I recently facilitated a two-day workshop for researchers exploring the fascinating intersection of zoonotic parasites, human health and climate change. The topic brought together experts from across disciplines to address the challenges facing clinicians, researchers and policymakers in the One Health arena. I jumped in with my usual enthusiasm but quickly asked, “What have I gotten myself into?” That was followed closely by “What the hell was I thinking?” and “I can’t do this!”
It reminded me of my first gastric dilatation-volvulus surgery, where I found myself rapidly reviewing a surgical atlas as my technologist prepped the abdomen. I remember telling myself, “This looks straightforward,” followed by the sudden, sobering reality of peering into an abdomen, with organs stretched and displaced, and thinking, “What have I gotten myself into?” That was followed by, “What the hell was I thinking?” and “I can’t do this!”
Experiential Learning
When you find yourself in over your head, sometimes the only option is to start swimming. While the One Health workshop and my first GDV surgery had
positive outcomes, the most valuable learning came from reflecting on the experiences — what worked, what didn’t and what I might do differently next time. That is experiential learning at its best. John Dewey, a philosopher and proponent of educational reform, believed that, as individuals, we don’t learn from experience but from reflecting on it.
In the uncertain and often chaotic world of veterinary medicine, creating the space for group reflection offers many benefits, including increased self-awareness, improved problem-solving skills and enhanced team learning. Professional coaching ensures reflective practices are guided by positive intent and focus on improving team understanding and defining the next steps.
Despite the well-established benefits coaching offers, it is slow to take hold in the veterinary industry. While there is a lot of excitement about coaching and the growing number of veterinary professionals certified by the International Coaching Federation, the number of hospitals that engage a team coach, have a dedicated in-house leadership coaching program or offer individual coaching as an employee benefit remains small.
I have my theories as to why this is:
- Misconceptions of what coaching is
- Concerns about confidentiality
- Time and resource constraints
- Fear of vulnerability
- A self-sufficiency mindset
Whether discussing personal evolution, leadership development or team dynamics, changing our way of being and doing is a process of discovery, action and assessment. It takes time, and teams need to experience coaching to truly understand its applications and benefits.
Which brings me back to my One Health workshop. So, what emerged from my reflective practice?
I hope the following ideas will help prepare you and your team for a successful coaching experience.
Begin With the End in Mind
American educator and author Stephen R. Covey was onto something when he said, “Begin with the end in mind.” Imagine you have decided to go on a vacation. You book time off work, tell your family and pack your suitcase. When the big day arrives, you drive to the airport and stand in the departure terminal, only to realize you have no idea where you are going. While that scenario might sound crazy, it illustrates what happens when you don’t have a clear vision for why you are engaging in coaching and what you hope to achieve.
One of my mentors in graphic facilitation, Sam Bradd, taught me about POP, a framework from Rockwood Leadership Institute. POP stands for purpose, outcome and process. It is a useful tool to prepare for any meeting, coaching intervention or workshop.
First, ensure that everyone is crystal clear on the purpose or the “why” of the coaching engagement. (Why is it important to work with a coach?) Next, define your objectives. (What outcomes do you hope to achieve through coaching?) The last step is building the process. (Which coaching tools and interventions will ensure the purpose and objectives are met?)
Using the POP framework will ensure that you don’t find yourself standing in the departure terminal without a clear destination.
Community Agreements Build Accountability
Outcomes, expectations and objectives matter in the work we do. Patient outcomes, client expectations, financial goals and employee expectations must be met, yet caring for our patients, clients and each other is a complex dance of “human skills” — objectives and expectations that are achieved by people working together.
In my training with The Grove Consultants International, I discovered the value of visual templates in leading teams through the “how” of working together. Co-creating community or group agreements at the start of any engagement allows participants to make implied or assumed ways of working together both tangible and clearly understood. By discussing how we want to be “in community” together, teams define the expected norms of behavior for everyone. It provides a tangible manifesto that helps teams hold each other accountable.
People will always surprise you if they can co-create community agreements. Coaches, facilitators and leaders can create a space where it is safe to be vulnerable by holding team members accountable to these agreements.
Build in Time for Reflection
Critical reflection links thinking and doing — a process of using what we have learned to inform future actions. Educational theorist David A. Kolb’s experiential learning model was built on the theory that “learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” His learning cycle is a model that incorporates trial and error, concrete experience, reflection, and research to define the stages of learning.
Coaching can help individuals and teams engage in reflective activities that encourage deeper understanding and connection between actions and experienced outcomes. Make it a point to include opportunities for reflection or “meaning making” in every coaching session to build team resiliency and inform next steps. Be open to different perspectives and teach your team to listen generously with the intent to learn with and from each other. Even a simple, open-ended question can prompt deeper reflection. In the words of the wise “Science Guy” Bill Nye, “Everyone you meet knows something you don’t.”
Coaches, facilitators and leaders must model a curiosity, open and nonjudgmental mindset and be willing to correct participants whose behaviors challenge group safety.
As we work to solve the “wicked problems” facing veterinary medicine [go.navc.com/wicked-TVB], coaching is a powerful tool to help embed experiential learning into our hospitals and workplaces. By beginning with the end in mind, co-creating meaningful community agreements and building in time for reflection, teams can set themselves up for a successful coaching engagement.
When it comes to organizational excellence, we should leverage each team’s diverse perspectives, skills and knowledge and ensure the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
DID YOU KNOW?
According to leaders.com, Stephen R. Covey’s most famous book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is considered one of the top business and self-help books ever written, selling millions of copies worldwide. Covey died in 2012 at age 79.