Leading as a Coach: A Two-Day Shanghai Workshop for School Leaders

TWO DAYS THAT WILL CHANGE HOW YOU LEAD

You know you should coach more. So why don't you?

Coaching is everywhere right now. Every leadership book, every conference tells you to "coach your people" instead of managing them. You get the concept. You know it works.

But there's a gap between knowing and doing.

Most leaders default to telling because it feels faster. Except this creates dependency. Your team keeps coming back with problems they could solve themselves. You're the bottleneck. And honestly? It's exhausting.

The problem isn't that you don't understand coaching. The problem is you've never had a proper chance to practise it.

WHAT YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH

This isn't a workshop where you sit and listen. You'll spend 80% of your time actually doing the thing, getting feedback, and refining your approach.

After two days, you'll leave with:

• A practical coaching framework you can use on Monday morning

• Confidence to hold conversations that shift thinking

• Techniques for coaching teams, not just individuals

• Tools for building psychological safety

• Real practice with real feedback

• AI tools integrated into your coaching practice

WHAT WE'LL COVER

Day 1: Foundations (Friday)

• The mindset shift from expert to enabler

• Core coaching skills: questions that open thinking, listening that builds trust

• A practical conversation model for teachers, middle leaders, and senior colleagues

• Practice sessions with feedback

• Using AI to enhance your coaching

Day 2: Application (Saturday)

• Team coaching: working with groups

• Building psychological safety (what Google's research actually tells us)

• Coaching through resistance

• Cross-cultural coaching for international school contexts

• Creating a coaching culture in your school

THE EXPERIENCE

Format: 80% practice, 20% input. You won't sit through lectures.

Group size: Maximum 12 participants. Everyone gets airtime.

Scenarios: Real situations from your context, not made-up case studies.

Daily Schedule:

9:00am - 11:20am: Morning session

11:20am - 11:40am: Break

11:40am - 12:20pm: Late morning session

12:20pm - 1:20pm: Lunch (included)

1:20pm - 3:00pm: Afternoon session

WHO THIS IS FOR

• Principals and senior leaders wanting to shift their leadership style

• Middle leaders developing people management skills

• Department heads coaching teachers through growth and challenge

• Anyone who finds themselves giving too many answers

No prior coaching training needed. Just a willingness to practise.

YOUR FACILITATOR: SHANE LEANING

Shane is an organisational coach who's spent years helping leaders find their voice and develop their people. His approach combines rigorous research with practical application. If it doesn't work in a real school, it doesn't make it into his workshops.

• Host of the Education Leaders podcast and Coaching Done Well podcast

• Best-selling Co-author of "Change Starts Here" (Routledge, 2025)

• Former Regional Head of Teacher Development, Nord Anglia Education China

• Works with leaders globally on inside-out transformation

This workshop draws from the research-backed coaching frameworks used in Shane's Education Leaders Intensive.

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

"Coaching is the best investment we can make in ourselves. Everyone should have a coach. And if you are looking for a coach, especially internationally, I can highly recommend Shane Leaning."

— Freya Odell, Head of IB, Brighton College Vietnam

"Shane's style of questioning and guidance allowed me to see barriers from a different angle and that there were absolutely solutions within my control. Empathetic, encouraging, yet also pushing me towards the conclusion you knew I was capable of."

— Poppy Nobes, Head of Professional Development, Aldridge Education

WHAT TO BRING

Just yourself. All resources and materials are provided. Bring a laptop or tablet as we'll be integrating AI tools into your coaching practice. Bring your AI platform of choice.

CANCELLATION POLICY

• Full refund: More than 30 days before (before 28 January 2026)

• 50% refund: 14-30 days before (28 January - 13 February 2026)

• No refund: Within 14 days of the workshop

• Transfers to another participant welcome at any time

PAYMENT

Invoice available on request in GBP or RMB. Email shane@shaneleaning.com

QUESTIONS?

Email shane@shaneleaning.com