Free Meyler Campbell leadership coaching for CRUK researchers
In partnership with executive coach training firm, Meyler Campbell, we're offering a unique opportunity for our researchers to take part in leadership coaching.
This programme provides excellent support designed to help our researchers develop their full leadership potential by boosting the skills needed to progress further in their careers. One to one business coaching can cost up to thousands of pounds, but this opportunity is being offered free of charge directly to Cancer Research UK-funded scientists by some of the individual coaches who have graduated from Meyler Campbell's Mastered programme.
Contact us
If you are interested in this opportunity, please get in touch.
I learnt how to better understand how to help my team succeed and think about what each team member needs.
– Leo Carlin, Cancer Research UK Junior Group Leader at the Scotland Institute
What does coaching offer
Coaching and mentoring both aim to support you to develop and reach your full potential. Mentoring tends to draw on specific and relevant experience to help someone, whereas a coach helps individuals to identify and work on their own goals.
Coaches will explore topics related to potential growth, provide support and challenge thinking, encourage action and promote reflection and self-learning.
Coaching essentially provides a confidential and safe place for someone to discover how to develop further, explore issues within their work or even personal life, and manage challenges such as balancing increased responsibility or a new project.
What to expect
Eligible researchers will be paired directly with an available executive coach graduate. These coaches don't usually have a scientific background, but hold senior career experience in their respective industries and have been trained through the Mastered programme to coach people regardless of discipline or sector.
If paired with a coach, participants will have an initial meeting of about 1 hour (often called a ‘chemistry’ meeting) to ensure both parties feel they can work comfortably together. The coaching itself will take place across four to six sessions of about 1-1.5 hours over several months. These scheduling details should be agreed in the introductory meeting, but the programme is flexible to allow both parties to work to a schedule that's best for them.
One key takeaway for me is the value of coaching outside of a business setting. Researchers and scientists are key to making progress for us as a society, for us as human beings, and coaching is an important tool in helping them embrace their journey.
– Barbara Kearney, Meyler Campbell coach
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to the following types of Cancer Research UK-funded researchers:
- Fellows
- Junior Group Leaders at Cancer Research UK core funded Institutes
- Researchers with leadership responsibilities such as those who are funded on larger Cancer Research UK grants e.g. Co-PI on a Programme Award
- Established and senior researchers e.g. Cancer Research UK Programme Award holders
- Senior postdocs who are aspiring to establish their own independence as a research group leader
- Junior postdocs can express an interest in sessions with coaches in training if they're happy to provide feedback and have some sessions observed by a supervisor
How to apply
We endeavour to match most eligible researchers with a coach. If you are interested in this opportunity, please send the following information to fellowships@cancer.org.uk:
- a short bio or CV, providing some background and contact details
- a short description (a sentence or two) on how you think you might benefit from coaching
Coaching helped me become more confident in leading my research group.
– Magda Meissner, Cancer Research UK Clinical Trial Fellow, Cardiff University
Impact of coaching at Cancer Research UK
Meyler Campbell hosted a webinar with some of our coaching programme participants, including researchers Francesca Ciccarelli, Cancer Research UK Programme Foundation Award holder, and Magda Meissner, Cancer Research UK Clinical Trial Fellow, as well as their coaches.
Science meets business with leadership coaching
One of the first of our researchers to participate in the Meyler Campbell leadership coaching, Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellow, Amit Roshan, shared his experience with us.
More career development opportunities for researchers
We offer a range of fellowships, bursaries and other support to help outstanding scientists and clinicians develop their independent research careers.