Development programme for experienced coaches

Module 1 – 2 Day Workshop: 13-14th November

Module 2 – Online: 24th January

Module 3 – In person: 18th March

How do we bring our skill as coaches to address the most urgent ecological challenge of our time?

Coaches can play a powerful role in strengthening leaders’ capacity to make sense of, and act upon systemic challenges such the climate emergency. We can help our clients take a wider view of their context, engage with the ambiguity of juggling short-term demands with long-term transformation, navigate values and cultural differences and make space for nature in their decision-making.

But to do so well we must explore our own relationship with nature, confront our own norms and values, address challenges that can arise in contracting, ethics and meaning-making.

Facilitated by faculty skilled in nature-led coach development, this programme provides an immersive and experiential space, grounded in systemic and relational coaching, nature awareness and action inquiry, to

reflect on your practice and deepen it in response to the changing Earth. We will be exploring the challenges facing our world, expanding the repertoire of interventions available to you and equipping you with additional skills to help people, society and nature flourish.

Starting with a two-day residential in the magical natural learning space of Hawkwood College, we will deeply explore our connection to ourselves, others and our natural world.

Beyond the formal programme completion, a further three virtual supervision sessions will follow the seasons to support continued action, exploration and learning through a full turn of the year.

Access to our virtual learning platform throughout provides additional reading and viewing, along with a private discussion forum, for your cohort.

By the end of this programme you will have:

• Applied an ecological frame to key facets of coaching from entry to endings
• Deepened your own awareness of our changing world and how to bring nature, particularly respectful encounter with nature, into your practice
• Strengthened your systems sight and sensitivity to the world around you
• Explored how change and growth happen in relationship and will have developed your own relational practice
• Expanded your range of coaching interventions and meaning-making capacities
• Learnt and applied an Action Inquiry approach with a cohort of peers

Coach Development Team

Professor Ann Knights: Ann has been coaching leaders individually and in teams for 20 years and supervising and developing coaches for 15 years. She is a lead member of faculty on Ashridge’s Masters in Executive Coaching and the Masters in Team Coaching as well as Programme Director for the Ashridge Coaching Skills for Leaders Programme. Ann is co-author of Coaching in Organisations, a significant piece of research into how coaching Is and can best be delivered in organisation commissioned by the CIPD and, with Alexandra, of a book chapter on Discovering What Needs Attention in forthcoming Relational Team Coaching, to be published by Ashridge in Autumn 2023.

Andy Raingold: Andy is a coach, speaker, facilitator and environmental campaigner. He is Co-Founder and Director of Change in Nature, where he facilitates leadership and personal development programmes in nature. He has trained with Cambridge University, Schumacher College (Call of the Wild), The Living Leader and Sussex Wildlife Trust. For over seven years, Andy was the Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group, working in the corridors of power with CEOs, Government Ministers and thought leaders to drive action for a more sustainable world, influencing policy development and corporate strategy. He is a certified coach (accredited with the Association of Coaching), specialising in coaching in nature to help provide creative inspiration, shift perspectives and connect to the bigger picture. He has written and spoken for The Guardian, BBC, Independent and Sunday Times.

Dr Alexandra Stubbings:  Alexandra is a systems change consultant and coach helping leaders embed pro-social, nature-oriented and low carbon practices into their organisations. Alex led the sustainability consulting practice at Ashridge and completed her coach training and Professional Doctorate on Engaging with Sustainability there. Since 2013 she has led Talik, the OD consultancy with a mission to develop organisations that enable people, society and nature to flourish. She writes and facilitates learning internationally on purposeful leadership, culture and nature encounter, including for CISL, The Telegraph and Academy for Sustainable Innovation, Canada. She is a member of the Living Waters Action inquiry group.

For more information click here.