Why School Leaders Need a Coach: Empowering Change Through a Strengths-Based Approach

In schools today, leadership can feel like both a privilege and a pressure cooker. Leaders are expected to set the vision, manage teams, inspire staff, improve student outcomes, handle crises, and stay ahead of educational shifts, all while maintaining their own wellbeing. The stakes are high, the demands are relentless, and yet the support for school leaders often falls short.

This is where coaching, high-impact, strengths-based, reflective coaching, can make all the difference.

The Alarming State of Principal Wellbeing in Australia

The statistics are sobering. The 2023 Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey from ACU reveals the reality many of us already feel:

• Nearly 50% of principals experienced physical violence, primarily from students.

• More than half (53.9%) were threatened with violence, often from parents.

• 1 in 2 leaders are at risk of serious mental health issues such as burnout, stress, and sleep disorders.

• Over 97% work more than 40 hours a week; nearly three-quarters report working over 50.

These figures don’t just reflect the workload; they reflect the weight of the role. And too often, that weight is carried alone. And also, let’s be clear. While these facts are about Principals, any executive leader in a school could be captured in this data.

I Understand… Because I’ve Been There

I know these challenges intimately. Having served as a school leader, I’ve felt the relentless pressure, the emotional fatigue, the deep responsibility. I’ve navigated staff conflict, community crises, policy reform, and the ever-changing expectations of the system. There were moments I questioned whether I could keep going.

One of the main things that kept me afloat was my professional coach.

Without him, I’m not sure how I would’ve made it through some very difficult times. He held the space for reflection, encouraged my strengths, challenged my thinking, and reminded me of my worth when the job made me doubt it. I’ll be forever grateful to him, not just for what he did, but for who he was.

That experience shaped me, and it’s why I now offer the same kind of support to others through The EduShift Collective.

EduShift’s Strengths-Based Coaching Approach

At EduShift, we don’t believe in generic leadership development. We believe that transformational change starts with knowing who you are and then leading from that place with purpose.

Our coaching model is built on two powerful foundations:

1. Strengths Profiling

We use the internationally recognised Strengths Profile tool to help leaders explore:

• What energises them

• Where they’re thriving

• What’s draining them

• And what strengths they haven’t yet tapped into

This builds profound self-awareness, and leaders begin to lead not just more effectively, but more authentically.

2. The Growth Coaching Framework

Based on the proven Growth Coaching International model, we structure conversations around:

• Setting meaningful goals

• Exploring possibilities and perspectives

• Taking informed, supported action

• Reflecting on learning and progress

  
  

It’s not about advice-giving. It’s about helping leaders develop clarity, build confidence, and take ownership of their path forward.

Why Now?

Contemporary education needs leaders who are not only visionary but also well-rounded, bold but balanced, and able to handle complexity without being consumed by it. But that doesn’t just happen.

It’s nurtured.

Coaching provides the space to breathe, reflect, recalibrate, and grow. It’s not a luxury, it’s a leadership imperative.

Through strengths-based coaching, we help leaders:

• Lead with clarity and compassion

• Build resilience and self-trust

• Navigate difficult decisions with integrity

• Stay connected to their values and purpose

• Reignite their love of the work

Final Thoughts: Investing in the People Who Carry the Vision

When leaders thrive, schools flourish. But leadership is too complex and too important to be done in isolation.

At The EduShift Collective, we’re here to walk alongside leaders, to support, challenge, and celebrate their growth. Coaching changed my life as a leader. Now, it’s part of my mission to offer that same support to others.

If you’re holding the weight of leadership and need someone to walk with you, you don’t have to do it alone.

We’re here for you.