School leadership is complex and multifaceted. As you will know if you’ve participated in any leadership training programme, lots of people have lots to say about it. There’s endless lists of leadership skills, quizzes to find out if you’re a coercive leader or pace-setting leader or even if you’re a soldier leader or a surgical leader! I’ve never really been convinced by many of these things.
Over my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with many inspirational leaders. Whilst they’ve all been very different, they all have certain traits in common. One of the things they have in common is that they notice things about their colleagues and their school. No matter how busy they are, they also find the time to notice. According to Zach Mercurio:
“Noticing is the deliberate act of paying attention to the details, ebbs, and flows of someone’s life and work.”
So what do they notice?
They notice when people are doing a fabulous job and praise them for their contribution to the wider vision. They also let other people know about it.
They notice when colleagues are trying really hard to implement a whole school initiative and praise them for it. They do this even if it’s not going perfectly!
They’ll notice colleagues in the corridor, smile, stop and ask them how their day is going.
They notice when colleagues have shown real kindness and thought to another colleague or a student and thank them for it.
They notice when colleagues have had a tricky parental meeting or a challenging lesson and ask them how it went.
They notice when someone makes a great contribution to a meeting and thank them for it.
They notice when a colleague who is being coached on a specific aspect of their work is making good progress and praise them for it.
They notice when colleagues give their time freely to run a trip, or a club, or a revision session. They’ll thank them and talk about the positive experience students are getting as a result of their actions.
They notice when colleagues are trying out a new approach. They show interest in how it is going and check in to see how things are progressing.
They notice when people are feeling a bit down or tired. They’ll take the time to listen to why they are feeling as they are and offer help and advice.
They notice when colleagues are going through challenging times outside school. They ask them about it and listen. They then check in with them later to ask how things are.
They notice the personal details colleagues share with them, such as details about their family, pets or even where they are going on holiday. They’ll remember this and ask them about it later.
They notice when aspects of a colleague’s work aren’t going well and offer them support and guidance to get better.
They notice the detail. They’ll use this knowledge to help colleagues to shape their ideas into a plan.
They notice when people are ready for progression. They’ll talk to them about their career aspirations and find development opportunities for them.
They notice when colleagues have concerns about a new approach that is being implemented. They’ll listen carefully to their concerns and genuinely consider their views and opinions.
They notice when things aren’t going well in a team and intervene early.
They notice the ‘temperature’ of the school - how it ‘feels’ in the school. They’ll know if this necessitates a change in approach or even a new approach.
They notice what other great schools are doing and use this to shape their approach.
They notice when something isn’t working and are brave enough to change it.
What’s more they do all of this quietly, with warmth, care and expect nothing in return. They make people feel like they matter - and that is priceless.
What are you going to notice today?
Shaun Allison, Co-Headteacher