Higher Education CoP - Infusing Business Coaching into Project Management

Abstract

In additional to technical skills, effective project management also often involves the management of people. Whether in person or remote, a manager’s ability to listen, be present, and recognize individuals’ capabilities is often the key to developing a well-organized and efficient team versus a disgruntled group of co-workers. Although some managers possess innate leadership abilities, other individuals must hone their soft skills. One such skill is the ability to use coaching techniques in the workplace with employees to recognize strengths and underdeveloped talents. In recent years, business coaching has evolved into a profession, advancing from its use primarily by C suite leaders, to now being integrated at all levels of management within organizations. Hence, one of the greatest benefits from integrating business coaching into a manager’s portfolio is cultivating talent and building effective and efficient teams.

Learning Objectives

Participants will 

• Understand the difference between a coach and a manager
• Understand the basic concept of business coaching
• Review the main principles that apply in all aspects of coaching
• Identify coaching techniques project managers may use with their teams to help identify (often untapped) talent and develop employees

Speaker

Kris W. Herring, MScM, PhD, ACRP-CP/PM

Kris W. Herring, MScM, PhD, ACRP-CP/PM is a clinical research and project management professional specializing in cancer patient reported outcomes and real-world evidence research. Her passion for research has cultivated a career comprised of positions in both academia and the biopharmaceutical industries involving managing research, developing research programs, and instructing, advising, and mentoring students. Dr. Herring came to Duke in 2017, and her roles within the Duke Cancer Institute include working as a program leader in Cancer Control and Prevention, as well as managing and assisting with building the Duke Cancer Patient Experience Research Program (CPEP). Additionally, Dr. Herring holds a position with the Duke Vice Provost of Interdisciplinary Studies Office as a PhD Transitions Coach working with PhD students across all academic disciplines at Duke. Prior to Duke, she was faculty and the Program Director for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Clinical Research Program. She also founded the Master of Science in Clinical Research and Program Development degree at UNCW. Dr. Herring possesses experience working in clinical research compliance and regulatory affairs for companies such as Amgen, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, plc, and AAIPharma, Inc. She has also served as a reviewer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Dr. Herring’s academic background includes over 15 years of experience instructing, advising, and/or mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students, medical students, and medical residents. Dr. Herring earned her PhD in Health Science from Touro University, and her MS in Management of Biotechnology, BS in Zoology, and BS in Biological Sciences degrees from North Carolina State University. She is also a graduate of the Transformation Edge Business Coach Institute and a member of the International Coaching Federation.