Bring out the best in others

What we focus on has a habit of becoming our reality.

And it is in this context that the saying, "You can either bring out the best or the 'beast' in others" really applies.

So how do we bring out the best in others?

1. Genuinely care. It is still true that people don't want to know what you know, until they know that you care. However, it takes time for others to really know 'where you are coming from'. And it takes time for your team to work out whether your care is genuine, or motivated by self. However, first and foremost your care should be for the genuine progress of every child / student in your school. And this should be communicated as a non-negotiable.

2. Notice and appreciate the small contributions. Leader's need to learn to be observers of others. They need to develop their ability in noticing the small things, the small changes - and acknowledging them. Not everyone feels comfortable being acknowledged publicly, so sometimes a short word of appreciation in private is better received.

3. Give the benefit of the doubt. There will be times when you are unsure of where some of your team are coming from. Times like this call for patience (the count to 10 strategy!) and applying one of the golden rules of communication - clarify, clarify, clarify! (Questions like "I just want to check in on what you meant when you said...." or "Can you just clarify what you mean by...." can be useful.)

4. Pursue a vision that is worth the effort. Nobody is keen to give their all until they really believe that it is worth it. But what are the blockages to them coming on board with your vision? Have you explained it clearly enough? Are your messages and actions congruent with the vision? Are there some trust issues that need to be resolved? Are all the senior leaders singing off the same song-sheet?

Ultimately, you are only as good as your team. So getting the best from them collectively and as individuals is critical, and well worth the effort!

Develop your ability to influence

Develop your ability to influence

Leadership is largely about influence. Those who influence us lead us, and those who lack influence are ignored. So how do we build influence? I believe there are 4 key focus areas:

- be relevant - there is no use having all the answers to the questions no-one is asking. If you want to influence you need to know how people are, what is important to them, and what they are trying to achieve. Then you can ensure that what you bring, and how you communicate, fits with what is needed.

- build trust - trust is built on credibility, integrity and respect. Those who want to develop trust must demonstrate that they 'walk their talk', and show that they are consistent. Trust comes as we develop a track record of reliability and effectiveness.

- solve problems - the ability to solve simple and complex problems is critical to influence. Expert problem solvers are aware of context, involve others, summarise on the way, and are explicit about process. Our influence increases as we demonstrate our ability to solve problems.

- listen with head and heart - none of the above will happen if you haven't mastered this skill. However, many forget that we need to listen at many levels if we are to be truly effective. Consider the following questions. What are they saying with their mouth (the message)? What are they saying with their heart or emotions? What are they saying through their body language? What aren't they saying? Have I checked that I have heard correctly? Or am I just assuming that I have got it right?

So remember, although your role as a leader gives you the right, it doesn't necessarily give you the level of influence you need to gain traction and achieve your goals. More influence, rather than more power is required. And influence is gained over time as we attend to the four focus areas above.

Be your own person

There is a lot of pressure on leaders to conform, without really understanding (or believing) why.

And this is a problem. Because if 'we' succeed in pressuring leaders to conform to what we believe or know to be best practice without engaging their minds in the process - what have we got? Leaders?

And yet isn't there clear evidence that some leadership practices make a bigger difference than others? Yes of course. But what set of beliefs, relationships and conditions supported the effectiveness of these practices? Can we actually separate practices from context? Or is this just a nonsense? (Put another way, why can a principal be a great success in one school and then struggle in the next?)

And so it turns out that leadership, just like so many other areas of life, requires a thoughtful approach if we are to truly understand what is working, why it is working, and under what conditions it will continue to work.

So here are a few questions that help us integrate the best of leadership thinking into our own approach:

- What do I really believe about effective and ineffective leadership?
- How did I come to these conclusions, and what evidence supports my beliefs?
- Do the results (consequences) of my beliefs (i.e. student outcomes, staff motivation, parent engagement, positive atmosphere) support my view that I am on the right track?
- If not, is there a colleague who has nailed this that I can talk to ? A book I can read? An online community I can join?
- What will signal progress?

So, although there is solid evidence that in certain contexts  particular leadership practices support better outcomes and should therefore be considered carefully, we should not abandon our own ability to think things through and forge our own leadership philosophy based on results and the best of what we have read, heard, and observed.

Unthinking compliance to another's view of reality is not the way forward.

It is easy to get caught up in the 'process of leadership' i.e. we find ourselves on the leadership treadmill, caught in the daily grind of role expectation. At times like this it can be useful to stop and rethink:

- what exactly am I trying to achieve?

- where do I want to take this group?

- what outcome do I want from this meeting?

Although it can be tempting to paint a bulls-eye around where-ever the arrow lands, leadership is far more fulfilling when connected to a clear outcome, purpose or goal. So, don't begin until you have a clear end in mind.