Academic Leadership Development Program

Maryam Nabavi, ALDP Program Director 

Tom Scholte, ALDP Academic Director

Olivia Sperry, ALDP Program Manager
 

As an extension of UBC Coaching Services, all ALDP participants are invited and encouraged to work 1:1 with a leadership coach. A coaching engagement can provide valuable support to the client as he/she/they determines and achieves his/her/their professional goals.

“My coaching sessions were extremely helpful for providing fresh perspectives and solutions that had not occurred to me or my usual network of advisors within my own Faculty.”

“My coach was an excellent sounding board who was able to help focus my thoughts and priorities without my feeling vulnerable.”

“Having a coaching relationship and being able to touch down every once in a while helps you not only survive but to prosper.”

“Would I recommend coaching to a new academic leader? Absolutely!”

In the world of leadership development, coaching is an effective tool in developing the capacity and resilience of academic leaders. In 2018, Coaching at UBC, which includes the coaching offered to academic leaders through ALDP, was awarded honourable mention in the International 2018 Prism Award. The prestigious honour from the International Coach Federation (ICF) is awarded each year to organizations that have achieved the highest standard of excellence in coaching program and offer coaching programs that meet rigorous professional standards, address key strategic goals, shape organizational culture and yield desirable and measurable positive impacts.

For more information about coaching services generally at UBC, please visit https://hr.ubc.ca/career-development/coaching-staff-and-faculty.

In 2006, a needs assessment conducted by consulting group Leading By Design considered the components required to create a leadership program for Department Heads, Program Directors and Associate Deans at UBC. In doing so, Leading By Design found the following:

• Most Department Heads and Program Directors are neither well prepared to assume their new roles nor feel acknowledged for their contribution.
• Much of the knowledge about how the University operates is implicit and tacit.
• There are often unclear expectations for the role and its associated authority, responsibility, and accountability.
• Currently, it can take more than two years to become successful in one’s role.
• There is no formal process to develop a shared understanding of needs and issues, priority setting or knowledge sharing.

In light of these key findings, a proposal to create a leadership program for Department Heads and Directors involving problem-based learning, coaching support, peer mentoring, and workshops was submitted. The Office of the Provost, in partnership with Human Resources and the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (formerly the Centre for Teaching & Academic Growth —TAG) agreed to sponsor this pilot project.

Founding team members:

• Luisa Canuto
• Sharon Kahn
• Gary Poole
• Dorothy Shaw
• Julie Stockton
• Fran Watters