Kentucky Leadership Program Coaches Entrepreneurs

by Ronald J. Hustedde Director, Kentucky Entrepreneurial Coaches Institute; Professor of Community and Leadership Development, University of Kentucky

In Kentucky, building a strong entrepreneurial culture and economy is more important today than ever as the state makes the painful transition away from a traditionally tobacco-dependent economy. To address this challenge, the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board have invested more than $1 million in tobacco settlement monies to create the Kentucky Entrepreneurial Coaches Institute.

This innovative program is creating a regional network of community leaders who are entrepreneurial advocates and coaches in 19 tobacco-dependent rural counties in the northeastern part of the state. The goals are to facilitate the emergence of a strong entrepreneurial culture and to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial infrastructure.

The idea for the Institute germinated during my 20 years working in rural areas. I observed that many self-taught “natural” entrepreneurial leaders and coaches felt isolated from each other and expressed frustration about being illequipped for their roles. In other cases, I saw that rural communities were entrepreneurial-tolerant but not necessarily entrepreneurial-friendly.My colleagues and I believe that if we invest in rural lay leaders – providing them with new skills and knowledge and expanding their network base – they can significantly influence cultural, political and economic changes in the region. This article explains exactly how the coaching program works.

The KECI Fellows

Fellows of the Kentucky Entrepreneurial Coaches Institute learn how to help entrepreneurs through a form of structured facilitation known as “supercoaching.”

The process to apply for participation in the program is highly competitive. Those chosen receive a fellowship valued at $18,000, which covers the costs of nine seminars, minigrant projects, meals and lodging.

The first class of KECI Fellows participated in the program from September 2004 through November 2005. The second class began its training in September 2005 and will finish the program in November 2006. Both classes were designed to be occupationally diverse; participants have backgrounds in agriculture, small business, education, economic development, homemaking, professional services and other fields.

The initiative also is designed for sustainability. After graduation, each participant donates a minimum number of hours to entrepreneurial advocacy, coaching and leadership for the following two years, and participates in four postgraduation seminars.

The curriculum

Over the 15-month period, the Fellows are exposed to some of the best and brightest thinkers and activists in rural entrepreneurship, leadership studies and community development. The seminars are intended to teach leadership and coaching skills, to broaden creativity, and to actively engage participants in the community.

Although each of the seminars is unique, they tend to include the following four elements: 1) visits with innovative entrepreneurs from the region; 2) the arts – dance, storytelling, poetry and music are used to stimulate fresh perspectives; 3) required “homework” between sessions, to foster more engaged and effective leaders; and 4) a teaching methodology that minimizes the lecture format and actively engages the participants in dialogue.

The first seminar introduces the “big picture” of entrepreneurship, leadership and community development from leading thinkers in the field. Participants expand their creativity by using the tools of appreciative inquiry and asset mapping. After the first seminar, the participants interview citizens, leaders and entrepreneurs in their home counties to become more engaged leaders and expert listeners.

The second and third seminars provide practical skills about entrepreneurial coaching. Six aspiring entrepreneurs from the region are coached during these sessions. The Fellows learn a methodology known as “Supercoaching,” a form of structured facilitation in which the coach asks pointed questions about the core competencies of the management team and the uniqueness of the product or service, as well as issues of competition, marketing and finance.

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