The Art of Coaching

by Elena Aguilar

  If this is an area you want to work on, identify a practice or two that you'd like to try. Start with a realistic goal: commit to doing the practice for a week or a month and examining the effect it has on your coaching. Make time for it and see what happens.

  Rubric Domain 5: Strategic Actions

  Just as we reflect on conversations, we also want to reflect on the activities we engage clients in. Document the activities you do together and consider their impact on the client's practice. Then consider different activities in which to engage the client. Similar to what happens in conversations, a coach and client can find their comfort zone and settle into it. Particularly after trust is established, the coach can take the lead on suggesting different activities which can push the client's growth.

  One of the harder coaching actions to fully integrate is the skill of working within a client's ZPD and gradually releasing responsibility. In order to do this, we have to develop an acute understanding of the client's ZPD, which is sometimes only identifiable through trial and error. Then we need to anticipate the next steps for the client to take in order to master the desired skill. For many coaches the next stage in developing their practice lies in the domain of planning, particularly in strategizing around the gradual release of responsibility.

  The coach's documentation and reflection log in Exhibit 15.3 is a simple tool that coaches can use to reflect on coaching sessions and plan subsequent ones. When reflecting on patterns in her own coaching, a coach can make intentional moves to push her client deeper into her learning, but often we can't identify those next steps without clearly seeing what's already happened. A blank log is available on my website www.elenaaguilar.com.

  Rubric Domain 6: Coach as Learner

  Several of the elements in the coach as learner domain are clearly actionable—soliciting feedback from clients, gathering a variety of data on our own practice, attending training which can build coaching capacity, or seeking out colleagues to learn with.

  Exhibit 15.3. Coach's Documentation and Reflection Log

  Coach: E. Aguilar Client: Marco Birch

  Date and Time March 21, 2010, 10 a.m.–12:00

  Reflection on my Presence I began feeling really grounded and centered. I noticed that I listened attentively. I got triggered at one point when Marco made comments about some students that really bothered me. I noticed that my shoulders and jaw tensed and I tried to change the subject. Then worked on letting go of my attachment that he recognize what he was saying and I returned to this topic to explore it with him. I also noticed that at one point when Marco was feeling really overwhelmed I used humor to lighten the space and he responded really well. I think he was surprised that I could be funny and he said he appreciated it. I noticed that at the end of our meeting I didn't feel as tired as I sometimes feel from coaching.

  Coaching Stances Taken and Impact I recorded this conversation and charted the stances I took. I found that about 80 percent of the time I was facilitative. I noticed that when I was directive, Marco didn't respond as well. His answers to my questions were less thoughtful and a few were evasive.

  I noticed that when I used a catalytic approach Marco was most responsive. Each question I asked from this stance elicited, “That's a good question!” from him. From another I got, “Wow, I'd never thought of that.”

  Coaching Lenses Applied and Impact The lens that kept coming up for me today was the lens of inquiry. This was intentional—I'd planned for this conversation to incorporate many of these questions, but I'd also planned for other lenses. I kept finding myself needing to raise questions from the Lens of Inquiry to push Marco's thinking about the dilemmas he's facing. The lens of inquiry allowed me to help Marco reframe his situation and this was most useful for him—he discovered a number of actions he can take through this line of questioning.

  Coaching Activities Used and Impact There were two activities that worked well today. We role-played a conversation that Marco needs to have with a parent. We actually did this three times—first he played himself and I played the parent, then we reversed roles, and then he played himself again. He requested this and by the end he was feeling really confident and prepared. I was apprehensive about modeling his role—I worried about the impact of this and didn't want him to think my way was the right way—but it actually was OK. He needed to see me demonstrate some ways of communicating that were direct but not confrontational and afterwards he said he really appreciated this.

  We also did a quick reading together. Last time we met Marco had asked me to bring an article on facilitating team meetings, so we read it and discussed it. He is going to use this information to plan an upcoming meeting. Next week we'll go over his agenda.

  Other Reflections I noticed that when I allowed for silence after Marco said something, he returned to the topic after a few moments and continued to expand on his thoughts. I'm uncomfortable with silence but I saw how useful it was today.

  Progress toward Goals Today we were really working on Marco's first goal about how he communicates with all stakeholders. I noticed a number of pieces of evidence (the language frames he used in the role-play, the way he relayed a conversation he'd had last week) that indicate that he's well on track to meet his goals by June. He echoed this—he's feeling really good about the coaching work and feels like he's close to meeting his goals.

  Plans for Next Session Debrief the hard conversation with the parent that we role-played.Review agenda for upcoming meeting.

  I might need to continue modeling some of the communication strategies that Marco is trying to develop. I need to help him recognize the nonverbal cues I give as well as the words I use.

  Developing Reflective Practices

  The self-aware coaches do the internal work to understand their boundaries, triggers, gifts, and limitations. In this way, the coaches are able to enter the coaching space authentically and confidently.

  Shows and Scriber (2008, p. 15)

  Coaches are always modeling a way of being—both with our clients and with all others with whom we interact. Emotions are contagious and the way we show up with clients affects them. If teachers see us as frustrated when we interact with a principal, it could reduce their trust in us or activate their own negative feelings. The implications of this can be daunting for a coach: we are always “on” and always need to be mindful of how we're being received. However, this can also be empowering. On many occasions I have seen that when a coach is a quiet, calming presence it sets the tone for a team. Many educators take cues from a coach. We can instantaneously shift the energy in a room just by showing up in a particular way—either positive or negative. Once I got over the pressure of feeling like I was always being watched, and once I developed some strategies to manage my emotions and be calm and grounded, I recognized the invaluable influence I could have. Because of the impact we can have, coaches need time and structures for reflection in order to examine how we show up in our work and how we are received.

  Who you are speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you are saying.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (Bonar, 2007, p. 151)

  Written journals. Although we may constantly reflect on our work in our minds when we commit our thoughts to paper they get clearer, more concrete, and we can sort through them. We notice patterns and trends in our experiences, thoughts and feelings, and see our own growth over time. For a coach, spending a minimum of ten minutes per day journaling about the day's work can be tremendously effective. Try it for a few weeks and see how your practice changes. Exhibit 15.4 offers a list of reflective questions that could help guide your ruminations. There are prompts for daily or weekly consideration as well as prompts that you might respond to occasionally.

  Exhibit 15.4. Reflective Prompts for a Coach

  Prompts for Daily or Weekly Reflection

  What happened in today's coaching session?

  What did you notice about your client?

  What did you notice about your own coaching? About your thoughts and feeling
s today?

  What kind of impact did your coaching have on your client today? How do you know?

  When did your coaching feel effective today? What made it feel that way?

  Was it possible that your client had any “aha” moments today? What led to that moment?

  What was challenging for you in today's session?

  What did you notice about your own listening? About your inner dialogue?

  What do you appreciate about your own coaching today?

  What would your client say about your coaching today?

  What do you think was “not said” by your client today?

  Was your client sharing any stories today? Were these new stories or ones she's told in the past?

  What indicators were there today that your client made progress toward her goals?

  Where do you think your client is ready to go next?

  What are you curious about or do you want to learn more about?

  What is your next coaching move?

  What would help your client move forward?

  What do you want to do or say in your next meeting?

  Prompts for Occasional Reflection

  What do you enjoy about coaching? What draws you to this practice?

  When have you felt particularly effective as a coach? What happened?

  How does coaching align to your core values?

  What do you see as the possible effect or potential of coaching?

  What's challenging about coaching? When do you feel frustrated or ineffective?

  What kind of client (gender, age, race, background, experience, and so on) seems the “easiest” for you to coach? What makes coaching him or her easy?

  What kind of client feels the “hardest” to coach? What makes coaching him or her hard?

  What personality types feel easy and challenging to coach? What comes up for you when you need to coach someone whose personality is very different from your own?

  What kinds of thoughts go through your mind when you are introduced to someone who comes from a very different background than you? Who seems very different than you?

  Think of a client with whom you struggled. What might he or she have said or thought about you? What would his or her “side” of the story be?

  Consider your initial beliefs about a client's capacity to grow with what actually happened as you coached him or her. What happened? What did you learn that you might apply when working with future clients?

  What metaphor could represent what coaching is to you?

  What are you learning about yourself through coaching?

  What would you like to pay more attention to?

  What do you want to stay curious about?

  Audio journals. Another strategy for capturing our reflections is to use audio recordings. For those of us who spend time in the car each day, using a recording device on a phone, for example, can be a strategic way to gather our thoughts. Even if we never listen to them again, the process of speaking them aloud shifts our thoughts. This is what we do often with clients—give them space and time to speak aloud—and just this act can be helpful.

  Personal transformation. This will mean something different for each coach and no one should be evaluated on his or her personal transformation. However, to include it on a rubric is to value it as an area deserving time and attention.

  Reflecting on the meaning of personal transformation could be energizing for coaches. Personal transformation might suggest a work-life balance or practicing self-care; this is something many educators strive to attain. Coaches can be very compassionate people toward everyone but themselves so for some practicing radical self-acceptance may be personally transformative. Learning to accept ourselves where we're at can be a major growth area.

  Personal transformation could also mean cultivating patience and equanimity or finding ways to bring joy and play into our work. It might mean healing past pain and trauma so that they don't affect work relationships. As each identifies what personal transformation means, he can search out practices that could support this growth. In our contemporary society, there are an abundance of practices and practitioners to help us address our inner lives, be reflective, increase our compassion, connect with others, expand our creativity, and so on—yoga, meditation, classes and workshops, therapy, and, of course, personal coaching are just a few resources. Those engaged in coaching for transformation must attend to ourselves, so that we can coach for transformation.

  Masterful coaches not only stand in a place that a difference can be made, they speak, listen, and act from that place, never indulging in cynicism or allowing others to do so. When others give up on an individual or start to gossip, they say, “Transformation is possible.”

  Hargrove (2003, p. 51)

  In our contemporary society, there are an abundance of practices and practitioners to help us address our inner lives, be reflective, increase our compassion, connect with others, expand our creativity, and so on—yoga, meditation, classes and workshops, therapy, and, of course, personal coaching are just a few resources. Those engaged in coaching for transformation must attend to ourselves, so that we can coach for transformation.

  Conclusion

  Professional development for coaches can be greatly expanded. The first step is to recognize the critical need for PD and then explore the highest leverage structures in which to engage coaches in their own learning. The impact on teacher practice will be far greater when coaches are engaged in rigorous, high-quality professional development. As a result, there could be a much greater likelihood that the experience and outcomes for students will improve. When we tend to the learning needs of all adults in a learning organization, children will benefit.

  Conclusion

  A Final Story

  “Do you want to read what I said at the news conference?” the principal said proudly at the end of the 2011–12 school year. Her middle school had been lauded in a report on reducing the suspension rates of African American boys: in one year, by implementing alternative practices, her school cut this number by 72 percent. This is a significant issue in our district, where the suspension rates for African American boys are astronomical and disproportionate to their white counterparts.

  “Of course,” I said. She handed me her notes. The initiative stemmed, she'd written, from engaging her staff and families in a conversation around the school's vision and mission. Their collaborative reflection led to new systems and structures for addressing student behavior; her staff became committed to ensuring that African American boys attended school every day so that they could learn.

  I was stunned by her account of this transformation, because vision and mission were the primary areas on which I'd coached her and her leadership team in our first year working together. And I said so: “This is what we worked on all last year! Vision, mission, what it means to make decisions that stem from a mission, to operate from a living vision.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Without coaching and all those hours when I could talk through ideas and figure out my next steps I don't know if we would have gotten to the same place.”

  “This is huge!” I exclaimed. It's not very often that coaches can trace such a direct line between our efforts and large-scale positive impact on kids, particularly for our most vulnerable students. I continued: “I know that there were many factors that led to the reduction of suspensions, but I have to admit, it feels really good to know that I played a little role.”

  “Definitely,” she said.

  “But let me clarify,” I added. “It wasn't me; it was the role I played and the space I held—it was the coaching. And that's what's important in the telling of this story. When administrators look at what you accomplished, and they attempt to replicate it, they need to understand that your accomplishment emerged from deep conversations with stakeholders—it wasn't just the application of a set of strategies or policies that can be plunked down on any site. And what enabled you to hold those conversations and lead this work around
vision and mission was coaching—which is a supported space for you to reflect, process, plan, and access your own power and potential.”

  “Yes,” she said nodding. “Of course.”

  The Road Ahead

  There is much more to say about coaching—about the roles it can play, how we can refine our strategies, how we can make our work public and document its impact. There are distinctions to expand on—for example, there is much more to say about coaching principals, and the art of coaching teams deserves its own volume.

  The path toward equitable schools often feels excruciatingly long. As we work to ensure that every child gets what she needs every day in our schools, I am fairly sure of a few things. I know we're going to have to slow down, listen deeply, think before we speak, be mindful and intentional about our actions, and notice and celebrate every victory. Many of our schools need to change immediately; however, operating from urgency is dangerous. We can harness the energy and anger behind our urgency and remember that what we do today creates something for tomorrow. Transformation will be possible if we act with compassion today.

  Along this journey, we'll need to attend to adults at all levels of our institutions—from teachers to principals to the cafeteria workers and the custodial staff to central office administrators and superintendents. We'll need to create space and time to heal our wounds, listen to each other, build relationships, and learn new behaviors, beliefs, and ways of being.