The “Support Challenge Matrix,” created by Ian Day and John Blakey, offers coaches insight into the balance between providing support and issuing challenges to students.

Identifying the starting point (status quo) will be important for you, as an academic coach, in identifying the level of support each student needs and the level of challenge recommended to achieve ‘high performance.’ Is the student you are coaching struggling in a single class? Is there an entire semester that has caused the student to be at risk of losing a scholarship? Are they experiencing barriers to educational opportunities they thought they had access to? Why did they come to college? What do they want to get out of this experience?

By using the Support Challenge Matrix and your prior knowledge from the How to Have a Coaching Conversation section, you can identify the student’s strengths and weaknesses, and work with the student to develop a plan of action. Finding the balance between supporting weaknesses and challenging strengths is the recipe for coaching success.

1. Support by challenging them to seek student success services on campus to receive support by encouraging services and resources like the writing center, the math lab, and peer tutoring programs. You show them how to find strength in their weaknesses.
2. Growth by challenging them to seek personal growth by exploring course and degree programs, internship and career opportunities, and community resources and services that enhance their learning experience. You are helping them to become self-directed advocates for their journey.

Welcome to the ‘Cosy Club’ where students feel comfortable and at ease with their current performance. In this quadrant, students rely on external support and thrive on consistent nurturing. While it may seem cozy and inviting, students need to remember that personal growth comes from pushing themselves beyond their comfort zones and seeking out challenges that can help them grow and develop.

Within the ‘Cosy Club’, students often receive praise and encouragement for their performance, which can sometimes hinder their growth potential. Some students in this category may not even be aware of their strengths and how they can leverage them for future career opportunities. Instead, they may be simply going through the motions of their academic program without a clear understanding of their career path.

How Do You Lead?

“What is it like to be led by you?”

This important question from the Leadership Coaches is worth thinking about. Many leaders fail to reflect on their leadership qualities which is an important step in becoming an effective leader. Look at the following matrix and identify which pattern best fits your leadership style.

Balancing the Right Level of Support

In my days as a rookie coach, I found myself wanting to be so deliberately hands-on. I helped one student revise their resume myself, I also revised a scholarship application essay for another student. After some reflection, I found myself providing high levels of support without challenging students to learn how to navigate support services themselves. I wanted to do all the work, but at the end of the semester I couldn’t help but think, “I hope they learned how to do this themselves.”

As a coach, your role is focused on supporting students by understanding their needs and guiding them to the services your campus has to offer.  Supporting your students means helping them take the initiative in their academic journey by encouraging them to connect with the right offices on campus. A coach might say, “Did you know this service is completely free for full-time students?” or “Have you heard about the student success services and peer tutoring programs we have?”

Balancing the Right Level of Challenge

Finding the right level of challenge can manifest itself in several ways. I have challenged students to do things ranging from using their email calendar to organize their daily schedule to challenging a student to apply for a departmental scholarship and leveraging their network within their department for letters of recommendation. Consider Simon Sinek’s perspective:

Every student you work with brings their unique set of needs and aspirations to the table, and while you might notice some commonalities, it’s important to connect with each individual’s “Why?” Sure, suggesting a campus resource can help answer their “What?”, but uncovering their “Why?” can inspire them to take ownership and set meaningful challenges to achieve their goals.

Bring up new ideas, challenge students to step out of their comfort zone, and enhance their learning experience and personal development. The end goal is to help the student develop a resilient mindset and equip them with foundational skills to confront challenges they may experience in their professional career.

Now let’s talk about coaching types and see if you can identify which describes your style and consider if you are reaching your fullest potential in a coaching role.

Abdicator (Low Support and Low Challenge)

An ‘abdicator,’ provides low support and low challenge to their students. Coaches in this category are enablers, they may encourage a culture of low expectations, or they may encourage ‘just sliding by.’ Unfortunately, this coaching style often doesn’t lead to high levels of success for students, and it may not yield the tangible results needed for an academic coaching program to thrive.

Protector (High Support and Low Challenge)

A “protector” tends to provide high support while keeping challenges low. While this might seem comforting (‘Cosy’ Club), it can lead to a co-dependent relationship where students aren’t fully empowered to make their own decisions. When students aren’t challenged, they may feel a sense of false harmony between what you’re trying to achieve as a coach and their personal goals. Remember, you do not have to ‘rescue’ every student. Your mission is to help your students explore and uncover their passions and coach them along as they navigate the diverse opportunities available to them.

Dominator (Low Support and High Challenge)

The ‘dominator’ is characterized by providing low levels of support but high levels of challenge. This type of coach creates a culture of fear and manipulation. Coaches in this quadrant may overwhelm students with challenges without providing substantial levels of support. Because of the lack of support, students may be hesitant to take risks; thus, they may take conservative action when they need help stepping out of their comfort zone. Dominator coaches should focus on providing more support to their students and let their students know that it is okay to make mistakes. Making mistakes and learning from those mistakes is growth, and growth is a necessary step to success.

Liberator (High Support and High Challenge)

The ‘liberator’ is someone who can find a balance between offering high support and high challenge to students. This kind of coach fosters a collaborative environment that empowers students to reach their full potential. In this setting, coaches challenge students to test their foundational skills to tackle their goals; but also, become comfortable asking for support when they need it. With this balanced coaching style, students are encouraged and comfortable taking risks and feel confident trying new things, knowing that failure isn’t something to fear. Liberator coaches should focus on continuing to challenge their students. Empower them to develop resilience and a growth mindset by challenging them to consider opportunities that they have spent time exploring. Refer to the Promoting Student Resilience section for more tips on maximizing your coaching potential.

Suggestions for Coaches

A key part of academic coaching is recognizing the right moments to provide support and when to challenge students to independently use the resources and services available to them. Use the ‘Coach’s Perspective’ matrix to internally reflect on the strategies you use when working with students. Be honest with yourself, so you can improve your skills and work towards maximizing your coaching potential and your students can achieve high performance.