Today we’re talking about the ways that coaches can see themselves as leaders in their school community.

This is a highlight from one of my favorite episodes from a previous season featuring Dr. Chaunté Garrett, former Instructional Coach, and currently Superintendent of a K12 Charter School in North Carolina.

What I love about this clip is that so often instructional coaches struggle to recognize the informal leadership aspects of the role that they might be demonstrating – even without realizing it.

So many of the coaches I work with feel a sense of imposter syndrome when I highlight the leadership work they’re doing – but it IS leadership work.

Side note: this is actually how I ended up writing my first book. I was having so many conversations with coaches who really didn’t feel comfortable seeing their work as leadership work, and that prompted that whole book.

Seeing yourself as a leader is one of the ways that you can make an even bigger impact in your school setting – but you have to recognize it first!

This is why I frequently talk about the importance of understanding the macro view of your coaching program – embracing the big picture view is crucial to building a culture of coaching (alongside the work you’re doing at the micro level within your individual coaching practice).

If you’re curious about the ways that you can embrace the leadership aspects of your role – and why your senior leaders truly value you at that level, this episode is for you.

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!

TAKE THE QUIZ!

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.

Recognizing Your Leadership

On this call, I asked Dr. Garrett: Many coaches I work with feel a sense of imposter syndrome, either that they’re “not good enough” to be a coach, or that they’re not a leader in their school. How do you help people get over that hurdle?

She said…

I have invested the most time in our coaches, because they invest the most time directly with teachers.

It’s extremely important to me that our teachers get authentic coaches, who work towards building capacity, in a non evaluative way, who provide a completely supportive opportunity to be their best self.

Leadership is not inherent, there’s positional leadership but that’s not what you want to lean on. Leadership is connection, leadership is the ability to help people understand the why, give them the support to do the how & the encouragement and affirmation to carry out the what.

Leadership does not just fall on the admin’s shoulders. We have a directors leadership model, it falls on the shoulders of the person who carries the most expertise in that area, and the person with the ability to help everyone understand the why, the how and the what.

Leadership is about uplifting the pieces that you do qualify you to do this work.
Dr. Chaunté Garrett

Learn More About YOUR Leadership as an Instructional Coach

What I love about what she shares here is how important it is not to rely on positional leadership. In fact, most of the leaders you probably enjoy working with focus much more on relational leadership skills – and those are exactly what you learn and develop in your coaching role.

We have several other videos on this topic too:

There are so many ways that coaches provide leadership in their school setting – and that means you can (and likely are) doing that too!

Watch the Video

Level up Your Leadership with Coaches as Leaders!

If you’re starting to recognize yourself as a leader, and you’re ready to embrace the ways that you can (as Dr. Garett says) “uplift the pieces that you do well”, come join us for Coaches as Leaders, where we really dig into the systems and structures that are needed to truly sustain a coaching culture.

Coaches as Leaders opens for registration soon – get all the details at https://edurolearning.com/coaches-as-leaders/

With or without the leadership label, coaching is leadership and when coaches are able to look at the school through a macro lens, seeing their coaching program within the whole school system, and recognize their own potential as leaders, they can make an even bigger impact. This course will help you identify and recognize the ways that coaching is leadership, so you can use those skills to lead within your coaching role – and beyond!

Get all the details at https://edurolearning.com/coaches-as-leaders/