Coaching Skills

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Coaching Skills

• The Role of the Coach

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Welcome to the LWVUS team!
Congratulations!
Thank you!
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Our agenda

• Whats your assignment
• Why coaching is important
• Whats needed for successful coaching
• What does your role look like
• What support systems exist

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Your Assignment

• Consistently work with
• 1-2 state coaching teams
• Support your partner coach
• Be part of the Shur Fellow network

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Who are you coaching?
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What is a state coordinator?

• Supporting and Coordinating the Coaching Team
• Facilitating Communication
• Modeling at the state level
• Ally and trusted partner
• Not in every state

?
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Each month. . .

• Calls with your state coaching teams (1-2 states)
• Calls with your partners state coaching teams
  (1-2 states)
• 1 call with the Shur Fellows team

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Calendar of calls each month
Weeks 1 2 State coaches talk with local League teams
Week 3 Fellows talk with state coordinator and coaches
Week 4 Fellows talk with each other MLD Support team
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What is our goal with the MLD Program?
Confident, Energized League Leaders Engaged and
Growing League Membership Healthier Civic
Communities Stronger Democracy
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Why coaches? A-ha moment

• The camera flashed to his coach, and the obvious
  struck me as interesting Professional athletes
  use coaches to make sure they are as good as they
  can be. But doctors and others dontwhy did I
  find it inconceivable to have someone to come
  into my operating room and coach me on my
  surgical technique?
• Personal Best Top athletes and singers have
  coaches. Should you? by Atul Gawande The New
  Yorker, October 3, 2011

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Coaches are key...
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MLD Program by the numbers

• Started in 2005
• 26 Shur Fellows
• Over 180 state coaches across the country
• Supported by the Fund for Local League Growth

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What makes a good coach?
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Two Links Coaches Help Make

• Bondingthe links that tie a group together
• Bridgingthe links that connect a group to others
  outside of its organization or network

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Bonding

• Build a strong organizational core
• Mission-driven motivation
• Can-do culture
• Data-driven decision making (i.e., what works)
• Purposeful innovation/change
• People-focused

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Bridging

• Build a strong external network -- at the state
  and local levels
• Compelling communications
• Active outreach
• Meaningful involvement

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According to the experts

• Good coaches speak with credibility, make a
  personal connection, and focus little on
  themselves. They listen more than they talk.
  They are one hundred percent present in the
  conversation.
• Jim Knight, director of the Kansas Coaching
  Project, University of Kansas

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A good coach . . .

• Enthusiasm
• Enjoys people
• Strong listening skills
• Ability to develop a comfortable relationship so
  that League leaders can share frustrations and
  awkward situations that may arise
• Strong verbal communication skills
• Creativity and ability to identify opportunities
  and provide suggestions
• Patient
• Observant
• Respectful and supportive
• Clear
• Empathetic
• Follows through
• Sense of humor
• Uses positive reinforcement wherever possible

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A good coach. . .

• Avoids being judgmental and is open to
  considering new ideas
• All Leagues are different
• Different personalities handle challenges
  differently
• Multiple good solutions to every problem exist
• Coaches guide, dont dictate

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A good coach. . .

• Needs good listening skills
• Especially because so much of your work will be
  remote

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A good coach. . .

• Empowers state coaches to help local Leagues
• Focuses state coaches on membership and
  leadership development

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Your 1 Goal as a Coach

• BUILD a RELATIONSHIP with the individuals you
  coach!

Part of something great
Trust
Supported
Optimistic
Heard
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What we dont expect from a coach
Miracle worker
Perfection
Instant success
solver of all problems
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Its a process!

• Lifecycle of any team/group

PHASE TEAM OUTPUT
FORMING Uncertain but optimistic Low
STORMING Conflict surfaces Low
NORMING Sense of team emerges Moderate
PERFORMING Fully functional Very high
In many cases, you will be the new element in
the team how do we handle that?
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So what do I do again?
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You actually have 4 Roles. . .

• Mentor
• Cheerleader
• Accountability Coach
• Communicator

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Mentor

• 1. a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
• 2. an influential senior sponsor or supporter.

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Mentor

• Provide guidance and training
• Inquire about progress and challenges
• Share ideas from your experience/knowledge
• Debrief on recent calls
• Empower them to be stronger coaches
• Support!

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Ask! Ask! Ask!
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DISCLAIMER

• One of the keys to building trust is
  confidentiality.

Its a secret. Shhhh!
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Cheerleader

• Help coaches see successes and applaud them
• Help invigorate coaches
• Be positive!

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Accountability Coach

• Keeping state coaches on track
• How do we move forward
• Pointing out successes and how to work on
  setbacks
• NOT A PUNITIVE ROLE
• Dont let your states slip back in to old habits

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Keeping on Track

• Reporting consistently can help you keep track of
  what is happening.
• Every month, you will
• Complete an online survey report about each state
  you coach
• Usually takes about 8-10 minutes per survey
• At the same time, state coaches will complete
  surveys on the Leagues that they are mentoring.
  These are great source of info for you and will
  help to form the agenda for your calls.

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GROW ME Model

• Most common or best known model
• Just a way to organize or structure the
  conversation
• Focuses on concrete action so it is a good model
  for getting practical things done
• Goal ? Reality Check ? Options ? Will ? Monitor
  ? Evaluate

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Communicator

• Youre an ambassador between the levels of the
  League
• Sharing information from state and national and
  reporting back on the needs and successes of the
  local Leagues.

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Resources available

• Partner coach
• Monthly calls
• MLD Support team
• Coaches forum
• Materials