CCNet Coach Designations

Three designations are proposed for CCNet Coaches:  Coach, Coach/Trainer, and Coach-in-Training.

The coach designations are not meant to foster competition and they are not in any way designed to create hierarchy. Some coaches may only want to specialize in a certain area or only climb so high in the coaches’ designations. To reinforce the core purposes of this approach, coaches will self-rate themselves in the designations answering questions on their experiences, personal interest, and willingness to invest in supporting CCNet. The full coach designation and self-assessment can be found here.

Each designation is described below:

A CCNET Coach leads, mentors and/or supports conservation project teams including diverse partners and stakeholders to apply the CS process to develop effective conservation strategies and measures of success for a given project area.  Coaches support teams by helping team members develop capacities to improve their practice and by facilitating some or all of these elements of the CS process:

  • incorporate the best available science
  • foster critical thinking
  • identify key conservation targets
  • determine the health of the conservation targets
  • identify critical threats
  • develop strategies with a high potential for abating the primary sources of those threats
  • establish measures to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies in-order to adapt and learn from direct experience
  • select appropriate methods for data collection and analysis
  • Determine the most effective mechanisms for communicating results both internally and externally
  • Analyzing projected time commitments against anticipated work in order to develop the most feasible plans
  • Describe the purpose and the key components of the workplan including actions to be taken, who will be responsible, when tasks will be undertaken, and helps build a basic budget
  • Describe how all of the CS components can be developed into a strategic conservation plan

Coaches act as resource as requested by the project lead.  While coaches typically will lead a team through an CS process to produce a meaningful plan, they may also consult, review and or troubleshoot various parts of the CS process for teams.  Coaches commit to continually honing their skills, innovating, and sharing knowledge regarding CS with CCNet in order to improve the practice of conservation.

CCNET Coaches progress in their levels of experience and willingness to engage in CCNET/CS activities and network.  To facilitate this process and cultivate a team of strong coaches, newer coaches are encouraged to choose a mentor coach and set goals for their development as a coach.

Qualifications

  • Have completed a coach training.
  • Competent to support a conservation team to apply CS process to a new project.
  • Participated as a lead or project team member in multiple full CS processes.
  • Proven applied conservation experience and/or direct field-based experience working with project teams to foster CS implementation.
  • Strong facilitation skills.
  • Has a strong understanding of CS basic practice, CCNet and role of coach.

Duties

  • Supports at least one CCNET/CS project per year.
  • Submits CS projects to Miradi Share or similar database.
  • Maintains currency with method by attending CCNet Rally every other year.
  • Participates in regional Franchise conference calls and meetings, working with the Franchise leader and other coaches to identify regional CCNET/CS support needs and annual plans for addressing needs.
  • Shares other products from workshops and/or lessons learned with Network.
  • Participates in supplemental CCNET/CS Coach trainings to hone skills as appropriate.
  • Serves as mentor to coaches-in-training.
  • Identifies their CCNET/CS work, personal skills training and contribution to the CCNet in their annual objectives.
  • Provides basic data and self-assessment information to CCNet map/database.

A CCNET Coach/Trainer also helps train new conservation coaches, leads, mentors and/or supports conservation project teams to develop effective conservation strategies and measures of success for a given project area using the CS.  Coach/Trainers are expected to have all of the skills of a coach, with additional skills and experience.

Coach/Trainers not only are required to continually hone their own skills, but to share their knowledge and CS skills with other CCNet coaches in order to improve the practice of conservation.

Qualifications

  • Participated as a coach in multiple full CS processes.
  • Have provided coach training to others.
  • Competent to support multi-team CS planning processes and their respective coaches and coaches-in-training.
  • Very strong facilitation skills.
  • Has a strong understanding of CS basic practice, Coaches Network and role of coach.

Duties

  • Supports at least one CCNET/CS project per year.
  • Submits CS projects to MiradiShare or similar database.
  • Maintains currency with method by attending CCNet Rally every other year.
  • Participates in regional Franchise conference calls and meetings, working with the Franchise leader and other coaches to identify regional CCNET/CS support needs and annual plans for addressing needs.
  • Shares other products from workshops and/or lessons learned with Network.
  • Participates in supplemental CCNET/CS Coach trainings to hone skills as appropriate.
  • As appropriate, serves as mentor to newer, “apprentice” coach
  • Identifies their CCNET/CS work, personal skills training and contribution to the CCNet in their annual objectives.
  • Provides basic data and self-assessment information to CCNet map/database.

Under the supervision of a CCNET Coach or Coach/Trainer, a CCNET Coach-in-Training leads and supports conservation project teams to apply the CS process to develop effective conservation strategies and measures of success for a given project area.  Coaches-in-Training commit to continually honing their CS skills in order to improve the practice of conservation.

CCNET Coaches-in-Training progress in their levels of experience and willingness to engage in CCNET/CS activities and network.  To facilitate this process and cultivate a team of strong coaches, newer coaches are encouraged to choose a mentor coach and set goals for their development as a coach.

Qualifications

  • Participated as a project team member in a full CS process.
  • Has an understanding of CS basic practice.
  • Proven applied conservation experience and/or direct field-based experience.
  • Facilitation skills.

Duties

  • Supports at least one CCNET/CS project per year.
  • Provides basic data and self-assessment information to CCNet map/database.