One of my recent learning journeys has seen me working towards a certificate in leadership coaching. Over the past year and a half, I've attended a number of coaching workshops and teleclasses, have been the recipient of forty sessions of coaching for coach training and skills building, and have myself given fifty hours of coaching to missionary leaders around the world. That training programme came to an end last month, and this week we were presented with our certificates from the University of the Nations. Now some of us are moving on to a second level of study and beginning a further year of training that will give us a "level two" qualification in life and leadership coaching. The intensive workshop held in Malaga this week was the first step in continuing that training.
My housemate, Ada, has also been inspired by the potential of the coaching paradigm in her ministry with new believers who are women from backgrounds of domestic violence or abuse. Ada has been asking me to "teach her how to coach" and we've been working over the past month on developing some of the skills needed in asking good questions and listening for significant issues. A well known book about Christian coaching has recently been translated into Spanish, and I was encouraged that I was able to get a copy for her this week. Now she'll be able to continue learning on her own (yes, she also has "learner" in the Strengthsfinder) while I am busy with the Leadership Development Course over the coming two months.
