What is a Constellation Coach?

[Marlou]

Dear Coaches,

I hope you are all doing very well. I know many of you are involved in very exciting processes, in your countries, in your organisations and sometimes in Constellation Partnerships. It is such a source of joy making this voyage together!

As you may know, updating the Process for Constellation Coaches is on the agenda for this year. We all know many potential coaches are waiting in the wings to become nominated as soon as we have our nomination process and our current pool of coaches in good order. To update the nomination process, we would need to look into questions such as: 

- What would the Constellation expect from a coach - and what would a coach expect from the Constellation?

- How does a Coach express his commitment?

- When is one no longer a Coach?

- What is the difference between a Constellation Coach and a Facilitator?

Before we answer these questions, can we stop and think about: What is a Constellation Coach?

In the past months we have been tossing the following with various Constellation members, and it seemed to work. I would like to hear your reactions on:

A Constellation Coach can accompany communities in their local response, by applying the Community Life Competence Process, and he/she can transfer that ability to a new group of facilitators. 

A Constellation Facilitator can accompany communities in their local response, by applying the Community Life Competence Process. 

I very much look forward to hearing from you.

Marlou

[Matt]

Although I haven't been involved in a formal Constellation process since the ADB process, I still consider myself a coach because of a few things:
- my personal commitment to the vision that the Constellation holds
- My ongoing interest in teh development of the Constellation
- trying to integrate ways of working and transfer ways of thinking within my own work and personal life
- being aware of opportunities to share the ACP as a way of working and refer people to the Constellation
- Crediting the Constellation when I use the tools to try and improve the way of working in my own place
- my availability to be involved in formalised processes should the invitation be presented
- my willingness to challenge the way we work - to go further

By asking what would the Constellation expect of a coach, i ask back, who is the Constellation - is it each of us as individuals with a common vision, is it the words of the contracts we sign, is it the board? I would like to think that it is each of us and the people/communities we work in. As such, what can we expect from each other - simply SALT - support, appreciation, learning, and transfer - deliberate, accountable, humble, and conscious in it's delivery.

matt

[Marlou]

Many thanks Matt, great contribution.

Tell me, does the 'simple' definition of a coach from my earlier posting work for you to capture what a coach is, as a starting point?

All the things you mention you are doing, as a Constellation coach certainly help to describe the commitment of a coach: and I am very happy that you suggest this is going beyond involvement in a formal partnership (such as ADB) and it includes all the elements you mention - and more? I hope to hear from others on that!

And YES: the Constellation is all of us, people, teams and communities striving towards the same vision and it is an inspiring thought that within the Constellation we expect SALT from each other. As not everyone in the Constellation is a coach (which is absolutely fine) but we do expect some skills, experience and activities from coaches that make them 'a coach' I was wondering if there are specific elements in the S , the A, the L and the T that a coach would expect from 'all of us in the Constellation'?

Thanks again, your writing really stimulates,

Marlou

[April Foster]

Thanks Marlou for opening up this discussion. I really like what Matt has shared so far.

From my experience I would add a few thoughts for consideration:

* I think whatever language we use, the idea that everyone is a facilitator is important because it speaks to the core ways of working that are important to us as a group. It keeps us all connected to local responses, and keeps the language of 'coach' from becoming like a professionalized consultant.

* I think for me what we are trying to distinguish are degrees of experience that help a facilitator to work in multiple contexts. When we first started as the Constellation, I understood that a coach was someone who could lead a process. This involves many things: their own experience, the ability to design a process, adapt the process based on the context, and being able to capture that process in a way that communicates to others etc. I am wondering whether we need to add the idea of working with organisations as well as groups of facilitator's? So the ability to see beyond the specific skills and processes we use, to how they apply to an organisations policy, behaviour, practise, etc. I think this is a critical opportunity that is part of each process.

* I think it will be important to somehow name the link between facilitator's and coaches - what is the process whereby someone (if they are interested) can be mentored to take their experience in applying Community Life Competence in their own context to being able to transfer that to others.

So for me, everyone is a facilitator. Partnerships between the Constellation and other organsations require team leaders (or Coaches). I think a strength of the way the Constellation works, is that it always builds teams based on a combination of skills and experiences. That way, we all continue to mentor each other.

I look forward to the ongoing discussion around the other questions you have raised above, and hearing thoughts from many others.

April

[Marlou]

Wonderful, thanks April! "A coach being able to lead a process". Is the understanding that we are talking about "a process where new facilitation teams emerge". Or do you think it could be broader?

I also find it interesting you say that Partnerships need coaches, who in a well balanced team mentor eachother and learn together. Are there other roles in the Constellation that would typically 'suit' coaches more then other members? Would be nice to explore (Matt is giving some nice examples already actually).

Thanks April - and with you I am waiting for many more to jump into this conversation,

Marlou

[Marlou]

Dear All,

Please see below Sierra Leone Competence Group’s contribution to the Discussion on "who is a Coach" (in the Life Competence Constellation)/ With thanks to our friends in Sierra Leone!


Who is a coach should be looked at from national and international perspectives (according to the Sierra Leone Community Life Competence Group).

The group therefore provided the following definitions with the aim of triggering further discussions and inputs from others:
National Level
• Facilitator
Is someone that has been part of at least 3 facilitation processes (at national, district or community levels)

• Coach
Is someone who has been a lead facilitator in 2 competence facilitation or SALT visit sessions.

Internationall level• Coach
Is someone who has been nominated by a coach of the Constellation and approved by the approval body.

And for a Coach to lead an international mission he/she should have participated in 2 international events/facilitation processes.

Therefore, the Constellation should endeavour to expose approved coaches to international events as a way of preparing them to take on leadership roles in future international missions.

[Marlou]

Dear all,

Thanks to April, Matt and the Sierra Leone team for the additional thoughts on: what is a coach? And thanks to others who contributed in earlier face to face and Skype conversations.

At this stage, I wanted to bring in a next step in this conversation: what would we expect from a (new) coach, as 'proof' of his commitment to being a coach?

As we see a Constellation Coach as some-one able to facilitate the Community Life Competence Process PLUS able to transfer the Facilitation Skills to a new group of Facilitators - can we expect him to deliver upon entering the coaches pool and then again on a yearly basis:

1. Proof that the coach is learning on facilitation of the Community Life Process?
Here we can think of the Facilitators Self Assessment, done by the individual but always in team-conversation.
On the basis of the self assessment the coach would develop a Personal Self Assessment Plan that will help him improve on the practices where he wants to learn.
The CST would offer the blended learning platform as a place where the (potential) coach can work on the steps in the process where he wants to improve. Also, CST would encourage and create to the extend possible opportunity for face to face meetings between coaches and other Constellation members.

2. Proof that the coach is transferring the approach to a new team
We would expect from the (potential) coach that he would share, at least once a year, a story with his learning on transferring the approach to a new group. This 'proof' could come in different forms: a blog post, a video clip, a report, pictures, a song, a Skype Conversation with a CST member... The Constellation Support Team would ensure the virtual platform (Ning) where the experiences are shared in the coaches group. CST would offer to the extend possible a place in a coaching team where coaches learn by joint action.

This conversation will from the basis of the Coaches Management put in place this year, which will allow us to bring our current coaches pool up to date and invite the many friends who are ready to join.
I therefore very much look forward to thoughts from all coaches on this element,

Warm regards,

Marlou

[April Foster]

Marlou

Thank you for the next 'layer' of this conversation about Constellation Coaches. A few thoughts as I read it for consideration:

* I like the distinction made by the Sierre Leone Team about National and International coaches/facilitators. I think in addition to the CST being named as the monitoring group for a coaches 'proof' of learning and transferring this may need to be extended to other teams and coaches within the network. Opportunities for team involvement, for skype conversations, for working through blended learning, for being mentored in face to face interactions etc will come from multiple sources as the pool of experience continues to expand

* I like that we are keeping the 'expectations' of proof very practical and minimal. I think it is important to remember that coaches are 'volunteers' with the Constellation...they are not employees. They are subscribing to a shared vision and way of working and are naming availability to transfer that to others. The Constellation offers opportunities for transfer at a regional/international level, but increasingly country teams will work out their own mechanisms for development of resource pools of facilitators. When there is a contractual agreement for specific work with a partner etc, then additional expectations of performance would be named by the Constellation which are much more specific.

I keep coming back to how big our vision is about expansion, and checking whether the systems and mechanisms we are setting up now will actually serve that vision. Too centralized and they will be quickly overwhelmed...too decentralized and it lacks cohesion, accountability and a sense of belonging......so for me thousands of competent facilitators all over the world that are working out competence in their own context. Coaches that are directly accountable to the constellation will probably be a much smaller group in the long run.

April

[Marlou]

Thank you April, helpful comments as usual.

I share your vision of thousands of facilitators and a smaller group of coaches. To differentiate between the two there are 'proofs' of commitment of being a coach. And in some phases of our lifes one may be a coach and in other phases a different role in or outside the Contellation is more applicable. So coach wouldnot be a role for life. And a yearly re-confirmation of the commitment as a coach could reflect that?

When you say "I like that we are keeping the 'expectations' of proof very practical and minimal". Does that mean the elements I proposed fit that image - or would you suggest them to be more or less 'practical and minimal'?

I also agree that opportunities for learning and sharing are coming from various layers in the Constellation, from all of us as coaches, the organisations we are linked to and from the country groups and CST (CST isnot equal to Constellation). Just the 'registration' of it would be initiated by CST and ideally with help from friends at various places in the Constellation. Does that resonate?

Thanks April, it is good to balance this together. I look forward to hear back from you and others :)

Marlou

[Onesmus Kalama]

I wish to contribute to this great discussion of who is a coach? I am rather confused, in my opinion we should be talking of who is a functional coach rather than of who is a coach. Why do I say this? It is clear within the constellation that before one becomes a coach he or she must fulfill certain conditions such as the proofs explained above. If this be so, then once a coach, forever one.

However a coach may become non-functional when for a period of time does not Share, Appreciate, Learnd or Transfer skills as he ought to do. There is no reason what so ever in the spirit of the constellation that a coach spends more than 12 months without spreading the good news about AIDS Competence. After all ain't AIDS Competence supposed to spread faster than the Virus?

This brings me to what I have recently coined as the first commandment for an effective coach. "though shall always strive for Aids Competence". If this commandment is to be upheld by coaches then at no time whether at home, work party, name it will a coach not take the opportunity to spread the social vaccine - AIDS Competence.

So where does this take us to? Well, for me "Once a coach... forever one", I however do agree that a coach may become disfuntional at times if they stop to adhere to "my" first commandment.

I look forward to here from the rest.

Onesmus Kalama

[Ricardo Walters]

Friends,

Greetings from a hot and humid Maputo. I hope this finds you well.

It's been good to read the thoughts of others to the questions raised by Marlou. Thanks to Matt, April, Sierra Leone team and Onesmus.

I wanted to weigh in to support many of the comments already made:

* Everyone linked to ACP (formally or non-formally) can be a Facilitator, provided they are committed to team approaches, working by facilitation, focussed on strengths, appreciating local response, open to learning and improving, and sharing their learning. At this level, familiarity with the ACP tools is an advantage, but not a necessity.

* A facilitator attached to a formal process (eg. Constellation Partnership) is all these things, but here the capacity to articulate key components of the approach, and use the tools properly - at least as part of a team, supported by a Coach - is required. These formal partnerships have a partner-expectation of quality delivery, and so we need some integrity around the quality of what we offer.

* If a facilitator is defined by their ability to appropriately use the individual tools, a Coach should have the capacity to apply the tools in the context of a broader process over time. I think there are key competencies we should aim for at a 'Level 5 Coach': process design, analysis and assessment; capacity to document, report and describe experience and progress; team leadership; transfer of ACP approach. The coach needs to be able to work in both the Local Response environment, as well as the Organisational environment, so that the process affects local community action as well as policy and strategy. Virgilio Suande pointed out to me this week in Maputo that a key characteristic of a coach is the capacity to accompany a process long-term - to anticipate where the process might go, to guide the pursuit of the dream by the organisation or community, to stick alongside from the beginning, to be a catalyst and reference point for vision and direction that leads to expansion and transfer. I guess this is the definition of "coaching" in every other sector where the word is used.

I think tools like a Facilitator's self-assessment are a minimal, simple way to get Facilitators to reflect on their progress. But, I think coaching verification needs input from another experienced, mature Coach who can work with the prospective coach in a real field-setting to objectively and personally 'peer-assist'. The interpersonal mentoring dimensions are important, I think.

Thanks for the chance to comment. This is a critical question, and increasingly important as we scale out the Blended Learning Course.

Regards,
Ricardo

[Laurence Gilliot]

Message de Judith, de RDC:

A la question qui est un coach, je pense que, c’est un facilitateur qui maitrise l’esprit, la philosophie, la méthode et la pratique de l’approche Salt. Il garantit la qualité dans le transfert de ladite approche à plusieurs communautés et aux différents degrés d’apprentissage.

En plus, des qualités liées à la facilitation, il a développé d’autres qualités managériales et diplomatiques pour amener les partenaires d’avoir foi à cette approche et d’influencer les décisions stratégiques dans les chefs responsables des projet et programmes dans nos différents pays.

En fin, il a des compétences de bien communiquer et les qualités d’un bon formateur. Il croit aux forces des autres et il est disposé à les accompagner.