MCHnow: Advancing MCH Leadership Skills

MCH Leadership Competency 9: TEACHING, COACHING, AND MENTORING

Introduction

Cultivating Future Leaders: The Art of Teaching, Coaching, and Mentoring...

Imagine you have a passionate and promising new team member. You see their potential, but you also notice they're hesitant to take the lead on new projects. How do you move beyond simply assigning tasks to truly fostering their growth? Do you need to teach them a new skill, coach them through their self-doubt, or mentor them on their long-term career path? Knowing which approach to use, and when, is at the heart of effective MCH leadership.

Think of teaching, coaching, and mentoring as different lenses through which to view professional development. Teaching is about imparting knowledge and skills. Coaching is about unlocking an individual's own potential to solve problems and improve performance. Mentoring is about sharing wisdom and experience to guide a person's career journey. A great MCH leader knows how to seamlessly switch between these roles to meet the unique needs of their team members and build a stronger, more capable workforce.

Through MCHnow's Ready-Set-Go approach, you'll develop the skills to effectively teach,
coach, and mentor others. Our curated resources will provide you with practical frameworks and techniques to help you cultivate talent, foster a culture of learning, and empower the next generation of MCH leaders. Whether you're guiding a new professional or developing your entire team, these tools will help you make a lasting impact on the future of maternal and child health.

READY: Understanding Teaching, Coaching, and Mentoring in MCH

Watch this short video to gain an introduction to the competency.

Read more. The Teaching, Coaching, and Mentoring competency focuses on three primary strategies used to develop others in the MCH field. The relationships between teachers and students, coaches and participants, and mentors and mentees are collaborative relationships that contribute to building and strengthening the public health workforce.

• Teaching involves designing a learning environment, which can include developing objectives and curricula; providing resources and training opportunities; modeling effective learning processes; and evaluating learning outcomes.
• Coaching refers to methods of training and supporting individuals or groups to maximize their potential by developing skills, exploring perspectives, setting goals, taking appropriate actions, and reflecting on outcomes.
• Mentoring is a collaborative learning relationship in which a mentor and mentee work together toward achieving mutually defined goals that will develop participants' skills, abilities, knowledge, and professional understanding.
  

For MCH leaders, proficiency in these areas is crucial for:

• Fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional development.
• Building the capacity of individuals and teams to meet evolving challenges.
• Supporting career growth and planning for the future of MCH leadership.
• Enhancing team performance and engagement through targeted support.

As MCH leaders, developing our ability to teach, coach, and mentor allows us to:

• Adapt teaching methods to meet different learning needs and styles.
• Use coaching to empower others to navigate change and conflict.
• Provide meaningful mentorship that supports long-term career goals.
• Cultivate a pipeline of future MCH leaders through intentional development opportunities.

Core knowledge areas include:

• A variety of teaching strategies and tools for different learners.
• Coaching as a professional relationship for leading change and navigating conflict.
• Mentoring as a career-oriented relationship to promote professional growth.
• The role of teaching, coaching, and mentoring in leadership development and succession planning.

SET: Expand your Knowledge with Trainings and Resources

Deepen your understanding of Teaching, Coaching, and Mentoring with these trainings and resources:

• Rethinking the Way We Teach Future MCH Leaders [45 min]: Explore practical ways to build essential management and professional skills in MPH students. This session focuses on transforming the traditional classroom into an environment where students can practice teamwork, critical thinking, and work planning to better prepare them for the MCH workforce.
• From Generation to Generation: Building MCH Academic Leadership [77 minutes]: Join a panel of three successful MCH academics at various career stages as they discuss their professional journeys. This session offers valuable lessons learned on balancing research and practice, navigating an academic career, and building the next generation of MCH leaders.
• MCH Academic Journeys: Perspectives on Teaching and Mentoring [Interview Collection]: Hear directly from seasoned MCH academic leaders as they share their personal philosophies and real-world experiences with teaching and mentoring students and junior faculty.

GO: Apply Your Knowledge with Practical Tools

Use these tools to integrate teaching, coaching, and mentoring into your MCH leadership practice:

• Mentoring Agreement Template: A template from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to help mentors and mentees establish clear expectations, goals, and boundaries for their relationship.
• GROW Model Coaching Worksheet: A structured worksheet from Yale University that guides you through the GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) model for effective coaching conversations.
• Individual Development Plan (IDP) Template: A tool from Baylor University to help individuals set professional development goals and identify the learning opportunities and support needed to achieve them.