Coaching Learners Up

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again.

Everyone needs a coach.

A coach helps you set goals. A coach helps you define your work. A coach helps you plan your path. A coach is there to provide feedback once you begin executing your plan. A coach is there to help you assess your progress toward your intended outcomes.

There’s not enough “coaching” inside America’s classrooms. There’s too much “telling.”

Recently, my friend Lawrence Kohn posted an article on LinkedIn titled “These 5 Coaching Strategies Will Transform Your Leadership Practices into Something Much More Impactful.” Kohn writes,

“Effective leadership in education demands more than just managing tasks – it’s about influencing, inspiring, and creating sustainable change. Executive coaching provides leaders with strategies to develop self-awareness, enhance decision-making, and lead with intention. Below, we explore five powerful coaching strategies that will elevate your leadership practices and create meaningful, lasting impact.”

“Reflective Inquiry: Asking the Right Questions – Leaders often need more than quick answers – they need insight. Reflective inquiry helps leaders pause and ask powerful questions like:

What assumptions am I making?

What would success look like in this situation?”

“Why it Works: This strategy encourages leaders to engage in deep self-reflection, leading to thoughtful decision-making. Through regular reflection, leaders cultivate self-awareness, becoming more intentional in how they respond to challenges.”

“Strengths-Based Coaching – Rather than focusing on weaknesses, this strategy emphasizes leveraging existing strengths. Leaders identify areas where they excel and learn how to apply those strengths in new contexts. When applied in education leadership, strengths-based coaching boosts confidence and helps leaders become more effective by using what they already do well to solve emerging problems.”

“Pro Tip: Start meetings or coaching sessions by asking, ‘What’s working well right now’ to shift the focus toward positive momentum.”

“Emotional Regulation and Mindfulness Techniques – Leadership is often accompanied by high levels of stress, especially in education settings. Coaching in emotional regulation teaches leaders how to manage emotions and stay grounded in difficult situations. Techniques like mindfulness and breathing exercises build resilience, enabling leaders to remain calm and focused.”

“Impact Example – A principal under stress during high-stakes testing can use mindfulness practices to approach the situation with clarity, resulting in smoother test administration and better morale among staff.”

“Feedback Loop Development – The best leaders foster a culture of continuous feedback, both giving and receiving it. Coaching helps leadership build effective feedback loops within their teams by framing feedback as a tool for growth. This strategy ensures feedback is frequent, constructive, and aligned with personal or organizational goals.”

“Why It Works – Consistent feedback helps educators align their actions with the district’s vision and opens channels for two-way communication, improving collaboration.”

“Future Self Visualization – This strategy involves visualizing the type of leader you want to become in the future and mapping out the steps to get there. Coaches guide leaders through exercises to create a clear picture of their ‘future self.’ This visualization strengthens commitment to long-term goals and motivates leaders to make intentional decisions aligned with their vision.”

“Try This Exercise: Write a letter from your future self-describing how you’ve grown as a leader over the next 12 months. Use it as a reference to guide your actions and decisions today.”

“Bringing It All Together – Implementing these five coaching strategies will help you unlock new levels of leadership impact. By reflecting deeply, building on strengths, managing emotions, fostering feedback, and envisioning your future self, you can transform not only your leadership practices but also the outcomes for your staff and students.”

“Coaching is not just about solving problems – it’s about growing into the kind of leader who leads self with affinity, inspires others, and drives lasting change.”

Although Kohn’s writing is targeted toward traditional public school leadership, one has to wonder what would happen if all of your young learners were coached using the strategies discussed above?

When I worked in the traditional system, I found it amusing how math, English, and science teachers looked down their noses at football coaches and choir directors. They thought activities like sports and fine arts paled in comparison to the importance of required content. But what many of those math, English, and science teachers lacked was what athletic coaches and fine arts’ directors understood to be the most important strategy to get someone from point A to point B in terms of success – personalized coaching.

It’s doubtful our traditional K-12 system will be able to do for kids what Kohn argues should be done for adult school leaders. So, in order to accomplish top level coaching, our young learners may need to leave the traditional system so that they can receive the proper amount of coaching to make them smarter and stronger when it comes to reading, writing, problem-solving, and character development.

Friday News Roundup tomorrow. Til then. SVB