Coaching Skills for Academic Leaders

Keywords: Coaching as a leadership style, supervision, leadership, leadership styles

Introduction to the course topics:

Researchers often find themselves in a sandwich position, a situation marked by conflicting demands from their superiors, on the one side, and from their colleagues and students, from the other. They may be required to contribute to and lead research projects, and to delegate effectively, yet at the same time to support the development of their colleagues and students. In the work with students, for example, some young research-ers might find it challenging not to answer all questions and to solve the problems themselves, rather than inspiring and empowering students, giving them responsibility, and holding them accountable. Coaching of-fers a proven way of communication and an effective form of co-creating solutions, with colleagues and stu-dents.
In this workshop, future academic leaders and research managers will get into the coaching mindset, learn about and practice applying coaching tools. They will leave the workshop ready to have coaching conversations with colleagues and employees. The skill can usefully be applied also for the guidance of master and bachelor students

Course aims:

• To get to know the theoretical basis of coaching in the leadership- and management discourse and to conceptually place coaching as one of six leadership styles
• To get to know and practice eight key coaching skills that will transform and enhance the way they communicate in general and especially with their peers and students
• To learn how to motivate and empower colleagues and students and to practice coaching and receive personal feedback from workshop leaders

Teaching methods: The methods used in the workshop are highly interactive and participant driven. They combine personal work, experiential learning exercises, dialogue, facilitated work in groups of varying size, co-creation, and reflection.
We create a uniquely open and trustful atmosphere in our workshops, where participants are encouraged to openly share their experiences, to learn from each other, and to support each other in a benevolent manner.
Learning proceeds on three levels: (1) We provide a theoretical overview. (2) Participants go through powerful experiences in individual and group exercises, which are discussed and debriefed together in a safe environ-ment. (3) Finally, by reflecting together, participants draw lessons from the interaction process in the class, increasing self-awareness and learning about good practices. Participants are encouraged to bring and share their own knowledge and experience. At the begininig of the workshop, we create a trustful and supportive atmosphere, in which participants will feel safe and comfortable to contribute what they already know about the subject. At the end of the workshop, participants will design individual work plans to implement what they have learned and to keep developing their skills in the time after the event.

This course fits doctoral candidates in the following phase: during the doctorate │at the end of the doctorate

Participation requirements: To participate in this course, it is not necessary to lead an own team, as coaching skills can be equally applied for the guidance of master or bachelor students, as well as for the collaboration with peers and colleagues. In fact, it will help to lead all kinds of relationships more effectively.

Technical requirements: Laptop/tablet with stable internet connection, microphone, webcam, Zoom (in most cases)

Additonal information, notes: none

What participants say about this course:

• There was a trusting atmosphere in the course. I liked the creativeness and practical experience with the learned skills