For
educators on a traditional calendar, summertime can be a rejuvenating change of
pace. For coaches, it can also be a time to consider personal attributes that
could have benefits both now and in your future coaching work. Today’s post is
the third in a series about such attributes (if you haven’t read “Be
Where You Are,” and “Lighten
Up” you might want to check them out).
Last
week’s post talked about facing a challenge with playfulness. In that post, I
suggested that you think of a summertime goal that you could be playful with.
But
challenge that leads to growth will always include some discomfort – that’s
what makes it a challenge!
I
like the sports analogy I heard recently about being prepared to face a goal.
In soccer, we make sure our kids have shin guards on before heading into the
game. Hockey players have all kinds of padding, plus a helmet, before skating
toward the goal. We can face challenges with grace and persistence if we are
geared up.
We
are geared up if we have the necessary tools for working toward our goal. This
includes both materials and ideas or psychological tools. Let’s think about
this from the perspective of one of your personal summertime goals. If you want
to reorganize your kitchen cupboards, you might buy some trays and baskets. You
might need to be willing to purge some expired canned goods. You probably have
to carve out some dedicated time for getting the job done. You might need a
plan for organization.
If
a healthier body is a summertime goal for you, you might want to get an
exercise buddy who will run with you; you might want to sign up for a class at
the gym. You might throw away your tempting stash of Girl Scout cookies and
restock the vegetable bin in your fridge. You’ll need confidence that carries
you through the ups and downs of the process as you move toward your goal. You
may need to try something and fail, and playfully say, “Well, that didn’t work.
What will I try next?” You might even want a health coach! All of these
materials and attitudes serve as a protective later.
When
you fail while working toward a goal, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Don’t
take it personally. If you are geared up, you can take the ball to the goal, knowing
that if the goalie hits the puck back, you have your pads and helmet. If you’re
up against a defender, you have your shin guards on. You’re okay with not
getting the soccer ball in the net the first time. It doesn’t mean anything
about yourself as a player – that’s just part of the game. You are ready to try
again.
If
you’re working on your own summertime goal and you don’t get there right away,
it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to figure it out – it just
means you didn’t get a goal yet, so you’re going to try another approach. Be
proud of yourself for trying!
If
you don’t have that protective layer in some area of your life, you can work on
it. But also, if you’re not protected, don’t run up and get kicked in the shins
or take a hockey puck to the chest. Rushing in without your protective gear on could
do more harm than good. The goal isn’t worth it if you’re going to have serious
injury in the process. If working toward the goal feels overly emotional, or
you notice you’re being hard on yourself, you’re probably not geared up. If you
take care of yourself first, you’ll be ready to push toward the goal later. You
can remind yourself that achieving a goal is just part of the game, and you
want to have fun in the process!
As
you think about next year’s coaching work, what do you want to add to your
protective layer? What gear do you need to face the challenges that are part of
working toward any worthy goal? Would a principal-coach
agreement give you more confidence? Would creating a schedule that
prioritized time with teachers make you more effective? (The research suggests
it would.) Are their coaching skills you could drill on now?
Think
about the teachers you’ll be working with. What gear would help them move more
successfully toward their goals? Are their materials that are lacking? Does the
daily school schedule allocate time in ways the support the hoped-for progress?
When something doesn’t work, is there a lightness that allows teachers to move
forward and try again? What would add to their protective layer and their
confidence?
The
habit of gearing up that you develop as you work toward summertime goals can be
carried into your coaching work. You can make sure your protective gear is in
place and help teachers gear up, too.
Goals
are meant to be challenging. It wouldn’t be a challenge if there were no
opponents – barriers on the path to the goal are expected. There will be
defenders all around the goal! But if we
are geared up, we can confidently take another shot – and another! We are
designed to keep trying, to see what we can do, to strive for the next thing.
But don’t forget the water breaks, the timeouts, the play on the field, and the
celebration after a goal. Don’t forget the protective layer! When you are
geared up with materials and mental tools, you are ready to shoot for the goal!
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Treat YOURSELF to PD for coaches! Come spend 2 days (Aug. 1 &
2) in Northwest Arkansas with Jim Knight, Vicki Collet, September Gerety, Afton
Schleiff and a host of other coaches at the
NWA Instructional Coaching Conference. Be:
Ignited.
Illuminated. Inspired.
For the cost of the included
lunches
($35), you can take your coaching to the next level!
As a coach, I know how hard it is to
find PD that is just for you. Well, this is it! I'm excited to have
received a grant to sponsor the conference, and I hope you'll join us! Register
here:
https://tinyurl.com/CoachingConf2023
Check out
this flier for
details and reach out to me (collet@uark.edu) with questions and suggestions.
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This
week, you might want to take a look at:
Useful
data collected from the rocking chair:
