Article by Renatta Currie

Profile

I began my exciting but convoluted career in 1978 as an English teacher in John Bosco, a forward thinking secondary school on the South side of Glasgow. Itchy feet took me to Italy and Spain where, during a 2 year sabbatical I taught English to, among others, the employees of international organisations. I learned so much from this experience that, on my return to teaching, I gradually moved further away from the (school) classroom eventually joining the Training & Development Team with Organizational Development in Glasgow City Council.

As a trainer and consultant involved in designing and delivering a range of management and leadership opportunities for staff at all levels within Local Authority services I learned the tools & techniques of coaching. The role of the T&D team was to support staff in management and leadership positions through the process of self-awareness, self-understanding and skill building. We used coaching approaches to deliver this.

Re-ensconced now in the world of Education my personal and professional mission is to establish coaching as a culture by organising opportunities for staff at all levels to learn coaching techniques and establish a trained “coaching pool”. Recent HMIe publications commend coaching leadership approaches as empowering and inclusive The response of colleagues to coaching input I have delivered to date suggests that, as adult individuals, teachers and continuing learners they value the opportunity to access skilled support which helps them focus on professional growth; their own and that of colleagues. Coaching approaches extend and structure professional dialogue and now underpin our delivery of Professional Review & Development. I am constantly refocused and energised when I receive feedback from colleagues telling me how the coaching skills they have developed positively affect their work and working relationships,

"Training as a coach has helped me develop my listening and questioning techniques. I have found that I am more aware of my own behaviours. In my present post I assume the strategic management of CPD and find that I use the techniques I learned to support staff in their professional development"
Louise Edgerton. Depute Head Teacher @Hillpark Secondary.Glasgow

What Keeps Me Going

"And if you connect work not with love but only distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy."
Kahil Gibran

A big part of my remit is working with talented, aspiring staff as they begin their leadership journey. How many of us are lucky enough to work on a regular basis with colleagues who inspire and energise them? We spend a lot of our adult life at work and it is an important part of all our lives. I want to work with and for colleagues who love what they do. I am passionate about encouraging others to be all they can be, take risks and regularly reflect on what they are doing and why. I find the coaching conversation the perfect vehicle for this. Formal coaching also makes the impact of such conversations measurable. This last element has obvious appeal for the impact orientated organization in which I currently work but also gives me the personal satisfaction I need to stay motivated.

The best piece of advice I can give staff embarking on their Leadership journey is,” Make sure you don’t get sucked in by the workplace “ Dementors”*. Remind yourself to talk about the good stuff”.

Where Do I Source My Material And Do My Research?

I’m an internet browser but easily distracted by interesting material. Much of my current coaching focus is on coaching in the educational context and a good website for keeping informed about all aspects of the education agenda in Scotland is ltscotland.org.uk. I’m currently reading “Blended Coaching” by Gary Bloom, Claire Castagna, Ellen Moir & Betsy Warren, a gift from a colleague just returned from a trip to Santa Cruz where cutting edge work is being carried out by this team in the field of initial teacher education.

My Continuing Challenge

I aspire to be the type of person I read about in many of the coaching books who can turn every conversation into a coaching conversation. As a former teacher of “the old school” it’s almost a personality trait to tell THE answer. During my coaching training with CFM and the many coaching opportunities I have had since then I am regularly reminded that the foundation of successful coaching is to consciously listen because the purpose of the coaching conversation is to allow the coachee to find their own answer. One day (soon?) I will be the best coach I can be but even better than that; through my ongoing delivery of coaching conversations and coaching training to colleagues I’ll be working in an environment where I’m surrounded and supported by terrific coaches.

* Harry Potter books

E.Renatta Currie
Q.I.O. Leadership & Management
Education Services
Glasgow City Council.