At West Hills, professional development is the name of the game and for 30 staff, faculty and administrators, it’s been an important part of their year.

West Hills is continuing its Future Leaders Professional Development Series and is now on its second cohort of participants.

WHCCD, along with partner groups Future Leaders and Mindful Choice Coaching, LLC, developed the series as a way to provide participants the opportunity to focus on professional development, including insight into who they are as working professionals and current behavior. Each participant is also provided with professional coaching related to team transformation and cultures in order to be a more productive and efficient leader.

The first cohort, 15 staff, faculty and administrators, started their training in October and finished wit individual training in April.

The second cohort kicked off in January and will finish in July. Training includes both group training with leadership coaches and one on one coaching to work on specific, individual concerns.

Andrea Pulido, West Hills College Coalinga’s Educational Services Coordinator, said the program has been instrumental for her, providing the skills she needed to grow in her position.

“It has provided me with the skills needed for lifelong learning in self-awareness and emotional growth,” she said. “I have a deeper appreciation for the way each individual that I work with processes information and how to better approach them when working on projects and in meetings. I am more self-aware of the way I communicate with others and how I am perceived by my peers. As a result of this Program, I have developed an action plan with measurable outcomes to become a leader that will be able to balance the strengths that I have.”

In the first phase of the program, participants meet with coaches and leaders, including WHCCD Chancellor Emeritus, to analyze their personalities through personality assessments and emotional intelligence assessments. They learn how to better understand their personalities and work better with their coworkers. In the second phase, they meet with a leadership coach who helps them to work on their leadership styles.

Trista Haggard, Evaluation Coordinator for the West Hills Community College District and a member of the 2^nd cohort, said the experience so far has helped her better understand how to work with coworkers and approach projects.

“Participating in interactive activities with my co-workers allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of my thoughts, decisions, and behaviors and how they affect others,” she said. “The activities not only enhanced my self-awareness, but helped me view situations from the perspective of others. It was interesting to openly engage in conversation with co-workers who have different personalities than me. During our interactions, I think we all realized how differently we each take in information, process it, and react to it. Analyzing where I began my career, how my journey has developed, and where I want it to go has required me to take a deeper look into the past decisions I have made and the future actions I can take to create the results I want.”

Cohort 1

Future Leaders Seminar Series Dates                      

Mindful Choice Coaching Dates

October 23 & 24, 2018:  9:00 am – 4:00 pm             

January – April 2019

November 6 & 7, 2018:  9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Participants

Cohort 2

Future Leaders Seminar Series Dates                      

Mindful Choice Coaching Dates

January 29 & 30, 2019:  9:00 am – 4:00 pm              

April – July 2019

February 12 & 13, 2019:  9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Participants