Sweet Spot Coaching Goals

This post adds to the series about personal attributes that you can enrich this summer and bring to your coaching in the fall. This week, I’ve been thinking about the “sweet spot” for goals – that place where there is just enough stretch to be challenging but not frustrating. Let’s consider the “sweet spot” principle from a personal perspective, then consider how it applies to coaching work.
 
I want to begin with the premise that LIFE, as we live it, should be enjoyable! We don’t have to wait until we get to some uncertain distant point to be happy. We can find joy in the journey. This is also true, more specifically, as we consider personal and professional goals.
 
Think of a goal you have set for yourself this summer. If it isn’t quite named yet, that’s fine – just think about something you are hoping to do or learn. Now, how can you achieve that goal and have fun along the way? Fun doesn’t have to mean easy: people are made to learn and grow and develop – they are not made to be stagnant. Choosing the enjoyable path toward your goal means stretching enough so that there’s achievable challenge. This is invigorating! Working hard can be satisfying. We may have to sacrifice, try something new, or push uncomfortably at times as we work toward our goal. For example, If I want to get my next book done, I may have to write at times when I don’t really feel like it – I may have to make myself feel like it! If I want to be more physically fit, I know I’ll have to lift weights that are a bit heavier than what’s comfortable. Growth requires challenge. But…
 
As soon as the challenge crosses over into frustration, impatience, or judging myself for not achieving my goal or getting there fast enough, I know I have not set an appropriate goal, or I have not chosen a good path to get there.
 
We all have a sweet spot – and it is different for each individual and for each kind of skill or knowledge that we want to develop. When we’re in that sweet spot, we have small wins, and we are motivated to keep trying. It’s worth it to stay in the sweet spot, even if it seems like it might take longer to achieve our goals. When we are operating in our sweet spot, we can persist and stick it out for the long haul. We can become the person who lives or does the thing, rather than just experiencing it temporarily before returning to our former ways.
 
Now, let’s think about helping others achieve their goals. There’s a difference between nudging someone in a way that is invigorating to them – that is exciting and causes them to want to keep going – versus pushing so hard that they’re frustrated.
 
When we think about how to help teachers learn and grow and develop skills and knowledge, we want to keep them in their sweet spot. We want the process, overall, to be enjoyable and we want it to be challenging enough so that teachers aren’t bored or stagnant with the work we’re doing together. Teachers will have their own professional goals, and we can help them achieve them by offering support within what Vygotsky called the zone of proximal development – where they can accomplish something with support that they would not be able to do on their own. I’ve seen teachers grow into more-effective question-askers; I’ve seen them use read-alouds more effectively; I’ve seen writing workshop become a smooth and effective process – all with a bit of stretch and the encouragement and support of an instructional coach.
 
As you keep yourself and the teachers you work with in the sweet spot on the road to achieving goals, hopefully you’ll all find yourself enjoying the journey!
 
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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:

Setting SMART goals with students:
 
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/smart-goal-setting-with-students-maurice-elias
 
 
Taking teaching risks pays off:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/take-a-chance/
 
 
To drill, or not to drill – that is the question posed in this blog post:
 
http://thejournal.com/articles/2015/01/19/memorize.aspx
 
The importance of teacher reflection:
 
https://www.thoughtco.com/importance-of-teacher-reflection-8322
 
 
A short TED Talk on everyday leadership and lollipop moments (a great ice-breaker for back-to-school meetings):
http://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership
 
 
That’s it for this week.  Happy Coaching!
 
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Hooray!!! My book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner is available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! You can use the code: JUN2023 for 15% off plus FREE SHIPPING. Click  here  and I’ll email you the free Book Group Study Guide that includes questions, prompts, and activities you can use as you share the book with colleagues.  I hope you’ll love this book as much as I loved making it for you!
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