Using the WAVE framework to evaluate your options

Many people recognise the need to change or make changes in different areas of their lives in order to survive and thrive. How to go about this is one of the most frequent and fundamental challenges that clients bring to their life coach. How can someone adapt to and navigate the complexity of their life in a purposeful way that leads to growth and fulfilment?

Unfortunately, sometimes the coaching process itself can contribute to a sense of overwhelm: too many options and pathways revealed, with no easy way to see the benefit of any one of them. In some cases, an individual can go from being stuck in a rut to being drowned in a swamp of choices.

The WAVE evaluative framework described here provides a structure for identifying, weighing and evaluating different options. Focusing on three core components, evaluating them and seeing how they overlap can make it easier to determine which choices might be more useful. The framework is not a substitute for person-to-person coaching, but it can bring greater clarity to a client and open up areas for further exploration and understanding between client and coach.

The three core elements: Want, able and value.

1. Want

In an ideal world, what do you want to be doing, and why? On a daily basis or in terms of your life purpose? Small detail or big picture? Intrinsic satisfaction or wider purpose?

2, Able

What are you able to do now? What do you think is possible, and what is preventing you from striving for the seemingly impossible in the future? What resources do you have: skills, experience and knowledge; access to training, education or funding; and the support of family, friends or colleagues?

3. Value

What value does what you do create for yourself and for others? Does this provide you or others with an income or other non-monetary benefits? What is the personal, family or community cost, monetary or otherwise, of what you want and can do?

In addition, there is ‘E’ for evaluate.

Evaluate

Each of the core elements is evaluated in detail in relation to work, career or other major life activities. Based on a number of different criteria, a subjective score for each element is derived, with marks out of 10. The balance between the three scores can be used to explore a client’s overall level of satisfaction and fulfilment.

For example, where a ‘W’ score is low but the ‘A’ score is high, it could prompt exploration of boredom, lack of purpose or misalignment with the client’s values and beliefs. Where the ‘W’ and ‘A’ scores are high but the ‘V’ score is low, the activity may be more suited to being a hobby rather than a paying job. A high ‘W’ and ‘V’ but a low ‘A’ may suggest that the individual needs to develop their skills or knowledge or gain greater experience; that may be an aspirational position.

The overall combined score for all three elements can help someone compare the perceived attractiveness of one specific job, project or endeavour with another. Looking at how the individual and overall scores have changed over time or in different circumstances can also provide useful insights. These comparisons can help identify areas of change that may support the growth an individual wants to achieve. The scores should be treated as prompts for reflection rather than objective measurements or definitive answers.

How can the WAVE approach help?
WAVE is an evaluative coaching framework that enables both coach and client to explore potentially revealing areas in greater depth. The outputs can help focus coaching sessions on areas that a client may not have uncovered without the time and space that a coach can provide. A client may gain a greater understanding of the elements that make up their life experience, from their environment and behaviour within it through to their identity and life purpose.

This greater clarity can provide a foundation for client and coach to work together on strategies for change and growth in whichever area of the client’s personal, social or working life they wish to explore. Revisiting the WAVE scores after a period of time can offer one way to reflect on the effectiveness of those strategies and reassess the goals themselves.

Coaching is not really about models, systems or frameworks. It’s about the relationship between client and coach. It’s about rapport and trust. Having said that, there can be value in having a more structured discovery process, a stimulus to help generate a clearer view of a client’s situation and their potential for change and growth.