start@JMU | Coaching for newly appointed professors
Background
As a new professor at JMU, you may be going through a period of change in your career. Maybe you are even stepping into a professorship position for the first time. We have launched the start@JMU coaching programme to help you with any issues you may be facing at the current point in your career. The programme is strictly confidential and will be tailored to your specific needs. It is completely up to you to decide on what issues you want to focus and what questions and/or challenges you want to address.
Your coaching is always confidential. What you discuss remains between you and your coach. At no point will he or she disclose to other people at JMU about what you have spoken. Your confidentiality is of utmost importance to us. You decide whether you want to work with one of the four trained coaches on JMU’s in-house Academic Staff Development team or whether you would prefer an external coach. Your coaching sessions will take place in a location of your choice - either on or off campus - or you can meet with your coach virtually.
Your coach will help you tap into your resources and potential to develop solutions that are tailored to your unique challenges. Using a range of tools, he or she will show you how to develop a better awareness and understanding of how you act and get a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you can get there. Your coach will give you the inspiration to make any changes to the way you act that may be necessary, and you will get the chance to find out whether the steps that you want to take to reach your goals actually work in your specific situation or whether you will need to adjust your strategy.
Remember: Coaching is not just about reaching goals, it’s also about what you learn along the way.
How can coaching of newly appointed professors help you?
This type of coaching can help you
- define the professional goals that you want to reach in your new role.
- make realistic plans for your goals and ambitions.
- deal with the challenges you are facing in your daily work.
- discuss the needs and expectations of your team members regarding supervision and leadership.
- analyse conflict and problem situations.
- critically reflect upon role expectations and deal with them in a constructive manner.
- work your way towards a particular development goal.
How does it work?
STEP 1: You accept an offer of appointment to a professorship, come to JMU, and our Welcome Centre helps you settle into your new job. As soon as you have arrived, a member of our Academic Staff Development team will contact you and invite you to a personal meeting to get to know each other.
STEP 2: In a first personal meeting, we will let you know what type of support you can receive from JMU. We will also give you detailed information on the start@JMU coaching programme. If you are interested, we will identify together on what topics you would want to work with your coach.
STEP 3: Based on the information you provide in this first meeting, we will find a suitable internal or external coach for you and will put you in touch with him or her. The coaching process will not start until both sides feel that they will be able to work well together. If the chemistry is not right, we will find another coach for you.
STEP 4: You start the coaching process. It can take whatever form you want. You decide when and where you meet with your coach and, together with him or her, define the issues and goals you want to work on. Your coach will maintain strict confidentiality. What you discuss will remain between you and him or her. At no point will he or she disclose to other people at JMU about what you have spoken.
STEP 5: At the end of the process, please let us know that your sessions have finished (for the time being) and whether you have reached the goals you had set for yourself or whether you will need more support and, if so, what type of support you are looking for.
