Why I feel you should sign up for the Conversations at the Edge training.

Are you looking for great training that will theoretically ground your coaching work and upgrade the impact you are having?

Are you tired of a coaching industry (or coaching approaches, or coaches themselves!) that rely on charisma, personality and narcissistic tendencies to (try to) create change?

Would you be curious to learn the theory of human transformation so that you can root your work in academically rigorous theory? (and thereby create tonnes more impact?)

…?

In this article I share three reasons why I highly recommend hopping onto the ‘Conversations at the edge’ coach training program being delivered through The Meadow.

I get a little enthusiastic (maybe preachy! so brace yourself) and I also refer to a story of suicide close to me. I warn you when that is coming in case you’re sensitive to that kind of story. I invite you to skip ahead if you are.

My three reasons for doing this training are:

1. You get to really understand and make sense of the process of human development and transformation.

2. You are then able use this to make a difference (and money) when working with leaders and teams

3. You will join a global community of developmental ‘geeks’ who are there in support and who also want to create fun stuff together.

In the early part of 2021 I completed my then called Growth Edge Coaching (GEC) course. It was life changing. I’ve done plenty of courses in the past 15? years; PGCE teacher training, ICF coach qualification, WataFlow therapy, Yoga 200hr TT, etc. etc.? ad nauseum.. Nothing has come close to the impact the GEC course had on my life. (Sorry about all the TLAs! (three letter acronyms))

Here’s why Conversations at the edge is a great option for you:

1. You get to really understand, and make sense of, the process of human development and transformation.

Right, sorry about this but here is one last three letter acronym. It’s ADT which stands for Adult Development Theory. ADT is the theory upon which your coach training is based.

ADT is the science of human transformation. It’s a theory that Robert Kegan, amongst others, brought into the light based on tonnes of social science research conducted during the 70s and 80s into how adults grow and change. Jennifer Garvey Berger who co-leads the training was one of Kegan’s best students (so I guess). Jennifer is doing the important work in the art of applying this academically grounded theory to leadership and organisational change.

The training gave me a good grounding in this beautiful theory (that I’ve totally fallen in love with) and also taught me how to apply this theory in 1-1 coaching sessions. This helped me to feel steady in the sea of uncertainty and complexity that I’m often swimming in with the leaders I work with.

"The theory and training won’t help make complexity any less complex; instead understanding it will give you (and those you coach) the tools and ways of thinking to help make sense of complexity and think more carefully your way through the inherent challenges."

Your training sits within a whole array of fascinating literature like Jennifer’s other books ‘Changing on the Job’, ‘Simple Habits for Complex Times’, and Rober Kegan and Lisa Lahey’s fantastic ‘An Everyone Culture’. All worth reading and studying and getting as nerdy as you can (I’m talking about underlining key phrases, sticking little colour coordinated tab markers on relevant pages, writing up your own notes, discussing the books in book clubs!).

There are also the following papers on the ‘Emergent Leadership’, or this one on leading in an era of complexity. And around all this research and writing you’ve got podcasts and blogs and all sorts that’ll help you keep learning and growing in the field of ADT (adult development theory! Yes, there will be a test on all TLA’s at the end. OMG, WTF and LOL).

Oh, I also found this approach to coaching and training a real breath of fresh air in contrast to the narcissism of Tony Robbins or the pathological leadership I experienced with an ex coach of mine… #justsaying.

2. You can use this to really make a difference (and money) when working with leaders and teams

I came into this coach training as a fully qualified and experienced coach. In 2018 I achieved PCC (aaargh!; Professional Certified Coach) status with the ICF (International Coach Federation) which requires +140hrs of coach training and +500hours of coaching experience.?

Diving into the GEC work and adult development theory I realise I really knew NOTHING about the actual science of human transformation. I had some good grounding in coaching, and I’m a good listener, but really, to in depth, nuanced, step by step, academically grounded, thoroughly researched science of human growth and what all those little steps in between those stages need to look like. Nope; with humility and curiosity I realised I had no idea about any of that.

“Deep, nuanced, precise and geeky, your intro to ADT will stretch your mind and give you an invaluable set of tools.”

The invitation awaiting you is to then apply those skills to the workplace, to know your theory inside out and to have it in the background when you are in conversation, and to use it to alter your coaching, to alter how you think and see and make sense of the sense-making systems of those you're working with. In doing so you’ll listen in a different way, spot curious things you would have missed before, and will ask different (and usually better) questions.

It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway; this training helped my coaching get (a lot) better. It’s also the foundation upon which all of my consulting work at Treeka is based.

(I’m going to share a story about suicide below so if you are emotionally sensitive around that topic please feel free to skip the next 3 paragraphs)

My core motivation for being in the developmental industry is to help people be happier at work. I see a lot of individual pain and suffering caused by our global convergence of crisis, and from the (often) unconscious growth imperative that so many business still have. We’ve higher than even levels of work related stress, of mental health breakdowns, of burnout. For men 18-40 years old (I’m 36) you know what the highest killer is? Suicide. Think, for a moment, of two men you know in that age bracket.?

They’re at risk. And the work they’re engaged with is a major factor in their levels of happiness and / or stress.

When I was 13 I lost my mother to suicide and I know that work stress was part of the weight she felt. There were other issues too; such as a lack of understanding about mental health, a (what I believe to have been) mis-diagnosis of her neurodiversity as having bi-polar, where I believe actually she would have been better understood as a ‘Highly Sensitive Person’.

In the teams that I work with we’re talking about neurodiversity, we’re putting mental health on the table as a topic, we’re highlighting people’s stress levels and the unacceptable nature of our incumbent growth imperative that drives so much suffering.

We’re also discussing how central developmental opportunities are to people’s happiness and engagement at work. Robert Kegan puts this beautifully in ‘An Everyone Culture’ when discussing the notion of ‘new incomes’ - things like values, purpose, culture, learning that are now highly desired and are influencing people's employment choices while presenting organisations with a clear direction to head to solve retention challenges.?

I see (and feel) the eyes of those I work with in 1-1 sessions light up when we take steps along their development pathway. It’s a real honour to be trusted to do this work and I don’t take the responsibility lightly.?

“Leaders are coming to me often in quite an extreme state of vulnerability.”?

Things aren’t going well, they’re suffering, their team is rebelling, there’s attrition, there’s chaos, and mental health is plummeting.

Because of my training (and all the added research and reading I’ve done around this theory and its application) I feel prepared, ready, willing and even a little excited, when these leaders come towards me looking for help.

It’s no longer down to me and my ego and my nice ideas but instead the approach I take is thoroughly rooted in grounded theory. Now I’m beginning to sound like some kind of disciple of ADT. In truth, I am, and proud.

“I’m a willing participant in a movement that’s contributing to a better world.”

Shining the light of ADT theory out there in posts like this, in the way I work in 1-1s, in the way it’s rooted at the core of my consultancy programs, in the way that it’s helped me build Treeka and is the foundation upon which all our culture change work is built.

Phew, are you sold yet? I feel I’m proselytizing but as it’s a rigorous theory we’re talking about I’m OK with that!

3. You join a global community of developmental nerds who are there in support and want to create fun stuff together.

A super exciting part of this coach training is that you become part of a global community of loveable, willing, open hearted ‘geeks’ intent on using ADT to change the world for the better. There’s a fantastic network soon to be called ‘Lume’ that you can join where conversations are held and events are orgaised.

Just last week, having not spoken for abou a year, I connected with the overly fantastic Nikki Shultz through WhatsApp. Nikki is based in the States and is doing great work helping leaders and organisations become better places to work at Courageous Roots. We met on the training programme and were often having a private little side conversation going on in the Zoom chat (you know when you chat to somebody privately during a group call! I LOVE doing that. It feels like you’re passing a note behind the teacher’s back).

Aligned with values, working with the same theory, in deep appreciation and gratitude to each other we immediately picked up from where we left off, diving in (within the first 30 secs of our conversation) into all things theory, profound values, deep challenges we’re facing. It was wonderful.?

Nikki is now supporting me to move towards writing a white paper about culture and adult development and is also consulting on our new branding architecture (super excited to release this as it starts to appear).

In turn I’m helping Nikki think through her keynote speaking career and ensure that she’s not ‘dumbing down’ her message by helping her reflect on the kinds of audiences she wants to meet.

These detailed examples are here to have you see the value we’re both receiving from each other and from the network of kind souls you’ll find yourself surrounded by if you complete the GEC training.

(Phew, quite a post. Well done for continuing to read!)

One last story. Thomas Arta and I met 12 years ago on the dance floor of a great festival. Since then we’ve become great friends, and have coached and supported each other through every kind of life-transition available to us during our 30s. He’s now a partner in Treeka and, having completed the further coach training with Jennifer (and come out with 5 STAR ratings all round) he’s been invited to be a partner in Cultivating Leadership.?

In the Treeka village he sits in an advisory position and boy has he given some good advice over the years. I’m hugely grateful for our ongoing friendship and professional collaboration. Thomas originally introduced me to ADT and (as I’m sure you can tell) my life is completely different now because I heard the call and responded with enthusiasm.

And so, if you’re still reading, then I believe you too are hearing the call.?

“At the start of all good adventures is an invitation into unchartered territory. You must step away from the known world, the safe way you’ve been living and working, and make a brave move into the unknown.”

Those who have gone before on similar adventures can attest to the value and usefulness of doing so. But it must be you who makes the decision to fill your thermos, saddle your pack, open the gate and step outside of your known reality.

The training course will test you. It won’t all be easy. But that’s what we want right? Those invaluable learning opportunities that help us transform and grow into larger, more capable, and more helpful versions of ourselves.

Here’s a final invitations from me:

I’d love to offer my mentorship and support as you go through this programme. This is offered as a gift, though it has a selfish(-ish) orientation. By the time you complete your training and are ready to start delivering coaching grounded in ADT we at Treeka are, probably, going to have more work than we could currently handle. We’re envisaging reaching capacity at our current size within the next six months.

"I invite you to open yourself to the possibility that we could work together once you’ve trained in this theory. "

I cannot currently guarantee that, but the invitation to some mentorship as you go on your adventure is there.

Get in touch if you are curious to hop on for a short conversation exploring what this mentorship could look like.

And if you’d like to keep in the loop as things develop at Treeka you can subscribe to our Substack here.

Time for that TLA test:

(unjumble the TLAs, and translate them, bonus: spot the mystery TLA that we didn’t cover)

Ready. Go!?

ATD -

TAL -

CPC -

XYZ -

FIC -

LLO -

(all photos are courtesy of the wonderful Hannah Jones)