In the return of the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) “On Leadership” blog and newsletter column for the new academic year, Daryn David, PhD, addresses ways to build a “culture of coaching” and describes some upcoming coaching opportunities for faculty and trainees at the YCSC and Department of Pediatrics.
Thank you for tuning in to this year’s “On Leadership” column! I hope that everyone had a nice summer and that you are ready to dive back into leadership-related matters at the YCSC and School of Medicine.
This semester’s column will focus on the nuts and bolts of building a culture of coaching, including what such a culture might look like in academic medicine and how it can enhance the climate and well-being of practitioners at all levels of expertise.
According to the International Coaching Federation, coaching involves “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.”
Through deep listening and asking challenging questions, supporting the client through empathy and nonjudgement, and moving the client to concrete, change-based action, coaching can have a tremendous impact on the trajectory and potential of those who receive it.
Having witnessed this power first-hand, I have become increasingly interested in how the use of coaching techniques in mentoring, supervision, formal education, and sponsorship relationships could help unleash the wisdom, callings, and values-based action of YSM faculty and trainees. I also am interested in the potential of these skills to improve our culture and climate at large.
For instance, if problem solving, training activities, and matters of professional development were more frequently guided by coaching principles—including deep inquiry, belief in each person’s wisdom, and an openness to creative solutions—in what ways might the overall culture of our department and school transform? Could we become an institution that more fully embraces the potential of each practitioner, a place that recognizes and encourages the expression of fuller humanity, generativity, and service in the execution of day-to-day teaching, clinical, and research activities?
These questions are helping to inform current program development initiatives. Over the last few months, YCSC and Yale Department of Pediatrics colleagues and I have worked to construct a number of coaching skills programs These include this semester’s peer coaching groups, which bring together early career faculty members and postdocs to learn the fundamental skills of coaching with a goal of then utilizing these in support of one another’s professional growth and development.
Next semester, we will roll out a four-session coaching skills primer intended to teach YCSC and Pediatrics faculty and trainees how to use coaching skills in their day-to-day work with one another. We are looking forward to hearing back from individuals involved in these programs and to more formally evaluating outcomes associated with participation.
With time, I hope that the coach approach will help unlock streams of promise, potential, and power in our department and larger community. Our work in this area is just beginning’ —please be in touch if you are interested in learning more.
The "On Leadership" blog was launched in 2022 to address the importance of connection, collaboration, and embodying a service leadership mindset in professional and personal contexts. YCSC Assistant Professor Daryn H. David, PhD directs the column and serves as director for leadership development and coaching initiatives in the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) Offices of Academic and Professional Development and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.