Most of you are already off and running with the beginning of a fantastic new school year.  You  have probably spent many hours of thought, collaborative planning and creativity to be sure your professional development was engaging, productive, meaningful and motivational for your staff members. Now it’s time to consider another important question. How have you planned to sustain a successful year for yourself and your staff? How will you keep yourself and your staff focused on the expectations and goals you have set? How will you maintain the motivation and increase levels of productivity and achievement?

I bet you’d be excited if I told you I have an answer! Give yourself a wonderful gift,  in very personal, colorful wrapping. It’s the gift of a coach! Coaching provides a wonderful opportunity to work in  partnership with a trusted confidant who is committed to listening, understanding, and helping you explore possibilities for improving your school and your life. Having been a school principal for fifteen years, I know firsthand that the leadership position can be very lonely at times. I think most leaders will agree it is not always easy, especially when you focus on making a difference for children. It’s very challenging and it doesn’t seem to matter whether you are a first year administrator or a veteran. It’s a source of comfort and confidence building to think out loud, explore ideas and plan a path of action to accomplish what you know is needed, with complete confidentiality and without judgment.

The beauty of effective coaching is that YOU are in charge, You come to the session prepared with an issue, topic or problem you want to discuss. You come to an agreement with your coach as to what you would like to accomplish during your time together. You tap into your own knowledge and experience to find the best solutions to questions or problems that you wish to explore.  Your coach will support you through committed listening, clarifying, by asking powerful, thought provoking questions, perhaps causing you to re-frame an idea, or plan alternate pathways to accomplish your goals. Sometimes coaching is just providing silence for you to talk and work through an emotion or idea and create a meaningful path to success.

You can find many testimonials online from educators to CEOs and other business professionals who have taken an active role in their own path to success through coaching. It’s a gift you can give yourself, leading you to discover your own incredible potential without limits. Find a coach and have a very productive school year.

by Jane Bidlack
Coaching for Results Global