Reflections on Leadership especially when new in role

I became a leader in my teacher training year and those first few years of leadership are what I reflect on the most. Initiatives that I did well but more importantly what I could have done better. 

Here are my top thoughts. 

Mostly, I reflect on how I could have worked smarter and not harder.

Communication

I have not met a leader who doesn't think they've communicated their expectations or deadlines well. You've had a conversation and therefore that means 'You've communicated' or 'You've mentioned it a meeting'. Never overlook how much communication matters and more importantly how to communicate effectively. You can never communicate enough when it comes to leading a team. This does not mean a briefing every day but instead how to use the resources you have to hand more effectively. 

You need to think strategically about what you'd like to communicate and most importantly when. 

For example when there's a data deadline, it is not a good time to communicate you are changing the marking policy. When I was a Head of Year, we'd have a weekly huddle where I'd communicate the goals for the week or the key priorities over a term or half term, followed by a one page bulletin filled with key information and links for ease of access (also avoids sending multiple emails) and then weekly drop ins where I'd pop into forms to see the implementation in action. Everything felt really cyclical, being really clear on what was important and the follow through. Most importantly the communication was clear, consistent and thorough without wasting precious teacher time.

What do you want to achieve?

In any role you need to be clear regarding your responsibilities and priorities. What do you want your team to do and how are the conditions going to be created for them to be successful? In my current role as a Director, I met with all individuals within my team on a one to one basis and asked them what has been going well, what could be done better and where do they see themselves in their career? This was invaluable in building relationships but also gives a solid foundation and understanding of how to best to lead and support every individual and the team. Having one to ones allows for a candid and more relaxed environment to build a sense of trust and a clear pathway for your next steps.

CPD

CPD is one of the most powerful ways to upskill yourself no matter what stage of leadership you are in. I have done a range of NPQs personally which really supported me in developing my skill set. I'd strongly recommend engaging in one if you have the capacity to do so. Another branch of CPD that has been extremely useful is engaging in talks/conferences that interest me. There is nothing quite like engaging in a world of support alongside people with the same common interest as you. If you feel you don't have time to attend after school training why not arrange a meeting with a more experienced individual in school who does a role well? Be inquisitive and ask questions. There's bite sized information on YouTube you can have on in the background, Research Ed has a plethora of useful videos and, of course, the #WomenEd videos. I frequently listen to educational talks whilst marking or on my morning commute into work.

Take it slow!

In any role, you'll have a number of asks from SLT, people you line manage, things you notice that you want to improve, follows up from the meetings you've had, pupil progress meetings, emails and then, if you are in a Middle Leadership position, a high teaching allocation. So it's really important to maximise your time by focusing on the highest leverage action point. 

By doing everything, you spread yourself so thinly nothing is done as effectively or efficiently as it can be. 

It's that age old phrase of too many priorities means you have no priorities. Rather than overwhelming yourself with an inordinate amount of work, focus on what you can achieve within a course of a day and week. For example, plan what you hope to achieve within your PPA time, when you will have lunch (because that's just as important) and what days you'll be in before or after school. Think of your time in a strategic manner. 

Try to have three key focuses that must be achieved and then anything else that needs to be achieved is a bonus.

Team work makes the dream work

You can't do it on your own. You need a team that supports you. No matter how well thought out your initiative or conversation, sometimes it just lands badly. Listen to your team. Listen and act on their feedback. No one gets everything right even upon experience but it is about learning what works and what doesn't and more importantly what you'll never do again!

Be present

Yes, it will be overwhelming at times particularly when you think about all the key elements to be actioned in a term or half term. But when you are teaching, focus on the teaching and not your emails, and when you are interacting with colleagues focus on the conversation you are having rather than feeling guilty that you need to be doing work: like wise with student interactions. Those mini interactions throughout the day are so meaningful. 

Not everything needs to be done at once.

Be organised and precious with your time

I have always had a diary of what my day looks like including lessons, meetings, break duties, learning walks, reminders of deadlines and how I will be spending PPA. By being granular with your diary it supports you in how you will spend your time. Plan your meetings. Time in education is extremely dear. Some meetings are an email and not every meeting involves your whole team. Plan the follow up and who needs to be in emails and who doesn't so you're also thinking about peoples' inboxes and time. Any meetings that you do lead, share the agenda in advance with really clear time stamps and make it clear what the follow up is. If you say the meeting is going to finish at a certain time ensure that it does. Any follow up can be done after. Equally if a question only applies to one person rather than the whole team.

Data

There are so many anecdotes in teaching, 'oh I taught like this' or the dreaded line of 'they behave for me' or 'this has just always been the case'. It's really important to be led by the data whether that is mastery quizzes, formative data or summative data or literally the live data you see within the classroom. Be led by it to allow you to see the bigger picture rather than anecdotes. It will support you in making the right decisions. If you are not comfortable with data, find someone in school that is or ask your line manager to arrange CPD to help you develop in this area.

Finally, leadership is the most wonderful opportunity to grow. 

Yes, you are balancing work and your personal life but the impact you are making to the life chances of the children you serve is instrumental. 

Enjoy the challenge and ask for support if and when you need it!