When leaders move to a new school or receive an internal promotion invariably we encounter problems to solve that instantly become our responsibility yet these problems may not be of our own making. As a result, we can be very quickly associated with the problem and needing to solve it. This is a really tough... Continue Reading →
What can happen when school leaders commit to courageous decisions and feedback?
What will happen? How will they react? How will I be viewed? These are some of the questions that will go through the minds of school leaders when faced with making courageous decisions, or engaging in difficult conversations where feedback needs to be given to a colleague. There is a genuine sense of fear, which... Continue Reading →
Viewing the problem from ‘my perspective’ – a significant challenge in leading schools
School leaders spend a considerable amount of their time in problem solving mode. There are those problems that leaders create ourselves through their own actions or the change initiatives that they are either leading themselves or requiring of others. Added to this, are those problems that emerge from factors beyond the control of school leaders.... Continue Reading →
The problem of presenting a ‘deficit model’ to teachers
One of the greatest challenges, I believe, facing school leaders today is the doom and gloom in education. There is so much material out there about what is wrong with schools and what we are not doing. We are often faced with so many problems, all of which are appear urgent, in a society where... Continue Reading →
Get used to not pleasing everyone
As hard as we may work in our roles as educational leaders, to some it will not be enough. We will make 1000's of decisions, some are popular and some maybe less so. Certain parts of our job we may have no control over, yet the buck may stop with us. We may endeavour to... Continue Reading →
When teachers and school leaders struggle with feedback
Most of us have been there, that moment when we do not appreciate the feedback and comments regarding our work. Feedback, even if it is meant to be constructive and focused on improvement, can be really tough to take at times. Develop a thick skin, we may have been told. As much as we can... Continue Reading →