In November 2019, I received a phone call informing me I had been successful in securing my first headship. 

In August 2020, I would be the primary principal at a well-established and highly successful international school: Alice Smith, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At the time, my family and I were living in Abu Dhabi, UAE. 

Fast forward to March 2020: the emergence of Covid-19 sent countries across the world into lockdown, including the UAE and Malaysia, where all schools closed.

Looking back to this time, I realise now how little I had foreseen in terms of the challenges ahead. 

As the year passed and moving to Malaysia became more real, the question I asked myself was: how do I lead the school as we prepare and plan for reopening in the midst of a pandemic without being there in person? 

The answer lay in relationship building and trusting people. But it was not an easy process.

Zoom to the rescue

The challenges were numerous.

These included working across time zones, not being able to visit the school to facilitate a handover, dealing with a visa delay, being in quarantine while the school reopened and, last but definitely not least, relocating in a pandemic.

Some of these we solved with common sense, such as scheduling meetings for the afternoon Malaysian time so while I was in Ireland (where I had returned after leaving the UAE to await my Malaysian visa) I could participate in the morning.

I also remain very grateful to the previous head for an insightful and informative handover via - of course - Zoom.

However, despite these workarounds, the aforementioned visa delay and then having to quarantine for two weeks on arrival in Malaysia means I will not be on campus until week two of term - not quite how I envisioned my first headship.

Reopening a school when you’re not there

And this has meant that perhaps the biggest hurdle I have faced is ensuring the school was ready to reopen safely without being able to actually go and see it.

This meant many Zoom meetings and highly interactive teamwork sessions using Google Apps, to oversee the preparation and communication of a comprehensive reopening plan to the entire school community adhering to Malaysian government guidelines. 

This could have been an unnerving experience - planning a school reopening without actually being there or fully knowing the staff I was directing is not something you would choose to do.

But these are strange times for all and everyone was ready for the challenge - and the quality and capability of staff became apparent in the early stages of my interaction with them meaning I was confident I could defer authority as required in my enforced absence.

Of course, I was involved in decision-making but ultimately I trusted those on the ground to make many decisions and lead in my absence. 

While this was not the start I would have imagined when I was first offered the job, it has been a powerful lesson: as a leader, you have to learn to trust and delegate - I can think of no better way of being forced to put this into practice.

Getting to know you

The second big task that I have embraced while leading remotely is getting to know everyone.

Primarily, I have had live video calls with all academic staff to make that important initial connection and allow them to get a feel for who I am and vice versa. 

Furthermore, where feasible, I have also tried to record video messages or host live Zoom calls when communicating with parents and staff, to help build a greater sense of connection and community.

For example, this week I welcomed all staff back on campus for the first time in 163 days via a live stream from my hotel room in quarantine. 

Furthermore, I also used this time to have remote meetings with the school’s governors.

Usually, this is something most heads like to do in person but, again, it has worked well over Zoom and good connections have been made - which I look forward to strengthening once we can finally meet in person.

Not the only new starter

It’s also important for me to note I am not the only new member of staff at the school. We have other new teachers joining and they are going through the same quarantine process in Malaysia before they can start.

WhatsApp has become a great tool for helping me communicate with our new staff as they arrive in Malaysia and experience quarantine. Regular check-ins have allowed me to get to know them and gauge how they are adjusting to a new country and new life

Of course, there is one last group of people I need to get to know - perhaps the most important group of all: the students.

This is something that will have to wait until I can finally set foot on campus: It’s a day I am very much looking forward to!

Alan McCarthy is the primary principal at Alice Smith School in Malaysia. He has taught internationally for 13 years