“(Coaching) Culture eats strategy for breakfast” – Peter Drucker

When looking to developing a Coaching Culture, ask - ‘What is already in place that we can build on?’

?I work with lots of (school) leaders. Many are curious about (and some are fully committed towards) building better conversations in their organisations by taking more of a coaching approach.

Peter Drucker’s quote above is not to suggest that taking an intentional approach towards this aspiration is not a good thing.? Taking a strategic approach to building a coaching culture is certainly going to increase the chances of this moving forward.?

Yet the reference to culture points to something very important…. When we take a strengths-based approach to anything we are drawn to ‘what is already in place’ that can serve as a platform for any development.

When considering existing organisational (school) culture we are effectively looking at ‘what is already in place’ … ‘culture is the way we (already) do things around here’ (Deal and Kennedy, 1982)

The Antecedents

So, what might be the things to look at that seem to be helpful catalysts for building a coaching culture in a (school) setting?

Well, in my work with several schools (including my own at one point when I was a Principal) I have found a number of characteristics that seem to help:

Integration and synergy:?

This is when Coaching is seen as relevant and resonant.? It is seen as a ‘fit’ within, and complementary to, existing priorities – there are synergies through which coaching approaches enhance, and advance existing development priorities (and coaching? is not seen as an additional initiative).

Additionally, the building of a coaching culture is seen as an amplifier of successes and strengths, rather than a way to ‘fix’ things that are wrong.

?Questions:?

• In your stage of development, where do you see your team/ school?
• What level of common understanding is there as to what coaching is and how it aligns and complements other development priorities

Students / Staff:?

It can also be helpful to consider the extent to which student and staff success and wellbeing is at the heart of conversations and interactions.

This may be evident by the range of opportunities students and staff have (and how comfortable they are) to talk openly about feelings, thoughts, aspirations, and concerns.

Additionally, teacher-student relationships are characterised by partnership and co-construction.? Typically, school defined ‘ways of being’ (and often ‘values’ for students and staff align closely with coaching ways of being.

?Questions:?

• In your setting what are the formal and informal opportunities for staff and students to discuss areas of success, and wellbeing?
• In what ways do partnership principles (equity, voice, choice, etc)? show up between students and staff?

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Leaders:

Leadership and learning conversations are highly impactful and commonplace. They are embedded in formal and less formal interactions. Senior leaders regularly have conversations where they can reflect on their leadership practices and learning.

Leadership is broadly distributive (rather than delegative) in nature, and interactions tend to be more facilitative than directive in nature.? Leaders support colleagues to work towards their professional goals and model coach-like ways of being when interacting and focused on those goals.

School defined ‘ways of being’ for leaders align closely with coaching ways of being.

Questions:?

• What intentional opportunities and processes are established in your school that allow reflective practice (both around learning and leadership)?
• How do leaders support colleagues, and each other, in determining and achieving goals?
• To what extent is leadership distributive?

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Professional learning:

Professional learning is prioritised in order to support the building of capacity. There are frequent opportunities for staff (teaching and professional support) to engage in quality conversations where they can reflect on their professional practice. ?

Staff are able to articulate their development needs and professional learning opportunities are co-constructed with leaders through this.

Joint practice development and sharing opportunities exist to support professional learning and embed effective practices.

Questions:?

• To what extent are there opportunities for staff to engage in joint practice development? (such as in Professional Learning Communities)
• To what extent are professional learning opportunities focused on building practise and leadership capacity in support of school priorities?

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Community: ?

At times, in schools that are well placed to build a coaching culture, relationships with community stakeholders are strong, characterised by a clear sense of partnership and aligned values and vision. There is a culture of collaboration and partnership between school staff and wider community.

Questions:?

• In what ways does the school intentionally engage with, and seek representation from, community stakeholders?
• How are interactions with community stakeholders framed by the principles of partnership and alignment of vision and values?

Structures and processes:??

Supporting structured and processes tend to be characterised by collaboration (where projects involve co-construction and collective accountability) and partnership. ?These then can become a focal point for coaching practice development that might include:

o?? First followers:? A core team of coaches are trained that coach others (and each other), model coaching approaches, and train others in coaching approaches

o?? One-to-one interactions are shaped (where desirable) by a coaching approach eg through line management meetings, feedback processes, review and development conversations

o?? Joint practice development (eg Professional learning communities) can focus on coaching practice development as well as other school priorities (such as pedagogical approaches in the classroom)

o?? Pastoral structure:? student wellbeing is supported through pastoral leaders and staff using coaching approaches

Of course, there will be other areas to consider.?

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Questions:?

• What projects, systems or processes can we readily integrate coaching approach into?
• Where do we want to intentionally adopt a coaching approach (initially)?

The above offer a lens through which to consider ‘where are we now?’ in relation to ‘where we want to be’. ?

Using the above in conjunction with some kind of scaling approach (eg where 1 = just getting started, and 10 = fully developed/ mature element) can shape an assessment of your school’s ‘state of readiness’.

It can also be a helpful approach in addressing ‘How does our current culture shape our emerging strategy?’