Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Written by: Rachel Fregien
Dear coaches,
As the swirl of the holiday season is behind us and we look ahead to the spring semester, our plates don’t get any emptier. Our lists don't get any shorter. The demands don't get any lighter. The folks who depend upon us for support do not need us any less often. Often, it is the contrary. Teams and individuals are digging deeper into the work and ultimately ask more questions, see additional challenges and are facing added barriers.
This letter is intended to validate your coaching efforts with teams who are “forming and storming” as well as provide you with the tools to aid in setting clear boundaries with your teams as we work. I have seen firsthand examples of excellent coaching questions and connections to the work. It is evident you are excited to lean in and work with your teams.
We have discussed the importance of keeping your role as "coach" distinct and clear. I have been struggling with knowing how difficult it can be for you as coaches who are trying to develop strong relationships and connections with teams while navigating the challenge of coaching through transformative change. I know all too well the feeling of wanting to feel competent in the work by offering assistance where I can. I hear you.
So, I took a step back. I thought about what the research says about coaching. I thought about the resources that can help. I thought about how we define coaching at the agency. I consulted the Coaching Competency Practice Profile (CCPP). There are several areas within the CCPP that reinforce the concepts we have been trying to describe. I would like to offer clarity now. A few statements from the CCPP really jumped out at me to help clarify what the role of a coach is when supporting a team through the forming and storming stages of team development. I want to highlight them for you here.
From competency 2.c: Coach consciously selects strategies that encourage clients to seek out different or innovative approaches to leveraging opportunities and addressing barriers. The key words here for me are “selects strategies that encourage clients to seek…” Why is this important? And how does it relate to your role as a coach? It keeps the client in charge of their own actions. It puts the work and onus on them to figure out how to find the answers they need and do the work themselves. It builds their own internal capacity to be resourceful.
From competency 3.c: Coach uses questioning to clarify, extend and deepen thinking, explore options, invite diverse perspectives, and draw upon the expertise of the client. It also states behaviors in the unacceptable column: Coach positions self as the expert and/or directs decisions without considering the needs of the client. What stands out to me here once again is the idea of keeping the work where it belongs - in the hands of the client. The team must be their own experts in the work. Of course, there will be questions and challenges and worries and barriers. Why is this important? And how does it relate to your role as a coach? For teams to move successfully through the work, they must feel equipped to find the expertise within themselves and not rely on you as a coach to find the answers for them.
From competency 6.a: Coach assists the client to identify and act upon their sphere of influence and sphere of control within their system. Again, in this competency, the focus goes back to the client, the teams. Why is this important? And how does it relate to your role as a coach? To help set teams up for success, they need to realize their power in the work. They need to be able to navigate the system (with you as a guide) to find how they fit. This design builds their capacity for future sustainability.
I know many of you have multiple hats to wear. Many of you did not start as a coach in your district. You may have first been a teacher or a specialist or a principal. It can be a difficult shift to make: changing roles in the same system - especially if you have worked directly with the same folks as consultant, trainer or expert in the past. So, as teams reach out, I invite you to consider how your role as coach fits into the system. I encourage you to consult the CCPP for yourself and ask how your responses fit within the description of coaching behaviors. It may also be helpful to share these competencies with your team to help them understand the unique role you hold as a coach.
Rachel J. Fregien
Education Consultant for Coaching Supports/Special Education Team
Research to Practice Inclusive Communities: Director of Coaching Supports
Department of Public Instruction