School Leader Discovers a Hidden Treasure
Where leadership and students are involved, you will likely find Joe Coles.
From teacher, counselor, principal, and athletic coach to an independent consultant for the last 20 years, Joe’s passion about empowering students to become leaders has never waned. You don’t have to dig deep to see how his care has been a treasure for all those he encounters. But if you do dig a little deeper, you’ll also find out about another treasure he’s recently discovered. “I wish I would have had this when I first got into education,” he said. “This would have helped me in all my previous experiences.”
What treasure has this already rich-with-purpose consultant found?
It’s coaching. And it was offered by the Superintendent of the school district that subcontracts Joe as the leader of their mental health team. In teams of two, leaders meet with a coach to learn essential coaching skills as they encounter all kinds of people with all kinds of responses to the disruption of the pandemic.
“My partner felt he didn’t have enough time, so I asked I could continue by myself. It was one the best decisions I’ve made recently!”
Q: In your role as mental health team leader, what’s one thing coaching has done for you?
Joe: For one, I not only feel more comfortable but I look also forward to helping lead in more areas that I used to hide from. I have confidence to take on tough situations and see conflict as a challenge to make things better.
Q: In your role as student-led leadership consultant nationwide, what’s one thing coaching has impacted?
Joe: I have much more confidence that what we’re teaching is the right thing. This alone motivates me and excites me, which boosts my belief in “why” I am teaching! I’ve also walk away with ideas for my student leadership training, educational staff training, and in staff training I provide for corporate businesses.”
Q: Did your expectations about coaching match your experience?
Joe: I didn’t know a lot about coaching. All I knew was that I wanted the experience to help make me a better person and leader. I’ve learned that by focusing on my own development, it spills over into better helping other people. That is essential when you’re part of a team focused on enhancing school culture.
Q: What would you say to someone considering a coaching relationship?
Joe: In these uncommon times, it is really important to have someone you trust…someone you trust with your ideas…someone that will be honest with you…someone that doesn’t just give you answers to your questions but helps you figure things out yourself. This is exactly what I received with my coach.
A district that assembles a mental health team, and also empowers the team with the option of coaching for themselves, understands this jewel of mental health: to tend to others well, we must first tend to ourselves.
Reflect: What ways am I (or my team, district, organization) being intentional about mental health?
Journal: If I felt just 10% more confident, I would…
To contact Joe to inquire about his coaching experience, consulting business, or how his district is funding a supporting mental health, email him.
To contact Rachel to inquire about coaching, email her.
To talk to our team about what INspired Leadership work can do for your work culture, email us here.
Rachel is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through International Coaching Federation (ICF) for INspired Leadership at ESSDACK. She helps professionals master self-leadership. She holds a Masters Degree in Counseling, holds her two children close to heart, and believes everyone holds the key to their own success. To learn more to learn more, schedule a discovery call here, or email Rachel here.
Impact Work Culture
To talk to our team about what INspired Leadership work can do for your culture, email us here or check out our website.