How we learn has changed. That’s good.

Many development programs have moved to hybrid models where you can get some immersive learning on campus and leverage online learning for the rest of it. The program I recently completed followed that model too. Thankfully, the on-campus component wrapped up right before COVID-19 reared its head. I continued learning with a whole new suite of tools that were surprisingly easy to adopt. The new-to-me delivery was good even if it did take time to get used to. I quickly reframed my predisposed ideas about how online learning was going to work.

Rather than passively consuming lectures, I engaged with instructors and classmates using practical and interactive online learning methods. Discussion forums, chats, and video meetings helped foster collaboration and created connections, though we were all joining from the comfort of our respective spaces. Since our mastery of each of these tools would be necessary for our coaching practices, we were evaluated on our contributions to each of them. These tools helped form part of the foundation of engagement and interactivity for both the classes and our group work. As the course progressed, we became a virtual community. 

Having a high comfort level leveraging this kind of technology is now table stakes. With the pandemic, it’s our new normal.

But, if you go in with the assumption that it’s the same as sitting in a room together, you’d be wrong. You’ve got to be on your toes because it’s easy to miss some discussion nuances and be left in the dark. 

While you are inhabiting virtual spaces, you are also at the mercy of an Internet connection; stability and strength is something not everyone participating might have. That is one reason why you can’t rely on listening alone while you discretely check your email. You also aren’t guaranteed that you will be able to see the reactions and expressions on people’s faces and get a gauge of their body language. Someone with a weak signal might not turn on their video at all. In short, the format forces you to be more attentive, engaged, and participative. If you’re distracted doing other things, you run the risk of being called out. Clearly this is significantly different than my University days where I was known to sleep through Economics 201, and the professor didn’t really care unless the snoring was disruptive.

Pressure to produce

The experience of completing four segments of the course, each one led by a different instructor, was intense, especially for some of my classmates who were still managing full-time work and had young children at home. The eight month program included weekly reading and webinars, self-assessments and introspection, group work, and over 70 hours of practice coaching.  I was also able to build skills and apply some different approaches when completing the assignments, including developing video editing skills – I never would have thought! Another critical component of the course was to start building out your own coaching practice. I have been working with my first five clients, and they’ve seen some significant achievements and shifts in their lives as a result. It’s gratifying when you know that adding a coaching toolset to a lifelong mentoring career can really make a  difference in personal and professional lives. 

All of this practicum culminated in a capstone project. It was your opportunity to apply everything you’d learned over the past few months. You would be in the virtual “hot seat” live coaching with some volunteer coachees who were willing to participate for an hour of their time. During the first part of the hour, you had what could only be described as a ten-minute “speed date” to try and get to know a little bit about them. A good coach is able to excel if they are able to build trust and intimacy with their client – it’s hard to do this well in such a short amount of time. Then we moved into a virtual breakout room to do the live coaching session. Three master coaches were observing. You either got a pass, a pass with recommendations, or a redo. You had to demonstrate your skill and avoid leading your coachee or dropping into those mentorship moments that you have used your entire professional career. It was a chance to integrate all of the skills I had been developing throughout the course. And yes, it was stressful. In the end, to get through it, you had to trust yourself that you had the talent to help with whatever the coachee brought to the table.

Done and on to the next one

Now I’m a Certified Executive Coach (CEC) and building out my practice to ensure it continues to grow. I’m also pondering things that are already leading me to my next educational endeavour. 

If you’ve tuned in to any of my previous posts, you’ll recall that I have a real passion for Governance and plan on using my newly acquired skills to work with several Boards in North America. I’m also keenly aware of how inclusiveness is one area that needs some focus to help build a board’s bench strength and keep them going. There are lots of other nuggets, too, like sustainability and succession planning. 

Even though I complained to my wife about the coaching workload over these past eight months, I was so energized by the Lifelong Learning experience I had I signed up for the University of Oxford’s Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme, through their online campus experience. It’s going to be an excellent refresher and, again, help me in my continued quest to keep the old saw sharpened! 

Take it from me, focusing on continuing your education and pushing yourself is good for the brain and good for the soul.

It’s new growth, in different directions, but on the same path.