The Director's Development Program (DDP), a 12-month-long program to identify and develop a pool of potential leaders for future Laboratory senior management positions, kicked off its second class this spring with 19 new participants. Made up of current and former deputy group leader and above Laboratory managers, "The program is part of Laboratory Director G. Peter Nanos' 10-year plan to make sure we have leadership depth and breadth in the system. It also creates accelerated leadership experiences for improving leadership performance [at the Lab]," said Rebecca Phillips of Deployed Resources (HR-D-DIR), DDP program manager.
Consisting of developmental assignments/job rotations, one-on-one personal coaching, mentoring, workshops, and talks, the DDP provides participants with the tools and support they need to succeed, Phillips said.
"In looking back at last year's program, we found a lot of value in the coaching and mentoring, as well as the developmental assignments and job rotation aspects of the program," said Phillips. She noted that [the Lab] would be expanding those parts of the program to leverage those strengths and better serve participants.
"One positive effect of the program has been the opportunity to try on new roles and responsibilities. It provides many opportunities [for participants] to network and interface with senior managers," said Phillips.
"Employees in the sponsoring organizations benefit as well from the program with the new challenges and opportunities they experience while filling in for their peers in the program," added Phillips.
"Many of the people we have heard from here at the Lab see the coaching, mentoring, and developmental assignments as the real benefits and strengths of the DDP," said John Perreault of Training and Development (HR-TD) and DDP project leader.
"It's been an excellent program. The networking opportunities with the other participants and the staff has been great and working with the coaches and mentors has enhanced my management skills," said David M. Montoya, of Engineering Stockpile Assurance (ESA-ESA) and class of 2003 participant.
"The developmental assignments also have been great and have provided me additional insight to other aspects of the Lab," added Montoya.
In addition to the training opportunities, program participants, as part of an action learning plan, work together to brainstorm and come up with solutions to issues and problems given to them by Director Nanos.
With a built-in safety net and the support of senior management, the action learning exercises let participants get their feet wet working on issues and problems that senior managers face on a regular basis, said Phillips.
Last year's class put together recommendation papers for each exercise, which were followed-up with a critique and review of the group's findings. This provided participants with a lessons learned of what went well/worked and what could be improved upon for next time, Phillips explained.
"These are valuable hands-on real world opportunities to practice their communication and networking skills and all that they've learned," said Phillips.
For more information about the DDP, application materials, listings of current and former participants, program elements, staffing and coaching contacts and program offerings open to Laboratory employees outside the program, go to http://int.lanl.gov/orgs/hr/success online.
| Coaching for success: It's not just for athletes anymore Think coaching is just for sports teams and Lamaze class? Think again. Whether giving birth to a new project or scoring one for the company's bottom line, a coach is an integral part of any team success. The same holds true for individuals. A personal coach can provide the clarity, structure, support and feedback needed to help a team, individual or organization reach its goals and objectives. One key component of the Director's Development Program (DDP) is the coaching support participants receive during the 12 months that they are in the program. Every DDP participant works with two coaches. The first is from the global consulting firm, Personnel Decisions International, whose task it is to do an initial assessment of each participant in the program. "Essentially they are looking at an individual's strengths and areas of development," said Amy Anderson of Occupational Medicine (HSR-2), DDP coaching coordinator. Once complete, the assessment provides a personalized summary designed to help define the focus, strategy and direction participants will take during the program. Next, the second set of DDP coaches, made up of Laboratory volunteers paired up with participants, help transition the participants through the remaining phases of the DDP. Coming from all over the Lab, the volunteer coaches donate their time helping participants for the duration of the program. This is in addition to their regular job duties and responsibilities at the Lab. "It is very rewarding to work with highly motivated leaders who want to make a difference here," said Anderson. "And it is also very rewarding to work with such a talented group of DDP coaches." Volunteer DDP coach Lorrie Bonds-Lopez, of Risk Reduction and Environmental Stewardship (RRES) Division added, "Anyone who excels in their field has a coach. Coaching provides onsite, in-situ ground where people can practice and learn experientially." Lopez also mentioned how important it is that coaching be integral to the institution so that managers can learn through long-term re-enforcement of their goals. The Lab coaches help participants craft individual leadership development plans, which they use to reach their goals. "We help them by looking at how do I get there? Who might I contact or what direction do I go in?" said Anderson. Think coaching might work for you? Want to volunteer as a coach? And, what does it take to be an effective coach? "A coach is a very good listener who engages the person towards reaching their goal and helps them focus on a few key areas, by giving them feedback and helping them see where they may be creating impediments to their success, " said Anderson. "Many of us set goals; it helps to have some support to reach those goals and be successful," added Anderson. For more information on the DDP and a link to a list of program coaches, go to http://int.lanl.gov/orgs/hr/success online and for additional information on coaching contact Amy Anderson of HSR-2 at aeanderson@lanl.gov by electronic mail. |