Yesterday I learned about the “Sailboat Protocol” and want to write today about the protocol because it has so many potential uses: for coaching partnerships, teams, and student engagement and empowerment. Protocols are powerful because they provide structure, interdependence, and language to collaborative conversations. Structure frees up our energy and thinking so that we can hear all voices in the room and create transformational ideas together. The “Sailboat Protocol” is a useful way to address personalization and equity because it is a structured protocol and because of the steps that keep the focus on addressing barriers and moving towards our desired state.