At this November’s modern learning monthly dialogue, we were joined by Executive Coach Jen Zach where she shared how she is applying learning clusters to the coaching space. Because coaching is often considered a one-and-done area, Jen walked our community through the process of how learning clusters can be applied and how they benefit the coachee.
Jen explained that she had an aha moment about learning clusters when she was asked by a client to come out and provide in-person learning and coaching. In doing the math, Jen realized that with the cost of her coming in plus the cost of the salaries of the learners in attendance, she could offer them a much better value by leveraging learning clusters. She developed a learning cluster that included three months of individualized coaching in half hour increments, along with developing and curating learning assets that were available to her coachees when and where they needed it most. Through applying the Learning Cluster Design model, she noticed she was able to create a safe learning environment for her coaching clients, and in return, they maintained a high level of engagement throughout the coaching period.
In one experience, Jen shared about working with a nation-wide insurance company and specifically a manager who wanted to learn more about empathy. Through her individualized learning cluster coaching she was able to provide him with resources to learn from and an action plan for implementing new skills on the job. The manager was able to develop into an approachable empathetic leader that the team felt comfortable coming to which immensely improved team dynamics. He was able to learn in the flow of work as opposed to being pulled away from the work environment. Ultimately, he was able to create a culture of psychological safety which helped him and his team perform better!
It’s amazing to hear how Jen is tactically implementing the Learning Cluster Design model to the coaching industry.
What role does coaching play within your learning organization? How can you apply Learning Cluster Design to enhance the coaching you do already? Join the conversation on LinkedIn.
