Coaching I: Introduction to Coaching
Organizing is developing the leadership to enable people to use the resources they have to build the power they need to win the change they want. But how do we develop others' leadership? With the practice of coaching.
Description
This advanced workshop teaches coaching as a core leadership practice for enabling others to achieve shared purpose in the face of uncertainty. You'll learn that organizing campaigns are rich with challenges, but people are often "fish in their own water" who cannot always perceive the context they're swimming in—which is where coaching becomes essential. Through a simple diagnostic framework, you'll practice identifying whether someone is facing motivational challenges (heart/effort), ability challenges (hands/skills and information), or strategic challenges (head/how to use resources to achieve outcomes). The workshop introduces and builds skill in a five-step coaching process through structured practice groups of three. Each participant will rotate through the roles of Coach, Coachee, and Observer, working on real leadership challenges they face while learning that effective coaching is about asking questions that both support and challenge, without giving advice, trying to solve problems for others, or giving false praise. Through coaching, you'll learn how to cultivate a growth mindset in yourself and others that enables us to learn from failure and get back on the bike to try again.
See the Democracy Teams Participant Manual, pages 19-29