ISM believes that the primary job of academic administrators (e.g., Division Heads and Department Chairs) is to coach and mentor faculty toward outstanding performance. The question that this begs is: Who is supposed to coach and mentor the coaches? The answer: You (the Head of School)! Given the ever-increasing demands placed on Heads, this might seem an unrealistic suggestion. To this, we ask: How would it affect your day if a myriad of ordinary student, parent, and faculty issues were resolved before they ever reached your desk? We suspect it might free up considerable time and energy—time and energy that can be put toward projects and initiatives with strategic impact to the school.
How can this be achieved, then? Acknowledging that significant change isn’t easy or simple for any person or organization, we can offer a four-step plan for making this a reality:
- Step 1: Reconceive your role as the “coach of coaches.” This may be the most critical step, in the sense that shifting your view will automatically help reprioritize how you spend your time, the activities that fill your calendar, etc.
- Step 2: Study, learn, and practice. Seek out books, blogs, and other resources on coaching and mentoring. Some of our favorite leadership and coaching blogs are: Dan Rockwell’s Leadership Freak and Scott Eblin’s Next Level Leadership.
- Step 3: Tell your Board Chair about your new approach. He/she will be excited and supportive of your endeavor. Most importantly, saying it out loud to your “boss,” will make it real … and will hold you accountable.
- Step 4: Just Do It. Don’t say a word to your team … just start coaching. By this, we don’t mean interfering in their day-to-day responsibilities or becoming a micromanager. Rather, we mean proactively seeking out your administrators, making time to hear and advise on their concerns and issues, and generally “being there” for them in a way that you probably haven’t had time for previously. If this is a real and lasting change, they’ll notice it in short order, and will start seeking you out for more coaching and guidance … all without a word being said directly.
By doing so, you’ll be role-modeling coaching and mentoring for the coaches and mentors, creating a self-sustaining platform for super-charging faculty (and ultimately, student) performance.
Additional ISM resources of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 10 No. 1 Coaching and Mentoring Administrators
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 10 No. 8 Re-Designing Your Teacher Evaluation Process
Additional resources for ISM Consortium Gold Members
Ideas & Perspectives Vol. 37 No.1 Developing Faculty Through Coaching and Mentoring
Ideas & Perspectives Vol. 33 No.4 ISM’s Standards for Professional Growth and Renewal
