Post on 16-Dec-2015
Building Leadership Capacity within Leadership Teams
Joe Corbett September 2014
Building capacityOf the leadership team itself to drive school
improvement
Of each member of the team so that they can lead others on the school improvement journey
Some thoughts on leadership‘People rarely succeed unless they enjoy
what they are doing’ Dale
Carnegie
‘The task of a leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been’
Henry Kissenger
(continued)‘A leader is a dealer in hope’ Napoleon
Bonaparte
‘Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things’
Peter F. Drucker
‘We can do anything we want as long as we stick at it long enough’
Helen Keller
(continued?‘It is not fair to ask of others what you are
unwilling to do yourself’ Eleanor Roosevelt
‘If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time and you would achieve nothing’
Margaret Thatcher
(continued)‘Great leaders are almost always great
simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand’
Gen. Colin Powell
‘Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new’
Albert Einstein
Reflecting on one’s own capacityCapabilities; what are you really good at?
What do you rely on other’s for?
Your leadership journey; who have been your role models and what did you learn from them?
Emotional Intelligence and leadershipSelf-awareness
Self-regulation
Social awareness
Social skills/relationship management
Handout/reflection
Social styles and leadershipKnow yourselfKnow your peopleMake the best use of your peopleCreate powerful teamsRecruit wiselyBuild capacity
Handout/discussion
Reflective practice in leadershipHandout/discussion
My observationsCore elements for effective leadership;A passion for what you do , a commitment to making a
difference to student outcomes(moral purpose)Work to build positive relationshipsCommunicate effectively with a variety of stakeholdersPlan for the short term and long termMake effective use of data, evidence based practiceNetwork and collaborate with othersAre resilient and optimisticKeep things in perspective and remain calm under
pressureDelegate effectivelyCan be tough when required
8 Characteristics of Effective School Leadership Brown et al, 2015They have consistent, high expectations and are
very ambitious for the success of their studentsThey constantly demonstrate that disadvantage
need not be a barrier to learningThey focus relentlessly on teaching and learning
with very effective professional development for all staff
They are expert at assessment and the tracking of student progress with appropriate support and intervention based upon a detailed knowledge of individual students
They are highly inclusive, having complete regard for the progress and personal development of every student
They develop individual students through promoting rich opportunities for learning both within and out of the classroom
They cultivate a range of partnerships, particularly with parents, business and the community to support student learning and progress
They are robust and rigorous in terms of self-evaluation and data analysis with clear strategies for improvement
How do you know if you are making a difference?Data/evidence
Anecdotal
Feedback
Building a highly effective teamTalents, skills and community(Miller)Characteristics of high performing teamsWhat are the strengths of your leadership
team/areas for work?In what ways do your and your APs(Leading
Teachers) skills/styles complement each other?
Team protocols
Myths about teamsMost people like working on a team
The best teams are composed of the same sort of people with the same set of skills
Disagreement is unhealthy for team building
Team leaders need to be good at everything
In highly effective teams the membersWork collaboratively and passionately
towards a common goalListen to each other and offer mutual respect
and supportFeel trusted and valued for their strengthsCommunicate effectively with each other with
everyone contributing to discussionsAre aware of processes and defined rolesAre solution focussed in their problem
solving and decision making
(continued)Avoid personalising disagreement and focus on
outcomesValue the diversity of the group in relation to
skills and experience and learn from each otherFeel free to express their feelings as well as
their ideasFeel secure and relaxed with each otherProvide each other with positive and
constructive feedbackRecognise and celebrate achievementsReflect on and review team operations
Ineffective teams have:An absence of trustA lack of direction and unity of purposeUnclear processes and poorly defined rolesA fear of disagreementPoor processes for managing conflictMembers with poor interpersonal skillsPoorly aligned individualsUnfair distribution of workDisharmony because of dominance of some
personalities
Building the capacity of individual leadership team membersEncouraging self reflective practiceProviding positive and constructive feedbackMentoring and coachingA role modelDebriefingMistakes management
Leaders are agents of change‘It is not the strongest of the species that
survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change’ Charles Darwin
Debriefing session; e.g. 1So briefly what was the issue you were discussing?And how are you feeling right now?What was happening for you during the situation?
What were you thinking and feeling? How did you manage yourself emotionally?
How was the other person presenting? What do you think the other person was really wanting? What was reasonable about the other person’s concerns?
What did you find most difficult about the situation?What is worrying you most about what happened?Were there parts of the interaction which you felt
were successful?
(continued)If you were to go through the situation again
what would you like to change about the interaction?
What needs to happen next? Is there anything you feel you now need to follow up?
What do you need from me?Is there anything I need to put in place?
Debriefing session e.g. 2Tell me what happenedWhy did it have such a significant impact?How are you feeling about the events right now?Are there things you need to say about what happened
that you haven’t had the chance to?On reflection what were the positive things you/the
school did to manage the situation?On reflection what could you have done differently to
manage the situation for a better outcome and to maintain staff well-being?
Do you have any ongoing concerns in relation to this matter?
What else needs to happen?
Mistakes managementWe all make mistakes and we can learn from
them
Script;Tell me what happenedWhat do you need to do now?What do you need from me?
Particular skillsActive listeningClarity of communication/messagesMeeting managementTeam buildingTime managementDelegatingProject managementProblem solving/decision makingGiving positive and constructive feedbackPreparing for and having ‘challenging conversations’Managing and resolving conflictResilience
SMART goals
As leaders some key responsibilities areTo deliver the best learning outcomes for each
and every studentTo build the capacity of all staff to help achieve
thisTo build high performing teams across the
schoolTo build leadership capacity across the school To nurture and develop our future leaders
So you are a coach, mentor and role model
And hopefully a values driven, ethical leader who is committed to making a difference to the learning outcomes of our young people so that they have a better future
Final thought;‘Keep your thoughts positive because your
thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviours. Keep your behaviours positive because your behaviours become your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny’
Mahatma
Gandhi