Introduction to Leadership Coaching

Jim Knight's Introduction to Leadership Coaching, offered through the Instructional Coaching Group (ICG), explores how a coaching approach can transform the quality of conversations that school leaders have every day. Knight, widely recognised as the person who coined the term 'instructional coaching' and one of the most influential figures in coaching-based professional development, has spent more than two decades researching how coaching relationships can drive genuine improvement in schools. This workshop extends his coaching model beyond the instructional coach-teacher dynamic to address the unique coaching needs of school leaders — principals, assistant principals, and other administrators whose daily conversations with staff, students, families, and communities are the primary vehicle through which they lead. Developed in partnership with Growth Coaching International, the leading provider of coaching professional development in Australia and New Zealand, the workshop introduces the GROWTH coaching system and provides participants with practical coaching skills and processes they can apply immediately to their leadership conversations. For school leaders who want to move beyond directive management toward a coaching stance that builds capacity, empowers staff, and creates a culture of continuous improvement, this workshop provides both the theoretical grounding and the practical tools to make that shift. The in-person format allows for intensive practice and feedback that is essential for developing genuine coaching skill.