Executive Coaching creates an ongoing, confidential partnership that:
• develops specific action steps to address challenges that will work in a leader’s context, and
• provides the support needed to implement these steps.
Executive Coaching is not just for the Head of School. It is also helpful in developing those emerging leaders in need of additional support in taking on new challenges.
While each Head of School strives to meet the needs of students, teachers, boards and communities, no Head is fully prepared to do so from the first day on the job. To help new Heads, and therefore their schools, reach their potential we have developed our Head of School mentoring program.
Many new and aspiring Heads report feeling unprepared to take on the challenge of managing school finances. From developing budgets to setting tution and ensuring equitable compensation for faculty, the responsibilities of a Head are distinctive in a school. To help school leaders build the financial literacy necessary to be a successful Head of School we have developed a 10-month, 1-on-1 mentoring program.
In our Athletic Director mentoring program, ADs meet regularly over the course of the school year with Dr. Tim Green, a highly experienced and successful AD. Tim acts as an advisor, guide, and sounding board to help mentees plan, institute, and sustain changes in practices and programs, making this service a cost-effective and substantive form of professional development.
In our CFO mentoring program, independent school financial expert Mike Waylett provides support and practical advice based on years of leadership experience. Acting as a critical friend, Mike provides mentees with conversational space. He starts each relationship by listening and understanding the issues the CFO is facing and those that are on the horizon. Over a ten-month period, Mike meets regularly with mentees, serves as a soundingboard, and provides timely, relevant, and actionable advice.
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
–African proverb
A Leadership Team works together to achieve goals across the school. But being part of a team means different viewpoints and approaches to challenges—and educators usually have little practice working together towards a common goal. The Workshop explores options and then focuses on actions along with aligned accountability. Through a sequence of planned activities, new team practices are reinforced to ensure long-term success.
The success and effectiveness of a division is directly tied to the strength and capability of its director. As the driving force behind the division's vision and execution, a strong Division Director not only shapes the educational environment but also inspires faculty and students to achieve excellence. Our mentoring program offers a comprehensive curriculum covering a wide array of topics such as leadership style, supervisory tools, budgeting, conflict management, and Emotional Intelligence (EI).
Head Coaches and their highly visible sports teams are front-line representatives of the school and its mission. The demands of sustaining top-flight sports programs are convincing many veteran coaches to leave the field. Schools need help retaining leaders with essential knowledge, enthusiasm, professionalism, and commitment. Head Coaches, particularly newer ones, need support in mastering the components of an outstanding athletics program and dealing with the stresses and pitfalls that can derail any career.
Rod, who has served in leadership positions in independent schools in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Hawai`i, and North Carolina, serves as our Director of Executive Coaching and has led the development of our coaching services for member schools. He brings three essential components to our coaching programs:
-proven independent school leadership,
-International Coaching Federation training (the largest coaching certification organization in the world), and
-Hogan Assessment certification.