“Part of being a leader is building other peoples’ capacity to do their work well, and because of that, coaching is essential to every single leaders’ role.”
These were the words shared by Nancy Gutiérrez, President and Lead Executive Officer of The Leadership Academy, during a December webinar focused on the organization’s new book, Coaching Education Leaders: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Transforming Schools and Systems. Hosted by The Hunt Institute, Gutiérrez was joined by co-authors and fellow Leadership Academy colleagues Michelle Jarney, Executive Director of Learning & Strategy, and Michael Kim, Senior Director of Leadership Development.
During the live broadcast, the authors unpacked their groundbreaking “Facilitative Competency-Based (FCB)” approach to coaching, rooted in over two decades of partnering with school and school system leaders to create transformative learning for all students.
“FCB Coaching is not about helping people become more reflective or more self-actualized humans; it’s specifically about developing leaders who have the capacity to ensure that every one of their students gets to learn in an environment that’s designed for them to thrive,” said Jarney.
Coaching Education Leaders draws on The Leadership Academy’s deep experience with supporting schools and school systems in creating transformative learning environments where students feel challenged, affirmed, and held to the highest academic standards. The book helps leaders of all levels to center equity in their coaching conversations by moving beyond scheduling, observations, and other rote tasks.
“Transforming schools and school systems is really difficult work, and we know that discomfort is inherent,” said Kim. “The key to coaching, and bringing a coachee to the learning edge, is to prioritize growth over comfort.”
Said Gutiérrez, “this book is so rich. It really is a tool that is essential to the leadership practice.”
Watch the webinar here: