Due: 30th of May
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero.
What is the food of the leader? It is knowledge. It is communication.
Leadership is a choice you make rather than a place you sit. In other words, leadership comes from influence and not from your position. For this reason, even when you are not in front, you can still be leading (also known as the 360-degree leader). Additionally, you can influence those in more senior positions than you. In the context of schools, when teachers are also involved in leadership, there are positive outcomes for students. (Adapted from John C. Maxwell, Leading from the Middle of the Pack, 2013).
Ways to Develop Your Middle Leadership Skills:
- Invest in relational chemistry. Get to know what makes your principal and SLT tick, their style of decision-making, their values, etc.
- Be prepared every time you meet with your principal. Making the most of their time not only communicates respect but also showcases your commitment to the team.
- Know when to push and when to back off by continuous pursuit and reflection on emotional intelligence. Given your unique vantage point in your school, you inevitably will have some knowledge your principal or SLT lacks. The key is to know when giving your input will aid your principal in reaching a decision and when it will merely complicate matters.
- Be better tomorrow than you are today. Nothing impresses a principal like a self-motivated performer. As you demonstrate a growing capacity for responsibility, more will be given to you. The art, science and craft [nuance] of an effective middle leader is to predominately remain in your strength zone but out of your comfort zone.
Whether you’re conscious of it or not, you have an influence on your principal. Learning to cultivate that influence will largely determine the speed of your career advancement.
Leading Learning:
You are likely also in a unique position in the school, in that you may well have a teaching load as well as leadership responsibility. This means that you are absolutely key in ensuring that learners get the best out of their learning experience at school. You have an influence through:
- Your own teaching practice. Your ability to stay current and model effective practice is key for those around you.
- Your participation in, and enactment of, professional learning and development. This means keeping up to date with research, actively challenging your own thinking, using ‘critical friends’ and seeking feedback to advance personal learning, continuously reflecting on your practice, having a growth mindset and seeking out learning that will ‘stretch’ your practice.
- Your leadership of teaching and learning; through planning, inquiry into practice and curriculum development.
Provocation:
Reflect on your current performance as a middle leader, using the below frame (in the link) to help you – What do you want to start, stop and continue doing to strengthen your leadership practice? Copy the document below and share with your kaiārahi when complete.
This document will form the basis of the next coaching session with your kaiārahi. Bookings for the next coaching session will open very shortly.
Link – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uh3tmPziD1lzpzh83s94dv9QHp6nyGz4Q3eQNbQ7oNA/edit?usp=sharing
Resources:
Leading from the Middle – Educational Leadership for Middle and Senior Leaders
John C Maxwell. Leading from the Middle
www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/leading-from-the-middle-of-the-pack/
10 Responses
Love your summation Sorayah.
Love your summations Sorayah.
I worked through stop, start, continue as honestly as I could. This provocation task came at a good time for me as I navigate the mid term two blues.
Great to know that Module 6 is timely for you Claire. I look forward to discussing your start, stop, continue responses with you.
This module has made me think about my own role and responsibilities in my kura. It has been interesting to reflect on the year so far and how much I have learned as a Senior Leader. It is also good to reflect on the things I need to start, stop and continue to do with this responsibility. At times, we forget to reflect on the journey we have had, but this exercise has allowed for me to think about that and think about ways forward in this role.
You have had a very steep learning curve this year Erica but it’s been a unique and valuable experience as well as you have had the chance to observe many different leadership styles. It’s just as useful to learn what not to do as it is what to do.
I really enjoyed this module 6. The idea that leadership is a choice coming from influence, is an interesting statement. Out of all the scenarios, the most appealing to me was the ‘wingman’ commentary. It is the wingman supporting the leader, but without over riding intrusion. Their role is suttle, but extremely important. There is a mutual respect with trust and the opportunity for a valid exchange of ideas with input if and when required. The ongoing developing relationship between the wingman and the leader is an important expectation and long term worthwhile one. For the role of the wingman will include among other considerations, their commitment and also their growing capacity for accepting personal responsibility without detracting from the role of the leader. The team as a unit should and could benefit from a positive leadership/wingman relationship. Identifying who potentially might be the best wingman within your own team, is another worthy consideration.
This module was really good at making me reflect on what I am doing well and what I need to focus on. As leaders we have so much to reflect on and can have many roles to fulfill. Strengthen the relationships of staff remains a key focus and these readings have given a lot of direction to build on and introduce with my team,
You are absolutely correct Sheree, strengthening relationships is key! I enjoyed reading your responses to start, stop, continue and I’m looking forward to our coaching session.
This article offers an insightful analysis of the dynamics of influence within organisational structures, emphasising that effective leadership goes beyond formal titles and positions, instead relying on the ability to influence others positively. The article emphasises the interconnectedness of individual and collective success within a team, underscoring the necessity of cultivating positive and influential relationships within the organisational hierarchy.