Recently while attending a state conference for school leaders, Hector, a former coaching client and I had an opportunity to chat. During our conversation, Hector was excited to share plans for what he is planning to do differently this year to produce even better results than the great ones his school is known for. He could describe his plans in vivid detail. We agreed that the changes were exciting and full of promise! My final question seemed to surprise Hector. It was the only one he didn’t have a ready answer for. “You’ve planned very carefully what it is you want to do differently, but how are you planning to be different as their leader?”

After reflecting on my question, Hector admitted that he had been so busy planning what he would do, that he had neglected to plan how he wanted to be. He ended our conversation by saying that he was going to spend time deciding how to answer my question.

I suggested that Hector might consider the following questions as he was thinking:

• How can I model what I want teachers to do?
• How might I be open to suggestions from staff?
• What might I be doing that makes implementing this change more difficult?

What strategies are most helpful to you in planning how to be with your team?

by Bob Carter
Coaching for Results Global