A recent global survey of coaching clients by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Association Resource Center concluded that the mean ROI for companies investing in coaching was 7 times the initial investment, with over a quarter reporting an ROI of 10 to 49 times.
Seeing the great benefits and impact that coaching has for an adult, imagine the immeasurable benefits a child would gain from it if they received the support and have their potential unlocked through coaching techniques at a young age!
Seeing this need and the transformational gap in the market, my team and I developed and implemented a school-wide coaching programme, for all primary 5 up to Diploma programme students, based on their developmental needs at an IB World School in KL.
This proactive coaching programme is a personal growth and development programme which aims to help students cultivate a goal-oriented and action-based mindset. We help our youth develop clarity about what they choose to dedicate their time to accomplish and then support them to turn these dreams into reality.
The programme focuses on developing 4 areas of leadership: setting a vision, self-awareness, effective communication skills, and disciplined execution. Together with the coach, they set meaningful goals, and develop and maintain their vision and motivation.
The Change equation: Change = Connection x Challenge.
Challenges are a given. We all face challenges constantly but often lack the determination and motivation to change or improve because there isn’t anyone to journey with us. Therefore, to help someone achieve meaningful change, connections have to be built to challenge them.
Though we struggled to maintain the student’s attention throughout the virtual phase, upon returning to a physical setting, we learnt that many of the students who completed the programme treasured their time in coaching, and for some who started school during the pandemic, it was a great way to connect with others long before stepping foot in the school.
Despite the challenges, we found that the pandemic was when students needed us most, to find a means to adapt, to find purpose and agency over their learning and lives and most of all to find a connection with a group of like-minded people. We also learnt that sometimes, it wasn’t the fulfilment of the goals they originally set. The connection building, the effective communication skills they build through personal sharing, the realisation that they aren’t alone in facing challenges, and holding each other accountable had a far deeper impact. We are actively developing these connections by encouraging the students to reflect on how they truly feel, share openly, face their fear and overcome them together. In doing so, they learn how to lead themselves as well as others to success.
The age of the students is also a big challenge. Many students don’t have the maturity or the independence to make many of their choices. This again was a challenge in connection and challenging them to achieve agency. There are many students from backgrounds where decisions and goals are set for them, leading to a preference for being told what to do. With the many expectations parents and peers set on them, students fear failing and dare not to speak of their expectations, challenges and failures. This is a mindset shift for the agency that we will continue to face and need to overcome.
Through data analysis, we can conclude that a child who actively engages in our programme will increase their academic achievement significantly. Goal setting and an action-oriented mindset are some of the most powerful mindsets to acquire in any individual and we are happy to confirm their statistical correlation through the coaching programme.
From our experience, we have since created a paid fully online course, where students watch videos to learn concepts and prepare their reflections before each group coaching session to share their victories and challenges and to contemplate their own as well as their peers’ experiences.
The aim is to reach as many youths as possible, to promote self-awareness and agency to realise their purpose as they develop their leadership skills for tomorrow’s challenges. The students I connect with and challenge today are the ones who will shape our futures. I see my role as one to help the youth of today achieve clarity in this future world and I am excited to see how far they will bring us.
CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Call 03-62054488 or log in to @www.corporate-coachacademy to find out about our ICF Coach Certification Programmes and Executive Coaching services.
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