Lil Sisters: Coaching for Lil Sister builders?

Hello Lil Sisters!

I’m after some feedback on an idea…

My question: Would Lil Sister Builders benefit from 1:1 or group coaching?

Background:
I am an accredited Coach (Association for Coaching) and have been coaching my husband (ChrisCoCreated) on web3/ Nounish building projects informally for 6+ months. So I have a decent sense of the Nouns ecosystem but still lots to learn. Our 9yo daughter (LilTurquoisePanda) is a builder and big into it too, so I’m late to the party in my house!

Why Lil Sisters?
I heard about the Lil Sisters funding project and it captured my imagination as I have a particular research interest in coaching and self-efficacy/ confidence in those identifying as women/ non-binary.

I usually coach in business, academic, healthcare, and non-profit contexts as well as with individuals. Topics vary widely but often include: self-confidence, influencing, stakeholder management, planning, pitching/ presenting, and leadership. Could this type of thing be useful to Lil Sisters Builders to help them with their projects?

Why coaching?
The power of 1:1 coaching to enhance goal attainment is well-documented, particularly in women. Group coaching and individual coaching have been shown to significantly enhance self-efficacy amongst female entrepreneurs in male-dominated settings, due to the power of networking, shared challenges and collective wisdom.

So, I’m thinking of putting in a proposal for some funding to coach Lil Sister Builders but wanted some feedback on the idea first and to get a sense of whether people think this could be useful. Clearly the priority is to fund builders but having supported my husband through the ups and downs of planning, idea-generating, funding, networking and building, I know it can be emotionally tough. This is the bit I can help with. If this is of interest please comment with your thoughts.

Thanks!

CoachJo

hey @CoachJo, this sounds pretty cool! and also exciting seeing a full house going web3/nounish building, ha.

fwiw, having a qualified POC for guidance while building is always value add. i’m just thinking out loud here, but how do 1:1 sessions compare against having a ‘workshop for all’ session?

i’m excited to see the first round of grants coming soon by lil sisters. i reckon this will also shed some light onto questions like: (I) where do builders need assistance in, if any? (II) process of idea-generation (III) everything a to z really.

Hi @bkraaus,

Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts, really useful. You raise a crucial point: the difference between coaching and training/ consultancy.

In my context (as opposed to a sports coach), coaching is all about having a thinking buddy to ask you questions to think through your issues and reach conclusions. It’s about setting goals and thinking about ways to achieve them. I’m not a builder but I’m very good at asking questions to help builders plan, strategise, be confident, have ideas, get aligned with their values etc.

Group coaching enables small groups of people to come together, each have some air time about their project and get asked questions by the group to further their thinking. They can ask for ideas too but the basic premise of coaching in this context is that it supports an individual’s own thinking.

As you highlight, training and consultancy is about the transfer of skills and expertise which is another area of need. I’m no expert on building but would love to come along to workshops on this too. And I’m sure there are other topics that would be useful to cover, like proposal writing, networking in web3 etc.

I’d be offering the type of coaching that organisations often offer to their people and allows people to get stuff out their heads in a way that means that they can progress. I use Positive Psychology tools, such as Best Possible Self, and understanding and focusing on your Character Strengths which I think align well with the Nouns community. I also help people overcome the less helpful thoughts that might prevent them from networking/ putting out proposals/ asking for money/ recovering from set backs.

Anyway, thanks so much for your feedback, it has definitely highlighted a need for lots of clarity about what I can and can’t offer and what the community might need in terms of skills transfer. It would be useful if someone did a Learning Needs Analysis. I do this type of thing in my day job. It helps define what skills are needed and by whom. That way the organisation can tailor its offer appropriately.

Hi CoachJo,

Not sure if a coach training by itself could be engaging. I think it could be part of a web3 course intending to onboard women and non-binary. Your module could help people overcome the fear that might prevent them from networking/ putting out proposals/ asking for money, as you mentioned before. @danimim is working on a web3 class proposal for Brazilian women and non-binary, but you two can do one in English; she is a polyglot. Please get in touch with her if, in some way, my comments make sense.

Hi @KOME, thanks for your interest in my post. I was proposing coaching rather than training. Coaching is a specific intervention that involves helping the coachee with their thinking and goal achievement. It works very well 1:1 as it is entirely bespoke. The coachee does most of the talking, the coach asks questions and doesn’t give advice. This very short video explains it better than I can: coaching explained simply - Google Search

I think that as the concept of coaching is not very well known in this context, it is not the right time to offer it/ put in a proposal via Lil Sisters. I will continue to support my Nounish builders at home - my husband and daughter :slight_smile: :grinning: and see what emerges. Wishing you all the very best with your projects.