Consider this: leadership has little to do with position.
Yes it might be much easier when you’re a Head of Department or Deputy Head, but leadership is not position, title, or personal qualities.
Two definitions of leadership I like say the same thing in different ways.
The interesting part is that they were written decades apart.
The first is from W.C.H. Prentice in 1961:
Leadership is the accomplishment of a goal through the direction of human assistants—a human and social achievement that stems from the leader’s understanding of his or her fellow workers and the relationship of their individual goals to the group’s aim.
The second is from Kevin Kruse in 2013:
Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.
The key parts are a goal, other people, and influence.
Three years ago, I sat down with my (new at the time) deputy head. I had booked the meeting to discuss our reporting system.
I remember closing the door and giving her my document.
I started talking, she asked me questions, and we discussed my ideas.
Her posture and face visibly relaxed.
This happened because I wasn’t there to moan; I had done some serious thinking and research and come to her with solutions, based on evidence.
One way of becoming a leader in school is to speak as much and as loudly as possible about your achievements.
An opposite strategy is to work hard on ideas, start to use them, but end up frustrated when they aren’t implemented widely.
An effective way that balances both of these extremes is to write proposals and present them to senior management.
Writing proposals is a powerful way to demonstrate leadership in your school…when you’re not in a leadership position.
A good proposal will:
- Identify a specific problem
- Outline consequences of not addressing it
- Provide solutions
- Examine short/ medium/ and long-term effects
- Have a strong evidence base
One of (the many) great things about a well-written proposal is that it does the thinking for the senior leaders – the ultimate decision makers.
It demonstrates that you care about your school, but you’re not content to sit and moan in the staff room about some problem.
A well-written proposal establishes you as a staff member that senior people will take seriously.
What is one problem in your school you are going to solve?
Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash
James D'Souza 