As we approach the beginning of the new academic year, I have read a number of recent articles offering advice for those about to embark on a new professional challenge. They include this piece in TES by Paul Bisland, who writes about ‘Four key priorities for Scottish teachers starting a new job’, and this by Rob Ford, in School Management Plus, on the subject of what those moving to a second or subsequent headship should bear in mind.
It started me thinking of all those who may be moving into a new leadership role this autumn, whether into a Middle Leadership position (such as a Head of Department or Head of Year), taking on Senior Leadership responsibility (perhaps as an Assistant or Deputy Head), or those moving into their first headship. I have often said that leadership at various levels, and in a range of contexts, is not necessarily dramatically different in terms of the nature of the challenge – you are still trying to get the best from those you lead, just as you will have been working to get the best from the pupils you have taught since you first stepped into a classroom. Being a Middle Leader, Senior Leader or school leader is simply different in scale and scope. And your capacity to have an impact grows as your sphere of professional influence widens. Tuning into your new context is always crucial.
The best preparation for leadership success, in my view, comes from the leadership skills and strategies you have developed and strengthened in previous roles, including leading learning in the classroom. However, just because you may have achieved success in one leadership context does not automatically mean that you will continue to do so as you step into a new role – not all good teachers, for example, easily develop into strong leaders of adults.
Here are four aspects of leadership I would suggest you give careful thought to if you are stepping into a new leadership role, at whatever level, this autumn:
Navigating relationships
If you are internally promoted, you need to recognise that becoming a leader in an environment where you are already known, and presumably highly thought of and valued, does necessitate a shift in the dynamic between you and those you now lead. You will (and must) always be true to who you are, but the relationship does change when those who were your peers now fall into the category of those for whom you have some leadership responsibility. Don’t be disingenuous about this, and don’t use your prior established relationships as an excuse for failing to step up to the challenge when required. If necessary, seek advice from other leaders who have navigated the situation successfully in the past. And this post may help.
If you are externally promoted, building relationships and getting to know, and to be known by, those you lead will be an absolute priority. Showing warmth and compassion will always help, here. Ideally this process will have started during the lead-in period between being appointed and formally stepping into the role, so you will have begun to make headway already. Ask far more questions than you make statements, listen carefully to the responses, and act on them as appropriate; this will be key in the early weeks and months. Building trust and earning respect takes time, but, without it, what you can achieve in your new role will inevitably be limited.
Communicating effectively
Communication is tricky! But it is crucial, and making full use of the different channels of communication, and continuing to hone and develop your skills over time, is something to which you need to commit. Seek advice and training if you need to, but speaking with energy and conviction, listening astutely, writing accurately and fluently (and concisely when necessary), and interacting positively with others both in a one-to-one context and when you are addressing larger groups, will always be important. It is a key part of how we build the most successful, mutually respectful and effective relationships.
Continuing to learn
Inevitably, in a new role, even in an environment with which you are familiar, there will be things you need to learn, and, in my experience, no one expects their leaders to be infallible – though they do expect you to be honest. If, because you are learning, you make early mistakes, don’t catastrophise – apologise if necessary, and show you are self-aware, confident enough to demonstrate humility, and, importantly, determined to learn from experience and to try to do better in the future. Getting it wrong isn’t terrible – but getting the same thing wrong several times could be!
Again, the lead-in period before you step into the role should have given you valuable opportunities to find out what more you need to know and to start to plug any gaps – through reading, networking, training, observations, shadowing and discussion, for example. You will build on this in the early weeks and months in post.
Finding a balance
If you’ve heard me speak at any point, you may have heard me cite the carthorse Boxer in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, whose response to every difficulty was, ‘I will work harder’. It doesn’t end well for Boxer. I fully understand that when you are new to a job, and perhaps to an organisation, you are keen to show that you are capable, conscientious, and able to solve problems and to find a way forward. But a leader doesn’t attempt to provide all the answers, be the instigator of each initiative, and resolve everyone’s issues. Strong leaders work with others to help them solve problems for themselves. They value others’ contributions and build the capacity and confidence of those they lead. They strike the right balance of support and challenge in their relationships.
And they find a healthy, manageable and sustainable balance in their own lives, too, fulfilling their professional responsibilities without jeopardising their personal commitments. I know that this is harder than it sounds, and have written in more detail about this here, if that would be helpful. But realise that the best leaders are not the ones who work to the exclusion of all else in their lives. You need to know yourself well enough to appreciate when you are too tired to tackle a specific task as well as you hope and need to, and recognise that you have to rest and refresh and then approach it when you have more time and energy.
I find leadership fascinating, and I always found it personally energising. Moving to each new leadership role gave me a burst of adrenalin which powered me for some time. I believe that leadership is about taking action which is based on sound judgement, grounded in our knowledge of our leadership domain, our context and our people. I hope that considering the four aspects of leadership above helps you to do this as you move into your new role, and I wish you every success.
Photo credit: Gemini
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