Develop a Coaching Culture: Step by Step

Each school is unique. We knew that the day we started Graydin and we continue to relearn that every year we continue to grow. But they are not unique in the way you may think. Of course, they offer much of the same services, have similar structures and of course many of the same job roles. What makes them different from one another is their current circumstance, the context in which they find themselves in. They are all existing in their unique moment in history.

That means, a one-size-fits-all approach just won’t work. With over a decade of experience and collaboration with thousands of educators, we understand schools.

What we intimately understand is how to embed a culture of coaching and we want to share the process with you so you can replicate it in your own school. We have taken a simple step by step approach to this, but we understand that there is room for flexibility and adaptation. It’s not a science; it’s an art.

Every journey starts with a plan. Starting writing yours today

with our Strategic Plan Guide

STEP ONE: DEFINE THE COMMON AMBITION 

Establish a common understanding and language for coaching amongst School Leaders and key stakeholders. There needs to be a clear ambition about implementation. This includes articulating the overarching goals and benefits that the coaching culture will bring to the school community.

STEP TWO: BASELINE CULTURE SURVEY

Develop an understanding of the current culture and climate of the school through an internal culture survey. Ensure that the survey captures the perspectives of all stakeholders, including senior and middle leaders, teachers, non-teaching staff, students, and parents. This baseline assessment is crucial in gauging the starting point.

STEP THREE: WRITE A DETAILED STRATEGIC PLAN

Develop a highly detailed and inspirational strategic plan focused on Year One of implementation. Be sure to also add a vision for Year Two onwards but remember, a lot can change in that first year so being flexible and dynamic is critical. Remember to include specific actions, timelines and milestones to guide you along the way.

STEP FOUR: SHARE YOUR VISION TO ENROLL VOLUNTEERS

Find any and every opportunity to share your inspiring and ask people to get involved. You cannot and do not want to do this alone. Start with the early adopters, the open-minded curious ones and enrol them in the idea of taking the first coaching course with you.

STEP FIVE: LEARN THE FOUNDATIONS

Provide training for all those who volunteered to ensure a shared understanding of the coaching model, philosophy, principles and practices. This foundational learning sets the stage for a common language and approach to coaching within the school. 

STEP SIX: FORM A COACHING COMMITTEE

Form a Coaching Committee to manage coaching within the school. Ensure the committee is diverse and representative of different roles within the school community. Then start forming opportunities for people to practice coaching, gather to share their skills and continue their learning journey. Practice is everything at this stage.

STEP SEVEN: ADVANCE THEIR LEARNING

Facilitate an advanced training opportunity for those who want to continue learning about coaching.

STEP EIGHT: MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE

From this point onwards, your school is heading towards sustaining coaching and moving away from simply learning a new skill. One effective way to make coaching sustainable is to train a self-selected group to facilitate foundational ad advanced training. Empower these individuals to become coaching advocates, fostering a culture where coaching becomes an integral part of the school's ethos.

STEP NINE: EVALUATION PROCESS

How do you know if it’s working if you are doing any type of evaluation? A robust research project may not be necessary, but consider developing specific performance indicators to measure the success of the coaching culture. The Coaching Committee needs to create and implement a formal or semi-formal evaluation process that considers all the initial objectives and ambitions.

STEP TEN: STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN

At this stage, there is likely momentum toward the changes you initially envisioned or the changes have already occurred. Gather your School Leaders and Coaching Committee to develop an action plan for subsequent years of implementation. This plan should build on successes, address challenges and guide the ongoing evolution of the coaching culture within the school.

In the last decade, we have worked with 300+ schools around the world and would be honoured to help your school bring a coaching culture to life. Reach out to our cofounder Quinn anytime.