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Improving how we communicate & relate to one another

It has been said that, “If you change the conversation, then there is every chance you will change everything that surrounds it – your relationships with colleagues, how you get on with your family and friends, your very ability to accomplish whatever you want.” (Jackson & Waldman, 2011, p.7). Interactions between school leaders and teachers; between teachers and teachers; between teachers and administrators; and between teachers and parents, make up the greater part of school life.

Perhaps even more importantly, in a school, the learning conversations between teachers and students are at the heart of what a school is all about.

At GCI we believe that developing coaching skills and approaches is an powerful way to enable educational communities to flourish, with benefits to learners, educators and leaders.

Improving how we communicate & relate to one another

It has been said that, “If you change the conversation, then there is every chance you will change everything that surrounds it – your relationships with colleagues, how you get on with your family and friends, your very ability to accomplish whatever you want.” (Jackson & Waldman, 2011, p.7). Interactions between school leaders and teachers; between teachers and teachers; between teachers and administrators; and between teachers and parents, make up the greater part of school life.

Perhaps even more importantly, in a school, the learning conversations between teachers and students are at the heart of what a school is all about.

At GCI we believe that developing coaching skills and approaches is an powerful way to enable educational communities to flourish, with benefits to learners, educators and leaders.

Our Values

We strive to be:
We work together with each other and in partnership with our clients, seeking to build trust and always maintain confidentiality.
We undertake and encourage research into coaching in education. Our courses, coaching and consultancy are informed by the latest research and best practice.
We seek to be ‘givers’* in our interactions with our colleagues and clients.

* Grant, Adam (2012). Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson

We seek to make a positive difference for school leaders, teachers and most importantly, to student success and wellbeing.
At least one thing from every coaching session or workshop can be applied immediately
We understand what it’s like to operate amongst the conflicting needs and priorities of a busy school
We look to move things forward by focusing on what’s working and leveraging existing strengths and resources

In touch with what is happening in educational settings

At GCI, we have been undertaking an annual global survey on the topic of coaching in education since 2016 in order to highlight the impact of coaching initiatives in educational settings.

The GCI story
so far

The GCI story has its beginnings in the first years of the 21st Century when executive coaching was still in its infancy. Early pioneer Mandy O’Bree was touched by the impact of coaching and started to see it as a critical element of professional learning.

Mandy established Australian Growth Coaching in 2002 after developing the GROWTH model with a colleague. John Campbell joined Mandy as a partner in 2004.

Responding to requests from clients for an in-depth coach training course, the first Coaching Accreditation Program was launched in 2005. Tragically, Mandy’s involvement in the organisation was cut short in 2008 after being diagnosed with a serious illness that led to her passing two years later.

Soon afterward, we changed our name from Australian Growth Coaching to Growth Coaching International (GCI). We expanded our international aspirations following a meeting in 2012 between John Campbell and Dr. Christian van Nieuwerburgh, a leading UK-based academic and practitioner in coaching in education. The close alignment in our approaches to coaching in education led to several joint publications and conferences. Christian’s involvement intensified our commitment to the ‘research-informed – practitioner-focused' principle that continues to underpin our work.

From a team of three, working around a kitchen table, we’re now an international organisation with a network of 70+ professionals delivering coaching, consultancy, and training across four continents. While GCI has grown rapidly, we remain committed to providing high-quality, research-informed, and immediately implementable professional development opportunities. We hope to continue empowering educators, educational leaders, and students in a way that demonstrates the “coaching way of being” that is at the heart of the work we do.

Our global network

While we are proud to be an Australian based organisation with many years of experience working alongside Australian educators, we are now one of the world’s leading providers of coaching, consultancy and training courses to educators around the globe.

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