Becoming Coach-Ready

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Before seeking out expertise, you and your school must prepare. The first step is usually to secure funding either through your school's operational budget or another source. Next, develop a clear and concise statement of the purpose of your project. The statement should explain:

  • Why are you seeking an outside expert?
  • What are the critical issues you're trying to address?
  • What have you tried in the past?
  • What kind of resources do you feel will help you?

Finally, prepare—logistically and mentally—to hear and act on suggestions from your coach.

  • Think clearly about your school's problems and how to communicate them to your coach.
  • Be honest about challenges and be prepared to face them squarely.
  • Budget for your coach and the work he or she recommends.
  • Have the professional staff, lay leaders, and infrastructure in place to work with the coach and implement his or her recommendations.
  • Your head of school and board chair should have a good relationship and be aligned with your school's vision.
  • Your head of school should be actively engaged in the coaching process, empower professional staff to be engaged, and provide staff with the resources to make changes.
  • All levels of lay and professional staff should be receptive and enthusiastic participants; everyone should understand the problems to be addressed and the implications of addressing them (for example, doing extra work and making changes).
  • Be open to the possibility that what you identify as a problem may be a symptom of a deeper issue. You may need to address this root problem, and your path to a solution may differ from your expectations.

Though you may not be able to take all of these steps before engaging outside expertise, in PEJE's experience, schools derive optimum benefit from outside expertise if they are "coach-ready"—in other words, if they prepare to be coached.

An excellent place to start is with CompassPoint's FAQ 's about consultants and Connecticut Nonprofits' How to Hire a Consultant. They cover everything from preparation to interviewing, checking references, and contracting.

It may also be helpful to read PEJE articles on the subject of coaching: