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.
Module Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
- Understand the key elements of high-performing teams.
- Develop strategies for building trust and fostering collaboration within teams.
- Understand and apply the principles of shared accountability within a team context.
- Identify and address potential barriers to team effectiveness.
- Develop and implement strategies for creating a positive and supportive team culture.
High Performing Leaders are ‘Networked Leaders’ who build leadership capacity in individuals, and in institutions, through enhancing professional relationships. Partnerships are based on the importance of maximising potential, and harnessing the ongoing commitment and energy needed to meet personal and professional goals.
High Performing Leaders follow a process of reflection, introspection and then connection. Through coaching and guidance, they decipher their strengths, areas for development and focused improvement.
As school leaders reflecting on your own leadership, and ways in which you can more effectively facilitate learning, the goal of this korero is to work with each other as coaches and mentors, creating deep learning relationships within professional practice.
One of the essential ingredients of high performing individuals, teams and organisations is creativity (Basadur, 2004). Being creative means releasing talent and imagination. It also means taking risks and, in some cases, standing outside the usual or accepted way of doing things. High performing leaders push boundaries; they seek new ways of seeing, interpreting, understanding and questioning.
Relational Trust
“High trust relationships exist when leaders are respected for their deep educational knowledge, their actions and values, and the way they engage respectfully with others with empathy and humility, fostering openness in discussions. Leaders have good emotional intelligence and self-awareness.”
– Educational leadership capability framework, Education Council, 2018.
Trust provides a strong foundation for effective working relationships which, ultimately, has a positive impact on student achievement. Trust has been shown time and time again to have a huge benefit in leading change and in creating great teams. Teams and schools with trusting relationships have staff who are open to sharing practice, taking risks and sharing what is and isn’t going well in their teaching. However, it does not happen by accident and it is not built in the same way for every person, depending on their personal narrative. As a middle leader, it is important to intentionally work to build trust with colleagues, whānau and community.
- Reading 1: Trust in educational leadership settings – https://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Leadership-capability-framework/High-trust-relationships#:~:text=High%20trust%20relationships%20exist%20when,emotional%20intelligence%20and%20self%2Dawareness.
- Reading 2: “Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for School Reform” B. Schneider. – https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/trust-in-schools-a-core-resource-for-school-reform
- Reading 3: “How the Best Leaders Build Trust” S. Covey. – https://www.leadershipnow.com/CoveyOnTrust.html
Collaborative Teams
Reading 4: https://www.arts.on.ca/oac/media/aire/Documents/IdeasIntoActionBulletin3.pdf
Reading 5: Collective teacher efficacy – https://visible-learning.org/2018/03/collective-teacher-efficacy-hattie/
Additional Resources:
– Working effectively with iwi and hapū, Melanie Taite-Pitama: https://vimeo.com/242861287
– Legacy – 15 Lessons in Leadership, by James Kerr (2013). Chapter 6 pp 74-83
– Open-to-Learning Conversations- Relationships and Trust, Viviane Robinson, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_l5-HKIR1s
Optional Resources:
– Connecting with Māori Communities; Whānau, Hapū and Iwi, Mere Berryman and Therese Ford, 2014:
https://kep.org.nz/assets/resources/site/module8-v20a-up-16Apr15-w-image_5Jan16.pdf
– Robertson, J. (2015). Think-piece on leadership education in New Zealand. Leadership for communities of learning: Five think pieces. https://teachingcouncil.nz/assets/Files/Leadership-Strategy/Leadership-for-Communities-of-Learning-Five-Think-Pieces.pdf
– “Five Faces of Trust: An Empirical Confirmation in Urban Elementary Schools.” – W. Hoy and M. Tschannen-Moran. – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NBTBXVSjokVr_RPx3Qlze-Ao3E1m6XWI/view?usp=sharing
Task:
Reflect on the readings and identify one thing that you could do in your role to improve the function of your team. What would you do and what impact would you expect that to have?
Assessment:
- Completion of all readings.
- Participation in the online forum discussion.
- Submission of reflection on the forum.
28 Responses
Something that has definitely been worked on at the Northern Health School is developing relational trust, and I feel as though we have done a good job of this in the Northland Unit, with strong relational trust in our team. Our staff are very willing to collaborate and support one another, however, after reading about collaborative learing cultures and collective teacher efficacy, I have realised that we could be more deliberate about sharing what is working well for students within our team and across our units. We currently provide opportunities for professional dialogue during our staff meetings where teachers can discuss successful strategies, engagement approaches or transition strategies, but creating time to do this more often would be of benefit to our teachers and students. This would help to make our collective expertise more visible and encourage staff to see challenges as a shared responsiblity rather than something to solve individually.
I would expect this to strengthen our collective teacher efficacy by increasing staff confidence in their ability to positively influence student outcomes.
Trust is exceptionally key to the functioning of an effective and successful team, and has been a particularly important aspect of my own leadership. Having been the HOD of two subjects, both at times of significant curriculum changes, has meant that my team has relied on me to have a clear vision and direction, understand the curriculum and what these changes mean, and to be able to provide them with the support needed to move forward. This requires a two-way trust model, where I also have to trust in the skill and capacity of my team as professionals. Early in my role as HOD, I felt the need to prove my worth as a leader, especially as I was “in charge” of teachers far more experienced than I was at the time – this meant I often took full responsibility for all tasks, and didn’t give my team the opportunity to develop their own skills and contribute their own wealth of knowledge to the team. My focus on building a collaborative environment, trusting my team, and sharing tasks and power amongst the team were really instrumental in building my leadership to where it is now.
The discussion of vulnerability was something that really resonated with me. I have a natural tendency to want to appear in control at all times, and it has always been hard for me to accept that I don’t have all the answers at all given times. This is definitely something that I need to develop further, as it is harder for my team (especially new members who don’t know me as well, and haven’t worked with me prior to my leadership roles) to actually build professional trust in me if I am not willing to display vulnerability in an honest and professional way.
A core value of my leadership is always being willing to do what is asked of our team. By modelling this, preferably before I initiate a task, I am able to see potential problems, or ways that we would complete the task. Firstly, this offers operational support that allows opportunity for discussion, but also gives me insight when other want to add their own style to completing a task, or show understanding if they push back on certain parts. Secondly, by showing I am willing to, and able, I build trust and connection to my team that we are in this together.
Coming from a sporting background, I understand clearly that I don’t always have to agree with a coach or a captain, but through built respect, trust and explanation I can understand their vision. I believe this is very important in education as each classroom or area within a school is like a small eco-system, therefore the variables will be slightly different. If the vision is present, clear, and connective, the buy in will be greater and the opportunity for slight change from team members is based off something tangible, not just I don’t think this/you, I want to do it my way.
One thing I already do to strengthen how my team works is to make sure our team meetings include regular, structured time for reflection, rather than only focusing on updates and planning. I create space for us to pause and think about what is going well, what is not working as effectively, and what changes we may need to make in our teaching practice. I use simple guiding questions such as “what impact is this having on our ākonga?” and “what will we try next?” to support these discussions. I also encourage the sharing of evidence from the classroom so our conversations are based on what is actually happening for our learners.
Alongside this, I include a “What’s On Top” focus, which is a shared goal between my colleague and me. This helps us prioritise key areas in our professional practice and stay focused on improving outcomes for our ākonga. It also supports us to track progress and hold each other accountable in a positive and supportive way. The impact of this has been stronger collaboration and a clearer shared direction within the team. It helps us stay aligned, supports more consistent teaching practice across classrooms, and builds open communication and trust. Most importantly, it keeps our attention firmly on improving outcomes for our ākonga.
Kia Ora Whaea Emma
Here is the link for my Module 5 unit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x_kO7bK8YAOJZ8hM-9TN9pLZqcWN6qoq-4tcZatvQz0/edit?tab=t.0
I strongly believe that trust plays a huge part in the relationships you have with your team. I feel that my team and I have a great working relationship that involves trust (in the past, I have had team members where this was a challenge). We are only a small team of 3, including myself and we check in with each other multiple times a day and know that we can be supported by anyone of us. Currently I am having a hard time with some extreme behaviors in my class and both my team members are their for me, we can have conversations about what is happening and not only how I feel but they feel about these children/ what is happening, and it is in a safe space where we don’t feel judged. As a team leader, I used to think I had to have it together but during this term I have learnt that I don’t and it is okay to go to my team for support. I don’t need to suffer in silence and think that because I am team leader that I can’t have issues in my class.
I really enjoyed readign more on this. Within the NHS we have doen extensive work around Relatinal Trust in the last, mabye 6 or even more years. And with that I have been able to do some of this within my own Taupō team. But sometimes things come a bit to a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude, and it was great to actively think about continuing to grow trust, but in this case specfically on growing a stronger colleborative team. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dCVdO4oRsYLor1qjxZTG2fKYgR5XcovNqzdv9iAbjwM/edit?usp=sharing
is my work (I kept going a bit, so thought better to put it in a google doc.)
Evening everyone,
I know I’ve shared this view before—and I think many of you agree—that a high-functioning team relies entirely on relational trust. My current leadership challenge is preparing my strong, collaborative team to integrate a new member who is stepping back into the classroom after over a decade in a different role. While they bring valuable experience, they tend to overcomplicate tasks, hold idealised expectations, and struggle to see things through a different lens. Naturally, my original team is anxious about how this will affect our smooth, established dynamics.
To navigate this shift, the main action I will take is to intentionally co-construct “collaborative norms.” The goal here is to protect our existing efficacy while building mutual respect with our new colleague.
I really resonated with the Trust in Schools reading, which notes that relational trust stands on four pillars: respect, competence, personal regard, and integrity. To build that respect and lower anxiety, I’ll facilitate an open dialogue where the team defines how we communicate, share workloads, and make decisions. This gives us a framework where the new member can learn to listen to all colleagues equally, rather than letting an overly complex lens dominate.
As John Hattie points out, collective teacher efficacy is the number one driver of student achievement. By proactively managing my team’s worries, I can maintain our current momentum before anxiety erodes our confidence. The start of next term will be vital for setting up this culture of open listening and mutual vulnerability. This aligns perfectly with the NZ Leadership Capability Framework’s definition of a high-trust environment.
Done right, the new teacher will feel valued without needing to overcompensate, and the existing team will know their workflows are respected. As a team leader, I am extremely lucky to work with such experienced teachers. I know that, ultimately, they will all support this transition to further grow our team.
‘’When trust is low, in a company or in a relationship, it places a hidden “tax” on every transaction: every communication, every interaction, every strategy, every decision is taxed, bringing speed down and sending costs up’’- Stephen M. R. Covey
Unfortunately, in our current school climate I can often feel the ‘hidden tax’. This is due to trust being low across the school. With a small staff several of us wear many hats and it can be difficult at times to remember/trust which hat is to be worn at what time and who should be engaging in what narrative. In a recent guidance meeting we had an opportunity to lay our cards on the table. While this was a useful exchange, I left feeling deflated. I have decided that I want to be the one to push forward with positive thought and do this by walking the talk- trying not to get bogged down in ‘hidden tax’ conversations, that are not productive. I often feel like staff have a negative lens. This comes from workload, curriculum changes and ultimately low trust. We have a beautiful school, with great students. It is my job to continually remind my colleagues that we are lucky to be here.
“school leaders need to move beyond the current pressure to focus on curriculum and instruction”- https://www.arts.on.ca/oac/media/aire/Documents/IdeasIntoActionBulletin3.pdf
Another way that I could improve trust is ensuring my knowledge of the curriculum changes and reporting is up to speed. As I have recently taken on the role at HOD PE and Health, I have staff who rely on me to know what is current. I am hoping to attend Tuia ki tawhiti in the school holidays to help with my knowledge growth.
I found the Module 5 readings support my long-term goal of creating high-trust relationships and holding courageous conversations. Trust is an integral part of what makes a team successful. Your team needs to trust that the decisions you make and the direction you take are considered and intentional and align with the schools’ goals.
Relational trust within a team can be eroded by constant change, uncertainty, and a lack of depth of understanding and knowledge. In turn, a lack of trust can culminate in a ‘grizzle’ culture, fueled by the more vocal staff that becomes insidious within a team. My aim is to create space and opportunity to reflect, connect and communicate honestly and positively, rather than negatively. Knowing that the team as a whole are experiencing the same concerns, providing the opportunity to collaborate honestly and problem solve together develops, fosters and creates relational trust. I am focusing on creating a safer environment for honest conversations
Covey’s behaviours such as “Talk Straight,” “Right Wrongs,” and “Keep Commitments” align closely with this. If I want to strengthen trust within the team, I need to lead by example and demonstrate that I can be relied upon. Follow through, follow up and cycling back around ensures importance and accountability to show the importance of tasks.
Reading ‘13 behaviours’ gave trust a practical sense, something built through everyday actions. One of the things I can do in my role to improve function in my team is the behaviour of “listen first.” If I encourage and support people to feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas and develop solutions, this will build stronger trust over time. I need to consciously not respond immediately, or problem-solve, as is often expected from the leader. This reading also made me think more about being clear, more open, and to make sure people feel respected and trusted themselves. Trust is something I need to actively work on every day.
Tschannen-Moran’s dimensions of trust: honesty, openness, reliability, and competence resonate with me. By demonstrating these qualities, I hope to create an environment where my team feel safe to share and contribute. I try to intentionally encourage others to lead, contribute their expertise, and take ownership of aspects of our work. I hope this strengthens trust within our team. When people feel trusted and supported, they are more willing to collaborate and embrace new challenges, in turn building a collective efficacy.
After reflecting upon the readings for this module, and being in the trenches of Term 2 with staff absences due to illness, students out sick, reports and just the general bleh that is winter – Convey’s 13 behavioural habits of a leader has really resonated with me. ‘Talk straight’. “Right wrongs”, and “Keep commitments’ was a really important one for me to model to my team, especially in the lead up to parent-teacher meetings, and report writing.
For me, what is a key area to work on is balancing the ‘trust’ of my team, students and whanau. It is easy for me to get caught up wanting to advocate for my team and the students in my team as they are who I work with and see on a daily basis. Looking at ways to build on the trust with our whanau community outside of school-wide events is something I want to focus on. How do I as a leader, and my team build relationships with the whanau we never see or hear from. Is there a way that we could involve them more, or build on establishing more of a rapport. I am finding with the new attendance requirements that a lot of our communication as a team with the whanau we have not seen or heard from is closely aligned to ‘negative communication’ around lack of attendance (legal requirements).
My focus moving forward into the second half of the year, is how can I lead my team to ensure we have established great working partnerships with all of the whanau in our Syndicate to ensure that trust is established and we can work towards the best possible outcomes for our students.
Hi here is a link for module 5 Cheers Leonie – https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Y_2L7DwKnsMAg5Q4BOBdYiIj4PQVxZ-/view?usp=sharing
Hi here is a link to my experience of relational trust 🙂
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Y_2L7DwKnsMAg5Q4BOBdYiIj4PQVxZ-/view?usp=sharing
One thing I could do in my role to improve the function of my team is to be more intentional about building the confidence and leadership capability of others. While trust is an essential foundation for high-performing teams, I believe its greatest impact comes when people feel empowered to contribute their expertise, take initiative, and share responsibility for achieving positive outcomes for our learners.
I feel fortunate to work within a team that is collaborative, supportive, and committed to our tamariki. As a team leader, I want to continue creating opportunities for team members to share successful practices, contribute to decision-making, and take ownership of areas where they have strengths and expertise. Rather than feeling that leadership sits with one person, I want all team members to feel that they have an important role to play in shaping our collective success.
The readings reinforced the importance of relational trust in creating the conditions for this to occur. Bryk and Schneider (2002) describe trust as a key resource for school improvement because it enables people to work together, take risks, and engage in professional learning. Similarly, the Educational Leadership Capability Framework (Education Council, 2018) highlights that high-trust relationships are built when leaders demonstrate expertise, empathy, integrity, and humility. When teachers feel valued, respected, and trusted, they are more likely to contribute ideas, seek feedback, and support one another’s growth.
I would expect this approach to strengthen both trust and collective efficacy within the team. By creating opportunities for teachers to lead, share their expertise, and learn from one another, we build confidence in our collective ability to make a difference for learners. This develops a stronger sense of shared accountability and encourages a culture where everyone feels responsible for the success of all students, not just those in their own classroom.
Ultimately, supporting my team is not only about helping people manage challenges or navigate change. It is about helping individuals recognise their strengths, develop confidence in their expertise, and see themselves as leaders who can positively influence outcomes for our tamariki. I believe this would contribute to a stronger team culture and, most importantly, improved learning outcomes for the children we serve.
One thing I could do in my role to improve the function of my team is to continue building relational trust by creating space for honest professional conversations, especially during times of change/business/sickness and an 11 week term! Reading Covey’s reading, it made me think about high-trust relationships, and made me reflect on how important it is for leaders to listen first, talk straight, and extend trust. I would hope that I do this.
As a learning leader, I think it is important that my team feels heard and supported instead of being kept in the dark/just get on with it. I want to be intentional about checking in with people daily, listening to their concerns without jumping too quickly into problem-solving, and advocating for their perspectives when needed. At the same time, I also need to help keep the team moving forward and connected to our school-wide goals.
I think this would strengthen trust because people are more likely to engage with change when they feel respected, valued, and included in the process. By listening carefully, being clear in my communication, and following through on what I say I will do, I hope to build a team culture where people feel safe to share honestly, collaborate, and support one another.
One thing I could do in my role to improve the function of my team is to continue fostering a culture of trust where team members feel confident to take initiative, share ideas, and support one another. Reflecting on the readings, particularly around relational trust and collaborative teams, reinforced the importance of creating an environment where people feel valued, respected, and safe to contribute.
I feel fortunate to work within a team that already collaborates openly and communicates well. However, during periods of significant change, such as the introduction of new reporting expectations, assessment requirements, and increasing workload, it becomes even more important to intentionally maintain those strong relationships and ensure people feel supported. As a team leader, I want to continue creating space for professional dialogue, celebrating successes, and checking in with team members to understand how they are managing the demands of the role. At times, this may also mean stepping back and allowing others to lead, contribute their expertise, and take ownership of aspects of our work.
I would expect this to strengthen trust within the team. When people feel trusted and supported, they are more willing to collaborate and embrace new challenges. Ultimately, this contributes to a positive team culture and better outcomes for tamariki, as everyone feels invested in Milford School’s strategic goals and committed to supporting one another’s success.
Reflecting on Kruse and Louis (2009), it’s clear that building true relational trust across the school and the wider community requires a lot more than just deliberate intention. When trust is low, changes like the ones we are currently facing with reporting and curriculum tend to bring on a lot of stress and anxiety, whereas high trust feels like a safety net. In my role as a learning lead, I want to actively build this safety net by creating a genuine space to share. I would like my team to know their concerns and feedback are both valid and valued. I want to make sure I am giving voice to their perspectives and actively advocating for them at our learning lead meetings, which fundamentally serves to acknowledge and uphold their mana.
By proactively addressing their concerns/areas of friction, I hope to iron out any frustrations before they grow into something deeper. Ultimately, my goal is to lower our collective anxiety and replace it with a strong sense of security. When a team feels safe, secure, and backed by their leader, the perceived risk of change drops away. Once that safety is there, they are far more willing to embrace and experiment with new practices, allowing us to build a cohesive, open culture that lifts our collective mana and directly supports our tamariki.
After reflecting on the readings in this module, I feel that trust is an integral part of what makes a team successful. Your team needs to trust that the decisions you make and the direction you take are legitimate and have no ulterior motive and that there is a reason for them. Especially in the current climate of constant and inconsistent change from the Ministry, your team needs to trust that the leadership team are doing the best with what they currently know.
The 13 behaviours identified by Covey breaks down how to develop and maintain a high trust model. My everyday actions affect my team’s trust in me. Something that stood out from his 13 behaviours was “listen first”. As someone who likes to “lead from beside” I think I already do this, but probably try to problem-solve too quickly, without potentially hearing the full issue. Being a classroom teacher alongside my team helps to give perspective on what they are dealing with, and they also get to see that I am probably having the same issues, so that we can work through them collaboratively.
Moving forward I aim to keep modelling the 13 behaviours as best I can and as Covey seid “make deposits into a “trust account” of my team.
One thing I could do in my role as a STEM leader, particularly with a focus on mathematics, is to intentionally build a high-trust team culture where teachers feel comfortable opening their classrooms and sharing their practice with one another. To do this, I would begin by modelling vulnerability myself, inviting colleagues into my classroom to observe my teaching and openly discussing both successes and challenges in my practice. At the moment, we have lots of different programmes being integrated which are very isolated to individual classrooms.
This approach aligns with Tschannen-Moran’s dimensions of trust: honesty, openness, reliability, and competence. By demonstrating these qualities, I hope to create an environment where teachers feel safe to share strategies that are working well, as well as areas where they are seeking support. Rather than viewing teaching as an isolated practice, staff can learn from one another and collaboratively address challenges.
I would expect this to strengthen professional relationships and encourage greater collective responsibility for student learning. As trust grows, teachers would be more willing to engage in professional dialogue, analyse student needs together, and develop effective responses to improve mathematics achievement. This would be particularly important for the beginning teachers at our school, who are feeling overwhelmed with implementing the new currciulum. I would hope to foster a collaborative culture where continuous improvement is driven by shared expertise and a common commitment to student success.
Great idea, Shannon! Your plan to lead by modelling vulnerability—inviting colleagues into your own classroom to observe both successes and struggles—is a great way to break down classroom isolation.
Although I have been working hard on building and sustaining high trust relationships with my current team, I now have another opportunity to build this relationship in a more challenging setting with a new teacher coming into my team mid-year. This is why the reading ‘Trust in Educational Leadership Settings’ stood out to me, as well as the reading by Covey on ‘How the Best Leaders Build Trust’. These readings, along with the other readings also support my goal in creating high-trust relationships and courageous conversations.
Halfway through this year, one of my team members is leaving and a Beginning Teacher is taking her position. I understand the challenges this brings for her, having been in a situation where I have started at a new school and taken over an already established classroom myself. The teacher taking over is currently at our school on her final Practicum, therefore I am lucky in the respect that I can already begin to form a high-trust relationship with her in-person. What stood out to me in the reading ‘Trust in Educational Leadership Settings’ was the importance of building high trust relationships before moving onto anything else. Building that trust with her, so she feels supported coming into an already-established team will help to create stronger foundations for an inter-dependent trusting relationship.
I think in my role, to support her, as talked about in Covey’s reading, my job first of all is to extend trust first. Covey talks about how you cannot be an effective leader without trust, making it a foundation of success. Moving forward for me as a leader, I need to reflect on Covey’s 13 behaviours that allow you to build and maintain trust and ensuring I am practicing these consistently with all of my team members, as just because there is one new person joining, doesn’t mean I ‘forget’ the rest of my team – I need to continue to build and maintain the relationship with all team members. The ones that really stand out to me are ‘talk straight’, ‘listen first’, and ‘extend trust’. By working to create a high-trust relationship, it will help to hopefully increase the new teacher’s confidence and willingness to seek support, it will work to encourage open communication within the team, to support our collaborative environment, and ultimately lead to better outcomes for our students.
This is a great reflection that applies the trust frameworks to a real-time leadership challenge really well. Your focus on building strong, high-trust foundations before jumping into operational tasks is exactly how high-performing leaders foster open communication, encourage people to seek support, and ultimately lift student outcomes.
Reading Covey’s work on trust made me stop and think. At first, I was surprised by the idea of actually measuring trust, but then I realised we often just assume it’s there without really questioning it.
I think I’ve probably assumed my team trusts me, but now I’m wondering what that really means. Is it trust, or is it more about people complying because they have to? Those don’t feel like the same thing.
I also thought about whether things like student engagement or achievement reflect trust in the team, but I don’t think they fully do — there are too many other factors involved that we can’t control.
Looking at the 13 behaviours made it feel more practical. It helped me see trust as something built through everyday actions. The one that really stood out to me is “listen first.” I think I can be quite quick to respond or problem-solve, and this has made me realise I need to slow down and really hear people before jumping in. I think my default is to try and problem solve, rather than support the person to develop their own thinking and solutions.
I think if I do focus more on listening, it could help people feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas, and build stronger trust over time. Even small changes, like taking a bit more time to listen, might lead to more openness and a better sense of teamwork.
It’s also made me think more about being clearer, more open, and making sure people feel respected and trusted themselves. Overall, it’s shifted my thinking — trust isn’t just something that exists, it’s something I need to actively work on every day.
As Year 4 Team Leader, one thing I want to focus on is building trust through greater integrity and vulnerability.
Bryk and Schneider highlight how relational trust depends on respect, personal regard, competence, and particularly integrity, keeping your word and prioritising the best interests of the children. Covey’s behaviours such as “Talk Straight,” “Right Wrongs,” and “Keep Commitments” align closely with this. If I want to strengthen trust within the team, I need to lead by example and demonstrate that I can be relied upon.
What I would do is become much more transparent when handling decisions and commitments. I would openly acknowledge when things do not go as planned, take responsibility without shifting blame, and provide clear, honest updates on next steps. I would also make it a regular practice to follow up on all commitments (big or small) and report back to the team so they can see that my words are consistently matched by actions.
I believe this approach would have a meaningful impact. By openly acknowledging setbacks rather than trying to appear infallible, I would create a safer environment for honest conversations. Trust would grow as team members see that I am not avoiding responsibility or shifting blame. Over time, I expect more open professional dialogue, greater willingness to experiment with new strategies together, and a stronger team culture. This should enhance our collective teacher efficacy and support more consistent, high-quality teaching and learning in literacy, mathematics, and across the curriculum.
Ultimately, it is about walking the talk and fostering a team where we trust one another because we know we are all acting with integrity and vulnerability, while genuinely supporting each other.
I think one thing i could do to improve the function of my team is in line with building high trust relationships and that is to do with sharing the workload/delegating tasks to my team.
We have a great system with our collaborative planning and sharing the planning load across the team, but at the moment i take on a lot of tasks that are not strictly ‘team leader’ jobs, but historically have always been done by team leaders. I have been doing this, probably for the same reason many team leaders have, because it is easier to do it yourself, and surely as team leader you just do all these extra tasks.
I think at a long term though this does leave both myself and my team at a detriment, as i have a large workload, trying to get through everything while also still trying to appear like i have everything under control, while my team is less informed on everything happening, as they have not been involved in its organisation.
By sharing these tasks out with my team, I am showing them that i trust them to have the knowledge and skills to complete the task, or that i am am there to teach and support them if they don’t. It means i have more time to support my students and my team with the important stuff, and my team is more involved and feels a sense of ownership over our systems and processes as well.
This is a good reflection, Arima. Stepping back from doing everything yourself is a good leadership move, but it requires careful framing so the team doesn’t just see it as extra work. How can you position this delegation so they truly feel empowered? What specific language can you use to ensure they know you are doing this because you trust their capability and want to give them genuine ownership of our school systems?
In my team, I try to lead from a place of vulnerability by being open about the fact that I don’t have all the answers and by asking others to bring their strengths and ideas in. I actively ask for their thoughts around the execution of things and share my own thinking too, rather than pretending I’ve got it all figured out, when I genuinely don’t. I think that helps build trust because people feel heard and valued, rather than just being told what to do.
One area where I think there’s still a gap in trust is with the “clients” – the parents and students. Teachers often feel like they are communicating with parents through notices, apps, emails, conversations etc but sometimes it still feels like things aren’t being read or passed on, or that some parents aren’t really hearing what their child is saying about school. Rather than sitting in frustration about it, I think one actionable thing would be to actually pull the parent in and try to understand what the barrier is. Is it overload? Language? Time? Confidence? I think sometimes we assume disengagement when there may actually be something else underneath it.
More broadly across the school, I think a lot of staff (including myself) are feeling really under the pump at the moment. There’s this constant pressure to churn through content because the goal posts around curriculum expectations and standards keep shifting, while also trying to meet every achievement objective. A lot of teachers feel like they’re skimming the surface just to get coverage rather than actually teaching for depth, understanding, and mastery. Then on top of that, extra expectations or changes get added in last minute, which means reworking plans all over again.
I can see a small way forward in terms of communicating this honestly with curriculum leaders and senior leadership and advocating for more intentional backward mapping when forward planning. Also, in understanding that planning for a term and all the events that happen within a school as well as inter-schools, takes a lot of time and has a domino effect, which may or may not be in our court to control at times. At the moment there feels like a mismatch between the push for integrated learning (to ensure we fit everything in) and deep understanding, while also expecting full coverage across every learning area. Teachers are trying to integrate authentically, but often at the cost of depth because there simply isn’t enough time to do everything well.
At the same time, I also recognise that some of this sits far beyond our school itself and comes from a government and system level, so it’s not something I realistically think we can fully “solve” as a team.
So for me, improving the function of the team isn’t necessarily about pretending everything is fine or forcing toxic positivity. I think it’s more about creating a space where people can vent when needed, feel heard and know others are sitting in the same reality. But also helping each other move forward instead of getting stuck dwelling in the parts we can’t change. At the end of the day, sometimes just knowing you’re not carrying it on your own makes a big difference (at least to me it does) – which will hopefully mean that we are much more likely to collaborate honestly, problem solve together and keep showing up for each other and for the kids.
Your reflection beautifully captures the essence of what it means to lead a team through complex, high-pressure times. By intentionally creating spaces where staff can honestly share, feel heard, and problem-solve together without getting stuck in what they can’t control (or just moaning!), you are fostering a resilient and collaborative team culture.