Building individual and collective capacity amongst staff through collaboration and coaching.  This is one of the main things that improves teaching and learning. 

Don't be the expert with the answers.  Engage in an inquiry process. 

Here's the funny thing about that.  I don't ever feel like the expert, in fact I think I try to come up with answers so that I feel like I have some expertise.  Isn't that what Principal's should have?  Now I need to deliberately not do this, and therefore feel more like an emposter than ever?  This is where it gets hard.  This is I am going to have to 'believe in the coaching process' if I am to succeed.  

What does good coaching look like?

  • Build independence not dependence (don't be the expert).
  • Build collaborative norms together: understanding roles & responsiblilities
  • Trust & respect must be present through building strong relationships
  • Negotiate the ethics of the process eg. confidentiality, how to deal with conflict, with feedback, with time-keeping.
  • Be friendly and supportive
  • Encourage innovation and risk-taking 
  • Be a safety net of support
  • Understand the pressures on the learner
  • Use probing questions to get learner to think more deeply  
  • Respond with questions so the learner can formulate their own strategies
  • Ask questions to clarify what is being said (paraphrasing).
  • Always accept their interpretation.
  • Allow the learner to take responsibility for their own learning
  • Encourage learner to question current practice & consider new practices/strategies
  • Ask about evidence to support answers. 
  • Try not to formulate next questions too early.
  • Keep conversations focused on the learning & away from personal and unproductive areas.
  • Focus all your attention on the learner & try to really understand them
  • Keep your own ego and agenda out of the questioning (be aware of what they are).  Don't rely only on your own filters - these can be narrow.
  • Detect early your own assumptions and stay focused on valid evidence.
  • Have total respect for the learner & their ability to find answers
  • Be a 'skilled sounding board': not just positively reinforcing but also providing some resistance to push against to support sense-making.
  • Don't panic when your brain feels under threat to answer/ask next question.  You don't need to 'enter the space'.
  • Remain focused and calm throughout.
Through my readings I have been introduced to The Ladder of Inference - a model developed by Chris Argyris to describe how people form and sustain mental models.   

This is me!  If I feel conflict or disagreement might occur during an important conversation I do start to 'assume' things.  If I feel panicked, or uncomfortable, or that I have to make a decision because I am the Principal, I do come to my own conclusions.  Do I explore the thinking and evidence brought to me?  Not as much as I should.  Do I gain trust and respect from the person in front of me?  Probably not.  Is this something I can improve on?  Hell yeah!

Can I work more like this model of the Ladder of Inference?  I hope so. 

Healthy inquiry is a blend of advocacy (what we believe and want) and investigation (what the data is telling us). When leaders and organizations balance the two forces, they learn from experiences, constantly improving their services and products.  This is the cycle of self-sustaining growth (Senge, 2006, pp. 113-125).

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