<![CDATA[The large number of potential teachers who have not received appropriate guidance to develop optimally in elementary and secondary schools is the background to this research. This obstacle triggers the need to shift the supervision paradigm from a rigid supervision instrument to a space for equal professional dialogue. The focus of this research is to describe the principal's strategy in implementing coaching-based academic supervision to improve teacher professionalism in junior high schools. The research steps were carried out using a descriptive qualitative approach over a full semester, where data collection was obtained through in-depth interviews, participatory observation of discussion sessions, and documentation studies. Data analysis was conducted interactively, involving purposive selection of informants and validity testing via triangulation. The research findings indicate three main strategies that were successfully implemented: participatory planning based on individual teacher needs assessments, the implementation of guidance sessions using the GROW model, and the implementation of planned monthly cyclical evaluations. The main conclusion confirms that the integration of coaching methods in academic supervision has proven effective in shifting hierarchical relationships into collective partnerships that mutually foster educator self-agency. Principals are recommended to invest in this communication competency continuously to ignite the potential of teacher professionalism in the digital era. ABSTRAK Banyaknya guru potensial yang belum mendapatkan pendampingan tepat untuk berkembang secara optimal di lingkungan sekolah dasar dan menengah melatarbelakangi penelitian ini. Hambatan tersebut memicu perlunya pergeseran paradigma supervisi dari instrumen pengawasan yang kaku menjadi ruang dialog profesional yang setara. Fokus penelitian ini adalah mendeskripsikan strategi kepala sekolah dalam menerapkan supervisi akademik berbasis coaching guna meningkatkan profesionalisme guru di Sekolah Menengah Pertama. Langkah-langkah penelitian dijalankan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif selama satu semester penuh, di mana pengumpulan data diperoleh lewat teknik wawancara mendalam, observasi partisipatif terhadap sesi diskusi, serta studi dokumentasi. Analisis data dilakukan secara interaktif dengan melibatkan pemilihan informan secara purposif dan pengujian keabsahan via triangulasi. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan tiga strategi utama yang berhasil diterapkan: perencanaan partisipatif berbasis asesmen kebutuhan individual guru, pelaksanaan sesi bimbingan menggunakan model GROW, serta pelaksanaan evaluasi siklis bulanan yang terencana. Simpulan utama menegaskan bahwa integrasi metode coaching dalam supervisi akademik terbukti efektif menggeser relasi hierarkis menjadi kemitraan kolektif yang saling menumbuhkan agensi diri pendidik. Kepala sekolah direkomendasikan menginvestasikan kompetensi komunikasi ini secara berkelanjutan demi menyalakan potensi profesionalisme guru di era digital. ]]>
