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In my experience, one of the most challenging aspects of working as an academic coach is also one of its most fulfilling — I'm referring to the constant, ongoing learning that comes with coaching. Although we bring knowledge of coaching principles and structures to our work, we never have the same conversation twice. Each coachee is unique, and even when we get to know a student well through regular meetings, their needs, skills, and perspectives change over time. Ours do too, for that matter. A coach can receive an insight in one moment of coaching, and make it part of their tool kit to be newly deployed at a subsequent meeting. A coach can also encounter multiple examples of a situation, as their work unfolds, that generate a useful idea they can apply.
One of the most profound lessons I experience as a coach is the ongoing education regarding students' unique recipes of barriers, challenges, abilities, and perspectives. A child of educators, I loved school, and because my modus operandi fit cozily into existing educational structures, my initial concept of student success was naive. It seemed simple — show up, pay attention to requirements, be curious and engaged, put in strong and timely effort, and you will earn desired results. But as my coaching career has unfolded, my eyes have been opened. My students have educated me regarding the astounding range of what can make it difficult to execute one or more of those seemingly "simple" steps. They helped me move from the authoritative place of "I know how to do this and I'll show you" to an equal-power position in which I am a supportive partner in the coaching relationship.
Recently, in a meeting, I asked a fairly new academic coach to reflect on what she had learned in the previous semester. She identified humility as a key takeaway. Her assumptions about learning, from her own success, were challenged as she learned what students were facing. She felt awed by the responsibilities they shoulder, humbled by the effort it takes them to manage barriers and confront internalized messaging. Like I did before, she is trading authority for partnership and continual learning — a significant benefit to her coachees as well as her coaching work.
Are you ready to get intentional about your continued development as a coach? LifeBound offers opportunities to learn from and with other coaches.
Explore which course is right for you at www.lifebound.com.
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