A Workshop Opportunity to Explore the Encore Stage

Please forgive me for this “brief commercial message,” which I’m posting on both of my blogs.

For the past couple of years, I have engaged in one of the most satisfying professional experiences of my life:  The exploration and pursuit of my encore career.  After “retiring” from university administration, I became a consultant and certified professional coach, while rebalancing the elements of my life to bring the renewed sense of purpose that may be the hallmark of the Baby Boomer generation.

Now, in collaboration with my fellow coaching colleague, Yvonne Ulmer, I am pleased to announce a workshop for people who seek fresh opportunities in the second half of life.  From December 6-8, in St. Petersburg, Florida, Yvonne and I invite you to share in a three-day retreat, in which you can reflect, explore and begin designing your own encore experience.

The retreat will be held at the Postcard Inn, on beautiful St. Petersburg Beach, beginning on Thursday evening, and finishing at noon, on Saturday.  You might want to come early or extend your stay, as a great pre-holiday getaway.  The fee for the workshop is only $500 and that includes two assessments that you will complete online, before you come to the retreat.

During our three days together, you will develop a personal vision of your ideal life, both professionally and personally.  You will receive feedback on your assessments and learn how your personality and individual strengths are critical elements in finding that purpose and passion that can launch you toward the future.  By the end of the three days, you will have designed that future life and created an action plan to get your started.

The intended audience is anyone who may be approaching a planned on unplanned retirement, but wants more than a life of leisure, as well as individuals who may be more nearly mid-career, but seek a change in direction.  Check out our workshop flier, at http://www.yvonneulmer.com/docs/CenterStageAct2Encore.pdf.  From there, you can find links to register, reserve a room at the hotel, and see more about the backgrounds of your presenters.  Of course, if you think the workshop might be of interest to friends or co-workers, please feel free to pass along the information.  If you have questions, you can contact either Yvonne or me, and our email addresses are on the flier, as well as on our individual web sites.

If it turns out that you are more interested in a one-on-one coaching relationship, both Yvonne and I welcome new clients.  Get in touch with either of us to discuss how we work with clients to support their encore careers, professional development, or leadership challenges.

More on Coaching

I’ve been asked to explain more about coaching and how it works, so here goes:

Coaches serve clients as a “thought partner” or “trusted adviser,” by supporting them in an exploration of goals and options for achieving those goals. When I coach, I like to concentrate on identifying both individual strengths and strengths in the organization or leadership team, where appropriate. I encourage people to think about times they felt especially energized and committed to their work and what it was about them or the situation that contributed to success, so that they can consider those experiences in new contexts.

I’ve found that the coaching process not only leads to identifying options and clarifying ideas, but it releases a lot of confident energy. Sometimes coaching clients also want to use me as more of a consultant, especially with regard to resolving a specific issue at work. I’m generally aware of which role I’m in, but I do try to be careful about doing too much “consulting,” when coaching is called for. It’s the client’s choices that matter.

Coaching can be used with groups, as well as with individuals. You may hear terms like “executive coach,” “life coach,” or “transitions coach,” but I seem to cut across those boundaries with most of my clients. In my own practice, I typically talk with clients over the telephone, usually for 50 minutes to an hour. I like to talk with new clients once a week, for three or four weeks, to establish the relationship and start working on goals. After that, we follow whatever pattern is most useful to the client.

With regard to branch campus administrators, my coaching experience falls in three areas. First, some individuals want to move up the administrative ladder, and either they or their supervisor thinks I can help with the preparation. This type of developmental coaching generally involves some assessment of strengths and exploration of career options, but I also ask questions intended to explore specific leadership challenges the person has encountered, as well as to clarify the role and situation that might represent a good career move.

A second opportunity comes when someone actually accepts a new position or takes on new projects. If he or she is changing institutions, we might talk about an exit strategy, as well as an on-boarding strategy for the new position. Very often, people encounter unexpected challenges and reactions in their new position, and a coach can help with the transition, not to mention adjusting to a new culture.

A third coaching opportunity arises when people consider leaving full-time administration and want to give thought to their future. A coach can help shape the planning process, provide resources, and advise on options. This type of transition coaching provides an opportunity to think about one’s “life portfolio,” considering the balance of work, recreation, family, and other elements of life. I am especially interested in working with people who are considering an encore career, because the creative potential is so high.

The Enjoyment of Consulting and Coaching

When I take tests or inventories, designed to identify individual strengths, a top strength always is that I am a “learner.” I do love learning new things, and perhaps as a result, I have very broad interests and (sometimes) a short attention span for the routine. My good fortune to work in academia allowed me to follow lots of different paths and to choose a “road less traveled,” when it suited me.

In that context, I feel especially blessed to pursue an encore career, as a consultant, coach, and speaker. Getting to meet people from around the country, and occasionally from other parts of the world, is terrific. I enjoy visiting new places and learning the unique history of various institutions. After more than 36 years of association with branch campuses and, more broadly, programs for adult learners, I’ve had remarkable experiences and opportunities to learn.

I suppose it is natural that a learner would enjoy sharing what he’s learned, and in the sense that I am still a teacher, the opportunity to consult and coach is satisfying. I am happy to share my thoughts, when asked, to critique current practices and future plans, and to provide examples of effective approaches to new challenges. However, as I’ve moved further into coaching and a strengths-based perspective, I’ve also found even greater pleasure in serving as a “thought partner” to individuals, as they consider opportunities and options.

I mention all of this for a couple of reasons. First, I’d be pleased to have more opportunities to coach, consult, or serve as a speaker for conferences and the like. It is fun, for me, and supports my desire to continue learning and sharing. Second, and more importantly, I want to encourage others to be excited about possibilities in their own lives.

We live in an extraordinary time. As a member of the Baby Boomer generation, it is exciting to think about the possibilities open to us, in the “second half of life.” For younger people, it is intriguing to consider options to work together, to create a future that is based more on abundance than on scarcity, and to reinvent what it means to work.

I was talking with an old friend and trying to explain why I am so pleased to be in the encore stage. I miss being part of a team, but on the whole, I feel as if I am back to being a professor, which was a great experience for me. My “learner” has come back to the fore, pulling along my strengths in areas like strategy and connectedness.

So, just a brief commercial: I am always interested in opportunities to work with individuals and with campuses, when they are looking to the future and considering possibilities. We can learn together and do some good.

Alternative Certifications in the Disruptive Environment

Check out a piece in Inside Higher Education, titled “How will Mozilla’s open badges project affect higher education.” (http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/hack-higher-education/how-will-mozillas-open-badges-project-affect-higher-ed) The term “badges” refers to earned credentials that document specific competencies, similar to the way continuing education units sometimes offer completion certificates. The Cisco Certification, which was developed by Cisco, but delivered in partnership with educational institutions, is a closer example.

Even as people consider the possibility of a Christensen-style disruption in higher education, most assume that established, accredited institutions will maintain their near-monopoly on credentialing what is learned. However, what if employers began to favor specific skills or knowledge sets over degrees? If other, reliable entities offer badges or certificates that meet the needs of important audiences, we might see a much less expensive option for people than attending a brick and mortar institution, with all of its expenses that are of no value to students at a distance.

In my consulting work, as well as in my blogs, I’ve encouraged institutions to consider offering more online or hybrid certificate programs that would appeal to this type of audience. Boomers seeking an encore career are a great example of an audience waiting to be served. When I “retired,” I had no need for another degree, but I did want something to document that I was a certified professional coach. In my case, I obtained that credential through the College of Executive Coaching (a business, accredited by the International Coaching Federation), and it fully met my needs.

To be sure, there are colleges and universities that offer coach training programs, but that just makes my point: In the disruptive environment there may be a variety of competitors, offering programs that appeal to diverse audiences, affecting programing strategies and financial models. Speaking to branch campus leaders, if certificates and badges are carved out of existing programs, development costs could be minimal, while attracting an audience your campus otherwise will miss. Given the increasingly difficult challenge of balancing the budget from traditional enrollment, many campuses could benefit from this opportunity.

Bluntly, if you are in a leadership position at a branch campus, you should be keeping a close eye on emerging options, such as badges and certificate programs that document knowledge and skills. My guess is that branches may find that the political challenge of creating certificates will be less than trying to convince the main campus to support entire degree programs, as well.

It is time to get creative and to think about your student audiences in a nuanced way. Putting the pieces together effectively will determine whether or not your campus competes effectively, and that will be more important than hoping that your brand will save the day.

A Personal Message about Coaching, Encore Careers, and Branch Campuses

Although I remain committed to the development of branch campuses, for the past two years I also worked steadily to design an “encore career” for myself. In that time, I’ve worked as a consultant, become a certified professional coach, accepted several opportunities to facilitate planning meetings, and established a second blog, “Creating the Future,” at www.drcharlesbird.com/creatingthefuture. I’ve expanded my consulting role to include distance learning strategies, under the broader umbrella of programs for adult learners.

Now, I am pleased to share that I created a company, Encore Dreams, LLC. You can see more information on the company and its services at www.encoredreams.com. That site is a single page, but it also links to my personal web site, www.drcharlesbird.com, and to “Creating the Future.”

Through Encore Dreams, I offer transition coaching to individuals, as well as a Life Transitions Workshop. Both provide support to people as they study and reflect on the talents and experiences that contribute to their sense of well being, and then use that information to discover their personal dreams for the “second stage of life.”

My work as a coach is compatible with my interest in supporting branch campus leaders. Transition coaching, specifically, is of value for individuals as they begin a new position. It has value for experienced administrators who would like to move up, either at their present institution or elsewhere, and it certainly can be of value for administrators who are approaching retirement and considering options for the future.

Creating Encore Dreams, LLC, doesn’t end my work as a consultant and executive coach, but I do hope it helps me make a point about everyone’s potential to design life solutions that are strengths-focused and action-oriented. I will continue to work with branch campuses, but also to provide support to a broader audience, as well.

I want to emphasize that the relationship between a coach and client is important, so this is not meant to be a commercial just for my work. I benefited from coaching, as I approached my own transition, and there are many qualified coaches out there. A lot of coaching is done over the telephone, so distance from someone with whom you’d like to work should not be a barrier.

Finally, I want to mention that the concept behind Encore Dreams is relevant to the fact that many colleges and universities recognize the importance of attracting much higher enrollment from adult learners. I’m perplexed by the difficulty institutions have in understanding this audience and developing effective strategies for recruitment and retention. When I look at web sites, only a handful of institutions have created targeted programs that actually are distinctive and focused on what adults want and need.

I already consult on the development of branch campuses and programs for adult learners, but consistent with the Encore Dreams idea, I hope to connect with leaders who understand that a program targeting people in transition—whether to an encore career or not—can set their institution apart and provide a competitive advantage.

(If you are interested in seeing examples of college programs that directly serve people seeking encore careers, check out www.encore.org/colleges. It is a site maintained by Civic Ventures, providing a wealth of good information.)

If Encore Dreams, LLC can be of service to you or to your organization, please get in touch, either through info@encoredreams.com, or directly, by writing to me at Charlie@drcharlesbird.com or at bird@ohio.edu.

Coaching for New Branch Campus Administrators

I’ve taken a couple of months off from posting on this blog, as part of the transition to my “encore” career. One of the things I did over the summer was to attend a week long coach training program. I’m interested in executive coaching, in several respects, including working with individuals in transition to new jobs or to their own new career.

All this led me to think about the challenges that many people face, when they accept a position as the chief administrator (CAO) of a branch campus. Some people, like me, have a regional or branch campus background, so they come into the CAO role with an understanding of the issues, politics, and so on. However, I’ve met many people whose first branch campus role is as a CAO. For example, he or she may have been a department chair or dean in a more traditional environment, although I’ve also known individuals who became CAO of a university branch, after years of service at a community college.

All of these transitions bring challenges, and nearly everyone I’ve met has spent some time bewildered by the implications of serving on a branch campus. If there are multiple branch campuses at the institution, then the new CAO may have one or more peer mentors available. Most will have a “first officer,” or key administrator who can be something of a confidant. However, many new CAOs are likely to feel that they have arrived in a foreign land and that they have no one with whom they can be both completely candid and also receive support, as they think through a wide range of issues and concerns.

I’m suggesting that being a branch campus CAO can be a lonely and isolating experience, in some ways. The rewards may far exceed any challenges, of course, but one of my favorite things is to meet first-time attendees at a NABCA or RBCA conference, and to see how relieved and happy they are. It is not at all uncommon for these people to become truly excited that they have found people who face the same challenges or frustrations that they face. The networking and “therapeutic” value of these conferences are important!

In this context, I think that many CAOs, including some who have plenty of experience, could benefit from having a coach. If you simply Google “executive coaching,” you can find lots of information on what coaching is. Fundamentally, however, a coach is someone who works as a “thought partner.” More than anything, coaches provide support and ask questions in ways that help an individual (or, in some cases, a group) think through their goals, options, and obstacles, then settle on actions that will lead toward the goals. (A nice introduction to coaching is provided by Jeff Auerbach, in Personal and Executive Coaching (2001), and I have adapted my description from him.)

Ideally, a branch CAO would begin working with a coach prior to assuming the new job, as part of developing a strategy for the first weeks and months. A lot of coaching is done over the telephone, and so one might schedule conversations every two weeks or so, until the CAO is feeling comfortable in the new role. After that, calls might come as needed, whenever the CAO wants to think through an issue or an idea, believing that a conversation with the coach could be helpful.

Finally, as I’ve been pursuing coach certification, several people have expressed an interest in coaching, as part of their own work. This makes sense, given that I talk to a lot of Baby Boomers in transition, and coaching could be an excellent avenue for staying engaged and contributing to the development of other people. If you find coach training of interest, you can find information on a variety of programs online. Some are affiliated with a university, many have a specific conceptual perspective, and some are face-to-face, whereas others are online or use a mix of delivery methods. I enjoyed the 50-hour program I attended, for a number of personal/professional reasons. It was offered by the College of Executive Coaching (Jeff Auerbach is the president), but I strongly recommend that anyone interested in coach training explore the options for him or herself.

I’m not sure where my interest in coaching will take me. I see it as an aspect of positive psychology, so it fits with my interest in Appreciative Inquiry and other related areas. I think it would be very satisfying to bring a coaching approach to work with Boomers in transition to the next part of their lives, and I see potential to use coaching as a tool in consulting, perhaps helping with the implementation phase that follows initial recommendations. Regardless, I recommend that new CAOs on branch campuses consider attending NABCA and RBCA conferences, as well as connecting to a “trusted advisor,” who can help with the transition, whether you do so informally, or through a professional coach. This work is challenging enough without thinking that you are all alone out there!

New Directions

I have no idea how many people read this blog. From time to time someone will tell me that they read the posts and enjoy them, and when I go to the NABCA conference, there usually are some comments. So, at the risk of emulating a tree falling in the forest with no one around, I will share an announcement that is at least important to me: I will be leaving my current position in mid-June, and after completing some other “duties as assigned,” I will retire from Ohio University on December 31.

I’m excited about reaching this point. What may not be apparent from the blog is the fact that I have not been working with our regional or branch campuses for the last three years, anyway. I had planned to take an early retirement in 2007, but agreed to stay on to lead development of a more aggressive distance learning program at the university. That work has gone extremely well and been a source of enormous satisfaction to me. I more or less had an opportunity to build my own team, and they are the most energetic, creative people with whom I’ve ever worked. “Amazing,” as the kids might say.

Still, I’ve remained interested in branch campuses, as the unique delivery form I believe they represent. I am deeply grateful for the fact that I landed, as a faculty member, at Ohio State-Mansfield, way back in 1976. I barely knew that branch campuses existed, and like so many others, I thought I’d teach there a few years and move on. But for over 30 years, I served as a faculty member and administrator in roles connected to branch campuses at two universities.

Along the way, especially over the past 15 years or so, I’ve had many opportunities to visit branch campuses all over the United States and in two other countries (Russia and Canada). I’ve met a great many individuals who have committed a large portion of their careers to the mission of expanding opportunity for students who otherwise could never hope to achieve their educational dreams. That has made for a terrific career path.

When I add the experiences of the last few years to the mix, I feel as if I’ve significantly broadened my understanding of how higher education can effectively and successfully serve nontraditional audiences. I don’t know that anyone else has had the range of experiences with branch campuses that I’ve had, but to lead campuses effectively in the future, I believe it will be necessary to have a strong grasp of distance learning opportunities and of the adult learner audience.

What I’ve said many times seems to be coming true even more quickly than I expected: Demographics, technology and the preferences of adult learners have combined to create a disruptive environment in higher education. Branch campuses are in a terrific position to compete effectively in this emerging context, but to do so their home institutions will have to develop a deeper understanding of the access mission and how to take advantage of their circumstances to create even more opportunities.

I’m convinced that the most successful organizations (including the for-profits and any others) will emphasize exceptional student services. If we finally take the step of putting students first, we will be better able to understand how to create programs and business models that can soar. If we stay on defense and hope that something will save us, then…

Like so many Baby Boomers, I have no intention of retiring to a life of leisure. Certainly, I hope to have a bit more balance in my life for family, friends and travel, but I also intend to find some mix of consulting, writing, and speaking that will keep me engaged. Frankly, these times are too interesting to walk away. I don’t want just to read about what is coming; I want to participate in some way.

I’d love to help institutions, branch campuses or otherwise, develop strategies for success in this disruptive environment. I don’t mean this to be a commercial, but I’d enjoy working as a sort of organizational coach on strategy development, or otherwise engaging in conversations that could lead to greater success in what has become a very competitive environment. I’m especially interested in how university branches and small privates can carve out a special niche that will help them thrive in the future, and I’ve enjoyed the consulting opportunities I’ve had in the last several years.

I also plan to continue this blog, and I am working to create a web site that can host a new blog on broader topics of interest to me, as well as other pieces I may want to share. We’ll see what comes along. A lot of things interest me.

I want to thank the many, many individuals who have enriched my life in the past and who, no doubt, will continue to be important to me. I have made so many friends, in so many places, and I’ve learned to distinguish people who are honestly committed to the access mission from those who may have other motives. These branch campuses can and do change the world, and it is an honor to have worked in this part of higher education. I see a fork in the road, ahead. Can't wait to see what comes next!

Encore Careers May Provide Excellent Opportunities for Branch Campuses

I think it is time to change directions. In the disruptive environment that I believe higher education faces, an important question goes to how we can best position our institutions for success. The good news is that there are relatively new ways of thinking about organizations and organizational change that may be entirely consistent with the impact of technology, a higher proportion of adult learners, and concerns about the cost of traditional education.

These new ways of thinking emerge from positive psychology, an approach that focuses on individual and organizational strengths, rather than deficits, with the goal of thriving or flourishing, not simply surviving or enduring. There are a number of topics I can explore here, but I want to start with something that is close to my own heart: The implication of the Baby Boomer Generation, as it moves past 60 and toward what we think of as "traditional" retirement age. Some of what I will share can be explored in greater detail in an excellent book, by Marc Freedman (2007), called Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life.

A key point is that the idea of "retiring to leisure" is a relatively new notion, tied to the creation of Social Security and corporate pensions. Before, say, the 1930's, most people simply worked until they died, and they tended to die at a younger age than most of us, today. Bluntly, many Boomers can't afford to retire, and many of us who can, don't want to. It is important for us to feel productive, although how we want to approach work may change.

I won't go into more detail on the attitudes and needs of Boomers, when it comes to work, but I do want to share some potentially good news: Employers need us to stay engaged. The immediately following generation is too small to adequately fill employment needs, and the generation after that, although large, is not yet experienced enough for some roles.

Boomers looking at so-called encore careers may want to work in roles similar to the ones they've filled in the past, or they may want to change directions. Almost certainly, they will put a premium on flexibility, working part-time, seasonally, as consultants or project specialists, etc. Consider, for example, a professor, who may not want to teach full-time or serve on deadening committees, but would love to teach part-time and, perhaps, do some writing.

Boomers bring experience, wisdom (one hopes), and love to tell their stories. It turns out that the generation just entering the workplace, often called Generation Y or Millenials, enjoy hearing our stories, value flexibility, and share many of the social values of the Boomer generation. (Not really a huge surprise. Millenials are our kids!)

How might an appreication of generations impact an institution of higher education, and most especially, a branch campus that excels at serving adult learners or provides a wide range of certifications, online and blended courses, and highly competitive tuition?

First of all, there are "business" opportunities here. Many Boomers will seek education and training to develop skills or pursue long-delayed interests in learning. Because they value flexibility, they will be attracted to blended or hybrid programs that allow them to travel, be somewhere warm in the winter, or whatever suits their lifestyle. How we package courses and use technology for delivery will be important. (Note that the Millenials are digital natives and this is their natural environment, already.)

Although the personnel office might classify a retired professor, teaching part-time as an adjunct, it isn't quite what we usually think of as an adjunct. Their experience and approach to the classroom may be quite different, and we have found that many of these faculty members also embrace technology in their teaching, for the flexibility it provides. Retirees from other fields may enjoy teaching, as well. So staffing scalable types of courses that reach out to new audiences may be less difficult than a lot of people imagine.

Retired administrators and faculty members may be very interested in working on special projects or returning to work at especially busy times of the year, reducing cost to the institution, while retaining needed expertise. Mentoring programs with younger colleagues may pay huge dividends, as well.

My point here is that there is still a lot of juice in Baby Boomers. Most of us have far too many years yet to live to retire to leisure. Designing jobs or roles and providing appropriate educational preparation may be a wonderfully welcome opportunity.

There is one more point I'd like to make: I have found working with younger staff to be energizing and fun, for me. If we think of generational differences as another example of diversity, there is much for all of us to learn and to celebrate. There is a compatibility that suggests building cross-generational work teams may be a powerful way to engage faculty and staff, yielding a dynamic, enthusiastic, creative force that will powerfully affect an institution's competitiveness in a disruptive, rapidly changing environment.