Posts by Frances Shuster, PCC, M. Ed.
Coach-like Responses in Times of Great Uncertainty
As coaches, we must ground ourselves in order to be of greatest support to our clients and those we lead. Our awareness that emotions often drive responses and decisions calls on us to acknowledge and name our own emotions. Once we have done so, we are more able to move toward a more rational thinking…
Read MoreNotes from Converge 2019
I was privileged to attend the ICF (International Coach Federation) Converge 2019 in late October. Nearly 1,000 coaches representing 70 countries attended this learning and celebration of the global coaching community. Currently, ICF is the world’s largest organization of professionally trained coaches and the leading voice for the global coaching community. The vision of the…
Read MoreLook to CASTLE for Inspiring Leadership
“Inspiring leadership is about building great, deep, and inspiring—and loving—relationships, and the qualities required to do that are universal…”. Lance H.K. Secretan offers us the CASTLE Principle in his book, The Bellwether Effect: Stop Following, Start Inspiring. One of the key ideas in Secretan’s work is the distinction between motivation and inspiration. He describes motivation…
Read MoreTo Be or Not to Be…A Credentialed Coach
In light of the recent college admissions scandal, the importance of knowing the background of your “coach” and the credibility of training, experience, and ethics looms large in our collective awareness. William “Rick” Singer, who actively worked on “coaching” students about their college applications and worked with parents who were stressed about the admissions process…
Read MoreHumility vs. Hubris
Results Coaching Global faculty instructors and coaches had a strong presence at the 2019 Learning Forward conference held in Dallas earlier this month. As we presented, coached and had casual conversations with others during this learner-focused conference, we continued to receive push back on the idea that “advice is toxic”. People embrace coaching—to a certain…
Read MoreHumble Inquiry in a Time of Gratitude, Giving, and New Beginnings
What an exciting confluence of holidays for personal reflection! During the Thanksgiving season, our focus was on reflections of gratitude. For the Christmas/Hanukah/winter holiday season, our focus moves to planning, purchasing, and creating gifts for others. For the New Year, our focus is two-fold—reflecting on prior successes and new learning and a forward look at creating our next…
Read MoreGames Aren’t Won on Game Day
Last summer, Reba and Frances traveled to El Campo, Texas to facilitate the Leadership Coaching for High Performance seminar for administrators and instructional coaches in the El Campo school district. As we began, Reba told the story of George (Shotgun) Shuba. He played 7 seasons for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was on the 1955 World…
Read MoreBatting Practice Before the Big Game
It’s here! The new beginning that has been so long in the planning, based on reflections of successes and things we wish had gone differently. Planning that is based on test scores, school and district ratings, perceptions, innovations, gaps, relationships, personal leadership goals, and numerous other factors. As you reflect on the ideas presented in…
Read MoreAll the Puzzle Pieces Came Together
In the previous e-zine, we wrote about El Campo school district, and the focus on results coaching. Student success was achieved throughout the district. This story highlights one of the success stories. Northside Elementary School historically struggled with student achievement scores. At the end of the 2017 school year, 70% of 5th grade students passed…
Read MoreCelebrate Significant Moments
The approaching end of a school year holds numerous opportunities for celebrations large and small. Last week I had the opportunity to witness a celebration of graduating seniors and significant teachers and mentors in their lives. The event, Evening with the Stars, was sponsored by Flower Mound High School in the Lewisville Independent School District.…
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