Dear {tag_recipientfirstname}

The Knowing-Doing Gap (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000) is a well-established phenomenon. We know what we should do, but there is often a gap between that intention and the implementation of those intentions. A range of factors can impact upon this gap – not knowing where to start on a big issue; the sheer busyness of life; the shifting nature of priorities… a whole host of things really. Similar challenges arise when school leaders begin to plan for any change in their school context. It can be a challenge to move from an understanding of what’s wanted to actually implementing in a comprehensive and coherent way for all involved.

Using a Solution Focused Strategy Canvas Approach can help school leadership teams work through these challenges and establish effective implementation plans. To learn more about this approach read our feature article Mind the Gap, below.

Exploring this topic further, this month’s podcast interview with Maria Serafim, a Director with NSW Public Schools, explores the success she is having using a Solutions Focus coaching approach in school improvement strategies. This inspiring and thought-provoking podcast is shared below for those who might have missed the email alert earlier this month.

I am pleased to share the news that our book, The Leader’s Guide to Coaching in Schools: Creating Conditions for Effective Learning, co-written with Dr Christian van Nieuwerburgh, has recently arrived on our shores! If you are in Sydney on the 21 November I’d like to extend an invitation to you to attend the launch. More about the book and the launch below.

As usual, we hope you find this newsletter a useful read.

Best wishes,
John Campbell
Executive Director

Mind the Gap

By Jason Pascoe & John Campbell

Recently, the team at Growth Coaching International has had considerable success using a Solution Focused Strategy Canvas Approach (Shariff & Abington, 2010) to help school leadership teams work through challenges and establish effective implementation plans.

The approach is based on the Solutions Focus principles articulated by Paul Jackson and Mark McKergow (Jackson & McKergow, 2007). In their simplest form, Solutions Focus theories and practices involve exploring: What’s Wanted? What’s Already Working? and What’s Next?

The key components of the Strategy Canvas approach include:

• The shift: From problem-focused planning to solution building

• Building a platform, not a vision: Establishing outcomes for the planning process

• Bringing others into the strategy: Multiple perspectives fit the facts

• Creating the narrative of the plan: So, what’s the story?

• Key success factors: Painting your canvas

• Scaling your success factors: Looking for resources

• Moving to action: Small steps

Let’s consider each of these components in turn...

Continue to full article Mind the Gap

Coaching in Education Podcast Series

This month we shared a podcast interview with Maria Serafim on Using a Solutions Focus Coaching Approach in School Improvement Strategies.

Maria Serafim is a Director with NSW Public Schools where she has worked for more than a decade and currently supports 32 Principals. Maria is well-known to many in the field of education leadership, in particular for her application of a ‘Solutions Focused’ coaching approach to strategy and planning.

Maria’s story is an important one in terms of engaging, learning and growing for impact and improvement in education.

To explore other podcast and case studies browse the resources section of our website.

Recommended Resource

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new book, The Leader’s Guide to Coaching in Schools: Creating Conditions for Effective Learning (Australian Edition), co-written by John Campbell and Dr Christian van Nieuwerburgh, and published by Corwin.

The Leader's Guide to Coaching in Schools offers a proven, accessible, and usable framework to increase your interpersonal effectiveness and grow your ability to coach your staff to overcome obstacles and create their own solutions. Through sample questions, video examples, and tools, this step-by-step guide shows you how to:

• Introduce a coaching approach into a wide range of conversational contexts

• Use the GROWTH coaching conversation framework to improve both staff and student success and well-being

• Use coaching approaches in areas that school leaders typically find challenging: in formal performance reviews, when giving informal feedback, and when working with teams

Help your staff get “unstuck,” no matter what challenges they are facing, by using solution-focused coaching techniques that help them envision desired outcomes and the actions needed to achieve them.

"The GROWTH coaching model should be in every administrator’s hand as their bible for school improvement. Having this guide will guarantee success and getting the best out of all stakeholders.”
—Elizabeth Alvarez, Principal, John C. Dore Elementary, Chicago, USA

ACEL CONFERENCE COMPETITION WINNERS

We were delighted to catch up with many of our client School Leaders at the recent ACEL Conference in Sydney. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our stand to say hello.

For those who missed Chris Munro and Jason Pascoe's session, or would like to review the content again, we have loaded the slides and handout on A Coaching Culture for Learning here.

Congratulations to Paul from Caulfield Grammar in VIC for winning our prize of a 2-day Introduction to Leadership Coaching professional learning program. And congrats also to Jo from St Patrick’s Primary School in NSW for winning a copy of The Leader’s Guide to Coaching in Schools.

If you missed the conference, you can view the highlights on Twitter by searching on the hashtag #acelconf17.