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Colleagues,
Quick: what are your core values? Can you state them? I heard Jimmy Casas talk about his core values in a recent keynote and it got me thinking about my own. I knew I had some, but I hadn’t fully articulated them. Now I’m working on them and I’m surprised at how much coherence they are bringing to my thinking. If you don’t have your core values clearly spelled out, why not take 60-seconds right now to capture your first thoughts? Better yet, type them into a reply to this email so you have a record and I get to see them. I’ll reply back with my core values. Win-win-win. Cheers! Frederick
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Colleagues,
I know you want to paraphrase and share your thoughts, but this process is not about you! As soon as you take the microphone you are shifting the attention to you and taking back the gift you just gave. Frequently people will ask for feedback. The pod episode goes into how to handle that – you can listen to it here. If you have hours every day to support and grow people, you do not need to master 5-minute coaching. If you are like the rest of us and spend the majority of your time putting out fires, you need to learn this technique. Five minutes, five steps, lasting impact. Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
Be careful, this is where people trip up. As leaders, we are always assessing how people can get better. In our effort to be helpful, we want to tell them how they can get better. But in the 5-minute coaching process, giving feedback defeats the purpose. This is time for them to reflect, not you. It’s not about you! Step 4: Ask “Would you do anything differently?” Again, no is acceptable. But watch what happens when people say yes, and then go on to excitedly tell you what change they would (or will) make. People become their own problem solvers! Cheers! Frederick Colleagues, I think the second question in 5-minute coaching is the most powerful. Ask this question and watch people reflect deeply. Step 3: Ask “Did anything surprise you?” “No” is an acceptable answer. This is about what they think, not what you think. If the answer is always no, that indicates a lack of trust and you have some work to do building relationships. Why this works: On our own we frequently process the good and the bad, but we rarely process the surprising. When you ask this question, the person will replay the entire event in their head. They are re-processing from a new perspective, so it drives critical reflection, which unlocks learning. To dive deeper into 5-minute coaching, you can listen here. I’m happy to acknowledge Kaleidoscope Adventures as a sponsor of yesterday’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast! I appreciate their support and encourage you to connect with them if you are thinking about planning a school trip!  Cheers!
Frederick Colleagues, You’ll hear me breakdown all the whole 5-minute coaching process on today’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast, but here we are just going to focus on the first question. Step 2: Ask “What went well?” This question can be about a specific event, execution of a skill or project, or a unit of time. Note – if you are intrigued at all you should listen to the episode. I get into all the nuances and details and #HotTake it’s not just for assistant principals! It is important to lead with this question because it sets a positive tone and allows people to celebrate themselves. Thanks again to IXL for sponsoring today’s episode.  Cheers!
Frederick |
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