The GIST Coaching Model

A Coaching Model By Amanda Norwood, Change Coach, UNITED STATES

The GIST/G.I.S.T. Coaching Model

How many times have you made a New Year’s resolution only to find you have completely abandoned it by the middle of February?

Frequently, we decide we want to achieve a goal or start a new habit but when it comes to making that into a reality, we come up short.

I believe this is due to several things:

• Setting a goal that doesn’t hold enough meaning for us.
• Looking at a goal as a finish line rather than a starting point.
• Lack of an action plan to help get us where we want to go.
• Failure to incorporate goal-oriented actions on a regular basis results in meaningful, significant change.

As an example, an elite marathon runner has events (goals) on her calendar. But she eats, sleeps, and breathes running every day not just to prepare for those events, but because running is woven into the fabric of her being.

I believe anyone, athlete or not, can achieve goals and discover meaningful change by following the G.I.S.T. coaching model.

The GIST/G.I.S.T. Acronym Stands For:

G – Goal
I – Identity
S – Systems
T – Transformation

Goal

Goals provide encouragement, responsibility, motivation, and direction to people to commit to fulfilling their aspirations. Goals give us something to shoot for; reference points to measure our progress. In the example of the marathon runner, she uses the events to measure the results of her training.

However, the goal is not the endpoint in this model, it is only the beginning. The goal begins the process of thinking about the kind of person the client wants to be and the kind of life they want to live.

Completing the Identity process occurs in the second phase of this coaching model.

When setting a goal, it’s helpful to apply the S.M.A.R.T._[1] the acronym, a widely used model for giving criteria to guide the setting of goals and objectives. The wording has been modified slightly to fit this model.

Specific – the goal needs to be clear to the client.

Measurable – the goal needs to be stated in a precise, quantifiable manner.

Attainable – the goal needs to be achievable using an action plan.

Relevant – the goal needs to add value and be meaningful to the client.

Time-Related – the goal must have timely relevance.

Frequently, the client will come to coaching with a goal in mind. They just need help clarifying the criteria above.

Identity

Once the goal is set, it must pass the identity test. This is the most important phase of the coaching process.

Goals tied to a client’s identity are incredibly powerful because they are related to who the client wishes to become rather than what they want to achieve. This concept of identity-based goals is what James Clear refers to as the deepest level of behavior change in his book, Atomic Habits._[2]

If the S.M.A.R.T. criteria are met but the client cannot say “This is the type of person I want to become”, then the goal doesn’t pass the identity test and he/she needs to re-examine the goal.

To use the athlete analogy, an elite runner doesn’t just want to compete in one race. She wants to be the type of person who lives the lifestyle of a serious runner (extensive training, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, stretching, etc.)  Identity-based goals are woven into the fabric of an individual’s daily life.

At this stage, it is important to focus on the “Why” of the goal. So, the client might benefit from the coach’s use of my Power Tool: “Stillness vs. Running”. Only in stillness can a client gain personal wisdom and insight into what is important to them and why. The clarity gained by this stillness can create a powerful connection to a goal.

Business coach Tom Reber says, “The key to creating lasting change in our lives comes down to changing our identity. In other words, what we believe about ourselves…It’s a goal based on what you believe about yourself. What you believe about yourself will always come to be.”_[3]

According to James Clear, “To change your behavior for good, you need to start believing new things about yourself.”

Systems

This phase of the G.I.S.T. model relates to what James Clear refers to as the “process” level of change and is at the heart of his popular concept of “Atomic Habits”.

Clear says, “This level is concerned with changing your habits and systems: implementing a new routine at the gym…developing a meditation practice. Most of the habits you build are associated with this level.”

This is where the client determines the everyday actions that will support his or her desired identity. Systems are the roadmap for change. Without the systems in place to support the client’s identity-based goal, success is less likely.

Take the elite runner, for example. She can have the desire to win a marathon; the mental toughness to win a marathon; or even the talent or physiological advantage to win. But unless she creates a daily environment where she is regularly doing the actions mentioned above: training, eating healthy, sleeping, and stretching, she will not win the race.

Peter Senge talks about Systems in his book, The Fifth Discipline._[4] In it, he states that “the best way to change an event or outcome is to change the system. Changing the system in this way leads to different behaviors.”

Transformation

The Cambridge Dictionary defines transformation as: “the process of changing completely the character or appearance of something in order to improve it”._[5]

Transformation or “improvement” does not automatically occur as a result of setting a goal. Meaningful change or “character” is realized when new behavior emerges in the form of systems and habits.

In this phase of the coaching model, the client recognizes the systems they are incorporating into their daily lives are creating the person they want to be. They are living out their new identity based on the systems they have created for themselves.

Think of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon after several days or weeks of diligently building the structure for its ultimate transformation.

The phase involves making sure the systems created for change remain consistent and realistic through accountability. The client is periodically checking in with himself to make sure he is aligned with the identity he desires.

References

[1]George T. Doran, Management Review, 1981
[2] Atomic Habits, James Clear, 2018
[3] “Why Identity-Based Goals Are Key to Your Success”, Tom Reber, 2014
[4] the Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge, 1990
[5] Cambridge University Press, 2023