Target identification, Emotion, Perception and Choice, Plan, Pace, and Adapt or Action. Each step is an important part of the process of reaching success, but it's through the alignment of the entire model that people get the most out of their coaching sessions. With this well-balanced approach, coaches are able to engage with clients in meaningful dialogue about achievable goals in order to create positive change. Here are its top benefits.

  • The STEPPA Coaching Model is designed to help clients reach their desired outcomes and goals by focusing on the individual's strengths and specific needs. It also encourages self-reflection in order to better prepare the client for continuous improvement and lasting success. The coach helps individuals identify things they are capable of achieving and highlights strategies to do so. This model not only motivates clients to take action but also empowers them to set realistic goals with achievable ways of attaining them, thus making it a beneficial tool for professional development.
  • The STEPPA Coaching Model is an effective coaching model that explicitly works with how we relate to our emotion-driven behavior. It emphasizes the importance of understanding ourselves and our reactions in order to gain perspective on why we make certain decisions or act a certain way. This goes hand in hand with developing strong self-awareness and self-regulation skills. For example, a coach using this method might help a client recognize triggers they may have while also using problem-solving techniques to find resolutions. Benefits of this model can include authentic growth, improved understanding of how one best responds to their environment, as well as the development of meaningful personal relationships.
  • The STEPPA Coaching Model begins by enabling the client to open up discussion on their current concerns and context. The coach listens intently and resists any temptation to inject personal assumptions, instead opting to remain impartial. By employing organic conversation alongside thoughtful prompting, the coach ultimately creates a safe space for the client to identify potential issues and work through difficult feelings. Gradual peeling away emotions allows for objective assessment of any identified matters and facilitates movement towards establishing achievable goals for the future  - a process that requires patience from both the coach and the client in order to achieve positive results.
Benefits of Using the STEPPA Coaching Model
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How can you get started using the STEPPA coaching model?

The STEPPA Coaching Model (strengths-based emotional problem-solving approaches) has become an increasingly popular tool for coaches to support clients in managing their emotions and achieving success. One of its distinct steps, the Adapt or Action step, focuses on helping individuals have a better understanding of how they should approach their emotional regulation so they can progress toward meeting objectives. Coaches use this step as an opportunity to guide and advise clients by offering suggestions and reflection on how their emotions are being expressed, helping them identify appropriate strategies to regulate them.

This innovative and proven problem-solving approach encourages people to work together for a collaborative resolution. Creating a safe space for dialogue and interpersonal empowerment enables project teams in times of conflict or crisis to find solutions that benefit everyone involved. The first step is to identify the stakeholders who will be impacted by the changes. From there, everyone's perspectives must be respected as each person seeks to identify and propose realistic solutions. Lastly, all parties involved in the process must agree on unified actions moving forward. Applying this model helps create trust among team members and keeps morale high, allowing them to collaborate more effectively while developing shared successes together.

Examples of using STEPPA coaching model to achieve success

The STEPPA coaching model is clinically-supported and educationally backed; it is capable of aiding individuals in achieving success. 

Examples of how this model may be applied in order to reach desired outcomes include Subject (identifying your support system and core values), Target identification (defining the goal or challenge that needs to be achieved), Emotion (addressing any feelings that arise with respect to the appointed task), Perception and Choice (looking inward into one's own body language, emotions, and words), Plan (starting to devise a realistic plan toward desired targets), Pace (including moments for regrouping when needed without compromising the timeline) and Adapt or Action (approaching challenges with an openness which allows for alternative strategies if original intentions cannot be realized). Through applying the various facets of this comprehensive co-active coaching model, success can be attained.

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