Overwhelmed Academic? Script to Use When Asking for Coaching Support

Being overwhelmed is not “just the way it is” as if it is the law of gravity or something.?Gravity is just the way it is.?Overwhelm – is not a law.?It has become an accepted state, however.?And it is a very costly state.??

Sample Script

“Thank you so much for setting aside some time for us to meet today.?I wanted to talk with you about having the department invest in professional academic productivity coaching for me.?

As you know, I am now a tenured associate professor, with a strong teaching and mentorship reputation, a solid publication record, and have recently obtained a $1.3 million NSF grant that starts early next year.?The reason I’ve sought out a professional coach is because I’m poised to move forward with even more significant work in the upcoming years.?I have various mentors and colleagues that I can talk with about many aspects of my work, but since they are all overwhelmed, too, I’m not sure they can help me address overwhelm.

I brought you a copy of the e-publication, What is Coaching? that is written by the woman I have interviewed to be my coach.?She’s been writing for, teaching, and coaching professors for many years to help them be “just whelmed” instead of overwhelmed.?I also brought you a page where I’ve figured out some of what it is costing me and the university if I don’t solve for the overwhelm I’m experiencing.

Last year, there were three grants I couldn’t put in for because I was so backed up with other work.?Although it is unlikely I would have been awarded all three, it is very possible I would have gotten one of them, with a total of between $100,000 and $200,000 indirect.?

Our whole college is suffering from some reputation and relationship damage due to our slowness in responding to various external groups.?We have a small state and people talk.?I’ve heard conversations and even had people say something to me directly about their assumptions about what professors are doing and that we must think we’re too good to respond to the people in our state, even though we’re a land-grant institution.?And I know I am one of the slower-than-I’d-like-to-be responders.?This is something I know I can improve upon by working with a specialized coach.

With my new grant, I have funds for some graduate students and a part-time project manager.?I’m excited about that, but I know I’ve had times where I had someone who could assist me on a project but because I was so overwhelmed, I couldn’t think through the tasks or pieces of the project that could be delegated – or at least not get them delegated in a timely manner.?This further slows down the momentum of completing the work and could have a negative impact on future funding if it appears I’m unable to follow through on what the stated aims are of my grant proposals.?

I know you are aware of how hard I work and the ways I’ve been willing to step up in the department ever since I arrived here.?I’ve helped attract many students and want to continue to be able to devote time to this.?With the added workload and expectations for associate professors, I need to have some help working through limiting beliefs, less-than-productive habits, and integrating strategic practices into all aspects of my professional life as a productive scholar.?This is a tall order and it will not happen overnight but I’m committed to working strategically with a coach to make progress in these areas.

Although I have not given you the exact $$ cost to this overwhelm, I hope you can see that the small amount I’m asking for will have a significant return on investment.

What else do you think you would need from me for this or can we go ahead and either submit an invoice or use our department purchasing card?”

I have a publication series (available to you at no cost) about how to acknowledge your value when you’re asking someone to pay for the coaching support you’re requesting.?Feel free to take a look here and see if one of these publications would be helpful to you.?https://meggin.com/coaching/#makingtheask ?

About Meggin McIntosh

Helping people reframe their limiting beliefs is a big part of the joyful work I do as a coach. Sometimes I offer group coaching in addition to working with individual clients. It's amazing to watch people generate reframes for a belief that has held them back in the past.

I am thankful every day.