Connecting Coaches to Improve Leadership Training Outcomes
Coaching is an integral part of the leadership training offered by Policy LINK as part of its support to the Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA). CALA coaches support and guide program participants as they implement the “action learning projects” that form the core of the leadership training curriculum. These projects, which are derived from participants’ ongoing work priorities, offer participants the opportunity to address real, on-the-job challenges related to country-level agricultural programs.
Conversations that started in the conclaves continue on a WhatsApp group established by Policy LINK for continuous sharing, learning, and peer support.
To support CALA’s 16 coaches, Policy LINK recently introduced coaching conclaves. These virtual spaces allow coaches to share their experiences and learn from one another. At the first conclave, in November 2021, coaches shared challenges, methodologies, and needs for additional support. The February 2022 conclave featured a coaching expert who shared his experience and expertise in group and team coaching. Conversations that started in the conclaves continue on a WhatsApp group established by Policy LINK for continuous sharing, learning, and peer support.
Early indications show this investment in coaching is paying off, with coaches and CALA participants alike pointing to the benefits of the program. Coaches say teams are more readily identifying how to move forward on their action learning projects. Recipients of executive coaching, meanwhile, say it is helping them become the leaders they aspire to be.
As part of its partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Policy LINK is playing a key role in rolling out the CALA coaching program. Representing government, the private sector, and civil society, participants in the first cohort were selected from nearly 1,000 applicants.
The program focuses on developing the competencies of leaders in four core interrelated dimensions: management skills for improved implementation, leadership skills, institutional development, and systems change. The program, which was conceptualized and designed by Policy LINK, will also profile environmental sustainability practices that contribute to sustainable farming, food production, and resilient food systems in the face of increasing climate change impacts.