Coaching Services

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My coaching services cater to a diverse range of students, from college and university undergraduates to graduate students and even professionals seeking to enhance their academic skills. Whether you're embarking on your educational journey and need help navigating the complexities of higher education or aiming to advance your academic competencies, I’m here to support you every step of the way.

Teachers, scholars, researchers, and professionals in academia deal with many pressures that affect their productivity, well-being, and career growth. Universities and colleges expect them to be versatile, delivering top-notch performance in various areas while constantly updating their skills to match job market demands and new educational trends. These high expectations highlight the crucial role they play in shaping future generations. Even the most experienced professionals can benefit from support in navigating the demands of this challenging environment.

Higher education can be challenging for anyone in a leadership role. On the one hand, learning institutions are full of forward-thinkers and innovators, passionate about driving societal and intellectual progress. They are creative minds with big visions for their fields and institutions. On the other hand, these institutions are rooted in traditions and systems that slow down rapid bureaucratic and cultural change. Their practices, rituals, and focus on brand promotion often prioritize stability over innovation and status quo over initiatives. This means leaders are caught between the progressive ideals of those they aim to inspire and the conservative nature of the institution.

One of the greatest privileges associated with higher education is autonomy; one of his most significant challenges is strenuous expectations.

My coaching services span a continuum, from personal insights to academic results, tailored to each client's role, needs, and level of engagement.

I’m a Student, a Learner

As a student and learner, you face a unique set of challenges. My Skill Booster or Goal Setting coaching focuses on developing technical skills in specific activities with short-term, pre-identified goals and specific objectives. Whether you want to improve your time management, study more effectively, develop meaningful relationships, set boundaries, enhance critical thinking, tackle lack of motivation and loneliness, or strengthen your self-confidence and commitment, my coaching is tailored to meet your needs. Remember, you don’t have to face these challenges alone!

My approach goes beyond skill-building. We delve into what hinders your academic success, helping you identify and overcome obstacles. Addressing these barriers can enhance your academic performance and, more importantly, your overall well-being.
Continuous improvement is at the heart of what I do. My goal is to help you perfect your skills and capabilities while developing your expertise in practice. To do so, I will provide you with the tools and support needed for continuous growth and success in your academic journey.

Challenge 1: Time Management (achieving)

Skilled-based outcomes: Effectively and efficiently manage your time so that you can handle the intensity of higher education.

• Congratulations on being accepted into your program! Now, the real work begins: completing your degree. Have you mapped out a realistic schedule to reach this goal? Are you clear on the key milestones you must hit during your studies? Effective time management, strategic planning, and future-oriented thinking are crucial to navigating your academic journey successfully. What are your aspirations post-graduation? Are you already planning for job opportunities once you receive your diploma?

• Managing your coursework, research, general exams, and defense deadlines can be overwhelming, often triggering stress, pressure, and anxiety. These pressures can lead to procrastination, spotty class attendance, academic probation, and even the loss of scholarships. How do you handle the crunch of tight deadlines and competing priorities? How adept are you at identifying and eliminating distractions to focus on your coursework? Reflect on your academic progress: Are you satisfied with your achievements? What does a good grade mean to you? What's the best grade you are striving for?

Challenge 2: Work-Life Balance (balancing)

Skilled-based outcomes: Manage short-term and long-term goals, both personally and professionally. Establish and maintain a balanced lifestyle.

• Navigating life as a student is a multifaceted challenge. You're juggling studies and work to pay for your education, possibly raising a family, maintaining a social life, doing household chores, and staying mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy. With all these responsibilities, can you find time for self-care and still manage scholarly tasks effectively? How do you cope with the array of demands? Additionally, dealing with homesickness and feelings of isolation can add another layer of complexity to your already busy life.

• Scholarly work, by its nature, is an unstructured process that demands a high level of personal critical thinking and independent study. This lack of structure can make it challenging to stay focused and motivated. Graduate work is fraught with uncertainty and adversity, which can lead to significant anxiety. Your research topic might evolve, methodological tools may change, and even your supervisors might shift—sometimes providing inadequate support. These factors can severely impact the completion of your studies and your overall morale. Amidst these challenges, how do you find scheduling stability and maintain motivation?

Challenge 3: Develop better study habits to stay on top of your schoolwork (decision-making strategies)

Skilled-based outcomes: Develop strategies to study effectively, thrive in your new environment, and craft your academic path.

• The journey through education is an entire of choices. Which minor should you pick? Which classes to enroll in? Deciding on which meetings, events, or extracurricular activities to attend. How do you balance regular attendance and active participation in courses, seminars, lectures, and labs? It's about finding the ideal level of engagement in discussions, group activities, coursework, and research. How deeply are you diving into events and experiences that extend beyond the university walls? It depends on how much energy you’re prepared to invest in your educational journey.

• Staying socially connected and academically committed does wonders for your skill development. But what does staying cognitively "engaged" in your learning experiences mean? Consider the depth and intensity of your participation in learning activities. Are you just going through the motions, or are you focused on truly understanding and mastering the material? How high is your level of curiosity, attention, and interest? Feeling a sense of belonging and keeping commitments to your educational pursuits are key. It boils down to whether you care deeply about your learning outcomes. In essence, are you extracting the total value from your academic experience?

Challenge 4: Transitioning to and engaging in a social college or university life (connecting)

Skilled-based outcomes: Use relationships and interpersonal interactions wisely to create a sense of belonging and various forms of social and material support.

• Making connections in an academic setting can sometimes feel overwhelming. You're expected to collaborate with classmates, share space with roommates, seek assistance from teachers and tutors, and make introductions to professors and staff. Each of these relationships is crucial for academic success. By building connections, you receive support and provide it, creating social bonds that can enhance your professional career and even last a lifetime. Are you cultivating positive and supportive relationships with your peers and faculty, including your supervisors? Do you feel respected, valued, and empowered in these interactions? Are your communication skills practical? Are you listening to others? Developing communication skills is critical to fostering effective collaboration and nurturing positive relationships.

• Connecting with your inner self is equally important to maintain your course through academic life. You can boost your intellectual growth and confidence by focusing on achievable goals and explicit purposes. Being in tune with yourself helps you make more realistic decisions about your capabilities and paths. It's essential to clarify your resources, intentions, and desires, as these insights will enhance your resilience, adaptability, and optimism—three vital strengths in higher education. Remember, academic progress can be severely hindered by self-doubt, constant questioning of your abilities, being overwhelmed by circumstances, and feeling disillusioned with your program.

Challenge 5: Cultivating positive emotions and dispositions (enjoying and well-being)

Skilled-based outcomes: Acquire emotional competencies, increase your psychological investment, and avoid negative stressors.

• Success in academia isn't just about intellectual achievements; it's also deeply influenced by personal strengths and experiences. Critical factors include confidence and a good perception of your abilities, qualities, and potential. Recognizing the skills you need to develop and how to enhance them over time is crucial for boosting your self-confidence and efficiency. It's equally important to assess your weaknesses, fears, and insecurities. Understanding which areas need improvement allows you to set clear goals for development. Expanding your skill set will enable you to handle a broader range of tasks and challenges.

• On the psychological side, academic success stems from your mental state. Your interest and passion for your field of study, research, and work indicate your potential to excel as a student. Does your academic program inspire enjoyment and enthusiasm? Are you motivated and excited about what you're learning? Does it bring you intrinsic joy and happiness? Maintaining a healthy psychological state is crucial; consider how you can improve your overall well-being. Most importantly, are you truly enjoying your academic journey? Finding joy in what you do enhances your academic performance and contributes to a fulfilling and rewarding educational experience.

I’m a Teacher, a Scholar, a Researcher

My coaching services help you handle complex and changing situations, building your adaptability and resilience. Together, we will ensure you come out stronger and ready to thrive in today’s educational landscape and beyond. By focusing on your unique capabilities and strengths, I aim to help you:

Set and achieve your goals, ensuring you meet the demands of your role, overcome obstacles, and optimize your performance.
Determine your self-motivation, plan strategies, and execute tasks aligning with your workplace objectives.
Raise awareness about your competencies, capabilities, and capacities, helping you understand and leverage your strengths more effectively.

As your coach, I will help you identify and address the barriers that hinder your progress. These barriers can be complex and varied, often involving factors such as attitude (ego), aptitude (action), system (institutional rules, expectations), and relationships (connections, collaboration, trust).

Do you recognize yourself in one of the scenarios described below? If so, let's work together to overcome these challenges and unlock your full potential.

Challenge: Internal and External pressures to Perform and Publish

• My last article got rejected because I failed to show how significant my topic is. I doubt I have what it takes to publish in peer-reviewed journals. Good research takes time, and the university only cares about numbers and grant dollars.

• My book chapter is due next month, but I won’t meet this deadline because I have too much teaching tasks to accomplish and I need to go to an important conference. I don’t understand how some of my peers produce so much in such little time.

• I’m outraged by the chair’s recommendations. The publishing expectations are too high. And the number of faculty meetings is draining. No wonder I don’t have time to write. All I hear in the department is about numbers – articles published, research grants, etc. This is scary to me and inhibiting.

• I can only publish 3 articles within the next 5 years. My colleagues do not appreciate the value of my work. Anyway, I work more than all of them. There’s no one here I can talk to in my area of research. Many of my peers seem over-competitive and only want to brag about their productivity and important connections.

Challenge: Achieving Work-Life Balance

• Service, committees, grading papers, and dealing with students take up so much of my time that I have no time to do anything else. The expectations about service are unrealistic. I’m exhausted at night and just sit in front of the TV.

• I’m very careful about everything I do and don’t skimp. My work is good, but I have too many responsibilities and end up working all the time without satisfactory research.

• The senior members of the faculty don’t remember what it’s like in the earlier stages of a career. They seem to enjoy meetings and debates no matter how much time they take. I’m even expected to go to lectures and recruiting events in the evening.

• I don’t seem to have a life outside of my academic responsibilities, and my relationships suffer. My colleagues seem to have time for their kids, hobbies, music, church, etc., but I don’t know how.

Challenge: Meet Research Responsibilities

• The standards in my field are higher than some others and it’s very hard to publish. I’m competing with the best in a tough field while many of my colleagues work on lightweight topics.

• I don’t seem to make the progress I need because of other responsibilities. It’s impossible with all the interruptions, to find the stretches of time needed for concentration on research.

• In some fields it’s easier to publish and develop a long CV in a short time. There’s no recognition of this in the department or dean’s office. Travel funds are insufficient.

• Researchers in my field at other universities and at more advanced career stages seem to receive more institutional support and have more time to dedicate to their work. Their evaluations of my work are often excessively stringent.

Challenge: Meet Teaching Responsibilities

• I don’t just lecture off the cuff like some of my colleagues. Class preparation therefore takes a lot of time for me.

• I’m not a natural performer and have difficulty reaching students, who are often indifferent to my field.

• Our classes are too large and yet we’re expected to give many written assignments and meet with students. We are evaluated on things like this and not whether students master the subject. The university has classes on effective teaching, but I don’t have time for these and feel embarrassed to attend them.

• My colleagues don’t seem to appreciate the care I put into teaching. The department seems to appreciate faculty who clown around in class and keep students entertained rather than learning serious stuff. No wonder they get better evaluations. The administration seems to want me to recruit majors rather than teach a subject.

Challenge: Navigating Institutional Politics

• I’m a scholar and researcher and am not interested in university politics. I don’t know how my colleagues have time for this garbage.

• I’m an idealist and have no patience for the compromises and debates surrounding university policies. I’ve never succeeded in being elected as a board member. Nobody seems willing to hear the whole truth or understand what the real battles are here.

• The university is now run like a business. There’s no interest in real academics anymore, just pleasing alums and politicians.

• It is clear to me that I don’t speak the same language as the department chair, the dean’s office, and on up the line. They are focused on matters which don’t seem to me central to the academic enterprise.

Challenge: Academic Isolation

• There’s no one else in my immediate field at the university, and I have trouble talking to anyone about my interests. My real colleagues are at other institutions, and I feel alone in my current job. The department isn’t very friendly.

• I had more friends in graduate school and earlier in my career. Every year I’m more isolated. It’s hard for me to make real friends, especially with people I’m competing against for resources.

• The office talks about support but really doesn’t do anything that I really need, like a reduced teaching load and summer support. It talks about collegiality but doesn’t do anything to foster it. It’s just so frustrating!

• It is dog-eat-dog. It’s not good for relationships when you see your colleagues and friends moving ahead while you appear to be spinning your wheels.

Challenge: Keeping Up with Technological Advancements

• The university should provide more IT technicians to help me in my office or lab. If I have a problem, I have to wait forever to get help. When I face a technical issue, I need to fix it right away. I can’t wait; I have more important things to do.

• During my graduate studies, I thought I was technologically savvy. But it's hard to keep up. Social media promotion isn’t my thing. I’m not that narcissistic. My work speaks for itself; it’s my reputation.

• My institution offers technical training, but I don’t have the time, and the courses are for beginners. Plus, the management software used by the university is complicated. I always need technical help every semester to handle it. Also, it embarrasses me to ask my colleagues about technical problems I can’t solve on my own.

I’m a Director, a Manager, a Leader

Leaders often find themselves at a crossroads. They usually start full of ideas, see growth opportunities, and are ready to make changes. They want to bridge the gap between academia and the fast-paced external world—whether in technology, industry, or social spheres. However, their aspirations can feel stifled, leading to misalignment, disillusionment, unfulfillment, and a sense of being stuck.

Developmental coaching helps leaders, directors, and managers develop the skills and maturity to effectively engage with current and future challenges. This type of coaching emphasizes long-term engagement with emergent goals and evolving objectives. It focuses on personal growth and development, emphasizing inner strengths rather than external skills. This shift from merely achieving to becoming is fundamental to this coaching philosophy. By focusing on essential components of personal growth, our partnership will help you move from where you are now to where you aspire to be.

Why work with me?

I have accumulated over thirty years of experience in academic leadership, bringing a proven track record of success to my coaching practice. What makes me stand out as a coach is a unique combination of academic rigor, leadership experience, mentoring skills, and a genuine commitment to helping others realize their potential. I understand the challenges and pressures faced by leaders in academia and beyond. I have dealt with a wide range of situations, from simple urgent administrative issues to complex behavioral dynamics requiring mediation and negotiation skills.

I have collaborated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and religious affiliations, working across various higher education sectors, including the Rector's office, faculties, HR departments, research centers, and student services offices. Furthermore, I have worked closely with representatives of international institutions and government agencies from all continents. Additionally, I have served on numerous internal and external committees, including those related to research, internal and external promotion, evaluation, thesis, and dissertation.

My understanding of the intricacies of academia and my diverse background position me as an ideal partner for anyone seeking to navigate the complexities of their roles and achieve their highest aspirations. Moreover, my experience in executive coaching, particularly in the banking sector, has broadened my expertise and equipped me to provide valuable insights and tailored guidance across various professional landscapes. I am eager to work with you to create an actionable plan that aligns with your values and goals.

1.

Self-Assessment and Reflection:

I encourage you to reflect on your current work challenges and self-assess your performance. This process helps identify the gap between perceived and expected achievements, fostering a deeper understanding of your strengths and areas for improvement.

2.

Comprehensive Growth:

Developmental coaching goes beyond performance metrics to address broader concerns such as work-life integration, career progression, value alignment, and institutional political dynamics.

3.

Long-term Engagement and Evolving Goals:

This type of coaching emphasizes a long-term engagement with emergent goals and evolving objectives. It focuses on personal growth and development, emphasizing inner strengths rather than external skills. This shift from merely achieving to becoming is fundamental to our coaching philosophy. We aim for permanent change rather than quick fixe.

4.

Authenticity:

I support you in realizing their latent potential, enabling you to contribute to your organization significantly. This process nurtures authentic leadership, emphasizing that the journey is as important as the goals.

5

Practical Changes and Emotional Management:

My coaching helps you make practical changes in your work environment, manage emotional pressure, and adjust your understanding and reactions to the world. This holistic approach ensures that you are well-equipped to handle the complexities of your roles.