Jonathan Gibbon, Business Transformation Coach, shares his experience of transitioning from being a self-employed coach to joining the team at Multiverse through our in-house Coaching Academy in the UK.
Why did you transition from being a self-employed coach to a Multiverse coach?
Prior to joining Multiverse, I worked in a variety of roles, from account and project management in the environmental sector, to supporting annual business growth coaching programmes and becoming a team and mental fitness coach.
As a self-employed coach, I did some co-delivery and often discussed ideas and reflected on experiences with other coaches, but I didn’t have a day-to-day team around me. While this can provide freedom and variety, it also means you miss out on the daily support and encouragement of being part of a team, and you don’t necessarily develop skills or adopt tools and technology as widely or as quickly as you do when part of a coaching team or organisation.
What motivated you to join Multiverse?
I was initially attracted to Multiverse for a number of reasons; I wanted to develop my abilities as a coach, join an ambitious and values-driven organisation, and have a much greater impact in the world. The huge potential and aspiration of Multiverse’s mission - to create a diverse group of future leaders and build an outstanding alternative to university and corporate training - stood out immediately.
As someone who went to university because it was the done thing and the natural path to follow, rather than because it led somewhere specific, I see great value in apprenticeships that combine education with an active, and hopefully ongoing, role. In a world where opportunity is often determined by where you’re born and who you know, rather than what you can do, Multiverse can open doors to people who may not otherwise be able to walk through them.
On the corporate training side, the ethos behind the learning design very much aligned with my approach to coaching; that is to create a cycle of learning, application and reflection, and to use coaching to accelerate the learning and help break the barriers that prevent people from being their best. I also enjoyed using different methods to accelerate my clients’ progress; for example, using a combination of teaching, facilitation, coaching and mentoring, and this is the approach at Multiverse too.
What is the Multiverse Coaching Academy and why did you follow this route?
The Multiverse Academy is an 8-week programme that uses four, fortnightly cycles, where you learn general skills one week then apply your learning in a programme-specific immersion week the following week. This cycle is designed to replicate an apprenticeship on a small scale, giving you exposure to what your apprentices will experience on a full programme. It also enables you to meet coaches from across the organisation, whilst simultaneously integrating into your own teams through the immersion weeks.
So, during the interview process, when the discussion around joining the Multiverse Academy came up, I was very clear that I would like to join! I saw the programme as a great opportunity to learn how coaching works at Multiverse, and, if I’m honest, as a way to ease the apprehension of transitioning from working for myself to going back into the world of employment.
What did you learn during the Coaching Academy?
Throughout the Academy, workshops were varied and always useful. They ranged from developing coaching and delivery skills, including learning the technology used in virtual delivery, through to skills such as emotional time management, active listening, building resilience and developing the growth mindset required to be a coach (and, indeed, an apprentice) at Multiverse. Sessions were interactive with many opportunities to ask questions of experienced coaches and apply our learning in role plays, while the assessments tested us under the pressure of delivering to a live audience. The purpose of the assessment and observation was never just to grade us and move on; there was always valuable feedback aimed at helping us learn and deliver an even better experience next time.
Although I have coaching experience, the discussion around different coaching models and techniques was beneficial, and it was really useful to learn how different coaches apply these tools in their sessions. There was also the opportunity to practice both group and 1:1 coaching, as well as new techniques, in a safe and low-risk environment.
Given the multi-faceted requirements of a coach at Multiverse, there is always something new to learn. Whether it’s developing your own skills in your preferred area, or coaches learning how to teach and teachers learning how to coach - the Multiverse Academy was a brilliant training ground on so many levels. It also enabled me to really experience the support structures that are in place as I moved into taking on my own cohort of apprentices at the end of the programme.
Additionally, it has really helped me to embed reflection as part of my routine and my own learning toolkit. At Multiverse, one of our company values is ‘we adopt an owner mentality’, and this is both instilled and inspired through the passion and behaviours of my colleagues, as well as my own mindset.
I believe the Multiverse Academy is a fantastic development programme that has added great value to the skills I had when I first arrived at Multiverse, as well as boosting my confidence in delivering them. It’s a programme you could pay a lot of money for, especially when coupled with the ongoing support network you become part of when you join, and I believe it will provide an excellent platform from which I can continue to develop my coaching craft throughout my career.
Find out more and apply to join the Multiverse Coaching Academy as an Associate Data Coach(opens new window) or Associate Software Engineering Coach(opens new window).
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