“What’s next?” is a classic coaching question. Coaches often ask the question after a challenge has been discussed to find out what action a client will take with the insights developed from the session. The question can be used for the short-term or a bigger context. Sometimes you might need to do some shorter-term “what’s next” work to get to the more significant context answers.

Resolve Short-Term Issues First

A client started coaching to determine when she might retire from her senior level position and what she could do in the next chapter of her life. As we began the coaching sessions, it became clear that some short term “what’s next” questions and subsequent activities had to be handled before clarity could come for the longer-term questions. She had not yet begun a succession plan to develop and determine her future replacement(s). As we uncovered areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction on the job, she recognized that she could do a better job delegating some of her current responsibilities and providing mentoring for her direct reports.

So the current “what’s next” action steps became staff development and moving some of her responsibilities down the chain. This will give her more space and time to bring clarity to the longer-term question of “what’s next,” as well as senior address issues that could serve the business that she has not had time to think about.