Why Keep Learning? | The Academies

All right, we are live. Welcome everyone watching to Why We Keep Learning. That's our topic for today. We're here with the Academies. We're providers of ICF Level 1 and Level 2 coach trainings, and we are committed to learning as a team. And today we're coming together to talk about ways we're learning and why we learn, and particularly how we see it tying into ICF Core Competency Number 2, which is Embodies a Coaching Mindset. So feel free to at any point during this conversation leave comments with your perspective or questions you may have, and I'll work them into our conversation. We'd love to get to make this a bigger conversation, one that's happening with you if you're watching too. So I'm going to start out by having us introduce ourselves. I'll be facilitating today. My name is Jessica Burdett, and I am a professional certified coach and am the coaching curriculum manager here at the academies. I also do a private coaching practice and particularly love supporting leaders in being authentic and emotionally intelligent in their leadership style. Let's now just pop around and I'd invite you each to share your name and a little bit about you and where you're calling in from.

I will hop in. So Susan Britton and founder, president of the academies. I am calling in from Paris, France. It's my last day here. I've been here about 10 or 11 days, and I'm here because of learning, so I'll explain that a little bit later. But I am just addicted to learning and can't wait to share more about that.

A call of learners.

I'm Carissa Gay, and I'm based in San Antonio, Texas, and I'm a master certified coach. I'm an instructor with the academies and also have my own coaching business, Courageous Leaders, which focuses on helping leaders change their conversations, the conversations they have with themselves, as well as the conversations they have with others, their team. When you change the conversation, it changes your capacity. And I'm excited to just dive into this learning topic.

Awesome. Well, I'll go next, obviously. So Lee Goche calling in from north of Toronto in Canada. I'm currently living several lives. I'll mention a couple here. Uh, in my director role at impro.ai, my focus is leading the micro coaching team and our business intelligence functions. In my own private practice, I'm also a PCC I coach executives and leaders who really want to up their game at work, either at their current role or find a new one where they can flourish. And then, of course, I'm honored to be an Academy instructor as well.

Wonderful. I feel delighted to get to be surrounded by this learning group. And I will just say that as a team in our Slack channel, there is not a week that goes by where someone isn't chiming in with, I'm learning this new thing, or here's a resource to share. So I love that energy of learning and generosity of learning that happens formally and informally when we all get together. So I just wanna start out by connecting this conversation into ICF number 2, core competency number 2, and I'll share it here with the definition and the sub-competencies. And I wanted to connect back to this competency because it's one of the ones that's less seen in a coaching session through behaviors and more seen as a way of being. I think of it as like the orientation of learning that we bring as coaches. Um, so for our listeners, let me know in the comments if there's any particular sub-competencies you see here under embodies a coaching mindset that you'd like to hear perspective from this group on how they work to embody them. And we will just jump in by talking about what is, why is learning important to you as a human and as a coach? Who wants to kick us off?

Well, I'll kick us off. This morning I was reading this fascinating concept, perhaps you've heard of it. It's something that the Stoics used and it was called the Velvet Rut, and it's the concept of being stuck in a comfortable but unchallenging routine. And when I thought about that, and I thought about our talk today, I also thought that that could happen to us in learning, because we can get into a comfortable way of learning and skilling up and always going to the same resources in the same way and learning the same things, which, I mean, inherently, I don't think learning is ever bad. But I do think we can get into the velvet rut and we can sort of groove ourselves into something that maybe isn't serving us or our clients long term. And so maybe it's time to shake up what we're learning and how we're learning it. I mean, admittedly, I am influenced by our chief scientist at IMPRO, and he's a polymouth thinker and has the ability to take a lot of disciplines and apply them. And I think as coaches and as individuals, humans, there's so much that we can be learning, and maybe it's time to shake it up a bit. So that's kind of why I love this topic, because I think that maybe some new ideas will spark off of each other today.

I love that idea, Lee, of shaking things up a bit. We know from the neuroscience perspective that the brain craves that novelty and newness. So To me, there's something so alive about being in the learning space, whether that's the classroom, but just even as a lens on life. What am I learning? Where is that growth edge for me? And that definitely ties back to the competency of it's a constant state of seeking to grow awareness. And from that awareness, then there's new possibilities and not staying in the same place. And Learner is my top strength from Gallup. So when I first discovered that, and I have Intellection as a close second, at first I was dismayed that no wonder I spend so much time thinking and sometimes have difficulty moving into the action phase of a project and At first I saw that as a, as a downside, but I realized that for me, Learner is actually my chief motivator strength to actually move things into action because that means I'm in that growth zone and moving forward.

And I'd build on what you just said there, Carissa, the, the growth zone and making sure it's not the velvet rut. And I think it's important to me as a human and as a coach because it is health. If you are not learning, you are not expanding and strengthening your neural pathways. You are getting into— I wouldn't even at this point not call it a velvet rut, but just a sludge rut, a cement rut, because there is research that talks about when you are not thinking new ways and, and, and expanding your meaning-making systems in your brain, that you're actually on a path to potentially early dementia and many other sorts of maladies. So it's important to me just from a health perspective, um, and then of course from a coaching development perspective.

The—

all these metaphors we're using are reminding me, Susan, you mentioned this beautiful metaphor of an instrument the other day. Is that something you'd be willing to pull back up and share here?

Let me try to dig that up out of my hippocampus.

Here we go.

Self as instrument. We know that, let's say that an artist has brushes and a mechanic has a wrench and a carpenter has a hammer. Coaches have tools, and, and often we think that, well, our tools are questions or active listening and that kind of thing. And I think at the heart of all of that is that we are the instrument. We are the instrument. Our ability to give people a safe space to explore something that they are about to learn, because that's what change and growth is, is People are learning new ways of thinking and feeling and behaving. If our instrument isn't tuned to be able to create that psychologically safe space, that space that's going to challenge them, that's going to scare them, even if they can't necessarily admit it, there's usually some fear associated with that, or people would be where they wanted to be already. I think it's really important to recognize where am I afraid and how do I contain that within myself so that I can create that space for the client to also be able to walk that road?

Yeah, I love that metaphor. I am just feeling the energy of the learning here and reminded that part of what drew me to coaching as a field is that it's about bringing that, that orientation towards learning and living from a space of curiosity. So let's get a little more specific. What have you been learning formally or informally, and how is it impacting your coaching?

I'm curious, Carissa, I heard a rumor that you're learning something formally right now. I'd love to hear more about that.

Well, there's a, there's a few different irons in the fire with that. I Recently completed the Leadership Circle certification, which had been on my bucket list for quite a while. Just, it's such a robust tool because it combines many different measurements of a leader's strengths, capacity, but it really then is a path for measuring that vertical development and How are they responding to the complexity of what's going on around them? So it was fun for me to be in the student's chair of the course. And you're learning about the tool, but again, first and foremost, learning about yourself and how does this apply to me as a leader. So certainly being able to add on additional tools like that is beneficial as a coach, but it keeps things fresh, fresh for me as well.

What's the biggest insight that stuck with you from that? Hmm.

Realizing the mindsets that go on underneath the surface of these these different patterns. You can be functioning in a creative state or a reactive state, yet it really comes back to that mindset belief about yourself, about the world. And when you uncover what those mindsets are, it allows people to, to shift how they're functioning at a very core level.

I love that. That reminds me a little bit of, you know, tying what you said to Carol Dweck and her, you know, learning theories, uh, you know, the growth mindset theory. Um, because I think that that's really important here from a learning perspective. I know the theory is much broader, but when we are afraid, as Susan said, to learn or to be in a learner mode, we shut down and we don't we don't grow, we limit our potential. And many times we see that in our clients where they do have that fixed mindset, not that learning mindset. And where we come in, I think oftentimes is really helping with that unlocking of what is that barrier, whether it's to learning something formally or informally, right?

There's so much connection in there to the Red Zone, Blue Zone model as well, like supporting the neuroscience of safety and create space.

Yeah, I would just add, and I alluded to, I'm in Paris now, and I gave myself just a big birthday gift last year when I decided I was going to enroll in the Executive Master in Change program through INSEAD, which is an international business school, and they've got campuses in Fontainebleau, France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, someplace, the third campus. And I, I just fell in love with it because when I first just heard about it, what I learned was this ability to hold the complexity, Carissa, like you mentioned, and the ability to hold the ambiguity— or not the ambiguities, but the ambivalence that people have about change, that there is typically some ambivalence there or Resistance might be another term that people might be familiar with. When you're moving forward, whether it's a career client moving towards a new position, or it's a leader who's adopting some new styles, or it's an organization that's really encountering some big transition or merger or something, there's always a positive that people are moving towards. And at the same time, either it's conscious or it's unconscious, but there is something that you are leaving behind. And when you can start to sort out that ambivalence, then I think you give people a much better platform, a stronger place to move from, and to be able to work with some of those hidden emotions that may not, may not be there if you're just talking about all the good things that we're moving towards. And I think part of the ambivalence too is that when you're moving towards something new, you don't know exactly what's around the corner. You can have a vision for something, but there is an enormous amount of uncertainty. And the brain typically is a predicting machine. And when it cannot predict what's gonna happen, it's typically not a happy camper. And so as a coach, I love learning how to hold that space for people to navigate that uncertainty, to navigate the ambivalence, and to, to be able to admit that this looks scary, but I know I have to move forward and standing there and supporting them and giving them the space and the confidence to see who they are and the tools that they have to be able to navigate that, that uncertainty and move forward.

You both are making—

I'm so glad. Oh, go for it, Lee.

No, I was just saying you both are making me salivate with this formal structured learning, and it's not where I am right now, but it's something that I've done in the past and It's very inspiring to hear both of you talk about what you're learning and how you're learning. And it's a good reminder to birthday gift or otherwise, to get out there and give yourself those big opportunities to learn formally. Maybe Jessica, I'll share what I'm not learning formally.

Yes, that's what I was going to invite is what are the informal learnings happening and how does that informal impact your coaching?

Yeah, you know, I'm changing it up, um, in a couple ways. Learning new technologies, theories, learning socially, learning physically, and learning, you know, with an impact to cultural and community activities. So a lot of my time is learning, spent learning about generative AI because that's a big thrust in, in our coaching company. So it's a, it's a big space. I know we're going to be talking about it later this week, so knee-deep into that. Learning some theories. I mentioned Carol Dweck, but really anchoring right now on Nathaniel Branden's Six Pillars of Self-Esteem and looking at new tools to bring to coaching. For example, through sentence completion, which is the work that he was really big on. From a social side, learning to play chess, which is, you know, using a different part of my brain. And that was very intentional because I wanted to become more strategic. And then physical. I wanted to learn something more physical, not a sport, but actually an instrument, back to instruments. So I've started learning the drums, which again, separating your limbs is quite a feat, at least for me. And then finally, just started embarking on learning an endangered language called Michif, which is a Canadian and American language. Of the Métis people. And so all of these are, are way different learnings than I've had in the past, but it feels like it still fits in the category. And I think the way that it circles back to coaching and how it informs my coaching is it reminds me of what it's like to be in that, you know, new space of trying something, don't know whether I'm going to fail, don't know where it's going to go, to what Susan was saying. But I think as coaches, to walk in the shoes of our clients, what we're asking to do— them to do— and what they're asking of themselves to do. We need to sit in that space as well. And so that's kind of what's coming up for me, um, how it fits in with, with making us better coaches, not to mention hopefully better humans. I—

listening to you share all those, Lee, I was like That is so many things, all areas of life. But then I'm thinking too, yeah, I'm, I'm doing learning in lots of different spaces too. So it's helpful to like remember that, like bringing an orientation of learning often, like it becomes baked into you. I'd say my biggest learning space right now is I'm a, I'm a mom of a 17-month-old as of yesterday, and I'm loving the idea of reparenting. Like what's it look like to raise your child And with an awareness towards raising a child triggers things in yourself. And how can I be aware of the triggers in myself and care for myself in those? And I'm finding that translating a lot into coaching because I'm bringing much more awareness of myself and then also like much more compassion towards myself and compassion towards the people I'm working with. And I find that there's there's so much lack of self-compassion in people who are setting really high standards for themselves. And creating that, like tapping into that self-compassion opens up the potential to grow in a way that's organic and flowing from one's strengths.

That compassion piece is so important because our culture is so performance-oriented that it can throw out many opportunities for learning. But if we approach it through the lens of this is a growth opportunity, or even the lens of experimenting with, with new skills, it takes that pressure off to be able to enjoy the growth journey of learning as a little step by little step rather than I need to be flawless at this, you know, if not on day 1, I mean, at least by day 5, I should be a master of this. You know, sometimes my learner can set these expectations of, well, you should be at this point by now, but to step back and see it more as a growth journey rather than here's the destination.

I couldn't resonate with that more, Carissa. I think that it just gets so lost so easily, and maybe that's why it feels like I have a lot on the go. It's because I don't have a, I don't have a sense of, you know, I need to achieve to get a badge, but I'm really loving the journey and the failing on one hand. But on the other hand, you know, yesterday I couldn't do that. Today I can, right? And really about those baby steps, as you say, are so fulfilling if we stop to pay attention to that, right? And I think it's the same with our clients. They often come, as Susan said at the top of the call, with, you know, a vision, but it doesn't happen overnight, right? It's those steps along the journey that make it the meaningful part. But sometimes we just anchor on the the end goal.

I can add a couple of my non-coaching sort of learnings, and these aren't all just really recent, but in the last 5 or so years, I've learned ballroom dance. So Lee, you're talking about like making your arms do different things. I've learned that, and I've also learned golf. And I'm amazed at how much whatever it is I'm learning seems to give me a new perspective on coach training or coaching leaders. There's something, it's like it gives me a fresh way to look at it and it keeps me fresh then in that process. And both of those things, and then I will add to, j'apprends le français. And I'm not doing a great job at learning French, but I'm trying. And I even navigated and asked for, where can I go buy a greeting card and butchered it? But I did it on the streets of France today. And I feel like if I'm not scaring myself a little bit and if I'm not doing something that I'm not already great at, that I'm kind of doing myself a disservice. And golf does that for me.

Very hopefully.

Golf hands get a little bit easier. But yeah, there's just something about really sticking with something and the conversations now, like with the French, the conversations I'm starting to hear more. I'm like, oh my God, I thought I would never be able to pick it up. Let me read it. That's a lot easier. But speak it, I'm like just lost. And little by little, and it's so exciting to see that. So I love what you said, Lee, about if you stop for a moment and And so, like, if you're in a coach training journey, like, what are you doing differently that, you know, you couldn't even do last week?

So there's so many metaphors coming out in this conversation too. And as you say that, Susan, I'm thinking about how metaphors give us, like, a way to make sense of something new. And so, like, golf becomes a metaphor for other things, and I hear it in coaching to, like, when clients come and get a metaphor to represent something, and that creates a sense of, like, stability in the unknown. I want to draw in this sub-competency of remains aware of and open to the influence of context and culture on self and others today, because I'm thinking about diversity and inclusion as something that is rightfully becoming a center stage topic. And just wondering, like, how are your thoughts expanding on your own culture and the cultures around you? How is bringing that awareness shifting the way you are coaching?

I can start because the program that, that I'm in, there are 28 participants from 19 countries.

Countries.

And you can only imagine the different cultures and the different contexts and the different systems. And, you know, we have people from Saudi Arabia and Russia and Brazil and India. And to sit and listen with those people and, and to pick up the words that they use and the concepts that they use, as opposed to translating it into American, but really listening to what phrases. Because sometimes I'll use a phrase that I may not be familiar with, I have to ask, what does that mean to you? I love how being in such a diversity environment causes me to really stop and stop predicting. Like the brain we talked about, the brain loves to predict. Well, it keeps us alive, but it also can get us in a lot of trouble if we're predicting what other people are making of their meaning and what my culture and upbringing is. I don't need to project that onto other people. Having greater awareness of that, I love that stretch for my brain and my heart right now.

Looking at it from the lens of coaching, coaching honors the, the uniqueness, the diversity of every individual human being, and approaching every conversation through that lens enables us to honor and respect who that person is.

Yes, and you make me think about us as coaches doing the same thing. We talked about, you know, being kind to ourselves as coaches and the whole notion of self-management as a coach and bringing in a coaching mindset that actually takes work, years and years of work and practice to be able to bring to bear exactly what you both just said. That's not our natural way, I don't think. I mean, some are gifted, I'm sure, but generally speaking, we need to work at this as coaches and develop that and bring that into the room to create that place for each and every client of ours.

I'm reminded of the instrument metaphor. You have to know how to use the instrument well And we are the instrument, so that awareness of ourselves and how we impact the space of coaching is so key. Beautiful thoughts today. Anything else that needs to be shared to feel complete with this conversation?

I'll just say, um, the two of you have really inspired me to think about— I, I don't have my next formal, um, learning journey documented, but both of those sound very exciting and juicy. So I'll see where I go with that. So thank you both.

I also recently tapped Carissa for recommendations on certifications and have one what I have my eye on. So yes, lots of people on this team to tap for ideas of how to formally learn or informally learn, because I guarantee everyone is learning. Wonderful. Well, thank you, Susan.

I do, I do have one, one last— could I just add one little piece in? So, um, I recognize that the people listening to this are probably preaching to the choir is, is the phrase that comes to mind, that there are learners who, who are listening to this. And I just feel a connection with you, the learners who put yourself out there, who take risks, who risk not getting it right and grow in the process and just deepen your self-compassion and your compassion with others. in that process, whether you're in our training at the academies or you're out doing some other sort of cool thing that's, you know, lighting you up. Um, just want to appreciate all of you even though I can't necessarily see faces at this moment.

So growth is a continual journey, and it really brings us together both to share the learning but also just the commonality that we're all that complete in the moment and growing in new ways at the same time.

Yeah, maybe as an invitation for further learning, take those sub-competencies of ICF Embody the Coaching Mindset Competency 2 and consider where can you celebrate and offer yourself compassion and joy around where you have grown and Where do you want to stretch yourself next? And then an invitation for— tune in tomorrow for a conversation about the new ICF credentialing exam. You'll get to hear from two of our instructors who recently took and passed the exam about their experience and tips on how to maintain a coaching mindset as you go through the experience. Thank you so much for joining us today. Lee and Carissa and Susan and everyone watching, looking forward to tomorrow.

Thanks, Jessica.