Case: ”My coach gave me confirmation and confidence in my new role”
The school hired a young, new head master with long experience as pedagogue and unofficial leader of schoolwork, but she had only little actual staff management experience.When accepting the position as head of the school, she did it on several important conditions. One of them was that she wanted the support of a coach during the first six months.
The head master role has changed
- Working as head of a school today is so different from before, perhaps especially when working in a non public school, says the head master and continues;- I see this school as a company. I am Managing Director, Human Resource Manager, Head of Sales and responsible for the school as a whole. We sell a service, and it should be of such high quality that the families in this area want their children to go here. This is why it is so important that I am a good leader and that I feel comfortable in my role as leader. My coach from PlanB has played an important part in this work.
Important to choose coach carefully
Since the head master had previous experience from coaching from when she headed a preschool, she knew the important criteria in the choice of coach. She also knew what she wanted to gain from working with a coach.
- It is important that the coach has the right background and experience, which my coach from PlanB definitely had, she says and continues;- It was not only typical management issues that I needed support with. I also needed assistance with school related concerns and problems. My coach had deep knowledge about school legislation, which was of great value to me.
Lonely to be leader
- You are quite alone as school leader. Despite the fact that you can discuss different matters in your school networks, quite often it is not possible due to matters of secrecy and integrity, says the head master and ads; - My coach came from the outside, and with her I could discuss all matters that I felt a need to discuss. I felt that she could understand my everyday life and in my stories she could understand the school operation. Since she had the right background and knowledge, she could also ask the right questions, which is extremely important for how valuable the coaching is to me.
“-My coach confirmed me in my work”
- The most obvious effect these six months with Eva has had is that I feel confirmed and strengthened in my role, the head master says and concludes;- She helped me by telling me that I was on the right track, and I now feel much more confident in my role as head master.
