Self-transformation: how dragons and fairies led the way to yoga, coaching and lifelong learning

As some of you may know, I recently completed a 200hour yoga teacher training course. I enjoyed it so much I signed up almost immediately to the more advanced 300hour course. One may wonder why when I already have a full-time job teaching and supporting academics and undergraduates; a young family; a school governor role and the embryonic start of a PhD to keep me busy!

I was set an assignment recently on the topic of self-transformation. It provides an answer of sorts to the question above and it links together some of the areas I am passionate about - coaching, lifelong learning and yoga - which is why I thought it would be appropriate to share it here. Transformation is a fluid, rather than a linear process and the 'final' state is very much a moving picture. It's quite personal so please be kind...

2020: Reflections and the year ahead

I wasn't sure whether to write a reflection post this year. I feel grateful that I've got through 2020 and I know that, despite many challenges, I am one of the lucky ones - I still have my job, my children and no-one I know has died from Covid. But I know that many aren't so fortunate - they have lost jobs, homes and loved ones. I don't want to add to comparison-itis, something I mentioned in last year's reflection post.

I teach others about the importance of reflection so I have decided to go ahead: writing my thoughts helps me to process them and it is often enlightening to go back several months or even years later.

I started 2020 with a determined sense of purpose. Having gone through a tough few years, I was ready to get back into writing, presenting, and expanding my travelling experiences. In preparation, I renewed the family passports in January and earmarked Eurostar tickets - isn't hindsight a wonderful thing?! I also wanted to increase my work from home time. I did gain this at least in 2020 but I wasn't banking on two small children being with me for the majority of it!

Tentatively stepping into outside coaching

I want to tell you about my experience of outdoors coaching.

It may come as no surprise that I enjoy being indoors. Being curled up with a good book, wrapped in a blanket, a steaming hot chocolate next to me and the sound of rain lashing against the window pane is my idea of bliss (sadly since having young children this happens much less than I would like, apart from the rain bit as I do live in the UK!).

However, I have also always enjoyed the outdoors. I'm not a climber or hiker but have enjoyed many windswept walks across sea fronts; meanders around Penistone crags (invoking my inner Cathy); and cycle rides around parks filled with deer. 

When I was a child I used to collect acorns. I would fill the tops with water to make fairy cups and mush the remainder to make squirrel food or 'potions'. I've grown vegetables as long as I remember - some years I have even been successful. I take my yoga practice outside when the weather permits and I spend most weekends walking the children through the woods in the hope that the stillness rubs off on them.

I have long been aware of the benefits of being outdoors and I recently had the opportunity to find out how I could combine this with my coaching. I have previously held meetings and coaching sessions outdoors on campus before but it has been an afterthought - the weather was particularly nice or I was unable to find a suitable room. I decided to find out how I could coach outdoors with intention. 

I'd been trying to attend Claire Bradshaw's Outdoor Coaching programme for several years but couldn't logistically make it happen. An unexpected benefit of the pandemic has meant that I could finally attend - albeit virtually. 

Over the three week course, I was able to reflect on the different types of outdoor space and the physical, emotional and cognitive effects it may have on both myself and those I coach. I considered the impact of coaching while being apart - over the phone or via online meetings. I discovered how the environment plays an active, rather than a passive role. Importantly, I learned about the extra requirements needed when contracting and thinking about the practicalities - we don't want to be shivering with cold or worried about falling when we should be focussed on listening and thinking!

While the course did open my eyes to just how much extra work and consideration goes into coaching outdoors, it has whetted my appetite to keep learning more about it and include it in my toolbox of skills. Since then I have attended a Street Wisdom event which I may blog about next. I have also presented my experiences to the coaching community within my workplace. With social distancing making being in a close space far from ideal, this outdoors coaching may just have legs*.

Would you consider being coached or having meetings outside? Perhaps it's something you do already? If so, what was it like?

*I'm so sorry I couldn't help myself!

What I learned from training to be a Performance Coach in Higher Education

What have you learned recently, either professionally or personally? Have you found there has been an overlap between the two?

This year I trained and qualified to be a performance coach with the Institute of Leadership and Management. This is something I’ve wanted for myself for a while now so I was thrilled to finally receive my certificate. I learned a lot during the course. I increased my knowledge of the skills, behaviours and techniques required to become an ethical, non-judgemental coach who could successfully support someone else in the achievement of their goals. I also learned a lot about myself. I’ve picked out a few things below which might resonate with you too:

I can be determined when it matters:

When something enters my life that I am passionate about, it is all consuming. My determination to succeed at this meant I was motivated and organised. This was on top of starting a new job and still waking up through the night to feed my youngest. I took on board feedback, kept my learning logs and diaries up to date as I went along and met all my deadlines. I made it work by incorporating it into every aspect of my life. I practised my coaching skills in almost every conversation I could, even with my kids. Especially with my kids.

I experience the same highs and lows as everyone else

I went from 'the peak of inflated expectations' to 'the trough of disillusionment' about a third way into the course. Prior to taking the course, I’d read books, journal articles, watched videos and attended workshops. I had thought I knew a lot about coaching. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that sustained practise is completely different and much more intense than I'd realised. I seriously started to doubt that I could do it in the way I had envisaged. I had wanted this for a long time and it felt really miserable that I might not actually be any good at it. I have been aware of the Gartner Hype Cycle for years now so going back to it helped me realise I would get there soon enough and this is something I sometimes share with my students and clients to help motivate them.

Gartner Hype Cycle

Connections are important and take effort

During the coaching, I worried that I couldn’t connect with people. This was a concern because it is a crucial element of forming a coaching relationship. I’ve always preferred to read rather than socialise. There were difficulties with having friends when I was younger. Then circumstances in my marriage also meant maintaining friendships was challenging. On the other hand, I’ve always had jobs where I listen to people and provide them with what they need, or at least the skills to find it for themselves. People will stop me in the street to talk to me. They tell me I am calming and make them feel better, listened to and motivated. Reading my testimonials has given me confidence in this area and I'm aware that there's nothing like being given undivided attention to make people feel special.

Self-consciousness is not self-awareness

As I progressed through the course, my self-consciousness gave way to self-awareness. I could knowingly use various skills, models and techniques in the appropriate context and enable that ‘aha’ moment to occur. I learned that environment is incredibly important - one of my clients became visibly uncomfortable when we had to use a lecture room - which to her was associated with stress and pressure. I won’t make that mistake again. I now try to go outside whenever possible though of course, in Britain, that has its own challenges. I have had people telling me I am good and recommending me. My supervisor told me I could look harsh when closed but when open I had a rapport that he wished he could bottle. I'm becoming aware of when I have unreasonable expectations of others and at the same time I am learning to put boundaries in place.

A coaching culture benefits everybody in an organisation, not just management

Everyone in my organisation is technically entitled to access a coach. This is amazing. Yet it isn't taken up in the quantities you would expect, perhaps because it is perceived as something for management or for remedial action. Yet, you don’t have to be a qualified coach to use the skills with other people. Supervisors can ask open questions to doctoral researchers to help them understand their topic more. Tutors can paraphrase and summarise a student’s comment to ensure they have understood it correctly and increase confidence. Managers can help their staff work towards purposeful and realistic goals. And everybody would benefit from improving their non-judgemental listening skills.

I have gained a lot both personally and professionally from becoming qualified as a Performance Coach and I would like to thank Bernie Croft of Brunel of Brunel University London and Don Greenwood of Metice Development Solutions for accepting me on the course.

What have you been learning recently and what impact has this made on you? Have you signed up for something that will be starting shortly? I'd be delighted if you shared your experiences in the comments

Being vulnerable. Being seen.

Brené Brown's talk on Netflix is proving incredibly popular in the online circles I visit. I finally got round to watching it this weekend. In it, she talks about being 'seen' and about having the courage to be vulnerable enough to let this happen. She's also very funny.

I want to tell you about my recent adventure in West Wales and how I inadvertently put this into practice.

A family get-together

I've recently returned from a big family get together in West Wales. This may sound like a lovely event; however, I was quite nervous about it. It is a long drive from where I live and, with a pre-schooler and toddler in the car, it wasn't going to be easy. It was with family I knew very little of - they are relatives on my mother-in-law's side with whom she has lost contact over the years. They're also mainly French (I know some German and Spanish but my French is scratchy). I'm an introvert at the best of times so being 'on' for a full week with no let up sounded exhausting.

I prepared myself by:

• fitting in 5 minutes of Duolingo French every night for six months. This meant I could understand the gist of conversations
• picking out elements that I intended to enjoy (the beautiful scenery, the novelty of seeing somewhere new)
• deciding not to be 'on' but just be myself

Reader, it was actually really nice. Yes, there was screaming. No, it wasn't me. And it wasn't always my children either! Mine actually slept for a decent amount of time

We celebrated two birthdays while we were there, mine included. These brought everyone together with cakes, candles, and lots of wine. I didn't try to achieve anything except have fun with my children. I didn't go with too many expectations, I didn't put my reserves up and I possibly cried a bit too often (I blame the lack of sleep). I had some lovely, thoughtful, conversations with interesting individuals. People were attentive and kind. And for the first time, in a long time, I felt seen.

I hadn't quite realised how special this feeling is. I provide this experience with people I coach and people who I help in their academic practice at work. I am attentive and they often cry. Being on the receiving end (and seeing it encapsulated in Brené's show) made me realise just how important it is to be really, truly noticed - even if just for a brief moment - before we go back to our normal, everyday lives.

A few other things I've been up to:

Coaching supervision - learning about set-up meetings. In our coaching community the set-up meeting involves both the person being coached and their line manager so conversation requires handling with care.

Academic Practice - Mainly marking portfolios and attending various panel meetings. Arranging conversations with those who require extra support to pass. Organising, planning and teaching an Introduction to Teaching day for our Demonstrators and Graduate Teaching Assistants in the Engineering Departments.

Reading - I'm currently halfway through each of these:

• The Courage to Teach by Parker. J. Palmer - a thoughtful book about how, as we learn about our teaching identity, we can discover techniques which strengthen and reveal who we are rather than using 'tips and tricks' to hide behind
• Soulful Simplicity by Courtney Carver - a beautiful book, inside and out, which focuses on simplifying aspects of our lives to invite more space and connection in
• Gut by Giulia Enders - my eldest was born with neonatal bacterial meningitis and needed antibiotics for the first 12 days of his life. This book outlines to a small extent what the impact of this might be and how I could potentially rectify some of it.

Does this post resonate with you? Have you seen Brené's show?Have you been 'seen' or do you pull up the barriers?

*this post contains affiliate links which helps my family and I to pursue our dreams. I only link to items I know and have used/read.

Spring is here and the grass has grown - marking/coaching/weeding

I find April an uplifting month. Spring is underway: bluebells, forget-me-nots and daffodils have all emerged and are doing their best to beautify the landscape. The showers are short and promote growth.

Growth is happening at work and at home too. At work the focus is on marking, preparing my Senior Fellowship application and reflecting on the previous term's teaching activities. At home it is on preparing the garden. Not the ideal time for the latter but the safest time to get the little ones involved.

What I've been up to this month:

Coaching:

I've handed in my second assignment and received very positive comments about it. I've completed thirteen hours of coaching, plus lots of practising within the workshops and have attended several coaching supervision sessions. The latter have been very helpful in allowing me to unpick and receive advice on some of the trickier areas - keeping it all anonymous of course. I have one assignment to go which I hope to complete very shortly and then that's it - I'll be a qualified coach! Then the work really starts...

Academic Practice:

Lots and lots of marking of draft portfolios. We asked for drafts and we've got them! These are mainly from our PgCAP programme but some are also from older programmes which we no longer run or from our open route to accreditation. I'm trying to fit them in around meetings but most productive marking takes place when I can block off several days and do little else but concentrate on this area. Easier said than done but I'm working on it.

Becoming embroiled in the 'finding a school for my darling' process:

This should have been easy as we have one very close to us but unfortunately it wasn't suitable so we've had to look elsewhere. We found out this month that we have got our first choice, which is a huge relief.

Getting the raised beds ready for sowing:

They are in a mess after not being used for a couple of years. It has also been challenging to do this with a full-time job and two small children; however, I have bought them their own spades and I'm hoping we can finish this with a team effort!

Giving blood:

I have a rare donor blood type so I get regular letters and phone-calls encouraging me to donate again. I was a regular until pregnancy, breastfeeding and a severe lack of sleep became part of my life. While I probably am too tired for it to be sensible, at least I know there will be some blood available if I have an accident! I also think that if you are willing to accept it then, if you are able, you should be willing to donate it.

Give blood.

What I've been reading:

I've not been reading so much recently due to marking, hospital visits and focussing on assignments but here's some of the main pieces:

Chimp Paradox and My Hidden Chimp by Professor Steve Peters . I bought the former after having heard it recommended by three different people in one month. It's already making a difference to my approach and it ties in with some of the mindfulness practices I use. My four year old loves the latter. It is a little bit old for him but we go through a chapter most weekends.

Reframing Professional Development Through Understanding Authentic Professional Learning by Ann Webster-Wright.Read as part of our team's continuing professional development.

Biggs and Tang, (2011) Teaching For Quality Learning At University A core textbook for the students on the PgCAP course and I've finally finished the entire thing!

Fellowshipat4 - A twitter hashtag used by the Trent Institute for Learning and Teaching. I'm currently putting together my Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy portfolio and this was immensely helpful.

Recommended site:

Give blood. Do it! You will feel incredibly virtuous afterwards!

How's your spring shaping up? What plans do you have? Let me know in the comments below!

Five benefits of coaching: for the workplace

At my work, we recently had a visit from the Career Mum where she extolled the virtues of coaching and mentoring. My workplace has invested in training eleven new coaches to join the ten it has already has to form a coaching community to benefit its staff. Institutions as we know don’t often put their money where their mouth is so it’s a pleasant surprise to see this happen.

There are numerous blogs, articles and websites about how coaching can benefit the individual to gain clarity, find their purpose and create a plan to reach their goals; however, when writing my assignments for my coaching qualification I didn’t find as much aimed at institutions. Those who hold the purse-strings in organisations can make a big difference to people’s lives through the choices they make so, based on the Institute of Leadership and Management’s (ILM) recent White Paper, Cracking Coaching: Five ways to make an impact at work, here are a few reasons why companies should invest in coaching communities:

1. Coaching increases engagement and productivity:

According to the ILM’s Whitepaper, coaching helps increase engagement and boost productivity, especially in new joiners and those returning to work. It states workers who experience coaching have ‘improved confidence, performance and productivity’ all which improve life for the individual. In turn, reduced sickness, absence and lateness rates boosts the organisation's performance as a whole.

2. Coaching can reduce uncertainty:

Technology increase and uncertainty regarding the political landscape means individuals must learn to adapt and be flexible so they can manage change effectively and with the least amount of mental pain as possible. They may find their roles have changed or disappeared altogether; however, according to the ILM, ‘four fifths (79%) of those surveyed believe coaching can help teams when adopting new technology and different ways of working’. As a result, coaching can help to improve the resilience of individuals. Additionally, the organisation can spend fewer resources on training people to fill the skills gaps created by such changes.

3. Coaching can improve confidence and reduce conflict:

‘58% said they felt more confident after coaching’. The ILM states ‘Coaching makes individuals feel valued and promotes a more inclusive culture within the organisation’. This should mean a reduction in stress and an increase in motivation and self-esteem. There is an argument to suggest coaching could help reduce conflict as staff become more open and solution-focussed – leading to fewer disciplinary issues.

4. Coaching can ease the transition back to work:

The report argues a drop in ‘morale, engagement and motivation’ will lead to a reduction in productivity for the organisation. This is especially pertinent for those undergoing a transition back to work, either moving into a new role or returning from parental or long-term sick leave. Coaching would reduce the amount of lost productivity as they ‘find their feet’ and a resulting low attrition rate would mean fewer costly recruitment processes.

5. Coaching can help future leaders:

Coaching can have a positive effect on the confidence of those leading or managing others, with ‘67% of those surveyed agree coaching would make them feel good about managing others’. It promotes the idea that the organisation is investing in its employees which would encourage employees to stay. A significant majority (84%) of leaders reported ‘coaching would have helped them in periods when they struggled to manage an individual’.

If you’ve ever received, or would like to receive, coaching at work, I’d love to hear about your experiences. What impact did it have on you and your work or home life?

A visit from The Career Mum: survival tips

March is the month we traditionally celebrate women, particularly mothers. International Womens' Day, Women's History Month, Mothering Sunday, and Matronalia all take place in this month and I'm sure there are even more festivals I am unaware of. It was fitting then for the Women's Equality Group meeting at my institution to choose March to host a visit from The Career Mum, Amanda Newman.

I've mentioned previously how much I value online groups like The Career Mum, especially as it can be difficult to get alternative support. Amanda created the Facebook group at the end of 2017 and I found it incredibly helpful when I returned to work after my second maternity leave. I'm sure that if it had been in existence after my first it would have been very helpful then too and I may have avoided some of the issues I had. The group welcomes everyone whether they are parents or not, working or not - Amanda is the career mum of the title. It is full of people who provide help with dilemmas around work, whether that be getting into work or balancing responsibilities once in it.

Amanda told us about herself and then followed with a Q&A session. Some of the biggest tips I took away from her talk were:

Map your life so far: I remember dong a similar exercise on the Aurora course and it really does help you understand how far you have come, what your drivers are and to identify your strengths and challenges. This was also the exercise I encouraged the students on the UCL leadership and Management course to do as I strongly believe that self awareness can help people become fantastic leaders.

Map out who can help you: I'm terrible at doing this even though I regularly help others and give them this same advice. As a consequence, I probably struggle through a lot that I don't necessarily need to. Taking this on board, I have just texted a neighbour to see if she can recommend a plumber!

Take up coaching or mentoring wherever possible: I'm completely biased here as I'm training to be a coach; however, I've taken up offers where my colleagues have needed to practise on people and it has already helped me move forwards with a number of goals and stopped me ruminating over them. There are coaching and mentoring circles being set up within the Facebook Group so if you have one near you I would strongly recommend it.

Build your resilience: I've mentioned previously that taking some responsibility for your own happiness, wellbeing and resilience doesn't let the organisations and power structures who make lives very difficult off the hook. However, we can to some extent help ourselves become mentally, physically and emotionally stronger by engaging in exercise, eating well and participating in mindfulness.

Lastly, own your identity. This ties in with the first point about self-awareness. Our identities can be very much tied up with work or those we care for and, while this can be fine, it can lead to problems if there are major changes. Finding out what else interests and drives us can offer some protection. As Stephen Covey wrote in 7 Habits of Effective People, know who you are otherwise others will shape you and your life.

I'd love to know your response to these tips and how you may have approached them? Leave me a comment below!

Using my voice to promote positive mental health.

One in four students are suffering from mental health problems. 64% of PhD candidates are feeling lonely at work. Academic staff feeling overworked is nothing new. This can either seem like an overwhelming problem or, even worse, just the price people are expected to pay for having the privilege of working or studying in academia.

As this year’s University Mental Health Day is all about the power of using your voice, I’d like to tell you about two things I’ve been doing to use mine to help others...

Coaching:

Firstly, I’ve been using my voice to ask questions as part of my coaching practice. I have been practicing my coaching skills on university staff who for various reasons are finding stress in their lives ranging from communication problems and procrastination around deadlines to frustrations with a lack of work-life balance. Throughout the course, I have been learning about the different models and tools I can use to help. These have included: visualising what success might look like, writing meaningful and emotion-laden goals utilising Carol Wilson’s EXACT model, and encouraging the understanding of other’s perspectives via the 51% rule and Perceptual Positioning. By training to be part of the University’s coaching community I get to keep learning, which is something I always love doing, staff achieve progress towards their chosen goal and the University gets happier employees. It’s a win for everyone! 

Mindfulness:

Secondly, I have recently become involved in the University’s wellbeing group again (I took a break from it due to maternity leave). It is a group of volunteers who provide meditation and mindfulness practices – drawing on each individual’s experience with yoga, tai chi, Qigong, Hindu or Buddhist teachings once a week, every Wednesday 12noon-12.30 in the Meeting House (a multi-faith and none space on campus). Towards the end of last month, I led a session in Mindfulness. Mindfulness has been proven to reduce stress and has become quite popular over the last few years.

There were 15 people in attendance: a mixture of staff and students, male and female with a range of different faiths and nationalities. I started with a brief breathing exercise to encourage people to settle down and feel calm. This was from a book called Happy Teacher’s Change the World which I refer to regularly in my role as an Academic Practice lecturer. I then spent the majority of the 30 minutes going through a detailed body scan taken from Jon Kabatt-Zinn’s book – Wherever you go, there you are.

Towards the end I remembered why I enjoyed doing these sessions so much – the participants seemed so calm and still and this was verified by the comments they made afterwards. We finished with a Loving Kindness meditation which encourages us to put aside our inner judgmental voice and be kind to ourselves, our friends, and those who we may not hold so dearly.

Each week these sessions change in teacher and content and it is a nice space to take time out for one’s self, to regroup and to connect with others in the same environment without having to have a conversation. 

There is increasing evidence of the success coaching in an educational setting can bring and universities are increasing their provision of wellbeing activities. While they won’t solve all life’s ills (or problems related to decreasing budgets, bureaucracy and restructures), they can certainly help towards dealing with them. I’d strongly recommend seeking them out.

Related posts:

• Mindfulness workshops in higher education


• Using yoga and mindfulness to improve student employability

For further help with looking after mental health as a student - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/student-mental-health/

Over to you! I’d love to know what you do to promote good mental health. Leave a comment below.

What’s the difference between coaching and mentoring?

I lead workshops on mentoring as part of my role as an Academic Practice lecturer. All those trying to obtain Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, whether that be through the PgCap or Open portfolio route are required to have a mentor. We recommend that all the mentors who take on this important and rewarding role come to one of the workshops.

I am also training to become a coach so I can become part of the University’s coaching community. Despite making it clear to my ‘clients’ that I am a coach, not a mentor, and therefore cannot give advice - there is still occasionally some confusion. And sometimes frustration too when I won’t tell people what to do.

There are some similarities which often leads to the two words being used interchangeably. However, there are some key differences which show that they shouldn’t. So what are these?

Firstly, definitions:

Coaching is a process which ‘works on improving the performance and wellbeing of an individual or group through setting goals, exploring values and beliefs, and facilitating… plans of action’. Within the wider organisational context this would involve a conversation based around workplace goals and objectives, with the support of the coachee’s line manager.

Mentoring is a process where people ‘impart their own experience, learning and advice to those who are newer to a particular field’. Within the wider organisational context this is a professional development activity which supports the development and learning of the mentee by providing advice and guidance from more experienced colleagues. 

For example, mentees can find out information about other departments and discover tips for coping with returning from long-term sick, carer’s or parental leave. With regards to Academic Practice, the mentor would observe their teaching and help them locate and understand discipline specific pedagogic literature.

Some key similarities: 

• Coaching and mentoring are both about the development of the individual - this could be their performance at work or their well-being overall. 

• They both usually feature 1-1 relationships. Group coaching can occur but is less common due to confidentially. 

• Both involve communication skills and body language. The ability to listen and demonstrate listening are key to both coaching and mentoring so the individual being coached or mentored feels able to talk freely.

• Both require trust and confidentiality is expected. Trust is fundamental to creating a rapport between those involved. 

• Both can enhance performance. An individual can explore ideas within a safe space with their coach or receive advice from their mentor - both of which, if put into practice, will lead to progress. 

Some key differences:

• Time.  They can differ in the amount of time they take. Coaching is solution-focussed with the duration and number of sessions being agreed at the start of the process. Mentoring is a much more fluid process and a relationship can last years as opposed to the weeks or months more common in coaching. 

• Process. A mentor will provide advice and solutions to their mentee, based on their experiences. A coach will not do this. They will help the coachee to explore ideas and uncover their own answers. This is based on the belief the coachee is more likely to take responsibility and ownership of their choices if they have come up with them. 

• Job relevance and seniority. A mentor’s experience may be very relevant to the mentee as this is what the advice given will be based on. As the coach is not giving advice and is a neutral force, their own experience of the coachee’s work is less relevant and, in some cases, could cloud the process.

• Trust. While this is also mentioned as a similarity, the types of trust may differ. There is the added trust the client has of their coach that they know how to coach effectively and will lead the process in an ethical, sensitive and challenging manner. 

In summary,

While there are a number of key similarities between the coaching and mentoring, I think it is important to maintain a distinction so as not to confuse clients. This can also avoid potentially upsetting them when they realise their expectations aren’t going to be met. Clear communication at the beginning of any arrangement is crucial. I also like to send people I am arranging to coach a link to this article by Blaire Palmer on How to be coached.

Related posts: 

• Using the GROW coaching model to help someone reach SFHEA status 
• Coaching: passions and practice. 
• Using career planning ideas to inform coaching and mentoring 
• Using coaching skills to help people GROW 
• Coaching or how to listen without judgement

Over to you. Those of you who coach do you find similar problems? How do you approach them? 


Quotes from Wilson, C (2014) Performance Coaching,

Reflecting and renewing...slowly (and dryly).

Happy New Year, everybody! I hope it's not too late to say that!

I find January an odd month - a time for reflection, often full of resolutions to do better, with an urgent appeal from all around us to stop doing this, start doing that and do it all right this minute. This is juxtaposed with it being winter - cold, wet, and the time for hibernation. I generally have a slow and steady approach at this time of year. From the Winter Solstice celebrations on 22nd December, the days slowly become lighter and this is how I like to approach the forthcoming seasons too - gradually.

As I work in the education sector I feel I get several times to reflect and renew throughout the year, spring being one and then the start of the new academic year in September so there is no rush to get everything done at once...

What I've been up to this month:

Coaching:

The second module is over. My first and second learning log have been completed and handed in, as has my first assignment. My coaching practice is well underway. I've coached six times now, which is obviously not much at all, but with each hour I put in I am learning more. It's also really helping my conversations with the new staff at the University who are taking the Post-Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PgCAP).

Academic Practice:

Some teaching, but mainly meetings, marking and more marking. I am currently marking PgCAP portfolios and with many of them it feels such an absolute privilege. The amount of effort many of the new staff have put in, the way they have engaged and the level of personal detail they have included about what fires them up about teaching is lovely to read.

Dry January:

I don't normally bother with these types of challenges as I don't drink that much - a couple of glasses of wine at the weekend - but I thought I'd give it a go. While it's had the opposite effect to my waistline that I hoped for (as I've reached for the chocolate as an alternative) I do get through the sleepless nights with my children a little easier.

What I've been reading:

Questioning Vygotsky's legacy? Edited by Anton Yasnitsky
Muse by Jesse Burton of The Miniatiarist fame
Psychologies magazine - I treated myself to the Black Friday subscription deal and it's very much the gift that keeps on giving with added Facebook groups and life coaching workshops
Performance Coaching Carol Wilson
Cheaters on Twitter: an analysis of engagement approaches of contract cheating services
Hancock, J (2018) 'Engaging with Liminalities and Combating Toxicity: A Compassionate Approach to Developing Professional Identities for PhD Students Who Teach' Journal of perspectives in applied academic practice, 6 (3)

Recommended site:

The Pool - I absolutely love this. I've been signed up to the Editor's Circle too which for £3 gets you freebies and an extra letter from the editor (although sadly this has now just stopped). I like how the daily updates tell you roughly how long the article will take to engage with - useful for when you're sat down to feed the baby or have a few moments while waiting for someone to arrive for a meeting :) And that it's a mixture of serious stuff and superficial shopping/beauty stuff too.


Facebook groups - Having a full-time job and a young family with no support network means I don't have the opportunity to talk to anyone outside of these environments. I've recently joined a few groups in Facebook and it has been nice to be able to dip in occasionally, get advice if needed and give support if I can help. It keeps me from being in my own little bubble too much.


How's your January looking so far?

Identity, coaching and my new job.

So I'm still no wiser as to what I should be calling myself - educational developer, information professional, trainee coach, new mum, lapsed vegetable grower, wannabe yoga teacher or to quote Hannah Gadsby - tired, just tired. Ideas on a postcard please; (I'm not worried about this as they are all me but it is a messy way of introducing yourself).

Tired

What I've been up to this month

New job:

I am fully immersed in the new job and it has primarily involved getting up to speed with how things work - no mean feat halfway through term and it has been a whirlwind of teaching observations, providing feedback, and writing that up for those observed to reflect on. My persuasion skills have been put to the test as I've had to encourage academics to sign up for activities - some things never change! I am providing the mentoring workshops for more experienced academics who are interested in supporting those through the Fellowship (of the Higher Education Academy) process and putting together activities for this has helped me put my teaching hat back on.

I started the coaching course:

So far, I have had an induction day and we have completed the first module, bar assignments, learning logs, coaching diaries, collecting of testimonies - there's a lot of work involved! I am really enjoying it though and it is an amazing feeling when you see the person you are coaching have a moment of realisation about themselves and know that you helped them to do that. I have three people lined up to start working with and I am really looking forward to it.

What I've been reading:

Various bits on coaching, education and lifestyle

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed - remarkable book. I wanted to go hiking as soon as I put it down
• The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Personal Account and Reflection
• Beth Kempton's beautiful book, Wabi Sabi - one to keep referring back to
• Little bits of a coaching book I won years go - An introduction to coaching skills by Christian van Nieuwerburgh
• Ranieri, M., Raffaghelli, J. E., & Bruni, I. (2018). Game-based student response system: Revisiting its potentials and criticalities in large-size classes. Active Learning in Higher Education. Draeger, John. (2013) Why bother with the scholarship of teaching and learning? InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 8 p12-19.
• Shulman, Lee (2011) The scholarship of teaching and learning: a personal account and reflection. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Vol 5 (1).

Recommended site:

Duolingo - I've been using this free mobile language gaming app to practice French for ten minutes every day. I'll be going on holiday with some French relatives of my husband's next year and need to gain some language skills. It's really easy to fit into my life (I practise while feeding my youngest) and it is quite fun to use.


What have you been up to this month? Any comments or tips to share?

The mummy returns: part two...

So after quite a gap since my last post, I am back to writing on this blog. I may have disappeared from here and Twitter for a while; however, I did emerge briefly to write a post for the Reallife Fit on self-care and well-being before retreating back to life with a pre-schooler and baby and all that that entails (mainly tears - of laughter, joy, anger, sadness and frustration).

Reading back my post from the last time I returned from maternity leave I'm surprised at how raw it still feels.

I hadn't recovered mentally or physically when I went back and (I realise I am lucky compared to some countries who get no or little maternity leave - looking at you America) but I had little financial choice so it was the way it had to be. Luckily this child didn't have neonatal meningitis or reflux and while it wasn't a walk in the park - prolonged jaundice, scar infections etc - we're doing okay. This time taking a longer leave of absence has addressed some of those emotional and physical demons and laid them to rest. Some...not all.

This time I have two little ones at home being looked after by their dad during the week while we tag team childcare. I am returning to a job I am very excited about and I have recently found out I have been accepted on a programme to do a Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring qualification - which I am absolutely thrilled with. I've been trying to get on this course for YEARS - I may have mentioned it once or twice in my posts!

As the seasons shift...

It has been a bit of an identity shift moving jobs too. I will be spending my time with academic staff rather than students and I am no longer working in a library or employed as an information professional. While I am still a member of CILIP and therefore still a qualified chartered librarian, I am not sure how much longer I will retain that part of my identity. I will need to change the strapline of my blog - or do I scrap this one and start again? It seems a shame to lose all that content, especially as lots of it is still linked to what I do.

My path is now veering away from budgets and research databases and much more towards education, coaching and developing people - the element of all my previous roles I have most enjoyed and valued. A condition of my probation is that I will gain Senior Fellow status of the Higher Education Academy so I expect I will be busy this academic year.

I am considering blogging about both my journey to becoming a Senior Fellow and a qualified coach. If this is something you would be interested in please let me know via the comments.

Using the GROW coaching model to help someone reach SFHEA status

As part of my interview for my new role as Lecturer in Higher Education, I was asked to deliver a ten minute presentation prior to the questions. This is fairly common in the education sector and makes sense in any sort of teaching role as you are showing that you can present knowledgably and engagingly, even when incredibly nervous, as well keep to time (a very important and often underused skill).

The topic was:

“My approach to supporting an experienced and senior academic begin to apply for Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy”

I have never helped anyone gain Senior Fellowship before; however, I have had many conversations with experienced and senior academics and, while I still have some of the wounds, I believe I've learned a lot from them. As many of you know, I'm a great believer in the power of coaching and think it can be enormously beneficial, so I decided to take this approach and use the GROW model to demonstrate it.

GROW is a coaching model acronym which stands for Goal, Reality, Options and Will.

I talked about how finding out what the Goal was for the academic - why were they trying to achieve SFHEA status? Had they been told to do it? Was it something they knew the value of? If I knew their motivations I would be able to better support them.

I then moved onto Reality. Did they meet the criteria of the UKPSF Framework? The accreditations for the Higher Education Academy are not hierarchical; for example, a highly established researcher may be very eminent in her field but if she doesn't support the teaching of others then she will not meet the criteria for Senior Fellowship and would be better going for Fellowship instead.

Options included how I could support the academic: through different types of workshops, through a mentor programme, through providing templates and so on.

With Will, I discussed investigating the level of motivation and commitment of the academic. Ultimately, the process was up to them and it's important they understand this.

In a bid for extra authenticity, alongside my explanations of how I could enable a person to grow and flourish, I was able to include lots of pictures of gardening, seeds and vegetables (another area of life I'm passionate about). It felt very apt!

My new role will involve much more mentoring and coaching so I am really looking forward to putting this into practice and I hope in future to be able to complete a coaching qualification to cement and add credibility to my work.

New job & New baby = New challenges!



Many of you know that I completed the Aurora course this year. It's a leadership development programme for women in higher education and I wrote about it recently for CILIP Update. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have recommended it to several of my colleagues since. I've also espoused some of the lessons learned in my guest lecture to new library and information professionals studying on the UCL Masters course.

I've not only been giving advice to others but have really taken on board what I learned during the programme. I was challenged to think critically about how I present myself to others, whether I show I have the courage of my own convictions and how I bring my whole self to whatever situation I'm in.

In conjunction with the Aurora programme I was provided with a mentor and they both helped me to determine my own strengths, values, passions and weaknesses and how they align with the job I currently do.

It became clear to me that I'm passionate about helping others develop and I love teaching, learning new things and inspiring others to do the same hence my 'considered' drift over the last few years towards coaching, social media workshops, and educational development.

I've now taken it one step further and am delighted to finally officially announce that from 18th September I will be taking up a new role at Brunel University London as Lecturer in Higher Education, based in Brunel Educational Excellence Centre (BEEC). I will be able to focus more on doing what I am passionate about including coaching and supporting others. Two weeks after I start I will be going on maternity leave for the second time which will undoubtedly bring its own challenges; however, I will have something very exciting to return to.

I will, of course, be very sad to leave the Library where I've worked for five years; however, I still expect to continue seeing my colleagues as the departments have always worked closely together and I will only be across the concourse when I return.

Reflections

Coaching: passions and practice.

A few years ago, I attended an introductory workshop in Coaching at my workplace. At the time the aim was to create a coaching community within the University and offer the ILM Level 5 Qualification in Coaching to interested attendees of the workshop. I was very interested but unfortunately the dates clashed with conferences I was presenting at, so I was unable to participate. The following year, the institution stopped running the course; however, I maintained my interest through reading and using techniques where possible and appropriate, for example, in the Action Learning Set I was involved in as part of the Aurora course (a development programme for female leaders in higher education) .

In November last year I participated in a Twitter chat hosted by UKLibchat on the subject which was incredibly popular. This encouraged me to include coaching as part of my performance development review at work as I could see how beneficial it would be both in developing my relationships with staff and in my work with students. Recently, a follow-up refresher workshop was offered at my workplace due to increased interest in the subject so I put my name down straightaway.

Reader, I loved it. The biggest glow I get at work is either when students ‘get it’ when I am helping or teaching them and also when I see people’s reactions at the end of attending one of my mindfulness workshops. While these two things may seem very different, what they both have in common is that they are empowering the person to be and do better. I believe very strongly that coaching does this as well, which is why I think I get that feeling.

Some useful refreshers:

2015: Reflections and the year ahead

Well, what a difference a year makes. Looking back at my 2014 blogpost, I find it hard to believe I packed so much in while spending most of the year pregnant.

2015 was very different. It started off with me being almost two weeks overdue, followed by an emergency caesarean, my baby being treated for neonatal meningitis and me struggling to walk - in a hospital miles away from home for twelve days. It was a frightening, stressful and lonely experience.

F had dreadful reflux for seven months which meant no naps in the day at all and barely anything at night for either of us. We now generally average about three hours a night sleep, sometimes four, which is a vast improvement on how it used to be. There was a whole week in July where I got six hours every night - bliss!

I returned to work full time when he was almost seven months old and my husband now looks after him during the day, alongside his own evening & weekend job. Returning to work has been like starting a brand new job again, but with the expectation that you can easily pick up where you left off - alongside trying to find rooms suitable to express in and meeting tight deadlines fuelled only by willpower and chocolate.

In addition, I was trying to remember how to drive again (I'd barely had chance to practise since passing), as well as trying to remember everyone's names which suddenly seemed to have escaped me.

Needless to say, something had to give and I crashed my car, although luckily the only real injury was to my bank balance.

I had very few goals last year and they mainly consisted of submitting my Chartership Revalidation for 2014-15 and continuing with yoga.  I completed the first and doing the latter really helped save my sanity. I intend to continue as much as I can with this, even if it's just once a week.

There will be no more volunteering to be on committees for a while - I've spent the last five years on them for various professional organisations and I no longer have that much time to give. The same applies to long conferences - it will be day length and commutable for a little while longer. Professional development and involvement will increasingly have to take place from a PC, a couch or both!

This year, I've applied to start the process to gain FHEA accreditation and I'm looking forward to speaking to new Library and Information Studies students at UCL in March as part of their Management module. I'm still interested in the coaching and mentoring I've mentioned in previous posts but this will have to wait a little longer until I have more capacity. In the meantime,  I'm anticipating introducing my little one to lots more stories - he's already an avid user of our local library and received LOTS of books for Christmas.

Ultimately, I'll be glad to see the end of 2015 and have tentative hopes that 2016 will be less chaotic.

Happy New Year!

Using career planning ideas to inform coaching and mentoring

Recently, as a result of a project a group of us are involved with at work we have been thinking about setting up coaching/mentoring / shadowing services for Library staff.  I’d already attended a staff development session at work on using coaching skills to unlock potential which got me quite excited about the idea and, as luck would have it, another session was being run by the same trainer on career planning. So on April 2^nd (forgive me for the huge lapse in time in writing this up!) I attended in the hope that it might help provide some ideas of how we can make these services more effective.

The workshop:

It was a small group - just 5 attendees, including myself. This meant that it was quite an intimate atmosphere and we were able to share stories, advice, and discuss the topics in some detail. We started off the day by looking at ‘pinnacles and foothill’ moments of our working past and identifying what was energising and satisfying about the pinnacles and draining and unsatisfying about the foothills. The idea being that if we looked at these events we could pick and choose the scenarios we wanted to avoid or repeat.

The workshop was very closely aligned with the changes both within our organisation and in higher education in general, for example, there was significant discussion about various work processes altering, getting used to working with new departments, and how student fees and expectations might impact on the institution and our role within it. Identifying these changes led us to establish what new skills would be needed and determining how we would be able to ensure we developed these. This is where I could see the coaching fitting in quite nicely as it would specifically target these areas.

As another exercise, we were asked to fill in a ‘career wheel’ to establish how balanced each aspect of our work life was; this was quite similar in some respects to some of the exercises I completed a while ago in What Color is your parachute. My answers, using both approaches, indicated that my ‘perfect' job at the moment would be very similar to what I am doing now - a job with lots of variety and autonomy; one that involves training and helping people,  but in in an environment with prettier surroundings, and the ability to work from home a couple of days a week. 

One of the areas we were asked to consider was whether our personal plans and interests overlapped with these changing needs within the organisation.  I think this is a very important question to consider as it’s healthy not to have too much of a disconnect between the two. While the current economic climate is unlikely to provide a job that ticks every single box, it’s a useful exercise to be able to recognise the perfect role just in case it does turn up one day.

Do the all the aspects of your work life balance out?

The end of the day focused on networking using social media (I ended up doing training sessions on LinkedIn and Twitter after some of the conversations that took place here, which was a handy bit of stealth advocacy for the Library) and branding which I’m not so keen on as a concept, perhaps because I don’t generally trust brands and nor do I want to be a product.

Conclusions:

Ultimately, it was a worthwhile day. It didn’t teach me anything new about myself or my career path, apart from perhaps to emphasise how important some green space and natural light is to me; however, I could see that plenty of the exercises we completed would work in a coaching or mentoring setting. If we do decide to go ahead with it, it could become a great way of helping people work out what’s available to them and how they can get there. As someone who didn’t do a graduate traineeship nor came into contact with people from a range of careers growing up, something like this would have been very useful for me earlier on.

What do you think? Do your values and interests match your job? Would you recognise ‘the perfect job’ if it dropped in your inbox tomorrow? Do you already have it – in which case, how do you know it is? Does it even matter, as long as it pays the bills and keeps a roof over your head? I'd be very interested to read your comments.