This #coachbetter episode is part of our special series featuring real-life coaching conversations with a member of our community. This conversation is with Kathy Patton, Assistant (ES) Principal at International School of Panama. HUGE thank you to Kathy for being willing to record this session to share with all of you!

This episode is such a great example of the many demands of leadership – and just a single coaching conversation can help you feel hopeful and a sense of direction in moving forward.

In this conversation they talk about how challenging it is for leaders to…

• Manage the constant shifting from one responsibility to another 
• Rapidly shift their mindset and attitude from one setting to the next
• Be present in the moment when ongoing issues are lingering
• Process all the different conversations they have in the day, so they can be better prepared the next time around
• Develop sustainable strategies to reflect, process and plan for a very busy week

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Show Notes

Over 20 years in Education, started as a kindergarten teacher, led into literacy coaching, literacy specialist, eventually moved overseas, went back to kindergarten. Recently moved to ISP, as an Assistant Principal. 2nd year as an AP. Have had a lot of great mentors at my school. Everyone is very busy and there’s not always people to process with.

Today was an exceptionally busy day, dramatic picture of what a life of an AP can be. 6am PL book club, as a highlight of the day. Turned into a roller coaster all day long. Using data more strategically all year, had a great data meeting. In the midst of that, there was a severe behavior issue, I had to manage even beyond the scope of a single work day. All day, things were up and down, all the emotions were happening.

Biggest challenge: 

constant shifting – from one meeting to the next, always have to change your hat, don’t always have time to make the shift between events.

How do I go from this really hard thing to working with a whole group of people with a different minds

What’s been working well, so far:

Google calendar: I have to have everything scheduled out – color coded so I know which team / grade level I’m working with, so I know mindset which team I’m working with

Build a little bit of time between meetings – put a 5 min buffer between meetings, to breathe, get a glass of water

What’s the biggest pain point

Difficult to transition from a really hard meeting to be upbeat and enthusiastic about. It’s hard to fake it when you know something is lingering.

What’s happening now

Moving to a different space, but then when I get there, there’s usually something I have to set up

Doing something different really helps – having a distraction, moving forward with something that’s specific to the next thing. Having to do something physical for a moment.

When the new people walk in, that helps, this needs to be the focus right now

Find a way to be present with the people who are there

What helps you feel present in the moment

Greeting people & making them feel welcome

Starting out with a warm welcome

Where is the tension?

I do walk through my day

Is the tension that when you have 1-2 mins to transition, you need a habit to help you make the mind shift?

Look through a week in advance, and then each day

The clarity will this will help a ton

This will help me feel calmer, and allow me to operate more thoughtful as a leader

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What’s YOUR level of coaching mastery?

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Show Notes continued…

What’s your next thought?

The different people that we work with – jumping from person to person, and being present

I want to show compassion and care as a leader, and clarity. Ensuring that when I am present, that I also communicate clearly in each of these different meetings. Really ensuring that I have clear communication, even despite of the craziness and the shifts in the day.

Managing all the information that comes into with all the different people – so I don’t miss something that I promised to do

What’s working now?

I carry a notebook with me all the time, notes from meetings, plus to-do lists

Do you need a self-debrief for the day at the end of the day?

Its so hard for me to be productive at the end of the day

There’s just so much that happens

Sort into good / bad / follow up – how did I handle those hard things?

There’s so much to process

Sense of closure

How do you feel?

I’m feeling slightly hopeful. We talked about some interesting strategies for me to try, to add some calm to my day, adding some time for reflection. These are important things. The things that are important you need to make time for. PUtting these things in place will help provide clarity in regards to where I need to be, what kind of place I need to be, and also give me a clear picture of what’s going to happen throughout the day. The reflection piece at the end of the day is going to be really powerful in terms of being able to take time to think about ALL the pieces that happened during the day, instead of just the not-so-good pieces.

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Ready to Learn More about how Instructional Coaching can support leadership?

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For New or Aspiring Coaches

If you’re just getting started as a coach, and you want to be successful in your early years, watch our New to Coaching Workshop, which highlights the key mindset and skill set shifts you’ll need when moving from the classroom to a coaching role. The workshop will also tell you all about our online course, Getting Started as a Coach. This course is specifically designed for classroom teachers who are moving into a coaching role so you’re prepared for the transition. It’s focused on exactly the skillset & mindset shifts you need to so you can be successful in your first years as an instructional coach. 

For Experienced Coaches

If you’re already a coach & you want to think about being more intentional & strategic in your practice, watch our workshop on the Thrive Model for Coaching Success which will help you evaluate your program and your practice to see where you may have room to grow. You’ll walk away with a clear picture of exactly what you need to focus on to build a thriving coaching culture – and help you decide if our year-long mentorship and certification program, The Coach, is right for you, right now. This program is designed for current coaches who are focused on building a coaching culture through intentional and strategic coaching work at all levels – with teachers and school leaders.

For Coaches Ready to Lead

For experienced coaches ready to look at the bigger picture of the school to see what might be supporting or hindering the sustainability of the coaching program, and you want to make sure your school has all of the systems and structures in place, watch our workshop: Scaling Your Impact as an Instructional Coach. You’ll get a bird’s eye view of what’s needed to make coaching sustainable for you as an individual coach and for your school. When you’re ready to put that learning into action, join us in our online course for coaches ready to lead: Coaches as Leaders and put it all into practice – with support from Kim and our global cohort! This course is designed for experienced coaches, ready to lead.

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