One of the best decisions I made when I was a head was to get a coach. I had no idea at the time that it would be so impactful and in fact the thought had not previously crossed my mind that I might even use a coach.
I was actually a little surprised when a coach approached me to say that she had been observing me for a time, and was now fairly convinced that I would really benefit from coaching. She then put a proposal together, and when I received it, I went through all the steps that I recognise now in others.
I asked myself everything from 鈥渉ow could this possibly help me?” to 鈥渋sn鈥檛 this a bit of an indulgence?鈥 to 鈥渟houldn鈥檛 I be spending this money on others in the school?鈥
I eventually settled on 鈥渨ell, I鈥檒l give it a go, and can always stop if needed鈥.
Unexpected depth
This coach was one wise lady, however, and to this day, I don鈥檛 think I have thanked her enough. My doubts were blown out of the water once I embarked on coaching, because I went on a journey of self-discovery and stretch. Coaching brought me an unexpected depth in my thinking and perception of myself, introducing me to parts of myself which had always been there but which now I could articulate, use and enjoy.
I asked myself, isn’t this a bit of an indulgence?
A year鈥檚 worth of coaching cost my school about the same as (or less than) two short conferences and was immeasurably more personally impactful. My experience of coaching led me to train to as a coach myself, and as a supervisor of other coaches, as an integral part of my portfolio of post-headship roles. One of my core passions is to help school leaders appreciate the value of coaching for themselves… starting with understanding what coaching actually is!
What is coaching?
Coaching does of course come in various shapes and guises, from the more instructional and focused form familiar to athletes, to a broader 鈥渃oaching culture鈥 approach of dialling up questions, while dialling down telling.
A year鈥檚 worth of coaching cost my school about the same as two short conferences.
Every coach you come across will have their own particular focus and approach. What really interests me as a coach, for instance, is the individual school leader themselves (and as an extension of this, the team in which they function).
I gain enormous satisfaction from helping these leaders (whose role is so vast, and on whom the pressures are often so weighty) to break through the unknown, unseen barriers that are holding them back in ways they have yet to find out.
Recognising the value of external support to understand what you don鈥檛 know about yourself will underpin your coaching journey because this is a question none of us can answer by ourselves. An insightful and challenging coach will support you in illuminating these 鈥淛ohari windows鈥 of yours, and in bringing structure to your next steps.
What should you expect from coaching?
In very practical terms, 1-1 leadership coaching at an executive or senior level will typically involve an initial confidential, no-obligation, getting to know you, 鈥渃hemistry鈥 conversation. In this you would explore with your coach where you are in your thinking about yourself, your leadership, your school, your career 鈥 whatever, in fact, that is on your mind. This will enable your coach to suggest the next steps and will help you, yourself, to evaluate whether this is a coach with whom you can work effectively.
Coaching help schools by supporting leaders to find the meaning that drives them.
A coaching proposal is likely to include a number of elements: your coach might, for instance, suggest a psychometric test that will explore some of your work behaviours and how you position yourself with staff. They might also ask you for some background information, including any appraisals or 360 assessments you have undertaken, so that they can understand more about you. Or 鈥 depending on the coach 鈥 they might ask for nothing at all and take you as you turn up.
A typical coaching pattern is an hour-long session every four to six weeks, so approximately 10 sessions in the academic year. Your coach should work around you and your schedule; however, each coaching programme will be highly individualised and extremely responsive to the specific needs of the school and the leader, including needs which emerge as the programme unfolds. While the goals for the programme will be established at the outset, they will of course be reviewed regularly, and revised as appropriate.
Is coaching worth it?
At the risk of seeming biased, I will state emphatically, from experience, that coaching is one of the most valuable investments that you can make in your own development, and that your school can make in you. Coaching supports the flourishing of schools by helping leaders to find the meaning within them that drives them and will help them (ie you) shape 鈥 powerfully 鈥 their current and future practice.
Taking time as a leader to understand what you would hope to gain from coaching is the first step to take in your own journey into coaching, so do so mindfully. Don鈥檛 delay… as a school leader, you utterly deserve a coach.
Would I benefit from coaching?
Questions to ask yourself:
- What frustrates me about myself (and my organisation)? What might I like to change?
- What are my ambitions for myself and for my organisation? What would be amazing? Do I yet know how to get there?
- Does what I do in my role 鈥 and how I act 鈥 really serve me as well as it could? What would I really like to do better, both in building further on my strengths and mitigating my weaknesses?
- What do I not know about how to improve as a leader in my context, and beyond?
- Would a coach help me to find answers to these questions and understand myself and my role better?
This article first appeared in the launch edition of Trust Leadership Today magazine, out now.
