Ever feel like you just aren't sticking the goal/focus? “I just want to feel confident in my role.”
Important? Yes.
Clear? Also yes.
The focus of a coaching session? No.
That line names a destination—an outcome once the work has already done its job. It tells you where the client wants to arrive, not where the exploration needs to happen.
Outcomes are helpful for orientation.
Nea Demonstrates MCC-Level Coaching in Goal Setting
Watch as Nea skillfully establishes a goal with Jennie, embodying the ICF Core Competencies at an MCC level. She masterfully ensures clarity moment by moment, staying attuned to what is truly needed in the conversation.
Using the Letter to Self Tool, Nea helps Jennie externalize her future story, uncovering what is compelling enough to act on and what is ready to be released. Only the beginning of the tool is shared here.
This really resonates, especially the distinction between outcomes and workable focus. I want to feel confident sounds actionable on the surface, but as you point out, it’s actually the result of several underlying shifts not the lever itself.
I like the idea of working backward from confidence instead of chasing it directly. The questions you shared What are you feeling right now? What have you already tried? immediately move the conversation from aspiration to awareness. That’s where things stop being abstract and start becoming useful.
The part about lists stood out too. Clients often come in with a long list of pain points, and the instinct especially outside of coaching—is to fix everything. It reminds me of how people sometimes jump straight to shortcuts, like wanting to pay someone to take your online class, without addressing what’s actually creating the overwhelm or lack of confidence in the first place. It might solve a surface problem, but it doesn’t touch the organizing issue underneath.
Staying curious about causality instead of treating every issue as equal feels like the real skill here. Identifying the one thing that’s organizing the mutiny can change everything. When that shifts, confidence often follows naturally—almost as a byproduct rather than a goal.