ASPO Workshop: Coaching for Adaptive Leadership

Workshop Highlights

• 7 hours of interactive training to build your coaching skills
• Certificate of completion after the workshop
• Additional option: Post Workshop Coaching and Mentoring

Date: Monday April 28, 2025 – 9:00 AM – 17:00 PM

Location: Shriner’s Hospital for Children, 1003 Decarie Boulevard, Montreal H4A 0A9, Canada.

Course Contact Person: Ms. Vicky Decubellis
E-mail: vicky.decubellis@muhc.mcgill.ca
Phone: (514) 412-4400; extension 25302      
Fax: (514) 412-4342 

Course Fees:   
US$300 for ASPO members
US$350 for non-ASPO members          

Course Overview

Those currently in leadership positions within health care often struggle and are not as effective as they might be.  One reason offered is that they are not prepared to function in the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world that is healthcare.

A snapshot of the VUCA environment reveals the aftermath of COVID, an aging population, the advancement of biomedical technology and artificial intelligence, and ongoing funding constraints. It is apparent that navigating this complex landscape requires an updated set of leadership capabilities and implies an understanding and acceptance of the reality that change is inevitable and that adaptive leadership is essential. 

When change is demanded the natural reaction is often to resist. The next reaction is to address whatever the challenge is by using the same habitual logic, or perception of the problem as we have been trained to do. To become truly adaptive, we need the ability to break out of automatic habitual thinking and behavior patterns. To do so, we must be aware of ourselves, our strengths and limitations, our beliefs and values, and where we get stuck. Knowing this we can begin to reframe situations and bring in various alternative concepts and solutions as the situation demands.

Questioning our beliefs, recognizing our limitations and accepting the need to see things differently demands a combination of curiosity, humility and courage. These are characteristics that do not come naturally to those who have been rooted in the hierarchical culture of medicine that has traditionally bred heroic leaders who function autonomously. Given the complexities of healthcare, today’s leaders must have an awareness of self and others to be able to empower the workforce to work together to achieve positive outcomes for patients and providers alike. Coaching is a skill that can foster leadership development and, when used to permeate the environment, can transform the prevailing culture into one of inquiry and growth.

Coaching, as defined by the International Coaching Federation, is “ a partnership between the coach and the client in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the client to maximize personal and professional potential” (2021).   Distinct from ‘coaching for performance’ such as that used in the technical specialties, coaching has the ability to transform an individual’s mindset, foster wellness and resilience, and ultimately contribute to better healthcare outcomes. The unique knowledge base and skills of coaching complement leadership competencies and can enhance the deep ‘being’ and ‘doing’ of healthcare leadership.

This proposed "Leadership Enhancement through Coaching" workshop will focus on adaptive and relational leadership and coaching knowledge and skills that promote learning and growth. We propose an approach that respects participants' existing knowledge and experience, as knowledge and skills are built simultaneously. Throughout the program, well-being and resiliency will be stressed as participants learn how to work toward individual and collaborative change.

Knowledge and skill-building approach

We are proposing to scaffold the curriculum for the workshop on the LEADS in Caring Environment Capabilities Framework. LEADS is an acronym defining the five domains of leadership capabilities required to be an effective leader, including the ability to:

• Lead Self,
• Engage Others,
• Achieve Results,
• Develop Coalitions, and
• Systems Transformation.

Each domain has four capabilities that form the backbone of the domain. According to this framework, leadership is “the collective capacity of an individual or group to influence people to work together to achieve a common constructive purpose: the health and wellness of the population we serve”*. As such, leadership is not synonymous with positional power, but rather the ability to optimize the instrument of ‘self’ to implement a vision with the engagement and empowerment of others.

*Bringing leadership to life in health: LEADS in a caring environment. Putting LEADS to work. Dickson G, Tholl B. 2^nd Ed 2020. Springer Nature

This workshop will focus on the first and second domains described above. Within these, the role and skills of coaching in effecting and enacting change will be integrated within the content of the workshop.

Target audience: Health Professionals that would like to enhance their leadership through coaching skills

Number of participants: minimum 9, maximum 20

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the workshop participants in the workshop will be better able to:

-          Appreciate the synergy between leadership capabilities and coaching competencies.

-          Describe the role of coaching in enhancing personal and interpersonal leadership capabilities,

-          Apply the skills of a coaching approach to professional interactions , and  

-          Identify opportunities to further develop as adaptive learners and leaders

Suggested format:

The 6-hour workshop will be a blend of short theory bursts and highly interactive skills training exercises.

Common personal and interpersonal leadership themes and challenges (see table) will be addressed from both a theoretical and experiential coaching approach.

AGENDA

9:00 -10:00 Introductions and discussion of knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be an adaptive leader

Brainstorm themes and challenges of most importance to participants

SEGMENT 1: PERSONAL LEADERSHIP 10:00:12:00

Elements of Personal Leadership:

              Values, Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, humility, character

The role of coaching in leadership

-          Coaching vs mentorship

-          Performance vs transactional vs transformational coaching

-          GROW model and demo by facilitators

Skill building exercises on a coaching approach to leadership

Reflection: What have I learned ? What will change as a result?

12:00-13:00 Lunch

SEGMENT 2: Theme: Interpersonal leadership: 13:00-14:30

Teamwork – challenges and skills for building an effective team

Resistance to change – why it occurs, how to reduce threat and affect change

Skill building: troubleshooting themes and challenges identified by participants

Segment 3: Commitment to action: 14:45- 17:00

Note: All content of this workshop is designed to align with several of the ICF core coaching competencies.

(Competencies 1 2, 7):  ethics, coaching mindset, EVOKES AWARENESS

(Competencies 4, 5, 6, 7,8: Trust, presence and listening; evokes awareness, commitment to action)

Course Facilitators:

Sam Daniel MDCM, MSc, FRCPC, CPC(HC), PCC
Sam Daniel is a pediatric Otolaryngologist and the current President of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at McGill University, as well as Surgeon-in-chief at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Dr Daniel has held numerous leadership positions that include CPD Director of the Federation of Medical specialists of Quebec, CPD educator for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, past - CPD Chair of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and past CPD Chair and Board member of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO).  

Dr Daniel is a clinician scientist with over 240 peer-reviewed publications. He is also the recipient of several awards including the Royal College Accredited CPD Provider Innovation Award in 2019 and 2013, the presidential distinction award of the College of Physicians of Quebec in 2023, and Canada's top 40 under 40. He is also credentialled as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coach Federation.

Shirley Lee HBSc, MD, CCFP(EM), MHSc, FCFP, COC, CPC(HC)
Shirley Lee is a practicing academic emergency physician in Ottawa. After finishing her medical training at Western and Ottawa, she completed her master’s in health sciences (Education) degree at the University of Toronto. She is a certified Organizational coach with the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

As a seasoned educator for over two decades, she has served in several capacities from undergraduate to faculty development at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (Toronto). She has been the recipient of over a dozen awards in recognition for her long-standing contributions to medical education and love of teaching. Nationally, she serves as the Chair for the Coalition for Physician Learning and Practice Improvement. The CPLPI mission focuses on supporting and advancing best-evidence continuing professional development healthcare practices in Canada.

Currently her interests focus primarily on helping physicians to optimize their work to support safe medical care delivery for patients. She is passionate about strengthening an organizational coaching culture to support healthcare leaders and their teams, to enhance interprofessional learning and collaboration.

Anne Matlow MSc, MD, FRCPC, ACC
Anne Matlow is Professor Emerita in the Department of Medicine at the Temerity Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She brings her decades of experience as an academic Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases physician, medical educator, and leader to her role as a Certified Executive Coach, accredited with the International Coaching Federation. With a focus on coaching in healthcare, Anne works with health professionals across executive and education branches to create a nurturing coaching culture that allows everyone to feel seen, heard, and valued. She is also a Principal at Aurealis Global Leadership Coaching.

Jane Tipping, MADEd, MCC
Jane Tipping is an adult education specialist with an expertise in continuing professional development. She has a background in faculty development, continuing professional education, instructional design, coaching and program evaluation. She lives and works from the Netherlands as well as Canada. She is also certified as a both a master coach and a mentor coach with the International Coach Federation. Her accomplishments include the creation of several recognized programs that form the basis for achieving CPD professional credentialing.