Arise (the Art Of Transformational Coaching)

A hands-on guide for transformational coaches working in school environments

In Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching, renowned author and coach Elena Aguilar delivers a compelling and inspirational message about how to coach in the face of daunting challenges. In the book, you’ll learn how to listen expansively in a coaching conversation, how to plan conversations effectively, how to coach across lines of racial difference, how to coach resistant teachers, and more.

You’ll learn how best to impact your clients’ “3 B’s”: beliefs, behaviors, and ways of being and explore illuminating case studies that highlight and illustrate the concepts discussed in the book. You’ll also find:

• A Transformational Coaching Rubric 2.0 providing detailed explanations of all relevant coaching domains and indicators
• Comprehensive discussions of the reasoning and theory underlying the practical strategies explained within
• Techniques for developing, maintaining, and applying emotional intelligence in your work

An indispensable “how-to” guide for transformational coaches working in school environments, Arise: The Art of Transformational Coaching is the hands-on and practical roadmap to results that professionals in this area have been waiting for.

About the Author xxi

Acknowledgments xxvii

Foreword by Alexandrea Creer Kahn xix

Introduction 1

Every Child, Every Day 2

An Overview of This Book 4

From London to Oakland to Nairobi 12

The Bridge to Everything 17

1 Transformational Coaching: Why No One Can Learn from You If You Think They Suck 21

A Transformational Coaching Conversation 22

Coaching Is Professional Development 29

The Core Principles of Transformational Coaching 31

Four Theories of Action That Drive Transformational Coaching 33

A Transformational Coach’s Essential Beliefs 41

Comparing Traditional Instructional Coaching with Transformational Coaching 48

The Impact of Transformational Coaching 51

2 A Transformational Coach’s Ways of Being: How to Create the Conditions for Transformation 57

The Primary Role of Emotional Intelligence 59

The Dispositions of a Transformational Coach 66

People Remember How You Made Them Feel 77

3 The Foundational Abilities: The Cornerstones of Transformational Coaching 79

How to Coach a Teacher Who Opposes the New Curriculum 80

Coaching the Three Bs 86

Building Trust 90

Cultivating Agency 98

Navigating Power Dynamics 102

All We Need Is 15 Minutes 116

4 How to Listen: This Will Change Your Life 119

What Is Listening? 120

Common Obstacles to Deep Listening 124

How to Be a Good Listener 130

The Joy of Listening 136

5 Fifty Questions to Ask: And Four Types to Avoid 139

What Not to Do 140

Whenever Possible, Be Quiet 144

The Hardest Coaching Skill of All 146

The Coaching Stances 150

It’s Not About the Nail 159

Five Coaching Survival Phrases 163

A Little More on What to Say and How to Say It 169

Forget the Stems, Remember the Source 175

6 Listen, Think, Respond: Inside the Mind of a Transformational Coach 177

The Three Steps in a Transformational Coaching Conversation 180

An Overview of the Thinking Tools 183

Every Conversation Counts 186

7 What You Need to Know About Emotions: And Why You Don’t Need to Be a Therapist 189

But I’m Not a Therapist 191

Why Is It So Hard to Deal with Emotions? 195

What You Need to Know About Emotions 198

Stressed, Tired, and Overwhelmed 203

Trauma-Informed Coaching 207

When Did You Stop Dancing? 219