What drives you? What makes you tick? What are you passionate about? What ideas would you uphold no matter your profession? These philosophical questions can seem like toxic positivity at best or a complete waste of time at worst. Yet, leaving them unanswered can often leave us in a rut both personally and professionally. Taking time to identify my core values and explore what matters most to me both in life and more specifically as an instructional leader has been essential in shaping my coaching mindset and beliefs. Creating clarity around what I truly believe about coaching teachers and leaders serves as a compass when navigating the daily work of educational leadership. Whether it is deciding how to respond to the diverse needs of campuses or how to present professional learning that resonates with adult learners, my coaching beliefs anchor me. Thought leader Brene Brown reminds us that our values help us find our way in the dark and give us that feeling of purpose. Burnout is often so real because we are forced to focus our attention, energy and effort on things that don’t drive us, that we aren’t passionate about. Quite frankly, it can be demoralizing. Yet, I am a huge believer in focusing on my circle of control, it is liberating. When I know what I value it is much easier for me to see through the fog of chaos and identify what I can control and influence.
I value fairness, optimism and learning. These values have formed my “Core Coaching Beliefs.” They show up in my mindset, my motivation and the moves I make daily. In my work fairness shows up in my belief that each person has inherent worth. On one hand this makes me a great coach because I am committed to believing that anyone can learn and grow. On another hand I am often triggered when people with whom I am working don’t see the potential in others or erect barriers to others reaching their potential. Knowing that I value fairness helps me navigate conflicts that arise from adult resistance, apathy and other people who are navigating their own daily stress. Knowing my own values has also helped me realize that they are just that, MY values. Other stakeholders have their own values. Growing in self awareness forces you to simultaneously become aware that everyone does not think the same way. It propels us to learn to navigate our own triggers by focusing on our own circle of control. I may not be able to prevent people from erecting barriers for others but I can brainstorm ways to help others find creative ways around the barriers. However, this all starts with me knowing the answers to the philosophical questions: What drives you? What makes you tick? What are you passionate about? What ideas would you uphold no matter your profession?
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