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Leadership Institute Summit puts attendees in the Coaching Mindset

Students and professionals alike attended the Coaching Mindset Summit

Students and professionals alike attended the
Coaching Mindset Summit

By Paige Smith

Attendees of the Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute’s “Coaching Mindset Summit: Leadership Insights” learned from professional leadership coaches how to apply the coaching mindset to their professional lives.

The summit was a culmination of all the hard work the Leadership Institute students have put in throughout the year on developing coaching techniques in a way that is appropriate for college students.

In attendance were current cohort members, five executive coaches, alumni, Miami Faculty, and other friends of the Leadership Institute.

The summit kicked off with a keynote speech from John Schuster, an executive coach. He kept his keynote fun and engaging (“Learning is too important to take seriously,” he said) as he broke up his teachings with jokes, poems, and a brief performance of his musical abilities.

John Schuster plays the guitar

John Schuster explains coaching through song

After, the attendees broke up to watch “Fishbowl” demonstrations. Fishbowls are a critical tool to teach coaching to others. Two people in each room--a coach and a coachee--worked through a real problem together, surrounded by silent observers. The coach did not give advice to the coachee; instead, he or she helped guide the coachee to the coachee's own conclusions by asking tough questions and getting to the root of the problem.

After the fishbowl, professional coaches had the opportunity to critique the students’ fishbowl and offer advice, and other conference attendees asked the coaches questions.

Attendees also had round table discussions to discuss coaching and how it can be applied to their careers and leadership. Then the summit wrapped up with a video that members of Cohort 6 created, reflecting on the coaching mindset.

For more on the Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute work with the coaching mindset, watch the video they created below.