Q. You talk about having a scale of 1 to 10 and ask where we are on the scale. When I apply it, it’s a minus number. How would you handle that?

A. If I was coaching you on a one on one basis (telephone or face to face) I would accept your minus scaling figure, and then ask you some questions. I might start along the lines of: “I see; has it been on that minus number ever since you’ve been in the job?” It’s more often that not in such cases that, given time to think, coaching clients will come up with exceptions and identify instances when things were better than their low score might suggest. We would then continue our conversation, focusing on the ‘positive differences’ that the client has identified. Ultimately a client will identify the ‘small steps’ that they can take to move them nearer 10.