Be a CHANGEMASTER

How to use coaching strategies to lead change in any organization

Be a CHANGEMASTER is a practical guide for school and district leaders that provides 12 strategies for overcoming resistance to change. Unlike more theoretical books, this text shows how to adopt a coaching style of leadership as a systemic change strategy.

Numerous examples demonstrate how the strategies used in this book have led to transformational change. These success stories are drawn from the work of professionally certified coaches. Components include

• Challenging assumptions to prevent them from becoming reality
• Developing a higher purpose to foster happiness and ensure a positive legacy
• Confronting negativity by reframing and cultivating optimism
• Gathering a group to aggregate energy, creativity, and encouragement
• Using imagery and visualization techniques to improve performance
• Focusing on the future to overcome the errors of the past and challenges of the present

Coaching is the proven change process, and leaders everywhere need to master the skills and strategies coaches use to transform their organizations efficiently and effectively. This book helps turn executives, managers, and team leaders into motivators and their organizations into winners.

Karla Reiss is the award winning author of Leadership Coaching for Educators; Bringing Out the Best in School Administrators. She founded The Change Place, LLC in 2004, a coaching and consulting firm dedicated to the continuous improvement of individuals, teams and organizations after 30 years in education, publishing and sales. She and her team of certified coaches offer several levels of coaching training programs to leaders of school systems, government and non-profit organizations, businesses and individuals who wish to learn a coaching style of leadership, including Powerful Coaching for Powerful Results™ certification program, CKEY; Coaching Kids, Empowering Youth™ and various related programs. The Change Place, LLC also provides executive and leadership coaching services, workplace and leadership assessments and products that support others to lead professional and personal change. She is also a frequent speaker at national, state and local conferences. As a school administrator, Reiss worked with more than 50 school districts in a variety of school improvement roles, the majority as coordinator of professional development at Western Suffolk (NY) Board of Cooperative Education Services. She has conducted numerous professional development programs and school improvement opportunities for K-12 staff and district leaders. She is certified in strategic planning and served on the New York State Education Department’s statewide steering committee for Comprehensive District Education Planning. She was president of New York State Staff Development Council and served on the Executive Board of the Long Island Association for Curriculum and Staff Development. Karla Reiss is a graduate from the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching in 2002 and received additional coach training at the College of Executive Coaching. She holds a bachelor of science degree, a master’s degree in special education and a professional diploma in school district administration. Her professional and personal inspiration and transition into the world of coaching was a result of the invitation to participate in Oxygen TV’s program, The Life Makeover Project in 2002. She has applied all of the coaching techniques and strategies described in this book to her own life and now helps others courageously transition their lives, leadership style and organizations to fulfill their goals, hopes and dreams.