If I'm not careful, I'll find myself overusing a powerful question as I coach - What are your next steps?

Instructional coaches serve a vital role in schools today. Serving as the depositories of knowledge, in both content and instructional...

Coaches lose integrity (and effectiveness) by damaging acts of commission and omission.

Integrity can be targeted and grown just like muscles for a body builder. Focusing on commitments is a great place to start.

Coaches with character and integrity consistently find no gap between their words and their actions.

Integrity, at its heart, flows from credibility, courage, and conscience.

Character is crucial to coaching. Successful coach-leaders strive to win the right way and achieve results through integrity.

Listening flows from the character of a coach and is strengthened by certain principles and skills.

Coaches must monitor their body language, their beliefs about their position in relation to their teachers, and their role within dialogues.

Coaches should approach their teachers with an intention of showing and fostering respect rather than proving their superiority.

When a coach is fully present and pays attention to filters and emotions, the focus is on instruction instead of on the coach.

After years in administration, I found that the best way to improve instruction is not through supervision but coaching.