Executive coaching
Your vision is clear, but a challenge is stopping you from achieving it.
Examples:
You want better results in a particular subject area, but the teachers aren't performing as they should.
You want to improve your standing with your parents, but the previous management left a poor reputation.
You want to expand, but you have limited resources.
You want to make a change to the curriculum, but the parents or owners are wary.
You had a vision of how to improve your school, but you've lost the motivation to push through changes under difficult circumstances.
Coaching can help.
Coaching gives you the space to examine the issues in a safe environment. It allows you to:
Examine the vision - is it actually the right one?
Examine the challenge - what ways are there in overcoming, minimising or circumventing it?
Improve the motivation of those people being coached.
Team coaching can help departments or senior leadership teams to overcome challenges together with a clear, shared vision.
A challenge is stopping you from developing a clear vision
Examples:
Infighting in your senior leadership team means that you can't see how to improve systems in the school.
Financial constraints mean that there is so much pressure on timetabling that any changes are impossible.
Tension between school owners and the staff means that you cannot agree on a strategy for improvement.
Fierce competition with a local school means that there is danger of losing students if you make any changes.
Coaching can help.
Coaching gives you the space to consider the challenges and how to proceed.
Team coaching can be used to bring people together to find a solution that is acceptable to all parties.
You don't have a clear vision for moving forwards.
Examples:
You're on top of your game; your school is doing well; parents are happy. Where can you go next?
You're new to the job; you haven't had time to analyse the present position, so you can't decide where to take the school.
A new local school has started to take students from your school. It's unclear how best to proceed.
One of your department heads is underperforming, but you're not sure what you should do to improve the situation.
Coaching can help.
Coaching gives you the space to examine your values and imagine a future that's worth working towards.
You will be able to plan long-term strategy for improvements that are sustainable and measurable.
Team coaching can help staff work together to find a shared vision that all buy into.
You have a decision to make that requires careful consideration.
Examples:
You have a department head who is underperforming. Do you work with them to improve their performace, or work to replace them?
You have an opportunity to expand the school. Would expanding improve the school or dilute the great work that's currently happening?
An opportunity for curriculum change presents itself. Will it result in better outcomes, or scare parents away?
A change to the structure of line management in the school is suggested. Would the changes create better working conditions or just cause upset?
Coaching can help.
Coaching gives you the space to consider:
Your values, and the vision that you wish to end with.
Your requirements, and the likely outcomes of each decision.
The steps you will need to take to implement each decision.
Team coaching can help by bringing more people into the decision making process, ensuring full cooperation and making sure that everyone's voice is heard.
You have to comply with an external requirement, but there are challenges in achieving it.
Examples:
The local governement expects you to implement a new area of the curriculum, but you don't have the timetable space to include it.
A new requirement for minimum training for teachers comes into place; your staff are not all trained to this standard.
The closure of a local feeder school means that you are required to look elswhere for your youngest students.
Coaching can help.
Coaching gives you the space to think about:
The true impact of the requirements on your school.
The options you have for implementing the requirement, or circumventing it.
The steps you need to take to adhere to the requirement.
Team coaching can help by bringing all relevant staff on board, reducing resentment and drawing on ideas, skills and commitment throughout your organisation.
Coaching is a process by which a coach helps a client to draw out action steps in order to overcome issues or problems, to develop vision or make decisions.
Coaching is non-judgemental and involves the coach asking a series of powerful questions to draw on the resources that the client has within them.
Unlike counselling, coaching is solely concerned with finding solutions and does not dwell on the past or analyse why particular situations have occurred or behaviours have been displayed.
A typical coaching session follows the following path:
- The coach and client agree the intended outcomes of the session
- The coach uses a series of powerful questions to help the client draw out their own solutions, answers or action steps
- The coach and client agree next steps to help the client achieve their goals
Coaching is suitable for everyone and can be done face to face, online or over the phone.
To find out more, please use the contact form for a free 30 minute coaching session.
