Creating the Climate for AchievementThe Presentation When I looked at the leader behaviours and...

The Presentation

When I looked at the leader behaviours and practices from five high performing organisations and ten successful schools I found some common characteristics.

Both the organisations and schools had behaviours and practices which had distinct similarities and were ‘constructively aligned.‘ In addition, there were significant levels of trust throughout. It was expressed and experienced in many different ways but was essential for success.

Successful LeadersAlistair Smith

Buckinghamshire Head TeachersBrighton 2018


Buckinghamshire Head Teachers, March 2018

The Presentation

Two daft questions Is it allowed?

What do Ofsted want?

and a killer statement...We already do that

An electronic booklet containing all the presentation content is available to read and download on the alistairsmithlearningwebsite.



A DVD featuring some of the schools described in the presentation is available.

There are Leadership interviews and films on classroom questioning, feedback and marking, lesson planning and metacognition.

Great Learning, Great Leading

A DVD resource featur ing f or ty-two short f ilms

from four very different schools on how they

improved learning and teaching



What’s your Focus?On one side of A4 list all the things you did at school on Monday. Start from when you walked in the front door and record everything until you walked out later that day.Leave a margin.



First, a preamble…



“You just kinda dae stuff…”



Reviewing Leader BehavioursLeaders at Our School are team-players who strive to improve the life chances of our pupils and are:

1. Solution Focused

2. Visible

3. Challenging

4. Aware of Self and Others

5. Well-Informed



Bad news firstBe clear on your outcome. Anticipate all the objections and likely questions prior to the meeting.

After welcoming and thanking people for attending go straight to the bad news

Then work through the likely implications for all the groups in the room. As you do so address the possible objections and answer the likely questions.

Open the room up for questions and when asked refer back to the answers you’ve already given.

Tell them what the next steps are. Thank them and close

TrustTrust Trust

Trust Trust TrustTrust Trust Trust

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Trust Trust Trust Trust Trust TrustTrust Trust Trust Trust Trust Trust

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Trust



TrustTrust Trust





What is trust?

Trust BondsAlistair Smith

Woking Head TeachersPoole 2018



“Trust is defined as ‘a psychological state comprising the intention to accept vulnerability based upon positive expectations of the intentions behind the behaviour of another’”

Rousseau et al, Not so different after all: a cross-discipline view of trust.

Academy of Management Review. 1998.

TrustTrust Trust





How do you build trust in your school?



Statement Scoring1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 Our school vision will be achieved together

2 Staff can be relied upon to achieve results

3 We have the right systems for success

4 We have talented people at every level

5 Staff provide more solutions than problems

6 We put the best interests of students first

7 Staff do their utmost to improve performance

8 Staff don’t need close monitoring to do things well

9 Our staff always look after each other

10 For our staff, it’s more than a job

11 Staff will challenge what we do if its right to do so

12 Staff would never knowingly cut corners

13 Our school systems are fair for everyone

14 Our staff tell the truth

15 We admit to and can show our vulnerability

16 Staff will always be loyal to the school and what we stand for

17 Staff bring energy to all tasks

18 Our school systems make it easier to teach

19 Our staff fulfil their promises

20 Our school is always a vibrant place to work



‘A safe environment created through mutual trust improves the quality and speed of decision-making.’

Experiencing Trustworthy Leadership, University of Bath, for the CIPD, 2014



“When trust is lacking, this affects organisation performance. Staff spend more time covering their own backs. Leaders spend more time checking up on staff. Staff who do not trust their employer are more likely to want to leave.”

Megatrends,

Are organisations losing the trust of their workers?

CIPD, 2013



Which individuals do

you trust?Why?

Competence is the belief that the other party has the skills, knowledge and qualities to carry out their obligations.Benevolence is investing benign motives in the other party with a genuine concern for their welfare Integrity involves adherence to a set of principles acceptable to the other party encompassing openness, honesty and fair treatmentPredictability relates specifically to consistency and regularity of behaviour

adapted from Mayer et al 1995, Dietz and Den Hartog 2006

Four components of trust





What happens to us when we trust someone?



“The simple act of trusting another begins the release of quantities of a hormone which increases the likelihood of that trust sustaining into the future.

The chances of pair-bonding, attraction, generosity of feeling, and a willingness to protect then follow.”



To prove oxytocin causes trust we safely administered doses of synthetic oxytocin.

We found that giving people 24 IU of synthetic oxytocin more than doubled the amount of money they sent to a stranger. Oxytocin appeared to do just one thing—reduce the fear of trusting a stranger.

The Neuroscience of Trust, Harvard Business Review

Paul J. Zak, 2017



‘ Experiments show that having a sense of higher purpose stimulates oxytocin production, as does trust. Trust and purpose then mutually reinforce each other, providing a mechanism for extended oxytocin release, which produces happiness. So, joy on the job comes from doing purpose-driven work with a trusted team.’

The Neuroscience of Trust, Harvard Business Review

Paul J. Zak, 2017



‘In schools with the strongest levels of trust we found a 50% chance of making significant improvements in student learning. In schools with the weakest levels of trust it was 14%

Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for School ReformAnthony S. Bryk and Barbara Schneider, 2003



Which organisations do you trust?

Why?



Compared with people at low-trust organisations, people at high-trust organisations report:

74% less stress,106% more energy at work,50% higher productivity,76% more engagement,

Harvard Business Review, 2016



What do successful leaders do to build trust?



“ Staff are more likely to trust senior leaders when they feel they are listened to and when their views are taken into account when decisions are made. ”

Megatrends,


CIPD, 2013



“Leadership, culture and behaviour make a big difference to trust. Trust is stronger when leadership and ‘the system’ are seen to treat people fairly, when people (including senior leaders) behave in line with agreed values and when leaders also show trust in their employees.”

Megatrends,


CIPD, 2013



“Staff in low-trust environments are discouraged from sharing knowledge and taking risks – wasting innovation potential. They may also be reluctant to challenge the behaviour of leaders or colleagues – creating risks for both an organisations performance and its reputation.”

Megatrends,


CIPD, 2013

Things which leaders do to build and sustain trust:

1. Hang around. Do the day job, do it well and be visible in doing so.

2. Focus relentlessly on what's important and help others do the same.

3. Care but care with Candour4. Stay consistent – if you say you'll do something, do it.5. Build the Capacity for trust in the school by trusting

others. Start with Lesson Study.



TrustTrust Trust





Alignment



Purpose a well-considered, succinct agreement of what it is we are here to doPerformance the day to day tools, techniques and experiences which deliver exceptional outcomesPlumbing the very necessary systems and structures which underpin successful work - and which go unnoticed until they develop a faultPeople a responsible and responsive team of professionals who commit to achieving the agreed purposePizazz the individual energy –physical, emotional and creative –brought to the professional role and the challenges which go with it

Constructive Alignment

TrustTrust Trust





PurposePerformance

PlumbingPeoplePizazz

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PurposePerformance




“ In a VUCA world everything starts with purpose. Keep to your principles, continue to create a winning culture and give others an opportunity to play at their best.”

“ Your personal core purpose should be indivisible from the schools and it’s about the difference you make to their life chances. This is the priority. I’ve always been described as ballsy but that’s only cos I know what’s right for us. When schools are going all wrong it’s all about leadership. Too much talk is about nonsense and irrelevant policies. Nonsense is anything that will not impact positively on pupils.'

Springfield Primary, January 2018

“I’m always asking myself and the staff the same question, are we doing the best for our children, even our most violent and disruptive? If we don’t help them, who else will? We do get unreasonable loyalty. Staff stay and children behave. I think its because we constantly ask these questions.”

Springfield Primary, January 2018

“ The job of leadership is to describe a challenging vision and equip an organisation to achieve it. “

Four things to do to build purpose:

1. Develop your school by revisiting core purpose together.

2. Use core purpose to direct staff and parent behaviours especially in difficult times.

3. Do what you say you will do. Then tell everyone you’ve done so!

4. Set up staff problem solving groups to deal with specific issues around the school



"My passion is how do you get excellence in Performance? I'm intrigued by this. How do I get the best out of others? I spend all my time thinking about this."

“We have simple, easily understood systems which we try to make fail safe. All our lessons are online. I close the school at 6.00 each day but before then staff meet, review the lessons and amend anything so it’s up to date. With children we keep up not catch up. South Farnham average teacher absence is now 0.3 days compared to a national average of 9.8 days.“

She’s a systems leader, or describes herself as such, concerned with organisational change. She likes to take on a challenging school, deconstruct its systems and structures, then reinvigorate, reorganise or replace the teachers and put it all back together again. She then tries to ensure it can sustain over time.

Four things to do to maintain your plumbing:

1. Back and Build the Brilliant Basics: especially around behaviour, assessment, progress

2. Planning is development, so do it together.3. Flush out and review any of your systems which are

ineffective.4. Ensure each system has a name on it: everyone should

know who is responsible for what

“Only by knowing errors and frustrations do we understand how to leave them behind. We are all human. Under pressure our cognitive bandwidth limits each and every one of us. Design the system so it works for humans. “

“I’ve come to the conclusion that cognitive load theory is the most important thing for teachers to know.“

Professor Dylan William, March 2017

“ We give to receive. We share everything across our partner schools. It reduces stress and it reduces workload. We want to make what we do in learning highly transparent. Visibility is an important concept for us. You can see it in all our frameworks, where we not only describe our agreed methods but provide pictures of what they actually look like in classrooms. “

“ We don’t sweat the small stuff. You listen to all the initiatives but you have to chart your own way. My job is to free teachers up to teach and resource them and the school to allow it to happen. We plan our lessons a year in advance.“

Four things to do to enhance performance:

1. Insist on Role Clarity. Go through all the grey areas and ask who is responsible for this?

2. Provide all staff with the essential tools for the task and buddy them with a mate!

3. Own the pupil outcome, whatever.4. Reflect as a team regularly and deliberately. Drop any

practices which are ineffective

“ Every year we get 2000 applications and audition 400 people for 33 places. Recruitment is like the story itself, we favour the underdog. We look for talent who can not only sing, and sing well, but act and bring individuality, dedication, spark and stamina without disrupting the performance values of the team.“

The Production Values• Creativity• Passion• Commitment• Dedication• Inspiration• Excellence• Education, Development and Learning• Pride• Honesty• History

At the end of the dayAt the end of the day you're another day older

And that's all you can say for the life of the poorIt's a struggle, it's a war

And there's nothing that anyone's givingOne more day standing about, what is it for?

One day less to be living.

At the end of the day you're another day colderAnd the shirt on your back doesn't keep out the

chillAnd the righteous hurry past

They don't hear the little ones cryingAnd the plague is coming on fast, ready to kill

One day nearer to dying!

'You have to be constantly renewing your radicalism' It can’t be business as usual. If we want young people to succeed then education needs a revolution. We've got to change how we teach as well as what we teach. For that reason we recruit opinionated, interested mavericks who bring something from beyond."

Four things to do to find and develop people:

1. Recruit beyond the Role.2. Extend the remit of Teaching Assistants3. Form strategic partnerships to share staff in

key roles – bursar, caretaker, peripatetic staff, 4. Love the one’s you’re with.

“ We started innocent in 1999 after selling our smoothies at a music festival. We put up a big sign asking people if they thought we should give up our jobs to make smoothies, and put a bin saying 'Yes' and a bin saying 'No" in front of the stall. Then we got people to vote with their empties.

At the end of the weekend, the 'Yes' bin was full, so we resigned from our jobs the next day and got cracking. “

Leadership LessonsAlistair Smith

Surrey Head Teachers Conference21st September, 2017

“What I do is Lead, Manage and Coach. Coaching takes the most time. I could simply tell them rather than coach them but the time spent coaching is an investment in trust and trust shapes our future.”

Chris Fielden, Director, Innocent Drinks




Surrey Head Teachers Conference21st September, 2017


FuturezoneBath 2018

“No matter what's happened they know I will look after them. They know I'll never hang them out to dry. I'll get stuck in with them. There are always a few who are not quite there. People genuinely appreciate black and white honesty so when you tell them it’s rubbish they know its rubbish.“

Four things to do to have presence with pizazz:

1. Be Bold. Be a Pirate!2. Be Visible. Beat the Boundaries!3. Construct the Culture. Use interventions

such as Mystery Mentor, £20 bid to shape the mood.

4. Source more Networks. Have a Social Media presence.

TrustTrust Trust





PurposePerformance




Successful LeadersAlistair SmithBuckinghamshire Head Teachers, Brighton 2018

[email protected]: alatalite

Creating the Climate for AchievementThe Presentation When I looked at the leader behaviours and...

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