Robert Cumming M.Ed. ACC, ELI-MP
My name is Robert Cumming, and I am the founder of OMC as well as an Internationally Certified Coach, with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and a member of The Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). I have a Master’s Degree in Education where I explored elements that create heathy classroom cultures, which involved stress management, conflict education, and healthy relationships and I have taught hundreds of teachers how to create positive environments in their classrooms and schools.
I also have a background as an internationally certified sports coach, in the Olympic Sport of Taekwondo, where I trained athletes who competed at the provincial, national, and world level. Much of what I taught as a sports coach involved mindset, courage, resiliency, and grit. I found that many of the same elements I taught in the sports arena were a welcomed addition to any of the classrooms I was privileged enough to teach in.
As an entrepreneur, I trained my employees in leadership and the importance of the human connection. I strived to foster healthy relationships between the clients we served and my employees who served them. A caring and purpose driven culture was the heart of what we did and who we were. What I later realized was that as I trained my employees, provided consistent feedback and cheered them on, so that they would impact the lives of our clients, I was impacting the lives of my employees and they were impacting me. Now, as a leadership coach and culture consultant, I bring the same elements into my role when I work with individuals and teams as I continue to strive to create an impact.
On a personal note, I do my best to not simply know the words that I share with others but to live their meaning. When I speak about grit and resiliency, I know that I am sharing these words so that I too may hear them and put them into action. When I talk about healthy cultures or relationships, I know that I too must do my best to apply these principles in my own life and with those I engage professionally.
One of my favourite quotes is by Confucius, "To know and not to do is not to know." And yes, that is me enjoying a nice ice dip! I find it neat how the act of jumping in ice water inspires conversations with people as they walk by possibly thinking that myself and those with me are out of our minds (and you may be thinking the same thing as well); however, like anything in life, the biggest challenges are at the beginning and it all starts with making the choice to do what is initially uncomfortable.
