Author: shelleyupton

Andragogy

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In contrast to pedagogy, which means “leading children”,
andragogy comes from the Greek “andro” meaning “men and
women”, and it means “leading adults”.

The principles of androgogy are those suited to all kinds of
training and coaching and include:
· an equal relationship between trainer and trainee based on
helping
· multiple communication to, from and between all members of the
learning group
· learning based on trainees’ needs
· everyone’s experience is valued as a learning resource
· decisions on learning are shared
· varied learning styles are used
· the training itself is an experience to be learned from
· learning aims to produce solutions to current and future
problems.

Item below from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andragogy

Knowles’ theory can be stated with six assumptions related to motivation of adult learning:[1][2]

  1. Adults need to know the reason for learning something (Need to Know)
  2. Experience (including error) provides the basis for learning activities (Foundation).
  3. Adults need to be responsible for their decisions on education; involvement in the planning and evaluation of their instruction (Self-concept).
  4. Adults are most interested in learning subjects having immediate relevance to their work and/or personal lives (Readiness).
  5. Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented (Orientation).
  6. Adults respond better to internal versus external motivators (Motivation).

The term has been used by some to allow discussion of contrast between self-directed and ‘taught’ education.[3]

http://www.instructionaldesign.org/domains/management.html discusses some of the theories in relation to managegment.

A video is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLoPiHUZbEw

There’s nothing new under the sun…

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“We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising, and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation.” Petronius Arbiter, c. 60 AD

Why the sailing boats logo?

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cropped-sailing-by-iii1.jpg

I’ve been asked why my logo and my business cards feature a painting called Sailing By V, which features little sailing boats. There are several reasons.

One is that I’ve always loved the Sailing By theme music that precedes the shipping forecast every evening on Radio Four. I associate it with floating off to sleep, but of course for mariners, it’s the signal to listen up for the information on which your life may depend in the coming 24 hours. The theme was written in 1963 by the splendidly named Ronald Binge, and it is a circular piece, meaning it can be played for as long as necessary to fill in the time between the end of the midnight news and the start of the forecast.

A second reason is that I love the sea and I love to see white sails as I look down from my office window over Cardigan Bay. I must have one of the best views in the world – and one of the best commutes, up the coast road from Aberaeron to Aberyswyth.

A third is that I picture life as a voyage. As we set sail, we regularly re-chart our course and life tempts us to set foot on shores we often hadn’t dreamed of visiting. It often beaches us where we least expected it. And sometimes it throws storms or doldrums into our path, but by setting the right sails and paying attention to the most favourable winds, the majority of life is a pleasurable as sailing on a calm sea can be.

And the final reason is that I painted it and I’m particularly fond of it! You can see more of my work at http://www.shelleyupton.co.uk and http://www.thepicturemakers.co.uk

Acting “as if…”

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My grandfather, a profound influence on my life, though I’m only now beginning to realise it fully, used to tell me when I had to do something that scared me – read a poem in front of my school class for instance – “All you need to do is act as if you were enjoying yourself and you won’t be scared any more”. And I’d read the poem out loud as a rehearsal, which wasn’t so bad, and then read it to him again, this time pretending I was enjoying it, and it actually worked. I felt better about it and he said it sounded better and when I stood up in class that felt better too.

This isn’t a new concept, but is one we often forget to apply in everyday life. One of the earliest references to the idea I can find comes from William James, the nineteenth century philosopher and psychologist, who said “We need only in cold blood ACT as if the thing in question were real, and keep acting as if it were real, and it will infallibly end by growing into such a connection with our life that it will become real.”

As you make the transition into senior management, walking the walk and talking the talk – consistently – is vitally important, so that those who depend on you to lead them can have confidence in you. Whilst you may not always feel a hundred percent confident, acting “as if” you were, can go a long way in helping you to convey the right impression.

And the next time you’re sitting slumped at your desk in a dismal mood ponder not only on that thought, but this further quotation from William James:

“Whistling to keep up courage is no mere figure of speech.  On the other hand, sit all day in a moping posture, sigh, and reply to everything with a dismal voice, and your melancholy lingers.  There is no more valuable precept in moral education than this, as all who have experience know: if we wish to conquer undesirable emotional tendencies in ourselves, we must assiduously, and in the first instance cold-bloodedly, go through the outward motions of those contrary dispositions we prefer to cultivate.

“The reward of persistency will infallibly come, in the fading out of the sullenness or depression, and the advent of real cheerfulness and kindliness in their stead.  Smooth the brow, brighten the eye, contract the dorsal rather than the ventral aspect of the frame, and speak in a major key, pass the genial compliment, and your heart must be frigid indeed if it does not gradually thaw!”

(William James, ‘What is an emotion?’, Mind, 9, 1884: 198)

 

You can read more about William James here: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/james/

The Management Continuum Model

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tannenbaumandschmidt_175

In 1958, Robert Tannenbaum and Warren Schmidt published a model of leadership explaining the different ways that leaders interact with their followers. The model is a continuum that showed that, at one end of the spectrum, a leader can have nearly total freedom to decide while, at the other end of the spectrum, the team can have nearly total freedom to decide. In-between these two extremes, Tannenbaum and Schmidt identified 7 types of leadership style. Knowing these style options and being able to apply them to a workplace situation correctly is a useful skill in effective leadership.

What are the 7 approaches on the Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum?

Here are the 7 different leadership approaches, starting with the far left end of the spectrum.

1. The Leader Tells. This approach is typified when a leader says: “The problem I face is.. I want you to…” This is the autocratic style of leadership. While unfashionable today, it is often needed when teams are new, inexperienced, or weak. As the team gain in cohesion and commitment, it becomes less and less appropriate.

2. The Leader Sells. This approach is typified when a leader says: “The problem I face is.. I want you to… because…”  In the selling approach, it’s still the leader in the driving seat but there is the need to get others to understand why they are doing what he or she wants.

3. The Leader Tests. This approach is typified when a leader says: “The problem I face is.. I want you to… What do you think…?” Notice now how the leader explains the problem, comes up with an idea but checks it out with the team. If they’re not ready for more responsibility, they’ll go along with what the boss wants; if they are ready, then he or she leaves the door open for them to discuss their thoughts.

4. The Leader Consults. This approach is typified when a leader says: “The problem we face is.. What ideas do you have for solving it…?” Notice now how the leader drops the word “I” in exchange for the word “we”. Notice also how he or she no longer feels the need to have an answer ready. The leader is effectively inviting the team to problem-solve with him or her.

5. The Leader Joins. This approach is typified when a leader says: “What is the problem we face? How can we solve it? Any ideas?” Now comes a turning-point. The leader no longer owns the problem and solution alone. By asking the team to consider the problem as well as the solution, he or she is nudging them into outright ownership themselves.

6. The Leader Delegates. This approach is typified when a leader says: “Problems keep cropping up… Can you see what’s going on, come up with some ideas and get back to me…” Now the leader knows that there are problems in certain areas of the job but, in moving from the word “we” to the word “you”, gives the team the green light to find answers. The decision may still be the leader’s but the team can have a high level of influence over the final outcome.

7. The Leader Abdicates. This approach is typified when a leader says: “Sort out any problems that crop up. I’m here if you need me but only if you really need me.” Here the language of the leader is coded. What he or she is really saying to the team is that they have full responsibility for identifying, analysing, and resolving the problem but accountability still rests with the leader.

How to Use the Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum

Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s 7 levels of control and freedom correspond broadly to a team’s level of development. When a team is immature, ie unmotivated and unskilled, the styles will be on the left-hand side of the spectrum. When a team is motivated and skilled, the styles will be on the right. Tannenbaum and Schmidt thought that there were two other main factors to be taken into account when selecting a style. One was the demands of the situation. For example, is the problem urgent or high-risk? Does the organisation’s culture allow for delegating styles? The other issue was whether the leader had the skills and willingness to manage a full range of styles across the spectrum.

What do you think?

Reference

Tannenbaum, A.S. and Schmitt, W.H. (1958). “How to choose a leadership pattern”. Harvard Business Review, 36, March-April, 95-101.

How does coaching work?

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The first thing I should say is that I am a non-directive coach, which means I won’t be telling you what to do.

My role in our coaching relationship is to help you determine you short, medium and long-term goals and to help you work towards them in a structured and achievable way. I will act as a sounding board for you and will focus, encourage and challenge you. Throughout the process, you are the focus and privacy and confidentiality are assured.

You may choose to use feedback from your colleagues to help you and in that case I will work through your feedback with you and help you determine and prioritise the actions your decide to take as a result. Alternatively, there may be specific problems you want to solve or changes you’ve already decided you’d like to make and I can help you create a clear vision of how to move forward and will challenge you to achieve your goals. Naturally all our interactions are in the strictest confidence.

Coaching typically lasts between one and three months, but could last longer. This is something we will explore at our first meeting, which may be in person, or by telephone, video-conference or Skype.

Pre-coaching

At our first pre-coaching meeting we will talk about you and why you are considering executive coaching. We will discuss  your role and your initial objectives and priorities. I will explain my approach and answer any questions you have about the coaching process and its possibilities. This meeting will give you the opportunity to experience my style and approach first hand and to decide whether you feel we can work productively together. There is no obligation and either of us may decide at this point that we don’t wish to proceed. There is no charge for our pre-coaching meeting.

Coaching

If you decide to proceed with coaching, in our first coaching session, our aim will be to discover what drives and motivates you and what your main objectives and goals are.  We will also look at obstacles in your path and what else may be holding you back. At this point, it can be very helpful to obtain feedback from colleagues to help you see yourself as others see you. We will draw up a coaching contract between us at our first session.

At our second session, if we have gathered feedback from your colleagues, I will bring your results and work through them with you. In any case, this will be the time for you to determine your priorities and choose two or three to work on.  I will help you set realistic and achievable targets and decide what steps you need to take to reach them.

Subsequent sessions will be used to chart and celebrate progress, to set new goals and to plan how you will achieve them. How many of these sessions will take place will be driven by you and your individual needs. You may wish to decided how many sessions you will need at the beginning of coaching, or you may wish to take a more flexible approach.

At our final session we will review progress against your original objectives and look forward to your future actions to sustain and continue your personal and professional development.

Many of the people I work with say that their coaching sessions are the first time in years anyone has really listened to them. By that, they mean listening with full attention, with the focus on them. Have you ever noticed how, in verbal interactions, one participant is speaking, but the other isn’t really listening. Have you ever been guilty of formulating what you are going to say next, rather than concentrating on what the other person is saying? As your coach, my job is to listen carefully to what you say – and sometimes to what you don’t say – to act as a non-judgmental sounding board and help you to bring your innate skills to the fore.

Why do I need a coach?

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Top sportsmen and women employ top coaches to help them achieve performances which stretch excellence even further. Their coach is focussed totally upon them, challenging them to overcome every tiny deficiency in their performance so as to improve upon their current success.

In organisations dedicated to the continuing personal and professional performance of their staff, coaches are allocated to the high flyers and high achievers to stretch them in a similar way to that in which a sports coach stretches an athlete. An executive coach is a valuable facilitator of change. Your coach will encourage and support you, and help you to stretch what Dr. Angus Mc. Cloud refers to as your “frame of reference” so as to discover new perspectives and explore your perceptions from a different angle. Executive coaching is explicitly linked to the strategic business or institutional objectives and will challenge you to look at things differently and to think differently.

What is coaching?

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The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) defines coaching as follows:

“Coaching targets high performance and improvement at work and usually focuses on specific skills and goals, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s personal attributes (such as social interaction or confidence). The process typically lasts for a relatively short period.

Although there is a lack of agreement among coaching professionals about precise definitions, the following are some generally agreed characteristics of coaching in organisations:

  • It is essentially a non-directive form of development, though this is not a hard and fast rule.
  • It focuses on improving performance and developing individuals’ skills.
  • Personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance at work.
  • Coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals.
  • It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and their weaknesses.
  • It is a skilled activity, which should be delivered by people who are trained to do so.”

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) define coaching as:

“an ongoing partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal
and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning,
improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life …..in each meeting, the
client chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens and contributes
observations and questions. This interaction creates clarity and moves the client into
action. Coaching accelerates the client’s progress by providing greater focus and
awareness of choice. Coaching concentrates on where clients are today and what they
are willing to do to get to where they want to be tomorrow”

These are the contexts within which I offer coaching in HE.

Coaching is not about the past – it’s about the future.