Lesson 4 | Goal Detail Process – The GISOR Model (4:17 minutes)

After you've taken an inventory of the client's goals and prioritize the top three, it's time to pressure test each of those goals to make sure we're truly finding the motivators so we're only acting on what they want. Sometimes people have goals, but they're aspirational or things they've been thinking about rather than goals that they must have. We want to know the must have goals. To pressure test the goals, we use an acronym called GISOR, so let's get into the GISOR model. It's simple, but it makes a lot of sense. G is for goal. What's the name of the goal that we're exploring together?

I is for importance. You want to ensure the goal is important to them. And more importantly, why is that goal important to them? You're not asking, is it important? You're asking why does this goal matter? Why is it important to you? What's the impact of achieving it? What's the price tag if you don't? Make sure it matters to them or they won't act on it. S is for supporting resources. Here, you'll want to identify all the resources that are available to achieve the goal or to help you deliver the most effective and well-informed solutions.

You want to try to find out at a cognitive level, what are the resources they think they have that are going to help them accomplish that goal. It creates reassurance and it creates confidence that they can actually do it. Now, O is for obstacles. Here, you'll identify any obstacles that might impede progress or prevent them from accomplishing this goal. So what could prevent it from happening? Is it going to be their time? Is it going to be their energy? Is it determining the cost of what it entails? What are those true obstacles that are going to prevent them from accomplishing it?

Getting clear on this helps everyone recognize and address anything that could get in the way of getting this goal accomplished. Now, R is for readiness. And this one's interesting. You'll want to pay very close attention to readiness. Readiness operates on a scale from one to five, with one being ready to act right now, and five, not ready, not ready to act at all. So have them rate where they are on the readiness scale. If it's not a one or two, you may want to consider pursuing one of their other goals on the goal inventory worksheet.

Sometimes we have goals, but now's not the time to pursue it for whatever reason and that's okay, but don't go after goals that the client isn't ready for. If it's a four or five, you may want to look for something else that's a one or two. We use a tool called the Goal Detail Worksheet to go through the GISOR process and to document the responses. You'll find the Goal Detail Worksheet in the Discovery Insight Workbook. The GISOR process gives you the structure to ensure the goals you help them pursue are really the right goals.

So those are the big three areas in the discovery process: values, vision and goals. Now you may be asking how long does all this take? It sounds like a lot. It's actually not. Although it varies based on the client and their situation, the discovery process should take you one to two hours. But here's what's important to keep in mind, you will know how they evaluate decisions and options because of their values. You'll know their final destination, what it is they're really after and why it matters: their vision.

You'll know the specific goals that they agree with and that they'll take action on to get to their vision and you'll have pressure tested them to ensure that they're things that they'll act on. The result is that they're clear, they're invested, they'll make decisions more easily when you present your plan and you get the added bonus of an incredibly compliant process. All your work will be based on the documented values, vision and goals of the client. It's a powerful process that builds a better business. Here's your Action Task:

Take yourself through the GISOR process to get at the importance, supporting resources, obstacles, and readiness of the top three goals you listed. Document them in the space provided in the workbook.

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