When to Choose Coaching as Your Leadership Development Solution with Melody Lam

In this episode of Learning for Good, I sit down with nonprofit leader Melody Lam to explore how she built a coaching culture by training first-time managers to coach.

Coaching sounds like the obvious solution when new managers struggle to have hard conversations with their teams, but it often gets treated as a perk reserved for executives, and the cost of outside coaches can make the whole idea feel out of reach. 

Melody's experience shows that coaching does not have to start big or expensive, it can start with a simple model, a willing pilot group, and two minutes of practice at a time.

▶️ When to Choose Coaching as Your Leadership Development Solution with Melody Lam

▶️ Key Points:

00:00:00 Why Nonprofits Need Coaches, Not Just Training

00:03:50 Melody's Path into Nonprofit Leadership Development

00:07:39 The Benefits of Coaching Across Organizations

00:11:45 Building Emotional Buy-In for Coaching

00:14:39 Making Coaching Accessible with a Limited Budget

00:19:13 Piloting and Scaling Coaching Across the Organization

00:21:01 Coaching Results: From Technical Skills to Coaching Culture

00:23:42 Where to Start with Coaching (Even with Limited Time or Budget)

Resources from this episode:

E175: How One Nonprofit Used Habit Stacking to Improve Feedback Skills with Amy Glover

The Extraordinary Coach: How the Best Leaders Help Others Grow by John Zenger and Kathleen Stinnett

Join us for our next Nonprofit L&D Collective networking event on August 19: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/join-the-nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective 

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Connect with Melody

LinkedIn: Melody L.

Connect with Heather

LinkedIn: Heather Burright

Website: skillmastersmarket.com

Book an interest call with Heather here.

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Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms