An outstanding school understands that leadership must be fostered at all levels.
Our schools are peppered with innovative, enterprising and creative staff who have the ability to bring about fundamental change if only they are provided with the platform to succeed. However, talented teachers are often confined to their classroom and limited by shortsighted approaches to leadership.
Too often only senior leaders are at the helm when it comes to the ideas, implementation and measuring of impact with regards to school development and improvement. So much talent is lost as a result of an outdated infrastructure that relies entirely on colleagues in promoted posts leading the school-improvement plan.
Yes, teachers are given the opportunity to make suggestions and potentially join development working groups - but is this really enough?
Imagine the shift in mindset when an unpromoted teacher is assigned a key school priority to lead and manage. With the right support and coaching, there is the basis for real success.
Having agreed on the area of development or the focus of a project, the important part of the initial conversation needs to be a closer look at the possible barriers to be addressed, so as to offset any unnecessary battles along the way. It is always useful to follow a “W” method - considering who, what, why, when and where.
Help them frame the dialogue
As a mentor you should consider coaching the staff member ahead of any planned meetings, to help them frame the dialogue and focus on what they wish to get out of each conversation with the staff they hope to bring on board, whatever the idea is.
One of the greatest barriers that inexperienced leaders face is a lack of confidence when holding difficult conversations. It is uncomfortable when moving a project forward requires them to address problem areas and those responsible. Identifying areas for improvement usually means that staff will need to be challenged to accept that change is needed - at times, this can be met with resistance.
What advice, then, can we give to the inexperienced leader who is about to shine a light on what is not working well?
First, it is about timing: the “when” part. Deciding when to meet a staff member to challenge them regarding a particular issue is essential to a successful outcome.
The leader of this challenging conversation must never direct the conversation in a way that leaves the member of staff feeling chastised or berated.
Focusing on what is working well might perhaps be a good way to initiate this dialogue. Always remember, too, that it is not about assigning fault or blame, merely an opportunity to have a professional and reflective conversation about what could be better.
Choose commitment over compliance
This brings us to the essence of this article: commitment over compliance.
We all know of staff who have signed up for a development group with little intention of adding any value or genuinely trying to contribute to the action plan. Worse still, the school may be operating a mandated approach that requires all staff to be part of a development group - in which case, a staff member will most likely comply with this demand but offer little else.
Rather than selecting people based on status, title or other superficial means, building great teams means selecting great people. But guess what? Great people are only attracted to great leaders, so leaders need to deliver their vision, purpose and aims in a way that attracts people who will deliver because they fully agree with the project’s value.
That’s when you get true and unshakeable commitment, which outdoes compliance every time.
In my experience, good leaders know how to build trust in their followers. They promote self-belief and individual team members feel they can contribute to the success of the whole team. With each member understanding their role, and feeling a healthy portion of accountability, plans quickly become action and the impact is visible.
The leader should be fairly hands off by the time the project is in full flow, only called on when inexperience or unexpected barriers present themselves. An outstanding leader has all the mentoring, coaching and collaboration skills to empower the team member to identify the problem themselves and contribute to the solution.
It’s simple, really: great leaders equal great teams - and great teams equal great outcomes.
Ed Carlin is a depute headteacher working in a secondary in the North East of Scotland
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