As coaches, we are very focused on the skills we need to have a coaching conversation.
They’re essential, of course.
But, we often forget about the importance of understanding the macro view of the whole school.
The challenge in a coaching role is that unless the systems support our work, it doesn’t matter how great we are at the actual coaching.
If no one wants to be coached, we’re not going to be able to do much coaching.
This is why coaches must understand the macro view of how coaching fits (and thrives) within the school system.
To do this, you must be able to shift your view from the micro view (what you do on an individual level) to the macro view (the division, the school, the district) when you step into a coaching role.
This is often a big surprise for coaches – and even some experienced coaches can be reluctant to take on this informal leadership aspect of the role. But when you move into a coaching role, it becomes part of your responsibility to work towards the success of developing the program and the culture – not just the micro view of your coaching practice.
This is exactly why we focus on the micro and the macro view in the Thrive Coaching Certificate.
Coaches frequently get stuck thinking at the “teacher” level, when in reality, they are stepping into an informal leadership role and that requires a different level of thinking. You might have heard of the concept of the balcony and the dance floor. That’s what I’m talking about with the micro view and the macro view. You need to be comfortable and ready to engage in both!
But don’t just take my word for it!
This episode is highlight from one of my favorite episodes from a previous season featuring two of our amazing The Coach Mentors: Diana Beabout and Kristen Moreland. They share how it felt to make this big mindset shift in their own practice – and how we support you in developing this skill in the Thrive Coaching Certificate.
What’s YOUR level of coaching mastery?
All coaches go through various stages of coaching mastery. Once you identify where you’re at, you can begin to build the skills needed to move to the next stage.
This quiz is based on real-life case studies compiled from years of working with coaches inside The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program!
When you receive your results, you’ll also get your matching case study from the STRIVE Case Studies to see where you fit in the stages of coaching mastery.
Ready to tackle your challenges and move on to the next level in YOUR coaching practice?
The STRIVE Model of Coaching Mastery quiz will help you identify your level of coaching mastery by matching you with case studies compiled from years of working with coaches inside The Coach Certificate & Mentorship Program so you can easily see where you fit!
When you complete the quiz, you’ll get:
- Your matching case study,
- Specific strengths & challenges aligned to your result;
- Suggested next steps for each stage;
Plus the Case Study Document includes:
- Case studies leveled by coaching mastery;
- A framework to identify essential stages of professional growth & key areas to focus on in your professional learning;
- Alignment with the THRIVE Model for a Successful Coaching Culture;
- Space for you to reflect & prioritize so you can take action immediately!
You’ll go straight to the Quiz, and get the Case Study Document via email.
Why do YOU need the macro view?
Diana says…
For me a big shift in my coaching practice was developing a macro view. I started out really focused on my work with individual students with individual teachers in their classrooms. And then as my role grew, I got more of that macro view that you talked about because of my conversations with administration working with different teachers in different divisions or different grade level teams.
Then I started to see one level of my work is in the classroom or working on a team. But it is expanding into the bigger picture of the school or the division or the district, depending on which school community you’re working with.
As coaches, we’re constantly checking ourselves in those individual team relationships, but then also checking within the bigger picture of the school.
That’s what I love about the role of coaching too, is that you really get to see all these individual amazing things happening in the classroom and supporting that, but then also seeing that as a big picture as well. and then how is this working within the school community
Kristen says…
That is like a big mental shift when you move into a coaching role because as a classroom teacher, you are so focused on those human beings in your classroom and you are focused on your people. And then the grade level maybe, and then maybe the division.
So as a coach to be taken from that group of students in your classroom, to shift perspective to pre-K all the way up to 12, that’s a big mental shift to think about having to take that lens.
When coaches take the position of being a coach, they are so passionate about coaching, they want coaching to be successful. Don’t forget how important it is to see that big picture.
You’re going do a great job having individual coaching conversations. That is obviously the primary focus, but don’t forget about that other piece because that’s how you’re going to build that coaching culture.
The Thrive Model helps with this because it’s not just for the teacher who is new to coaching to understand what coaching is, but it’s also for the experienced coach who’s being a little bit more clear and intentional in the way they’re communicating about their role for their coaching partners to help them opt into coaching. And then the even more experienced coach who maybe is being more intentional and clear in the way that they’re talking about their role with their school leader.
I hope you can see that even as a brand new coach, you are part of shaping the role of the coach, the development of the coaching program, and the growth of the coaching culture in your role. If you want to learn more about how to make that happen, make sure to watch my introduction to the Thrive Model, and you can also check out the rest of the full length episode with The Coach mentors where we dig into the thrive model too!.
This might feel really awkward and strange for you (like it does for many coaches – even experienced coaches), but it’s something that most administrators really value and appreciate in the work that you do.
In fact, I was recently on a large call with many coaches from many different levels of experience and we were talking about developing the coaching program, and one coach said: “well, that’s really the administrators job” and the administrators on the call jumped right back in and said: “but you are the person who really knows what that looks like, we need your support in making it happen.”
And that’s the crux of it. As much as school leaders are responsible for shaping school culture, they can’t do it all on their own, they need those with the expertise, like Dr. Garett pointed out in an episode earlier this season, to uplift that work, to create connections and find strategies and solutions with them.
That’s what coaches need to be able to do – whether you’re brand new to the role, or you’ve been a coach for years.
And that’s why we focus on unpacking BOTH the micro and the macro view in our courses for coaches – and most in depth in the Thrive Coaching Certificate.
Watch the Video
Ready to create a coaching culture that improves student learning and builds belonging?
Come learn with me!
I help educators, instructional coaches, informal or positional leaders work together to create thriving coaching cultures that improve student learning and build belonging.
Coaching programs based on the Thrive Model, with clarity, consistency and community, can create time and space for educators to feel seen, heard, respected and valued for the experts that they are – creating a sustainable system of educator professional growth that ultimately improves student learning.
For this kind of coaching to thrive we need to focus on both the micro view of your coaching practice and the macro view of your coaching program, so while you’re developing your individual coaching practice you’re also intentionally developing a sustainable coaching culture.
If you’re ready to build this kind of coaching culture in your school community, join us for the Thrive Coaching Certificate program!
Wherever you are in your coaching journey, we can support you!
When you’re ready, there are three key ways we can work together:
- in the Thrive Coaching Certificate,
- in a private mentoring package, or
- through work directly with your school.
Leave a comment below, or reply to any of my emails and let’s start a conversation to see how we can work together to create a thriving coaching culture in your school setting!
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