March 1, 2025 • 15 mins
Welcome to School Leader Soundbites, a podcast dedicated to empowering K-12 leaders with the latest insights and strategies in marketing and communications! Today, we are discussing Mirror, Mirror on the Wall - Why Every School Leader Needs a Coach After All!
Why coaching?
-We need a safe space to reflect and accountability partners
-We need to be preventing burnout and modeling for our staff
What coaches are NOT:
-Therapists, not clinically trained to deal with mental health or physiological issues but can be a good compliment to this therapy
-Do not share attorney-client privilege, so be mindful of what that looks like
What coaches ARE:
-Coaches give us a mirror which will help you see what your leadership looks like to others
-Gives an opportunity in a reflective space to have conversations about mindsets
-Provide safe, honest feedback for continuous mindset growth
Strategic Thinking :
-Coaches help you sharpen decision-making skills
-They are willing to have conversations about navigating complex issues, playing devil’s advocate to help you think through your response
-A strong coach is your accountability partner
If you need any assistance with this, head to veronicavsopher.com. If you want more info, please contact me or drop questions in the comments and be sure to share this episode with your colleagues! If you have any questions or suggestions for future topics, I'm here to listen. Thanks for tuning in to School Leader Soundbites.
Find me at: https://www.veronicavsopher.com/
Social: @VeronicaVSopher
*About Our Sponsor:* K12 Insight partners with schools and districts to build stronger relationships with parents, students, and staff. They believe trust is the foundation of successful education and offer solutions designed to foster engagement, promote transparency, and turn feedback into actionable results. Want to explore how Let's Talk and K12 Insight's comprehensive suite of customer service solutions can amplify your school's efforts and strategic goals? Visit: go.k12insight.com/sopher
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Veronica Sopher (00:00):
Veronica, hello, hello and welcome to
(00:09):
School Leader Soundbites. I'myour host, Veronica Sopher And I
have the honor ofcoming to youevery week, dropping new
episodes of our podcast where wetalk about school
communications, publicrelations, marketing and
advertising. So if you arelooking for some content on how
to improve your schooldistrict's visibility strategy,
you have found the right place.
I come to you every week withmore than 20 years of experience
in school communications, and Ilove talking about all the
(00:32):
things you need to know toimprove your school district's
presence in your community. Solet's go ahead and get this
episode started, but before wedo, don't forget to hit
subscribe. We don't want you tomiss any episodes of school
leader sound bites. And ifyou're watching on YouTube or
Facebook, drop us some comments.
All right. So let's starttalking about coaching. Now,
(00:53):
coaching before COVID was alittle bit different than post
COVID. So I remember beforeCOVID, there were a few
superintendents and leaders thatI was working with or friends
with who were really utilizingcoaching from an executive level
perspective. In other words,they had found executive coaches
(01:13):
who were helping them on theirleadership journeys, who were
helping them to become bettercommunicators, more reflective,
and it was really making thedifference. In fact, I think
that those of us who hadcoaching before COVID were more
successful, if that's possible,during COVID and all those
transitions, than those of uswho were not. But regardless, we
(01:34):
all made it through thattransition or that period of
time, and now we're in the K 12space dealing with issues that
are completely different, waymore volatile and really
dependent on what's happening atthe national level. So we know
that national politics play ahuge part in people's tones and
their reaction and how we engagewith each other, and this
(01:58):
absolutely trickles down ontothe campus level. So as you're
thinking about how you arenurturing and guiding your
campus leaders, whether it'sprincipals or assistant
principals or dealing with folksat Central Office, the thing
that we know that everyone needsthe most is an advocate in their
learning. We need a safe spaceto reflect on ourselves, on the
(02:21):
work that we're doing, on theway we are communicating, on the
way we are project managing.
Those are all things that weneed to be improving on. And I
think everyone would agree withthat. We also need a place where
there's some personalizeddevelopment. We need these the
safe feedback loops that aregoing to help us grow. We need
to focus on a continuousmindset. We need accountability
(02:42):
partners in every space thatwe're in, and we need to make
sure that we're preventingburnout, because we know that's
one of the things that a lot ofus struggled with in that
leadership role. And more thananything, we need to be modeling
for our staff. So let's take astep back and talk about what
coaches are and what they'renot. First, let me start with
(03:04):
what coaches are not. Coachesare not therapists. They are not
clinically trained to deal withmental health issues or some of
those more physiologicallyconnected issues that you might
be struggling with, maybeanxiety. But coaching can
complement any type of therapythat you're already getting, or
(03:24):
support medical support thatyou're that you're already
getting. So if you are in themarket for a coach, make sure
you have that conversation withthem. It's really important to
be open and honest. And theother thing I will tell you is
that coaches also don't sharethat doctor patient privilege or
the attorney client privilege.
(03:45):
So if you are working with thecoach, be mindful of what that
looks like. And I always tellpeople who are looking for a
coach that there's a couplethings to look for. Number one,
the type of training thatthey've gone through, whatever
type of certification that theyhave, because there's a lots of
good ones that are out there.
You just want to make sure it'sone that works for you. Works
for you. And if it's importantto you, then maybe find a coach
that has been in the K 12 space,because they'll know the battles
(04:08):
that you have been fightingagainst and the struggles that
you've been having to feel tornwithin, and the types of
environment that you're workingin. So if that's important to
you then find an executive coachor a professional coach that is
has been in the K 12 space. Nowthat's not to say that there
aren't really great coaches thatare not in the K 12 space, and I
(04:30):
can tell you for from experiencethat I've had two phenomenal
coaches, one from the K 12space, and one who was not. And
I learned and grew in workingwith both of them, and it made a
huge difference, not only in myown mindset, but in the way that
I led and managed teams.
Superintendents, as you areonboarding you leaders into your
(04:53):
system, remember that we can alluse a thought partner,
especially as we are on. Into anew district or into a new role,
having a thought partner thereto just bounce ideas off of and
get some one on one. Coaching iscrucial to optimizing your
leader, especially as we dealwith budget crunches and
polarizing narratives in ourcommunity. If you want to learn
(05:16):
more about our thought partnerAlliance, then make sure you
click the link below to giveyour team that extra support
they need with the thoughtpartner Alliance. Now let's go
back to reflective space andwhat that means. Coaches give us
a mirror, and that's important.
They help us see what it is thatother people are seeing, because
we might have an impression ofwhat it is we look like, how we
(05:38):
sound like, or how we're comingacross, and a good coach will
hold that mirror up to you sothat you can see what other
people are seeing, and it may beon point or it may not be what
you thought it was. And so theyhelp you have that conversation
without judgment and in a waythat helps you identify goals
and strategies to shift the wayyou are coming across. You know,
(06:01):
it's all about mindset. I oftenthink about that story that you
might have heard speakers talkabout sometimes, where two
brothers on Christmas day werecoming downstairs and they were
all excited to open theirpresents, and the one brother
sees a pile of manure, and he'sjust so frustrated and angry and
mad at Santa Claus for this pileof manure that's underneath
(06:24):
their tree, and he's angry andupset. And the other brother
sees the exact same thing andsays, Wow, this means there must
be a pony nearby. So it is theglass half empty, half full
conversation, and we do have theability to shift how we think
about conversations, and soworking with the coach gives you
(06:45):
an opportunity in thatreflective space to have some of
those conversations. And really,at the end of the day, it's
about professional, personalizeddevelopment, right? Every
learner has our own unique styleof learning. Some of us need to
hear things over and over. Someof us need an additional time to
process feedback that's beengiven to us. Some of us are
visual learners. Some of us areauditory learners. So when
(07:08):
you're working with a reallygood coach, they can tap into
how you learn best and help havethese conversations in a way
that will really move yourlearning further faster, right?
So it's that personalizeddevelopment that's what you need
to be looking for in a coach,and then, of course, that
continuous mindset. Aseducators, we're lifelong
(07:31):
learners. We talk about it allthe time. We publicly say that
our students, whether through agraduate Profile of a Graduate
or whatever type of document wecreate about the learners in our
district, we literally outlinegrowth mindset as part of it,
and sometimes we even do thatwhen we talk about what our
employees should be doing andhow they should be operating in
(07:53):
our district. So we have topractice what we preach. We have
to continuously be looking atways to make improvement,
adapting and learning to what'shappening, because things are
moving quickly. You know, in thestate of Texas, where I'm based,
out of our legislature meetsevery two years, and we have to
quickly adapt to legislationthat's changing. We have to
shift our processes. Andsometimes it's a pretty heavy
(08:16):
lift, and more times than not,it's not funded. So those
unfunded mandates can reallychallenge what it is we're
doing, and so we have to have acontinuous growth mindset when
we're looking at some of thosebigger projects that we have to
take on. And then I mentionedsafe feedback loops, and what a
good coach will do is offerhonest feedback that is
(08:40):
confidential in the setting, andit allows leaders to really
tackle some of our own blindspots that we might have and
adjust the approach that we wantto take without risking our
reputation. And so if you areworking on your communication
style, this is a great place topractice how you deliver that
communication and share surveyresults that you might be
(09:04):
getting from your team or thepeople that you lead, and really
digesting it and figuring outhow you can make improvements in
a way that helps you see thatthere's an opportunity for
growth and that there is lightat the end of the tunnel,
because we are not Always set inour ways, and we know that
dendrites can be we can go inand we can shift the way we
(09:24):
think about things and the waythat we process information, and
so it's just a matter ofretraining our brain and having
crucial conversations that willmake such a huge difference. So
now let's talk about some of thestrategic thinking that comes
along when you're working with acoach. Coaches help you sharpen
those decision making skills,and they are willing to have
(09:45):
conversations about reallycomplex issues, navigating
complex issues, playingdifficult devils advocate,
challenging some of your initialthoughts and positions on a
time. Topic, just so you canreally think through all of the
variables that might come upwith an issue that you're
(10:07):
thinking about. So having thatthought partner really someone
who's strategic, who's willingto listen to what you have to
say, and then help you thinkthrough all the pitfalls or all
of the challenges or responsesor rebuttals that might come
with that sometimes we needsomebody to step outside of the
conversation so that we haveconfidence while we're inside
(10:29):
the conversation to restructureit and make it more efficient
and more effective. And really,at the end of the day, a good,
strong coach is a is youraccountability partner, right?
It's the person who said, Now,you said you were going to do
this by this date. We wrote downthese goals. We're tracking it,
and let's identify if you'removing the needle. And so
(10:52):
whether you're looking atimproving your campus culture or
your district culture, orimplementing a new initiative,
the accountability partner willlook at those benchmarks that
you've set and decide if you arekeeping your word, and if there
is some opportunity for you torefocus your efforts, maybe you
have, maybe you missed adeadline, and it's okay to miss
(11:14):
a deadline, but you've got to beable to go back and recalibrate
and say, Okay, now, what are wegoing to do to get this project
back on track and make sure thatwe are putting together a
process that's going to make adifference and is going to be
effective. And that's reallyhard to do when you are
balancing a lot of balls in theair, and as a superintendent or
(11:34):
an executive a cabinet member oreven a campus leader, sometimes
the biggest concern is burnout,and we all want to prevent
burnout. Coaching helps youidentify what some of those
boundaries are, so that you'retaking care of yourself, right?
You're prioritizing your selfcare. You're avoiding burnout.
You know when there are highstakes issues coming up? You
(11:56):
know when things are going to beemotionally draining and there's
going to be a lot of demand fromthe campus and some of your
staff. So helping you planahead. And you know, a great
example of that is when I wasdoing a lot of traveling, my
coach said, Okay, you're goingto be on the road for about 15
days and only home for two. Whatare you going to do to make sure
(12:18):
you are taking care of yourself?
Are you going to be building indedicated email time. Are you
going to build in some of yournutrition and what that what
that's going to look like? Oh,you're going to a couple of
conferences. Let's make sure youpick restaurants where you're
going to be taking some of yourclients. And I look at the menu
ahead of time so you know what'sgoing to be a good option,
(12:38):
right? Because when you're tiredand you're exhausted, sometimes
you don't make the best choices.
But one of my favorite thingsthat my coach had me do was
identify the physical toll on mybody as I was traveling from
district to district, and Ibuilt in chiropractic
adjustments and massages, and itmade a world of difference,
because then I could show up atthe district I was supposed to
(12:59):
show up in fully refreshed andready to engage high energy and
pouring all of myself into thetraining that I was doing in
that district. And so makingsure that you have a system in
place to prevent burnout isgoing to be key to your success.
So a good coach will make sureyou're doing that. And then I
(13:19):
talked about modeling for staff,and that's really the one that's
most important. By activelyengaging in coaching, you're
setting a great example for allof your staff at every level,
your office staff, yourteachers, your principals,
everyone that that is in yoursystem, you're showing them that
seeking growth opportunities ishealthy. It's productive, it
(13:41):
makes a difference, and it canreally shift the entire energy
of a campus and or a department.
So modeling that type ofbehavior is going to make a huge
difference on your leadershipjourney.
So if you don't have a coach, Ihighly recommend you look for
one. I know a lot of the stateorganizations have coaching
models built in if you are aschool administrator, and
(14:04):
there's a lot of places that youcan do some research and find
out where people have got theircoaching certifications. And of
course, if you're looking for acoach, I highly recommend you
check out some my blog posts soyou can learn about how I coach
and the way that I focus a lotof my sessions. So more
information on that can be foundat Veronica V sopher.com so I
(14:25):
hope this information washelpful to you. Leaders. Don't
forget, if you don't have acoach, be open to getting one.
For not only you, but for thosethat you lead. You want to
provide a reflective space forpeople with some personalized
development. It's all about thatcontinuous growth mindset,
having a safe place forfeedback, and having a thought
(14:46):
partner who is doing some ofthat strategic thinking along
with you, and being anaccountability partner. That's
really important, because at theend of the day, we want to
prevent burnout, and model forour staff what it looks like to
be coachable.
So with that, I'm going to wrapup this episode of School Leader
Soundbites. If you are listeningon the podcast, make sure you
(15:07):
hit subscribe. We don't want youto miss any episodes of School
Leader Soundbites. And if youare watching on YouTube or
Facebook, drop some comments. Iwould love to connect. Be sure
to reach out to me atveronicavsopher.com and if you
are looking for a coach, makesure you reach out. We'll talk
to you soon.
Veronica, hello, hello and welcome to
(00:09):
School Leader Soundbites. I'myour host, Veronica Sopher And I
have the honor ofcoming to youevery week, dropping new
episodes of our podcast where wetalk about school
communications, publicrelations, marketing and
advertising. So if you arelooking for some content on how
to improve your schooldistrict's visibility strategy,
you have found the right place.
I come to you every week withmore than 20 years of experience
in school communications, and Ilove talking about all the
(00:32):
things you need to know toimprove your school district's
presence in your community. Solet's go ahead and get this
episode started, but before wedo, don't forget to hit
subscribe. We don't want you tomiss any episodes of school
leader sound bites. And ifyou're watching on YouTube or
Facebook, drop us some comments.
All right. So let's starttalking about coaching. Now,
(00:53):
coaching before COVID was alittle bit different than post
COVID. So I remember beforeCOVID, there were a few
superintendents and leaders thatI was working with or friends
with who were really utilizingcoaching from an executive level
perspective. In other words,they had found executive coaches
(01:13):
who were helping them on theirleadership journeys, who were
helping them to become bettercommunicators, more reflective,
and it was really making thedifference. In fact, I think
that those of us who hadcoaching before COVID were more
successful, if that's possible,during COVID and all those
transitions, than those of uswho were not. But regardless, we
(01:34):
all made it through thattransition or that period of
time, and now we're in the K 12space dealing with issues that
are completely different, waymore volatile and really
dependent on what's happening atthe national level. So we know
that national politics play ahuge part in people's tones and
their reaction and how we engagewith each other, and this
(01:58):
absolutely trickles down ontothe campus level. So as you're
thinking about how you arenurturing and guiding your
campus leaders, whether it'sprincipals or assistant
principals or dealing with folksat Central Office, the thing
that we know that everyone needsthe most is an advocate in their
learning. We need a safe spaceto reflect on ourselves, on the
(02:21):
work that we're doing, on theway we are communicating, on the
way we are project managing.
Those are all things that weneed to be improving on. And I
think everyone would agree withthat. We also need a place where
there's some personalizeddevelopment. We need these the
safe feedback loops that aregoing to help us grow. We need
to focus on a continuousmindset. We need accountability
(02:42):
partners in every space thatwe're in, and we need to make
sure that we're preventingburnout, because we know that's
one of the things that a lot ofus struggled with in that
leadership role. And more thananything, we need to be modeling
for our staff. So let's take astep back and talk about what
coaches are and what they'renot. First, let me start with
(03:04):
what coaches are not. Coachesare not therapists. They are not
clinically trained to deal withmental health issues or some of
those more physiologicallyconnected issues that you might
be struggling with, maybeanxiety. But coaching can
complement any type of therapythat you're already getting, or
(03:24):
support medical support thatyou're that you're already
getting. So if you are in themarket for a coach, make sure
you have that conversation withthem. It's really important to
be open and honest. And theother thing I will tell you is
that coaches also don't sharethat doctor patient privilege or
the attorney client privilege.
(03:45):
So if you are working with thecoach, be mindful of what that
looks like. And I always tellpeople who are looking for a
coach that there's a couplethings to look for. Number one,
the type of training thatthey've gone through, whatever
type of certification that theyhave, because there's a lots of
good ones that are out there.
You just want to make sure it'sone that works for you. Works
for you. And if it's importantto you, then maybe find a coach
that has been in the K 12 space,because they'll know the battles
(04:08):
that you have been fightingagainst and the struggles that
you've been having to feel tornwithin, and the types of
environment that you're workingin. So if that's important to
you then find an executive coachor a professional coach that is
has been in the K 12 space. Nowthat's not to say that there
aren't really great coaches thatare not in the K 12 space, and I
(04:30):
can tell you for from experiencethat I've had two phenomenal
coaches, one from the K 12space, and one who was not. And
I learned and grew in workingwith both of them, and it made a
huge difference, not only in myown mindset, but in the way that
I led and managed teams.
Superintendents, as you areonboarding you leaders into your
(04:53):
system, remember that we can alluse a thought partner,
especially as we are on. Into anew district or into a new role,
having a thought partner thereto just bounce ideas off of and
get some one on one. Coaching iscrucial to optimizing your
leader, especially as we dealwith budget crunches and
polarizing narratives in ourcommunity. If you want to learn
(05:16):
more about our thought partnerAlliance, then make sure you
click the link below to giveyour team that extra support
they need with the thoughtpartner Alliance. Now let's go
back to reflective space andwhat that means. Coaches give us
a mirror, and that's important.
They help us see what it is thatother people are seeing, because
we might have an impression ofwhat it is we look like, how we
(05:38):
sound like, or how we're comingacross, and a good coach will
hold that mirror up to you sothat you can see what other
people are seeing, and it may beon point or it may not be what
you thought it was. And so theyhelp you have that conversation
without judgment and in a waythat helps you identify goals
and strategies to shift the wayyou are coming across. You know,
(06:01):
it's all about mindset. I oftenthink about that story that you
might have heard speakers talkabout sometimes, where two
brothers on Christmas day werecoming downstairs and they were
all excited to open theirpresents, and the one brother
sees a pile of manure, and he'sjust so frustrated and angry and
mad at Santa Claus for this pileof manure that's underneath
(06:24):
their tree, and he's angry andupset. And the other brother
sees the exact same thing andsays, Wow, this means there must
be a pony nearby. So it is theglass half empty, half full
conversation, and we do have theability to shift how we think
about conversations, and soworking with the coach gives you
(06:45):
an opportunity in thatreflective space to have some of
those conversations. And really,at the end of the day, it's
about professional, personalizeddevelopment, right? Every
learner has our own unique styleof learning. Some of us need to
hear things over and over. Someof us need an additional time to
process feedback that's beengiven to us. Some of us are
visual learners. Some of us areauditory learners. So when
(07:08):
you're working with a reallygood coach, they can tap into
how you learn best and help havethese conversations in a way
that will really move yourlearning further faster, right?
So it's that personalizeddevelopment that's what you need
to be looking for in a coach,and then, of course, that
continuous mindset. Aseducators, we're lifelong
(07:31):
learners. We talk about it allthe time. We publicly say that
our students, whether through agraduate Profile of a Graduate
or whatever type of document wecreate about the learners in our
district, we literally outlinegrowth mindset as part of it,
and sometimes we even do thatwhen we talk about what our
employees should be doing andhow they should be operating in
(07:53):
our district. So we have topractice what we preach. We have
to continuously be looking atways to make improvement,
adapting and learning to what'shappening, because things are
moving quickly. You know, in thestate of Texas, where I'm based,
out of our legislature meetsevery two years, and we have to
quickly adapt to legislationthat's changing. We have to
shift our processes. Andsometimes it's a pretty heavy
(08:16):
lift, and more times than not,it's not funded. So those
unfunded mandates can reallychallenge what it is we're
doing, and so we have to have acontinuous growth mindset when
we're looking at some of thosebigger projects that we have to
take on. And then I mentionedsafe feedback loops, and what a
good coach will do is offerhonest feedback that is
(08:40):
confidential in the setting, andit allows leaders to really
tackle some of our own blindspots that we might have and
adjust the approach that we wantto take without risking our
reputation. And so if you areworking on your communication
style, this is a great place topractice how you deliver that
communication and share surveyresults that you might be
(09:04):
getting from your team or thepeople that you lead, and really
digesting it and figuring outhow you can make improvements in
a way that helps you see thatthere's an opportunity for
growth and that there is lightat the end of the tunnel,
because we are not Always set inour ways, and we know that
dendrites can be we can go inand we can shift the way we
(09:24):
think about things and the waythat we process information, and
so it's just a matter ofretraining our brain and having
crucial conversations that willmake such a huge difference. So
now let's talk about some of thestrategic thinking that comes
along when you're working with acoach. Coaches help you sharpen
those decision making skills,and they are willing to have
(09:45):
conversations about reallycomplex issues, navigating
complex issues, playingdifficult devils advocate,
challenging some of your initialthoughts and positions on a
time. Topic, just so you canreally think through all of the
variables that might come upwith an issue that you're
(10:07):
thinking about. So having thatthought partner really someone
who's strategic, who's willingto listen to what you have to
say, and then help you thinkthrough all the pitfalls or all
of the challenges or responsesor rebuttals that might come
with that sometimes we needsomebody to step outside of the
conversation so that we haveconfidence while we're inside
(10:29):
the conversation to restructureit and make it more efficient
and more effective. And really,at the end of the day, a good,
strong coach is a is youraccountability partner, right?
It's the person who said, Now,you said you were going to do
this by this date. We wrote downthese goals. We're tracking it,
and let's identify if you'removing the needle. And so
(10:52):
whether you're looking atimproving your campus culture or
your district culture, orimplementing a new initiative,
the accountability partner willlook at those benchmarks that
you've set and decide if you arekeeping your word, and if there
is some opportunity for you torefocus your efforts, maybe you
have, maybe you missed adeadline, and it's okay to miss
(11:14):
a deadline, but you've got to beable to go back and recalibrate
and say, Okay, now, what are wegoing to do to get this project
back on track and make sure thatwe are putting together a
process that's going to make adifference and is going to be
effective. And that's reallyhard to do when you are
balancing a lot of balls in theair, and as a superintendent or
(11:34):
an executive a cabinet member oreven a campus leader, sometimes
the biggest concern is burnout,and we all want to prevent
burnout. Coaching helps youidentify what some of those
boundaries are, so that you'retaking care of yourself, right?
You're prioritizing your selfcare. You're avoiding burnout.
You know when there are highstakes issues coming up? You
(11:56):
know when things are going to beemotionally draining and there's
going to be a lot of demand fromthe campus and some of your
staff. So helping you planahead. And you know, a great
example of that is when I wasdoing a lot of traveling, my
coach said, Okay, you're goingto be on the road for about 15
days and only home for two. Whatare you going to do to make sure
(12:18):
you are taking care of yourself?
Are you going to be building indedicated email time. Are you
going to build in some of yournutrition and what that what
that's going to look like? Oh,you're going to a couple of
conferences. Let's make sure youpick restaurants where you're
going to be taking some of yourclients. And I look at the menu
ahead of time so you know what'sgoing to be a good option,
(12:38):
right? Because when you're tiredand you're exhausted, sometimes
you don't make the best choices.
But one of my favorite thingsthat my coach had me do was
identify the physical toll on mybody as I was traveling from
district to district, and Ibuilt in chiropractic
adjustments and massages, and itmade a world of difference,
because then I could show up atthe district I was supposed to
(12:59):
show up in fully refreshed andready to engage high energy and
pouring all of myself into thetraining that I was doing in
that district. And so makingsure that you have a system in
place to prevent burnout isgoing to be key to your success.
So a good coach will make sureyou're doing that. And then I
(13:19):
talked about modeling for staff,and that's really the one that's
most important. By activelyengaging in coaching, you're
setting a great example for allof your staff at every level,
your office staff, yourteachers, your principals,
everyone that that is in yoursystem, you're showing them that
seeking growth opportunities ishealthy. It's productive, it
(13:41):
makes a difference, and it canreally shift the entire energy
of a campus and or a department.
So modeling that type ofbehavior is going to make a huge
difference on your leadershipjourney.
So if you don't have a coach, Ihighly recommend you look for
one. I know a lot of the stateorganizations have coaching
models built in if you are aschool administrator, and
(14:04):
there's a lot of places that youcan do some research and find
out where people have got theircoaching certifications. And of
course, if you're looking for acoach, I highly recommend you
check out some my blog posts soyou can learn about how I coach
and the way that I focus a lotof my sessions. So more
information on that can be foundat Veronica V sopher.com so I
(14:25):
hope this information washelpful to you. Leaders. Don't
forget, if you don't have acoach, be open to getting one.
For not only you, but for thosethat you lead. You want to
provide a reflective space forpeople with some personalized
development. It's all about thatcontinuous growth mindset,
having a safe place forfeedback, and having a thought
(14:46):
partner who is doing some ofthat strategic thinking along
with you, and being anaccountability partner. That's
really important, because at theend of the day, we want to
prevent burnout, and model forour staff what it looks like to
be coachable.
So with that, I'm going to wrapup this episode of School Leader
Soundbites. If you are listeningon the podcast, make sure you
(15:07):
hit subscribe. We don't want youto miss any episodes of School
Leader Soundbites. And if youare watching on YouTube or
Facebook, drop some comments. Iwould love to connect. Be sure
to reach out to me atveronicavsopher.com and if you
are looking for a coach, makesure you reach out. We'll talk
to you soon.
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