“Ko ngā pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko ngā pae tata, whakamaua kia tina.”
The potential for tomorrow depends on what we do today.
Module Objectives:
- Enhance self-awareness: Develop a deeper understanding of personal values, beliefs, and leadership styles.
- Develop emotional intelligence: Identify and manage personal emotions, and understand and respond effectively to the emotions of others.
- Identify personal strengths and areas for development: Conduct a comprehensive self-assessment and identify key strengths, weaknesses, and areas for professional growth.
- Build self-reflection habits: Develop and implement strategies for ongoing self-reflection and professional development.
Section 1: Exploring Self-Awareness
Resource 1: “Taking off the armour and showing up authentically“
According to a study in the Leadership and Organization Development Journal, employees’ perception of authentic leadership serves as the strongest predictor of job satisfaction and positively impacts work-related attitudes and happiness. Watch this video on authentic leadership from Brene Brown – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9669oUfqbDU Consider what this means for your leadership – how do you show up at school authentically?
Section 2: Developing Emotional Intelligence
Resource 2: “Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders”
Explore this podcast on why emotional intelligence is imperative for school leaders – https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/edcast/24/03/why-emotional-intelligence-matters-educators
Section 3: Identifying Strengths and Areas for Development
Self-review can take many forms and be carried out in a number of ways, but the underlying principles of effective self-review require it to be:
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- Purposeful – leading to action for improvement
- Meaningful – not reviewing for reviewing’s sake
- Manageable – realistic in terms of time and human and financial resources
- Systematic – programmed so it doesn’t get overlooked
- Reliable – based on relevant and valid evidence
- Collaborative – involving key stakeholders
Task:
Step 1: Reflect on your personal leadership style and identify areas for self-improvement.
Step 2: Discuss with your kaiarahi the most effective strategies for gathering feedback from others on your leadership strengths and weaknesses.
Consider options such as:
- 360-degree feedback surveys: Involving staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders.
- Informal feedback: Seeking feedback from trusted colleagues, mentors, or external coaches.
- Observations: Observing your own leadership in action and seeking feedback from trusted colleagues.
- Reflection journals: Regularly reflecting on your leadership experiences and identifying areas for growth.
Step 3: Develop a plan with your kaiarahi for gathering feedback from multiple sources and document your plan in the online forum. This can be discussed at your first coaching session.
Step 4: Post on the forum a brief summary of how you will collect feedback, from who and why.
Step 5: Implement this plan and, at your second coaching session, reflect on this.
Assessment:
- Completion of all readings.
- Participation in the online forum discussion.
- Development and implementation of a plan for gathering feedback on leadership strengths and weaknesses.
- Reflection on personal leadership style and development of a personal development plan.
30 Responses
Mōrena all
I met with Grant towards the end of last term which was a really valuable meeting in many ways and one of those being the 360 feedback getting set up.
I am new to an acting DP role this year so on a personal level I think this is going to be a great tool for my development and learning as the year progresses.
I have chosen to go with a google from that will go out to a select group of teachers I work with or am responsible for alongside our senior leadership team. I am really looking forward to working through the feedback from my pairs specifically looking into how the teachers in our school find the communication and transparency (where appropriate) around decisions that are made alongside some feedback around the effectiveness of the interactions I have with our staff.
In terms of the resources, I enjoyed the harvard video and always find it interesting when we talk about our ability to manage our own self and regulate emotions. We often seek that from others but I feel it is so important it comes from us as well. I have already seen this year how having awareness of this can impact situations when working with staff and resolving conflict that may be occurring. I also found it really valuable looking into the impacts it can have in education on burn out and over time wearing down staff members and ourselves to the point where some then leave the profession.
I can echo a lot of the other responses here that the process of receiving feedback of this kind can feel daunting. I have often wondered if this is partly due to a culture at many schools over many years that, once you’ve completed your initial teacher evaluation/observation when you begin teaching, as long as you are turning up at staff learning and getting your assessments done, seeking regular feedback in how one teaches is perhaps not as common. It seems counterintuitive in so many ways as ensuring effective teaching should always include being open and indeed, responsive to feedback. Brené Brown’s thoughts on authentic leadership reminds me of some parenting styles many of us have grown up with – you see your parents as stoic and steady, and in many ways parents try to also hide their vulnerabilities as they may feel it gives their children a feeling of uncertainty or at worst, insecurity about their parent and his/her abilities. BB’s point in this context is that as long as you embracing the imperfections as opportunities to learn and grow, then this shouldn’t compromise your leadership, especially if you are leading with your strengths. In fact, it should make you more approachable and real.
It’s therefore key to give people the opportunity to thoughtfully provide feedback, with key themes helping them to focus on key areas that may not necessarily come to mind. I have put together a survey via Google Forms with the following categories and questions: Accessibility, Approachability, Helpfulness, Effectiveness as a leader; What are my strengths? What could be improved? There will also be an open ended area for general comments. As mentioned to Grant, timing is now the most important consideration. Rather than the end of term 1, as originally planned, I will share this survey with staff during the first week back in term 2. I will also seek out feedback from Board members and parents.
Inviting open feedback can feel daunting. When I first considered the idea, I’ll admit I felt hesitant. But after talking it through with Grant, I now feel encouraged and genuinely curious about what I might learn.
This term I’m taking a step in my professional growth by seeking feedback on my leadership from those I work alongside, including teaching staff, support staff, the Board and the leadership team.
The survey will cover aspects such as communication, presence, supportiveness and how I lead during key moments. My hope is that it gives me a solid basis for reflection, helping me better understand how others experience my leadership and where I can continue to grow.
In addition to the feedback soon-to-be-gathered, I’ve found the book Quiet Leadership by David Rock to be an excellent source of practical and inspiring ideas. His concept of “clarity of distance” has already been a useful tool for me, particularly when listening for potential in others.
As I develop in this role, I hope to model the kind of steady and respectful leadership that I’ve appreciated in others, grounded in trust, clarity and care.
I’m about to undertake a 360-degree survey, seeking feedback on my leadership from staff, our Kahui Ako group, the Board, and some parents. To be honest, I’m feeling a bit apprehensive. I’ve spoken to a few people who’ve been through this process, and they’ve said how tough it can be to hear the feedback. I know it’s going to be confronting, but I’m trying to go into it with an open mind. I really want to grow in my role, and I know that hearing different perspectives is going to help me do that — even if it’s uncomfortable.
I see myself as someone who’s vulnerable and open, but I’m not sure if others see that. I know I can sometimes put up a bit of a wall, especially when things feel messy or chaotic — I tend to go into “fix-it” mode, which can make it look like everything is under control when.
As a teacher, I was always someone that people came to for support, and I loved that. I enjoyed working alongside colleagues, helping with teaching and learning in a way that felt collaborative and supportive. Since stepping into a middle leadership role, I can see that I’ve closed myself off a bit — not on purpose, but I’ve found myself jumping in to fix things instead of supporting others to work through them themselves. It’s a habit that comes from a good place, but it’s not sustainable, and I know it’s not empowering for others either.
I’ve been reflecting on times when I had the ability to help and lead but was not given the opportunity to do so and it felt a bit deflating, especially when you know you can help to ease the load for others. Now I’m in a position where I can empower others, and yet I sometimes fall into the trap of just doing it myself — which isn’t what I want. I really want to get better at knowing when to step in and when to step back. Delegating isn’t just about lightening the load — it’s about giving others the opportunity to grow. I remember clearly what it felt like to be trusted… and what it felt like when I wasn’t.
My conversation with Grant really helped me reflect on all of this. He reminded me that it’s okay to be vulnerable, and that things don’t have to be perfect to be going well. That really stuck with me. Being open and honest can actually help others feel safe to do the same, and that’s the kind of culture I want to help build.
Moving forward, my focus is on listening, reflecting, and making space for others to lead. I want to be the kind of leader who supports, not solves — someone who lifts others up rather than carrying everything myself. This 360 feedback is going to be an important step in helping me figure out where I’m at, and where I can go from here.
Reflections on my leadership style
I have had the privilege to work under some inspiring leaders across my 16 years as a teacher. The thing all these leaders had in common was that they were able to build, develop and sustain strong relationships without compromising the high standards they expected. They were also willing to ‘step into the breach’ and back on to the shop floor of a classroom when needed. I have also experienced the opposite of this and taken a few ‘what I wouldn’t do’ from those who I have found to be less effective leaders.
As part of my own learning and trying to understand the kind of leader I want to be I read Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead. I identified that the two main values that underpin my leadership style and who I am, they are; understanding and accountability.
Understanding – for me, this is about understanding my own view and why I believe it, understanding another’s perspective, fully understanding the situation and all the potential outcomes. It is also about being understood and being able to articulate what my perspective is in an appropriate way. This comes about through engaging in dialogue before discussion, listening without judgement and listening to understand. It is also about inquiring about different perspectives to dig deeper into the subject for a greater all-around understanding. It is having the confidence to seek clarity when it is needed and to provide information that people need without clouding it with things they don’t need.
Accountability – meaning what you say and saying what you mean. People make mistakes, they are how we learn. I value when people own their mistakes and can apologise or rectify them. This value links closely to trust for me. I can trust that people will do their part to ‘keep things turning’ and if they are unable to, they will acknowledge this and be honest in negotiating or asking for support. The same value I hold myself accountable for all things I take on and will state when I have not succeeded. It is also accepting when something I have (or haven’t) done affects others. Accountability means there can be fairness and equitability as everyone is aware of the standards that are required. A quote from Keith Vaughan “Ruthless with standards, gracious with people” is something which resonated strongly with me and is something I try to lead by. I try to lead in the way I would want to be led and treat others with respect.
I began my leadership journey in February 2023, moving to a new school and a new city. Over the previous 18 months the leadership team at school have worked with Evaluation Associates to develop our leadership team capabilities. This has enabled me to have the opportunity for significant growth to the beginning of my leadership journey, even if it was a steep learning curve.
Through that process we have focused on using the Learning Talk capabilities from Joan Dalton. This was the basis of our work in building a more effective leadership team for the school. I believed that I had pretty good communication skills, I have however, realised there was a lot I didn’t know. My focus has been to identify those areas that need work as well as consolidating and celebrating those areas I am effective in. Last year I focused on using the learning talk framework within leadership team meetings as well as with the teachers in my team during their PGC process.
2025 Plan
After my discussion with Grant I have selected the areas i am going to focus on under the headings of Leading Self, Leading others and Leading Change. I will create an anonymous survey to go out in Week 1 next term and give a 10 day turn around. This will focus on aspects of my role, my communication and personal qualities as well as areas of strength and development. I will circulate this to the teachers in my team, the support staff within those classrooms, the therapy team as well as the leadership team. I am particularly interested in how others view my communication and how safe they feel to approach and interact with me. From this survey results I will create explicit goals for my PGC within school.
Within Leading Self I will be focusing on use on the learning talk capabilities, managing assumptions with regards to a specific staff member and to have calm and open communication when there are different perspectives.
Leading Others will be focused on a single staff member within my teaching team who has historically been reluctant to suggestions from therapy team members and myself. I will work on seeing how my work alongside this teacher has supported change. I am currently working on how I can measure this.
Leading Change will focus on the development of our behaviour recording systems and making these digital. It will also look at shifting the culture and common language to align with the change over to a different behaviour support training supplier last year.
A great reflection Keely. I enjoyed your comments on Understanding and Accountability. I really appreciated catching up last Friday , gaining a better understanding of the context that you operate in and working through the areas of focus for leading self, others and changed. I think that you have an excellent plan and I look forward to receiving feedback on your progress in Term One and Three. Looking forward to seeing you again early next term. Grant
I recently met with Grant to discuss my approach for gathering feedback on my leadership qualities. We agreed that I will develop a Google Form (gathering both qualitative and quantitative data) from various stakeholder groups with a focus on my leadership, radical candor and key elements of my job description. I intend to distribute the form at the beginning of the next term, allowing respondents to participate after being refreshed during the break. I am looking forward to seeing the findings.
Really enjoyed the opportunity of catching up with you at your impressive school Kylee and am also looking forward to viewing the results of the feedback from your Google Form. Grant
Brené Brown’s “Taking off the armour and showing up authentically” really got me thinking about my own leadership. I’ve always tried to balance being strong with not showing too much vulnerability, but I’m starting to realise that being open and honest is what really builds trust. When I show up, even when I’m unsure or afraid, it gives my team the freedom to do the same. Embracing vulnerability helps create an environment where everyone feels safe to share ideas and feedback, making the whole team stronger and more connected.
I recently met with Grant to discuss my plan for gathering feedback on my leadership qualities. We decided that I will create a Google form to collect input from various groups—SLT, teachers, teacher aides, and admin staff. Since I work at a smaller school, my survey will have a limited number of respondents, but I’m hopeful the feedback will still be valuable. I plan to distribute the form early next term when everyone is refreshed, and I’ll focus on key areas like responsibilities, communication, and my overall role as a leader. I’m really looking forward to receiving this feedback and using it to continue growing in my leadership practice.
Appreciate your post Charlie. Agree entirely with your comment on being prepared to be vulnerable.The principle applies equally in the classroom when working with students when you make a mistake they appreciate you owning it. It very much the same with a staff team where you don’t need to have all the answers.
Looking forward to catching up and discussing the your feedback in May. Grant
I’m having my meeting with Grant this coming Friday, so herewith are my thoughts on what we’ve heard so far…my takeaways from Brené Brown’s talks on vulnerability (taking off the armour and showing up authentically) and the Edcast on emotional intelligence have made me more aware of how my emotional state impacts those around me. I realise that even small interactions—like how I address someone not directly involved in my day-to-day work—can influence perceptions of my leadership. To help manage this, I’ve started using the Feelings app to track my emotions and understand why I’m feeling the way I do, so I can be more responsible in showing up authentically.
I’m committed to creating safe spaces for staff to speak openly, which I believe will foster better relationships and spark creativity. While I’m still apprehensive about handling tough situations, I know that being more aware of my emotions will help me approach these moments with more clarity and authenticity.
In regards to my leadership being reviewed by other staff members – that was unexpected, but not surprising after thinking about it – at the moment I am feeling slightly apprehensive about being ‘judged’…but then I’ve got to see that I it is for my position that I need to grow somehow, and the truth is a good way to do it. I’ll post my plan once I have some feedback on it.
I appreciate the honesty of your post Bryan. I think most of our group of AP’s/DP’s has a degree of anxiety over the feedback form and how our staff may perceive the way we complete our leadership responsibilities in our schools but in undertaking this type of exercise we are showing a willingness to reflect on our own practice something we should be encouraging team members to do on a daily basis. Armour can protect us from most wounds but it can also provide an inflated view of our invulnerability. I really like comments you made on the impact of a leaders emotion on a team-both potentially positive and negative
I’m not going to lie…the thought of the 360-degree review was confronting. I had to get curious fast as to why this made me feel so uncomfortable. The conclusion was being reviewed by your peers/colleagues/ Principal and has not been a feature of our past school culture. Did I really know how effective my leadership has been, and in what areas did I need some care put in? My partner, who is in the corporate world, was shocked to learn that this type of review is not part of my leadership. They are regularly either being reviewed or reviewed. Secondly, being vulnerable in your personal life is easy, but being vulnerable in your professional world was confronting for me. On reflection, and to be completely honest, past experiences (other schools I’ve worked at) have shown me that sometimes your work environment is not always an emotionally safe space. Talking to Grant about the purpose of the 360-degree review was helpful. He guided me to the place where I could recognise that this is an ‘issue’ based reflection and not a ‘personal’ based one. Being open to seeing this allowed me to step back and not see it as personal but as a way to gather information and make a change plan. This was reinforced by the Harvard Edcast, where some Solutions and Strategies suggested creating safe spaces for leaders to explore their emotions. If I was feeling vulnerable about seeking feedback, then surely many of our staff and akonga feel the same way. The podcast reminded me that leaders’ emotions are contagious and impact the entire school community and that EQ fosters psychological safety, transparency, and trust.
So, now I await the results from a worldview that my blindspots can be revealed, that I have information to help refine my leadership and I can practice empathy and compassion because of this experience.
Thank you Bridget, for having the courage to share your true perspective. Your response resonated with me, I also found the concept of my leadership being reviewed confronting for a variety of reasons, all of which you’ve mentioned. Your explanation of how Grant helped you see how to view the process is helpful, so I am looking forward to catching up with him this coming week. I hope your survey responses are helpful. I look forward to hearing more about how this goes for you.
I agree Bridget entirely with your comment that in the corporate world such feedback is fairly standard practice. This probably doesn’t make it any easier to take part in the process. A big factor in people’s degree of comfort in seeking this information/particpating in the process depends on the culture of trust that exists within of an organisation. This type of feedback on leadership performance needs to accepted normal practice, for anyone in a position of responsibility. Parameters need to set around how the information is going to be used-for reflection, self improvement and diagnostic purposes rather than as a stick to deal with non performance. Well done for having the courage to take part. I am fairly sure that the results will be very affirming. Grant
I enjoyed the module resources. The Brené Brown clip got me thinking about how I show up at school authentically. For me it’s about knowing my personal values and what I believe in, by not asking anything of others that I’m not prepared to do myself, being consistent, and building genuine relationships by being approachable and real. Communication is key, and I try to share aspects of myself rather than just the ‘work’ version of me. The podcast also really resonated, especially the idea of emotional labor- at times it can feel as though I’m ‘acting’ and constantly responding to others’ feelings and emotions and not my own. As a leader, I try to lead with empathy and curiosity, adopting an inquiry mindset and being curious, not furious!
I met with Grant recently and have also created a Google Form to survey colleagues and get some honest feedback on my leadership. It’s structured into sections covering job performance and responsibilities, personal qualities and leadership style, and overall effectiveness in the role- all answered on a scale with an option for ‘unable to comment.’ It ends with open-ended questions on strengths and areas for improvement. I’ll be sharing it with SLT, the middle leadership team, RTLB, office admin staff, and some curriculum leaders. I’m hoping it gives me some valuable insights into areas where I can grow.
Glad to hear that you are enjoying the resources for the programme. I also the vital role that authenticity plays in effective leadership. It is important that people in your teams see Kelly as a person not just as your leadership title. Most Individuals can certainly suss out when you are acting in a way that isn’t true to your espoused and actual values system.
All the best with your collection of digital feedback. Grant
Two interesting resources. Similar to John, I too wonder if at first the Brown clip and the podcast are a little at odds with one another in terms of their advice and messaging. To be fair they probably arrive at a similar place in terms of their takeaway advice vis-à-vis something like the importance of being attuned to oneself in order to be one’s best self.
For me Brown advocates taking off the armour being vulnerable and open – willing to let people in – enabling a true authentic self to show up in how we lead, engendering trust and quality working relationships with those we lead and serve alongside. I agree and see sense here – people won’t trust when they can sniff out fakery. I liked her anecdote about the dinner date as it reminded me to enjoy moments of joy which must be treasured. She also reflects upon how taking off the armour to show our vulnerability can be dangerous (for want of a better word) as it can leave us exposed and there is the implied sense that she might believe openness and sharing can sometimes go too far or be ill-advised.
The Harvard clip asserts things like “Research shows a leader’s ability to regulate their own emotions can have positive effects on the entire school.” Again I agree as leaders do need to be measured and composed. Yet the term ‘regulate’ doesn’t sit entirely neatly with a sense of ‘openness’ per se. I think perhaps, as other comments have intimated, the ‘degree’ and ‘intent’ not to mention the timing, audience and context within which one would be emotionally disclosing or not is really key here. Keely’s comment about a sliding scale is a great way of putting it and Rachel’s hypothetical scenario identifies that we can disclose in context appropriate ways and be careful yet authentic in doing so without going too far. I’d posit leading with real candour, honesty and strength is about balance and is situational. And perhaps judging what to do as a leader in this regard is never totally mastered but improves with experience, sharing with others, and self-reflection.
Regarding my personal leadership style reflection, I have yet to meet with Grant but in terms of gathering feedback from others on my leadership a 360-degree feedback survey is sent out annually by our principal to a range of staff who each of the DPs work with for this purpose. The principal composes the questions and sends the surveys out which are completed anonymously.
This year the following have been asked of staff:
Describe your working relationship with this member of SLT
How would you describe their leadership style? e.g. relational, strategic, transactional, transformational, people centred, collaborative, authentic.
What are their strengths?
What are their areas of development?
Other relevant comments regarding their leadership?
As this is in the process of happening now, I plan to use this feedback as well as seeking feedback through more informal face-to-face conversations with trusted colleagues. Once this feedback is gathered, I will be able to do the reflection called for in step five.
Great to catch up on Friday Campbell. I enjoyed your candid reflections. I concur with your statement that’s leading with real candour, honesty and strength is about balance and is situational.’ There are certainly times and people where we can’t be completely transparent and have to gauge the moment moments to deliver candidacy. The EI of the person you are working with, their ability to honestly self reflect on a situation, their state of mind (what they are bringing to the table that you aware/not truly be aware of ) etc all have an impact on your leadership influence in different situations. Grant
I spoke with Grant regarding my ideas about gathering feedback from others on my leadership strengths and weaknesses, especially exploring 360-degree feedback. I know it will give me valuable insights from all sides, helping me to continue developing as a leader. Below is the direction I am taking:
I will be using a ‘Google Form’ with a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means “not at all” and 10 means “completely.” I will add a few short-answer questions to gather specific feedback, such as: “What factors influenced your rating?” or “Please provide a specific example to support your rating.” I will also include a “no comment” option for those who do not feel they can offer an opinion on the question asked. Possible examples of questions:
Rate my contribution to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, on a scale of 1 to 10. Do I treat all team members with respect and fairness? Do I acknowledge and appreciate diverse perspectives? Do you feel that I communicate expectations clearly and early?
Rate how clear and concise you find my communication (written and verbal), on a scale of 1 to 10. Do you feel I actively listen to your input and concerns?
More detailed answers will be needed for the following questions:
What specific behaviours of mine have you observed that contribute positively to our team/project?
Are there any behaviours I exhibit that unintentionally hinder collaboration or communication?
When you think of my work style, what are the first three words that come to mind?
I will include anonymous responses to encourage honest feedback. People I will ask: my principal, teacher aide, office administrator, previous colleagues, relievers, RTLB, LSC, and parents. I think some children might also be good respondents.
I enjoyed the opportunity of gaining a better understanding of your schooling context from my visit to Tangiteroria and seeing firsthand your well resourced rural school. All the best for the collection of feedback on your leadership. Grant
Two excellent resources for us to explore! I’ve been lucky to deep dive into Brené’s work before and found the ideas in the Edcast really thought-provoking. I’m particularly curious about the connection between ‘being your best self’ and emotional labour. At first glance, they seem to clash—but if we think of ‘best self’ as leading authentically and in alignment with our values, maybe they don’t? Keen to hear others’ thoughts on this.
I’m also going to check out the How We Feel app—has anyone used it?
I haven’t yet had my meeting but I did enjoy the clips and articles. Both the article and the Brene Brown clip and its focus on ordinariness, being relatable, displaying the imperfect self and being vulnerable was a great lead into “how do I show up at school authentically?”
I wonder what other people’s opinions are regarding showing your vulnerabilities vs wearing armour. Sometimes as a leader, it seems, you can’t appear to be vulnerable when dealing for example with challenging situations.
What are others thoughts?
I wonder if rather than thinking of it as an either / or state of being (armoured up or vulnerable), we view it as a scale as to how vulnerable we are. Without overcomplicating it, there are different degrees of vulnerability depending on who we are interacting with. In this way, we can still be authentic.
For example, if a parent phones the office upset about something that happened to their child and you can’t deal with it there and then, it’s ok to say something like “I’ve got an important meeting in 5 minutes and my brain is focussed on that. I can see that this is important to you, so I will get back to you tomorrow morning when I can give you my full attention.” You don’t need to tell them how you’ve not had lunch, need to address a concern with a teacher, had a rough sleep etc.
Where as if you are part of a high trust leadership team, it would be ok to say “I’ve been flat tack today and haven’t had a chance to eat yet. A parent just told me something that’s upsetting. Is it ok if I take 5 before we start this meeting?”.
A part of being vulnerable is taking the time to get to know each other, and be known by others. There are a vast number of tools out there to do this. Most recently I learnt about my chronotype which explains why I am neither an early bird or a night owl. I’m even thinking of sharing it with my team and reviewing when we have our meetings. After school brains are not always the most conducive to being productive!
Great examples of different contexts that we can experience as far as vulnerability in our daily leadership Rachel. I loved your view that we should consider as a scale and that it varies depending on who we are interacting with. An excellent reflection. Grant
I found Brene Browns book “Dare to Lead” really insightful and gave me a deeper understanding of the things she spoke about in the clip. It has really helped me to be my authentic self and understand it’s OK to not be OK at some points and to say that. This is not weakness but a strength in being able to give others our full attention when things are important and be kind to ourselves when life is tough.
I also agree with Rachel that its not an either / or situation. We have a sliding scale of what we share depending on who we talk to in our everyday lives outside of work and I view it that same as when we are in school. We give people the information and clarity they need without oversharing.
I agree, such important takeaways from the reading. I found the how do you authentically show up really thought provoking as well from Brene Brown. This made me really think about how do I show that I am showing up.
I also went with a Google Form. I had a chat with Grant as well as my Principal, and I found both their feedback about giving it a point scale system really helpful as this allowed opportunities for the participants not answer if they did not have an honest view.
My form will focus on four key headings
1. Expectations & Work Ethic
Do you feel that my expectations around staff work ethic are realistic and achievable? Why or why not?
Do I contribute to a positive and inclusive staff culture?
2. Communication & Relationships
Is my communication clear, supportive, and effective?
How well do I build relationships with staff, students, and the wider community?
How do I authentically show up for the staff and students? How could I do this better?
3. Leadership & Conflict Management
How do I handle difficult conversations and conflicts?
How do I support and mentor teachers in their professional growth?
4. Reflection & Growth
What are my key strengths as a leader?
What are my weaknesses as a leader?
What are my next steps for developing as a leader?
Finally, the people I will be asking for feedback from are: Kelly (my current principal), Paul an ex principal who I completed leadership mentorship with last year, the team of teachers who I led last year, two teachers I led at a previous school, and a team leader who I worked with in middle leadership from my previous school.
There is no doubt that Whangarei Heads School takes the award for ‘the best location and vista’ on my visit to the 22 schools in our group. Thanks for sharing with our group the details of the areas that you are seeking feedback on. I am sure that the other delegates found it useful especially if their visit from me was later in the term. Glad that you enjoyed the Brene reading. Grant
I found the reading around authentic leadership really resonated with me and I took lots away from this around acknowledging the the importance of an holistic view – taking into account the importance of life experiences. Building on the strengths of others contributes to the overall satisfaction of members within a team.
After my discussion with Grant around forming a plan to gather feedback around my leadership, I have decided to create a Google survey around key areas such as critical conversations, relationships, approachability, my different roles, communication, managing and leading change. This survey will be sent to other members of the executive leadership team and senior leadership team as well as the beginning teacher that I mentor and some other colleagues. I will then use this feedback to help form goals.
Thanks for the opportunity of visiting you at Bayview School. I was pleased that you got value from the reading on authentic leadership. Agree entirely of the importance of building on the strengths/and life experienced of others in your team. Difference in this context adds value and should be acknowledged and valued. Grant