CoachConnect

• Go to icma.org/coachconnect to sign up as a coach or learner! 

1-1 Coaching

• Resources for New Coaches

• NEW! Coaching Up, Down, and Across

• ABC's of One-to-One Coaching

• Being a Great Coach and a Winning Player

• Video: "Being a Great Coach and a Winning Player"

• Video: "Being a Great Coach: Catalyze the Greatness in Others"

• Video: Being a Winning Player: Take Charge of Your Talent"

• Making Effective Requests

• Talent Catalyst Conversation Outline

• Video: "Talent Catalyst Conversation: Watch Coaching in Action" 

• Video National Mentoring Month

Speedcoaching

• Guidelines for Enjoying Speed Coaching

State Associations

• Leveraging Your Participation in the Coaching Program: Ten Tips for State Associations

• Leveraging Your Participation in the Coaching Program: Ten Tips for Outreach Partners

FAQs

1. Who is Coaching for? What does it offer?

Everyone! Coaching offers value for people at any stage in their careers. As in sports, coaching helps even the best players do better. Why? Because everyone can benefit from sharing best practices and gaining perspectives from others who can help them see their situation and opportunities from a fresh perspective. That's why we organize the Coaching program webinars to serve as whole team learning experiences. It's also why the Speed Coaching and 1-1 Coaching models provide a structure for advice at multiple stages in a career. 

2. What resources are in the coaching program?

The ICMA Coaching Program delivers a suite of services to help you grow and enjoy your career:

• 6 live Webinars per year spotlighting best practices on key topics from local government professionals throughout the U.S. -- invite your whole team to participate. 
• Digital Agendas and Archives with video recordings and extensive presentation materials and examples from dozens of sessions available in a convenient online library--delivering you "professional development in a box"--when you want it and where you want it.
• One-on-One coaching provided through our online platform, ICMA CoachConnect
• Talent Development Resources to make greater use of your talent and have fun doing it.
• Speed Coaching session at the ICMA Annual Conference  and templates for use at local level -- expand your networks.
• Career Compass columns that address critical career issues.

3. Do I need to be a member of ICMA to participate in 1-1 Coaching?

No. Due to the generosity of the sponsors and partners for the ICMA Coaching Program and volunteer coaches, you do not need to be a member. Since ICMA membership has many benefits, we encourage you to consider joining.

4. What's the difference between a coach, a catalyst, and a mentor?

Some people use "coach" and "mentor" interchangeably. In the ICMA Coaching Program, we use the term "coach" to refer to someone who is helping others find the answers for themselves. This fits well with the interests of aspiring professionals to gain insights from others but blaze their own trails. A catalyst is a type of coach who accelerates action and precipitates results for others without becoming consumed in the process. A catalyst keeps the player in charge of his or her choices. In contrast, mentors often refer to people who teach others and guide them in how to do things. This works well when there is a specific body of knowledge that someone wishes to learn. So, a coach and a mentor are tools for different purposes. You'll probably want one or more of both and who they are will likely evolve over your career.

5. How often and over what period of time should a coach and coachees meet?

This is up to the coach and player. Some meet initially in-person or over the phone and then have occasional check-ins. Some make other arrangements. It's up to your mutual decision. You can decide to start and stop a coaching relationship as you see fit. 

6. How many coaches should I have?

Just as top sports players have multiple coaches (one overall, another for a particular skill, etc.), you may wish to have more than one coach. You might have one coach who helps you as you navigate your overall career. This might be an ongoing relationship of several months or more with occasional check-ins. You might have another coach (perhaps even one suggested by your career coach) for a targeted time to help you address a special need or insights about a particular subject or situation.

7. What is the "two-plus-one" system of coaching?

Two-plus-one is an easy way to remember the ideal set-up of a quick-to-access network of coaches. For project, program, or organizational advice, you want one coach within your department or team that can advise you on internal processes, goals, or give you other feedback related to your programs and goals. This can be, but does not need to be your direct supervisor. Then you want a coach in the same organization, but outside your team, to be an advisor that can also put things in context to the organization, the community, or how priorities connect to your question, project, or need for coaching. This can be a more senior staff person, but does not have to be. Someone with longer tenure in the organization can help as they should understand the levers and pulleys in the organization. Lastly, you want a coach outside your organization who can give you a fresh perspective, and can also be a confidant for you on issues you might not want to bring up internally before getting an outsider's perspective. And as in question 6, you can have as many coaches as you need!

Contact coaching@icma.org with feedback or additional questions!