• Ensuring appropriate resources are identified to be
successful or rescoping their efforts as necessary
• Most importantly, serving as their prayer partner
Ultimately, accountability coaching means ensuring
execution. We desire the Christian schools we partner with
to foster a goal-driven culture of accountability. Our Chris-
tian school leaders define the culture. If they are not held
accountable, their team is also often not held accountable
either. While school boards have this responsibility, board
members rarely have a true understanding of the environ-
ment in their Christian schools nor clarity on the measure-
ment data they should be monitoring to verify solid progress
is being made. It is often said that you should only expect
what you inspect. Accountability coaches ask the tough
questions, hold leadership to the commitments they’ve
made as part of their strategic deployment plan, and praise
the numerous wins they are blessed to experience along the
journey. They also establish a methodology so that school
boards can begin evaluating the
key health indicators they should
measure on an ongoing basis.
Throughout the implementa-
tion and accountability coach-
ing phase, there are seven key
principles to follow:
4. “In God we trust; everyone else bring data.” Every stake-
holder in a Christian school can be an influencer. Unfor-
tunately, many of those stakeholders, especially the loudest
ones, are often driven by an emotional response to an
isolated situation. Prayerfully consider the options as teams
are working towards improvement, and use real data to help
drive decision making.
5. “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach
him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” During
our improvement efforts, we cannot be focused on simply
responding to crises, fixing problems, or creating short
bursts of improvement. We must thoroughly train our
teams on new processes and capabilities that are developed
and clearly document them. When
improvements are not system-
atized, their impact will not last,
and sustainability will evade us.
“Accountability coaching is a
powerful method to ensure
both solid execution and
lasting change.”
1. “Management is doing things
right. Leadership is doing the right
things.” This quote from Peter Drucker reminds us to take
time first to ensure our leadership team is truly leading
by setting a vision for the future, not just fine-tuning the
processes and practices we already have in our current set of
capabilities. If we’re doing things that get in the way of our
strategic vision, either stop or change them. Don’t accept the
response “we’ve always done it that way.”
2. “Don’t let perfect get in the way of better.” All too often
we get caught in analysis paralysis or waiting for the perfect
conditions before enacting change. Start making progress
today even if the improvements are small. These quick wins
help spark enthusiasm in your school and with your team.
3. “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”
Helen Keller’s quote should remind every leader the
critical nature of forming a solid leadership team. While
leadership absolutely sets the tone, the leader must form
a core leadership team to propagate the vision and culture
40
throughout the organization. Jesus provided us with the
perfect example of this principle by utilizing His mentor-
ship of twelve men to change the course of history and
spread the Gospel to all nations.
6. “What gets measured gets done.”
Measurement is critical in driving
improvements and validating their
impact. Visible, clear, and simple
metrics will create both unity and
synergy in the efforts of our team
to reach our strategic priorities. The leadership team must
consistently monitor and remind the organization on why
these measurements are important and how they will posi-
tively impact the Christian school in the future.
7. “If not us, who? If not now, when?” President Reagan’s
famous quote is one many Christian school leadership teams
need to keep in mind as they execute their deployment
plans. The daily, urgent issues and struggles we face tend to
push us away from working on the more important strategic
priorities that can help our Christian schools break through.
Reaching these targets provide greater opportunities for our
students to be more effectively equipped to defend their
faith, know God more intimately, and win others to a saving
knowledge of Jesus Christ. Consistently communicate the
urgency of this mission to your team. God has placed us
in these positions to accomplish His purposes. We dare not
waste this opportunity.