Many people have embraced the "Fitbit" craze. The company has great marketing: “Fitbit tracks every part of your day—including activity, exercise, food, weight, and sleep—to help you find your fit, stay motivated, and see how small steps make a big impact.”.
People wear it daily, slapping it on their wrist the second they get out of bed…or even sleeping with it on. They check their step counts many times throughout the day. I would argue that they use it as much as any other piece of technology. Here's why…it motivates people to get active. People love seeing their statistics, their all-time best records, and the days that they break them. It is a little reminder that people think about throughout the day and it motivates them to make a more active choice. Since wearing the Fitbit, my father-in-law tries to reach at least 10,000 steps a day and some days he reaches 15,000 steps. Fitbit can also provide some sobering results as to how “inactive” you may be…but at least you are very aware of the results.
The "Fitbit phenomenon" caused me to reflect on the coaching conversations I’ve had with many leaders. They ask, “...how can I make sure I coach more…and more effectively?” Or state, “I wish I would coach more.” My opinion is that if you don’t track it, it can’t be measured.
People track their calories, miles they run, times they hit the gym, etc. They do this for a sense of accomplishment and motivation for future behavior. I have found people have come up with some pretty creative ideas around holding themselves accountable to do more coaching. Some stick colorful post-it notes on their walls tracking successful coaching conversations and missed coaching opportunities, some have a “coaching spreadsheet”, and others have downloaded a “tally counter” app onto their phone tracking coaching conversations or times they ask coaching questions.
Consider how you are tracking your coaching opportunities…what is your coaching “Fitbit”? I would love to hear back from you.
Look for my next article during the week of November 6, 2017.