“Ko ngā pae tawhiti whāia kia tata, ko ngā pae tata, whakamaua kia tina.”
The potential for tomorrow depends on what we do today.
One requisite of all successful leaders is self-awareness and a high emotional intelligence (EQ). To commence the Emerging National Leadership Programme, reflect on your practice before completing the Leadership Capabilities Assessment (LCA).
Module Objectives:
- Enhance self-awareness.
- Develop emotional intelligence.
- Identify personal strengths and areas for development.
- Understand the impact of personal emotions on leadership.
- Build self-reflection habits.
Section 1: Leadership Capabilities Assessment Reflection
Task: Open the provided Google Document, make a copy, and reflect on each element of the Leadership Capabilities Assessment. Indicate your perceived level on the continuum and add notes in the ‘Term 1’ column to explain your thinking. Share this document with your kaiārahi.
Task: Due 28th March 9am
What leadership capabilities would you describe as requisites for you to be most effective in your current leadership context – and why? Share your answer in the comments section below (150 words max.)
Resources:
- 21 Century Leadership (The Innovator DNA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=Hy4oQh_Qyto&feature=emb_logo
- The Educational Leadership Capability Framework (2018): https://teachingcouncil.nz/assets/Files/Leadership-Strategy/Leadership_Capability_Framework.pdf
- “School Leadership and Student Outcomes: Identifying What Works and Why: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration [BES]”: https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/60180/BES-Leadership-Web-updated-foreword-2015.pdf#page=38 (Executive summary on pages 35-47)
- “Leading From the Middle: Educational Leadership for Middle and Senior Leaders”: https://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Key-leadership-documents/Leading-from-the-middle (Skim for now – more focus in Module 2)
Assessment:
- Completion of the Leadership Capabilities Assessment reflection document.
- Thoughtful contribution to the online discussion regarding key leadership capabilities.
22 Responses
I found this challenging, in a good way, because I find it tricky to self-reflect on practice. Maybe I’ve spent too long being told what to think or what others think? I think my professional goal needs me to be more mindful and introspective so I can reflect on my strengths and weaknesses. By doing so, I will be able to build on weaknesses so I am more effective and helpful to colleagues.
What a worthwhile exercise for you Damian. Your own opinions are valid, important and valuable. I guess with such a busy life it is difficult to carve out the thinking time to enable you to be truly reflective. Maybe take baby for a walk as sometimes connecting with nature sparks the imagination.
While filling out my reflections there was a recurring theme around being passionate, listening, leading by example and working collaboratively.
I am starting to take on more of a leadership role within our hub and across the school as Literacy lead and part of the new curriculum implementation team and navigating how we implement these changes is definitely going to be more effective if we can work together. I know there are going to be challenges as we do but keeping our students at the centre of our focus as our why will give us purpose and motivation.
We are all learning as we go and I think it is important that as a leader I can support with prioritizing what we are focusing on and break it down so we don’t all feel overwhelmed. Providing opportunities for us all to have open discussions about challenges, positives ask questions will benefit everyone.
Thank you for your thoughtful analysis Celeste. As you have identified- you can’t lead people against their will and they are more likely to allow you to lead if you have a pre-existing trusting relationship. This truly is the difference between leaders and management.
My current leadership context is as a classroom teacher in a secondary school. So for me effective communication and listening are essential capabilities for ensuring that students understand expectations and instructions. It is important for me to know and live my values and act in a way that reflects these, this is a constant practice for me. I believe empathy and emotional intelligence capabilities are important to build high- trust strong relationships with students, their whanau and colleagues. Collaboration is also really important with colleagues, having integrity and contributing to the collective team. Strong classroom knowledge and management skills, help maintain discipline and structure, promoting a productive learning space.
Empathy is such an important quality isn’t it. Those teenagers that you are teaching can be just as fragile and vulnerable and need teachers like you who understand that. It is sometimes hard to earn that trust but when you do it pays dividends.
In my role it has been important to develop trusting relationships to ensure challenging situations can be managed without damaging relationships and maintaining well-being (teacher and the learner). Leading by example is also very important. How can I ask my team to do things that I either will not do or have a poor attitude to (the worker)? These areas of focus work in my current situation as we develop a new team and work with new approaches to teaching and learning through the new curriculum and bringing everyone on board with structured literacy and navigating the new maths resources.
There’s a real tension in leadership isn’t there. On the one hand you want to preserve relationships and on the other hand you can’t afford to turn a blind eye to things that are letting the side row. It becomes even more complicated if the team members are your friends out of school. You have many new things to contend with this year.
A recurring theme of my reflections is that to improve I should act purposefully rather than just relying on what comes naturally – the ultimate goal is to change what comes naturally though. Another thought I had was that while I (naively) think I might have many of the soft skills of being a leader, I have only put these into practice in a limited way and there are more opportunities to practice and demonstrate leadership within my sphere of influence than I initially thought.
There’s nothing wrong with starting small Richard. Practicing those leadership skills in the safe environment of your classroom is perfectly appropriate. As a successful adult you have managed to negotiate your way through a number of different environments in diffent places and different countries. Don’t underestimate yourself. Many of those who talk a big game don’t actually deliver.
One of the Leadership capabilities that I want to prioritise in my current context is He kaiwhakarite (The manager). Because of all the changes currently taking place in education, I hope to be able to support staff in making meaningful and impactful change in a way that maintains well-being and our current ethos.
However I can see that He kaitiaki (The guardian) characteristics are vital in order to achieve this. Strong relationships, collaboration as well as open and transparent communication will need to be present. I want teachers to be able to share concerns and to feel heard and valued as we adapt to the changes. Helping teachers to see the benefits and impacts of the changes is important to me as well.
What you have identified is the real conflict in leadership Kim. Being the guardian feels much more noble because it’s an extension of what we do as teachers but as you correctly identify, sometimes you just have to manage!
I connect with what you have said kayliegh, I believe engagement, buliding, and sustaining relationships is key to not only being a successful kaiako but also a leader. I also feel that a healthy robust discussion can take place while ensuring dignity and trust is maintained.
When I look at leadership capabilities there are two that I feel stand out when it comes to working within a Special Needs setting.
These are:
Flexibility: Every day is a new day which can bring with it new challenges, surprises and excitement. Being able to roll with what the days throws at you, think on the spot and retain composure throughout is very important.
Being able to look at things through a holistic lens. You do not have all the answers, you are not always right and neither are those we work with. Being able to take a situation whether it is good, bad or ugly and look at every avenue. If we are all here for the students then working through an outcome that is best for them is what is important. By taking the time to brainstorm and talk through things with others opens the doors for a stronger working relationship.
You work in a particularly challenging setting Jade and I can imagine that your flexible approach stands you in good stead. You’ve also displayed flexibility in your willingness to adapt to different settings within your school from challenging behaviour class to new entrants – quite a mind shift. You also approach your work with humility and an open mind. Well done!
Being new to leadership and having a unit within my school, I’m focused on building trust through open communication, listening, and following through on what I say. Strong relationships make teamwork and growth possible. Clear and honest communication is important to me, I want people to feel heard and valued. I also try to be adaptable and see challenges as chances to learn and improve. Connecting with the wider community and whānau is just as important. Strong partnerships help create a sense of belonging and make learning more meaningful. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I’m committed to reflecting, improving, and creating a positive, supportive space for everyone.
You have got great ideas Lauren and are setting yourself some worthwhile goals. There’s a lot to think about when you first step into leadership but all of the attributes that make you a great teacher will transfer over to your leadership journey.
I feel the same as you Lauren. Although I do not have a leadership role as head of a waka/year group yet, I can see how important it is to have strong relationships and open communication.
For me, I feel that I continue to maintain high-trust relationships with my colleagues and school whānau. I have not had the opportunity to lead within my school but I am courageous when it comes to having a respectful but hard conversation. Ensuring that mana and manaakitanga is at the forefront when engaging in kōrero, whakaaro and tautoko.
You are right Lisa. Trust is important but we must prove ourselves to be worthy of trust. It is sometimes difficult to maintain those high standards when others don’t share our ethical standards. Good on you for being brave!
I feel that while I want to develop many of the capabilities, it is hard to comment on them as I am mainly a classroom teacher and do not yet have a leadership role within my kura.
I do feel that building and sustaining high-trust relationships is a requisite for me, even as a classroom teacher. This is something I have included in my PGC as a focus. I believe that much of being a leader or a classroom teacher involves engaging respectfully with others, with empathy and humility, and fostering openness in discussions.
This goes hand in hand with managing conflict and crisis. Building on high-trust relationships, I feel it is important to handle conflict and crises gracefully, ensuring an environment of trust and respect for all concerned parties.
You are thinking so carefully about your role as a leader in your classroom and the role modelling that goes along with it. All of this is a practice for when it is teachers that you are leading. When I was a Principal I always thought of myself as the teachers’ form teacher because it needed exactly the same skills.