Photo by Hamed Saber
As a mentor at work, I like to checkpoint results.  While I can do area-specific coaching, I tend to take a more holistic approach.  For me, it’s more rewarding to find ways to unleash somebody’s full potential and improve their overall effectiveness.  Aside from checking against specific goals, I use the following frame to gauge progress.
Improvement FrameHere’s the categories I use:

Thinking / Feeling
Situation
Time / Task Management
Domain Knowledge
Strategies / Approaches
Relationships

Improvement FrameHere’s a sampling of the questions I use.

Area
Prompts

Thinking / Feeling

Do you find …

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from author Michael Michalko.  Michael is one of the most highly acclaimed creativity experts in the world and author of the best sellers Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques (2nd Edition), Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck, and Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius.

You may not know Richard Cohen. He is the author of Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir.  He lives a life defined by illness. He has M.S., is legally blind, has almost …

Photo by Tony Crider
If you know how to use the Six Thinking Hats, you can deal with two very common problems.   The first problem is incomplete thinking.  The second problem is deadlocks in meetings.   I’ve been in way too many deadlock meetings that are absolute energy drains.  I’ve also seen too many ideas fail simply because they didn’t have enough perspective.  Once I discovered Six Thinking Hats, both scenarios became easy to solve.
More Complete Thinking  In the Six Thinking Hats, each hat represents a different perspective (facts, emotions, …