Resilient Leaders Elements & Functional Fluency: Coaching turning talk into real change in education  

Coaching for schools: “I know the problem. What do I do next?” 

Good leadership coaching will remind educators why you started in the profession.  

Your purpose.  

It’s an important step because the “why” sustains you during the tough weeks (and months). And for most, this purpose centres on making a lasting difference in young people’s lives.  

Educators are a reflective bunch. Spotting shortcomings in our practice and leadership is often not a problem; teachers will often default to self-doubt. So, if feedback and coaching are not delivered well, there’s a danger of being left in this space, aware of “what you’re not,” but not sure of what to do next.  

It makes sense. When the feeling of vocation and purpose is as strong as it is in education, the perception of falling short can hit extra hard. 

Have you experienced this?  

You know your areas of development, but you don’t have a clear map of how move forward. It can be like a sportsperson or musician simply being told to, “Play better,” without a plan, pathway or programme to make it happen. 

Coaching becomes transformative when teachers and educators can identify what steps to take next, before being supported and empowered to take them. I’d argue coaching isn’t coaching without both. 

I didn’t know the steps to take, and even when feedback is accurate, trying harder or willing change to happen won’t work. 

Throughout my years in school leadership, I saw a range of coaching and development tools. Assessment often accurately identified traits and behaviours I’d seen in myself and others in our leadership team. Unfortunately, I saw the same gap between the feedback and the individual or collective change we wanted to see.  

Without this purpose, psychometric testing can oversimplify, leading to unhelpfully labelling or categorising people into groups or types. Have you experienced this? 

I call it the “psychometric trap.”  

You can be full of feedback and aware of what needs to change, but unaware of how to do it. Being in this space can reinforce unhelpful narratives about your capability, reduce your sense of agency to change, and limit your potential to grow in effective leadership behaviours. 

In short, you can feel stuck. 

Best practice coaching focuses on the potential for change and development within the context they find themselves. 

Assessment is a starting point, not a defining point. 

Coaching for education: Exposing your internal scripts 

I’m an accredited Functional Fluency and Temple Index of Functional Fluency (TIFF©) practitioner, which I combine with Transactional Analysis principles in my work with leaders. Functional Fluency models the nine behaviour modes we all share, five of which let us work and lead most effectively. The TIFF profile personalises these behaviours to you and your context, helping to identify your tendency to slip into the four less beneficial behaviours. The model is accurate and insightful, without using oversimplified labelling. 

Combining this work with Transactional Analysis is powerful. Here, we can expose the internal narratives we’ve written (and believed) about ourselves – the things we’ve ingrained from a young age. We create these key internal scripts between the ages of three and seven. However untrue or unhelpful, we follow these with unwavering devotion (often unaware) until they are exposed, challenged and rewritten. 

Think about it. 

“I can’t,” “That’s just me,” “I’m only,” “I’m not,” “That’s for others,” and “I must,” are some examples you might recognise in how you, or others, talk. 

Resilient Leaders Element: A link between coaching theory 

A healthy scepticism towards different coaching models isn’t a bad thing. Optimism and belief in change are key, but your critical eye will keep you asking, “How will this create lasting change?” 

Before achieving RLE accreditation, I made sure I’d asked the same question… lots.  

The RLE framework is built on the reality that all good leadership is built on resilience. Challenges are inevitable, so resilience is essential. Resilient leaders know this, feel this, and approach it by focusing on the best outcome, before supporting others to do the same. If your school views every member of staff as a leader, as I encourage you to do, then investing in creating a culture of resilient leadership is of huge value. 

The Resilient Leaders Assessment is complemented by the Resilient Leaders Development Programme, where challenge, support, and action are central. No-one is left standing still because actionable steps are built into the process from start to finish.  

But here’s the real kicker. RLE isn’t a standalone model. It’s a framework to hang other ideas and strategies on. For me, my work with Transactional Analysis and Functional Fluency is made more powerful. Other models of feedback and assessment would be similarly enhanced. In my work with schools and leaders, I’ve seen how educators can move from the discouragement of unactionable feedback, to the confidence-building of focused individual and collective change… tape measure to tin opener. 

You, your school, and educational coaching  

There aren’t many schools and organisations not investing in some form of coaching or leadership development. We’ve come a long way. 

Effective Senior Leaders know the importance of reflecting on their practice. You’ll know the need to create a culture of growth and development, where individuals and groups thrive. The key is to direct time, effort, and resources to the right place. 

I’m working closely with Ladybridge High School in Bolton. The school’s Headteacher, Paddy Russell, was a guest on the “Innovative Leadership and Well-being in Schools” podcast and spoke about our work. From around 40 minutes, he talks about the impact of coaching and Functional Fluency – here’s the Spotify link for you to take a look at.