Are you trying to help your school leader understand the value of coaching?
Even when we’re employed in a school, sometimes we still have to work on “coaching up”.
It can be hard to help school leaders, who may not buy-in to the concept of coaching, understand how and why coaching can be so impactful.
Over the years, on the #coachbetter podcast, I’ve asked so many school leaders what helped them understand the value of coaching.
And they almost always say the same thing:
Getting as close to the experience of coaching as possible is the key!
So, if you’re looking for ways to help your school leader opt-in to being coached, this post is for you!
This is a highlight from one of my favorite episodes from a previous season. If you’re a longtime #coachbetter listener, you know I almost always ask school leaders how coaches can help their administrators understand the value of coaching, and the responses are always so insightful. Today’s clip is another great example of that, featuring LaTyia Rolle, currently Elementary School Principal at the International School of Brussels.
If you’ve been coaching for any length of time at all, you know that your school leader’s understanding of coaching can make or break your program – and that understanding and support can change anytime you get a new administrator.
Being able to articulate, in leadership language, what makes coaching so valuable is an essential skill for all instructional coaches. Even if you find yourself working with a supportive and mission-aligned leadership team today, just having one person change on that team can make a huge impact. Or if you decide to move to another school, you may suddenly find yourself working with an administrator where you may not have a longstanding relationship, and you have to articulate the value of coaching. I’ve been in both of those situations myself!
So many of my clients unexpectedly find themselves having to be the champion of instructional coaching with their school leadership team – and it can be a tough place to be. If that’s something you’re currently wrestling with, this episode is for you! And if you want to work through these ideas at an even deeper level, stay tuned until the end to hear about how we can support you in our courses for coaches!
If this is a conversation you’re having right now with your school leaders, make sure to download our free Leadership QuickStart Guide which features many quotes from school leaders here on the podcast (just like this one with LaTyia) that will help you advocate for coaching in leadership language today!
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 Studies by email.
5 Key Reasons for School Leaders to Opt-in to Coaching
All of these points are shared by LaTyia during our conversation, so they’re written from a leader’s point of view:
1: Leadership is Isolating
There’s so much on our shoulders, the best support for a leader is to help provide clarity. What is low priority, what is high priority, am I in the weeds, am I in the clouds, is this vertical teaming, is this horizontal articulation. We need glasses to help us find clarity in our work.
2: Coaching Helps Me Process
Coaching helps me better understand what’s on my plate. Seeing all the things at once on the plate is a little overwhelming. So, coaching lets me “write down” the many things that are on the plate, and look at one thing at a time. This gives me time to own where I’m at and identify how I can take one step closer towards being able to achieve my goals by taking a closer look at them.
3: Coaches Are a Lifejacket
Having a coach is like having a life jacket. They are always there when you need them. And you can walk around with the lifejacket and it’s not weird. Having a lifejacket is a normal thing to have on. We can only be better for our teachers, for our schools, for our boards, our families, when we have that person. Coaches give you the opportunity to look at the jacket, put it on tight, adjust it and make sure it’s secure before running around and doing all the things.
4: Coaches Give Us Energy
We know collective efficacy has the biggest impact on student learning. Think about the person that you see at school that gives you the energy to keep going. We’re always better when we have that person to get us focused, hype us up and pause a moment to help us reflect. We can’t keep doing the same thing, even if it’s working: our students are changing, our families are changing, our world is changing. In international schools, this is happening at such an alarming rate, we have to adjust.
A coach is the outside person to help you funnel through all those pieces, going through all those parts.
5: Coaching Makes Us Better
There’s a feeling of dread that I have to commit this dedicated time to thinking about how I am and how I’m doing. We want to stay in the space of decision making, taking action. After we have that reflection, we are so grateful. We provide this opportunities naturally to our students and give ourselves grace for it. The power of having that time, just an hour a week, gives me time to be better, for me, my team, my school, my family, my community. We all need this space.
Key Takeaway: Coaches as Advocates for Coaching
I love having this conversation because no matter where you are in your coaching journey, you need to be prepared to advocate for coaching. Even brand new coaches can often end up being the only one in their school setting who truly understands the value and purpose of instructional coaching.
That’s why we include coaching advocacy in ALL of our courses for coaches – at the level that’s right for your experience.
Each of our three global cohorts will help you take the next step in your coaching advocacy – either as a brand new coach in Getting Started as an Instructional Coach, or as a current coach in The Coach Certificate and Mentorship Program, or as a coach who’s ready to lead in Coaches as Leaders.
Find all the details about all of our courses for coaches at coachbetter.tv/learn and select the course that’s just right for your current experience level. Global cohorts open once a year.
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Free Workshops for Instructional Coaches
If you’re ready to keep learning, try one of our FREE workshops where you’ll be able to dig deeper into the concepts in this post, and get a peek at all of our courses for coaches.
We have workshops (and courses) to support coaches at every stage of their career: from new and aspiring coaches making the move from classroom to coach; to current coaches ready to be more intentional and strategic in their practice; to established coaches leveraging their coaching experience to lead.
You can them all on our coachbetter website at coachbetter.tv/workshops
If you’re curious right now, you have questions, please reach out. You can leave a comment below, join our #coachbetter Facebook group, or find us on social media at Eduro Learning and send me a DM. I’d love to support you on your coaching journey. See you next time!
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