Leaders need to coach and encourage their colleagues. Being a great coach challenges us to engage in a different kind of conversation; ones that deal with passion, performance, aspiration, values, successes and failures – topics that are often uncomfortable, difficult and emotionally charged. Great coaching means that we must engage in these tricky and difficult conversations.
We must ask each other the questions that need to be asked:
- How do you think you are performing?
- Are you passionate about what you are doing?
- What would you do if you could choose to do anything?
- Are you doing your very best work?,
- What stopping you being outstanding?
Chris
2 comments:
You are right Chris, all managers should be comfortable coaching all of their staff. However coaching is rarely seen as part of the managers toolkit as it has these days been hijacked by professional coaches charging serious money.
Also, most managers are happier managing (maintaining the status quo) than they are coaching - which may trigger transformation and therefore disturb business as usual.
My question is do you hold your school managers to account for the extent to which they coach their staff? How?
Hi Mike, as always you are right about the transformational power of coaching. We have found that within Education Leeds and coaching is part of the leadership toolkit we have developed and all our managers are trained and supported in this aspect of their work. I believe that this is why Education Leeds has been so successful and won so many accolades and awards. Many schools have also taken up our 'Flying Higher' approach to coaching and are using a coaching approach with colleagues and students.You'll remember, of course, that the strategic leadership in schools and the performance management of the headteacher rests with the governing body and the headteachers skills and competencies are laid down in regulations by the DCSF not Education Leeds.
Chris
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