Skillful Indiana Governor’s Coaching Corps (Skillful Coaching Corps) is a dream come true for me. When I learned about the coaching corps at a monthly staff meeting, I was excited for a unique opportunity to gain leadership skills and credentials beneficial to upper level management positions.
The Skillful Coaching Corps is an intensive leadership and skills development program that brings together exceptional career coaches from public organizations across the state to hone leadership, leverage new practices and technologies, and build a supportive group who can serve job seeking Hoosiers in Indiana. While I knew it would be a huge commitment, I was ready to dive in for eight months of leadership training. With five in-person retreats to attend, multiple conference calls between each retreat, plus juggling the regular workweek, the Skillful Coaching Corps has been a test of endurance that has left me with a sense of accomplishment and confidence.
Thirty-five career coaches from across the state were brought together and divided into action teams to work on issues facing the workforce in Indiana. My action team is comprised of amazing coaches from all over the state; I am blessed to be working with Alyssa McManus from Horizon House in Indianapolis, Audrey Buckman from JobWorks in Evansville, Karen Ullom from Muncie Community Schools Adult Education Services, Marie Haraburda from REA-Partners in Transition and Indiana University, and Shannon Brunton from Brown County School Corporation. We meet every two weeks to keep our project on track, supporting and encouraging each other to branch out and try new ideas along the way. The action teams will present real recommendations to challenges faced by the coaching community. Without coaches working together to learn new tools and ways to be more intentional with clients in a changing economy, Hoosiers may miss out on connecting with the best employment fit.
