Coaching Report

2014 October Coaching Report

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2014 October Coaching Report

One of the most thrilling opportunities I've had over two decades of leadership coaching occurred when I was asked to coach a group of principals, assistant principals and teachers at a non-profit charter high school (grades 9-12) in New York City. The leadership challenge of providing high quality education to adolescents in an environment of extreme demographic, socio-economic and cultural diversity--on mostly a shoestring budget--was unlike anything I'd experienced in corporate America. These high school jobs were grueling -- yet incredibly rewarding, as was the privilege I felt in supporting them.

So I was thrilled when one of our Founding Fellows, John Campbell, an education specialist/coach and consultant from Sydney Australia, suggested we do a webinar and Master Class dedicated to the fast-emerging field of "coaching in education".  One of our goals at the IOC is to expand and diversify our programs, especially as positive psychology, health and leadership coaching blossom in new domains -- like education.   

With this in mind, for October's members-only interactive webinar and online Master Class, we have invited a trio of education experts to share their wisdom and insights on coaching in education: Dr Jim Knight, President, Instructional Coaching Group, Kansas, US; Dr Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Senior Lecturer, Coaching Psychology, University of East London, England and John Campbell, Managing Director, Growth Coaching International, Sydney, Australia.  

As a member of the IOC, you are invited to dive into the research, join our live webinar with Drs. Knight, Nieuwerburgh, and Campbell, designed to help coaches learn:

  • What is coaching in education
  • Why coaching resonates with the educational community
  • How coaching works in school contexts around the world
  • The difference coaching is making
  • Future trends in coaching in education

We are excited to bring our members greater visibility and clarity on this important subject.  Whether you have been applying your coaching skills in schools for years, or are exploring a possible new market, the possibilities within the education field are growing every day.  Coaching, as I've seen first hand, can have a profound impact on the performance of leader/educators, and by direct extension--on the lives of young people as well! 

Jeff  

Director of Education and Business Development

From Research to Practice

Developing Coaching Cultures: a Review of the Literature, by, Helen Gormley, Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice; 2014, Vol. 7, No. 1.

Special thanks to Deb Elbaum, MD for reviewing this research and translating the key points to use in your coaching practice.

When an organization institutes or embraces a "coaching culture," what exactly is it creating and committing to? With no existing single definition of a coaching culture, Helen Gormley and Christian van Nieuwerburgh set out not only to create one, but also to identify characteristics that make a coaching culture successful.

The authors put forth the following definition: "A coaching culture exists within an organization when it has embedded a coaching approach as part of its strategic plans in a transparent way. Coaching cultures should motivate individuals and facilitate cooperation, collaboration and connection within the organization and with its external stakeholders."

Organizations implement coaching cultures for many reasons. Coaching research has clearly shown the benefits of coaching, from developing leaders to increasing innovation to increasing overall employee happiness and performance. But how does an organization begin to transform its culture?

For an organization to successfully implement a coaching culture, Gormley and van Nieuwerburgh stated that its leaders need to take time to carefully consider (and research, when necessary) the following questions:

  • What is the purpose of the coaching and coaching culture?
  • What are the desired outcomes?
  • How will the coaching be integrated on a practical level into the company?
  • How will the impact of the coaching and coaching culture be measured?

Before a coaching culture is introduced, organizations should clarify which structures need to be put into place. For example, how will human resources be involved? Will the organization use internal coaches, who will need to be identified and trained? Or will the company use a combination of external and internal coaches? It's important to acknowledge that creating a successful and sustainable coaching culture takes time.Lastly, Gormley and van Nieuwerburgh identified the characteristics needed for a coaching culture to be successful:

  • The coaching should be integral to the organization, and not exist as an adjunct program.
  • The coaching needs to be supported and promoted by the organization's senior leaders.
  • Leaders and managers should be role models and participate fully, both by coaching others and getting coached themselves.

As a coach, how have you helped leaders embrace and institute a coaching culture into their company?

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