Teach Secondary Issue 13.4

teachwire.net/secondary best question you can pose. Self-reflection allows coachees to assess their progress and confront their challenges, thus facilitating a deeper understanding of their professional journey and personal growth. This can then be complemented by the coach providing specific, timely and constructive feedback centred on behaviours and their impacts, rather than personal traits. If you’re to be a successful coach, then appropriate training is essential. As with many new skills, my strong recommendation would be that once you’ve been trained (in whatever approach you’re going to use – which in itself can take time to identify), you should follow your ‘script’ as closely as possible during those initial sessions of coaching a colleague. Once you’ve built up your experience, you can then afford to adjust the process. Challenges and pitfalls That said, you should always endeavour to maintain a sense of professionalism throughout the process that supports the growth of a relationship, without crossing boundaries into personal territory. This includes being consistently punctual, prepared and respectful of the coachee’s time and efforts. A good coach will also be sensitive to the value of using resources wisely. These can encompass personality assessments, feedback tools and relevant literature, all of which have the potential enhance the coaching experience and provide valuable insights. Celebrating subsequent achievements with the coachee will not only boost their morale, but also reinforce the value of their efforts and the coaching process itself. Finally, it’s essential that a coach commits to ongoing learning by staying abreast of new methodologies, and continuously refining their skills to ensure that the coaching they provide remains both relevant and effective over time. As with any influential tool, coaching involves carefully negotiating a series of challenges and potential pitfalls to ensure that the process remains both positive and productive. Guiding versus directing At the heart of successful coaching sits the principle of guiding , rather than directing . A commonmisstep some coaches canmake is to lapse into a consultancy role, providing direct solutions to problems. This approach can undermine the fundamental aim of coaching, which is to foster independence and self-development among coachees, rather than creating a dependency on the coach for answers. The maintenance of an open, non-judgmental stance is another cornerstone of effective coaching, since coachees are far more likely to engage openly and honestly in the coaching process if they don’t feel that they’re being judged. As previously mentioned, listening plays a crucial role in coaching – evenmoreso than speaking. A coach who dominates conversations may inadvertently stifle a coachee’s ability to reflect deeply and articulate their thoughts, thereby hindering their path to self-discovery. For that reason, it’s of paramount importance that confidentiality is observed when coaching. A breach of this trust can irreparably damage the coach-coachee relationship and deter future engagement. Likewise, feedback should be timely, specific and constructive to facilitate actionable insights and growth. I’ll conclude with one final point – which is to ensure that your colleague wants to be coached . The process cannot be forced onto someone if they’re not willing to be involved (even if you’re surprised, as I sometimes have been, by colleagues’ reluctance). In such cases, youmay just have to accept that some people find it very difficult to talk about themselves! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthony David is an executive headteacher OTHER COACHING MODELS Successful coaching styles in other professional settings can include: • Directive coaching Provides specific guidance and immediate feedback that’s ideal for urgent skill development • Non-directive coaching Encourages self-discovery and solutions by asking open-ended questions, while fostering independence and critical thinking • Collaborative coaching Involves working alongside the coachee as a partner, facilitating mutual learning and joint problem-solving • Holistic coaching Focuses on the coachee’s overall development, integrating aspects of their professional and personal growth • Transformational coaching Aims to inspire significant changes in behaviour and mindset, and encourage coachees to transcend their current limitations • Democratic coaching Seeks input from the coachee to guide the coaching process, thus promoting engagement and empowerment 35 C P D