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Growing shared leadership and bicultural understandings through whakataukī

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This blog is my story and shares some of my learning and views of leadership and about being a Tiriti partner as I navigate and make sense of the relationships, experiences and opportunities that present themselves.

Leadership can be about action, practice and being present in the moment. Many things come to mind when recalling stories of leadership in action; about being careful and deliberate and understanding that leadership requires decision making, courage and collective efforts. Pōhatu’s (1994) philosophy of Āta (“with care” and “with deliberation”) emphasises relationships and offers guidance and balance around purpose, influence and people. Āta is a philosophy embedded in Mātauranga Māori and part of a Māori world view.

The principles of Āta provide a cultural base for reflective deliberation ensuring the spiritual, emotional and intellectual levels of the education process are valued and respected. (Forsyth & Kung, 2007)

Taking care and being responsible is a constant dialogue and dance when engaging in bicultural practice. It’s a lifelong commitment and the learning happens in unexpected ways that reveal themselves at opportune times. Navigating this space with care, deep respect and reflective deliberation has supported my leadership practice.

Key responsibilities of leadership are to deeply know one’s own identity and to support others in their professional growth, creating space for their reflection, feedback and world views. As Pākehā, this also requires role modelling, advocacy and learning to walk alongside tangata whenua as a Tiriti partner. Mindful of the importance of cultural integrity, it matters to honour and valid indigenous knowledge by creating space. Understanding that everyone and everything has a whakapapa is important learning that can be enriched by reciprocity through trusting relationships.

The power of whakataukī to shape thinking and learning

Embracing Te Ao Māori as a learner and Tiriti partner can make us feel vulnerable, an example is advocating for tikanga practice whilst trying not to trample on the mana of others. One aspect of pedagogy Māori that brings inspiration is the depth and insight captured in the meaning of whakataukī (proverbs). Each whakataukī is a gift and hearing them spoken on marae and in whaikōrero (speeches) connected to the kaupapa feels like a real privilege.

Whakataukī are embedded with mātauranga and have been passed down through many generations. (Te Whāriki Whakatauki cards)

Ruru, Roche and Waitoki’s (2017) research explores the balance between Māori women’s leadership and wellbeing. Using whakataukī as overarching themes for their analysis they found that “whakataukī describe unique aspects of leadership and wellbeing from a Māori worldview. Themes include humility, collectiveness, courage, future orientations and positivity”.

The following whakataukī used in their research is about service, supporting others and harvesting an idea as an opportunity to develop a pathway for future generations (Ruru et al, 2017).

Piki kau ake te whakāro pai, hauhake tōnu iho:
When a good thought springs up, it is harvested, a good idea should be used immediately.

One particular story of leadership in action I recall is an interaction with leaders and kaiako in an early years setting, who were exploring whakataukī. As their facilitator my role was to notice, reflect, and support their professional growth and leadership in the design and implementation of their local curriculum. This example was about strengthening bicultural understandings through authentic engagement with whānau.

At the kindergarten I noticed that the teaching team had really connected with the book Mauri Ora – wisdom from the Māori world (Alsop & Kupenga, 2016). They were exploring the different proverbs and values in relation to their teaching. I could see they were thinking deeply about meaning as a way to support their developing understanding of Te Ao Māori. They began to unpack individual whakataukī and use them in their teaching staff room for reflection and inspiration. This was evident in their conversations and documentation.

whakatuaki-mauri-ora-book

Reflecting on this practice I noticed the depth of their engagement and a shift in kaupapa – the nature of their conversations was changing and enriched. I suggested that they could share the words and images out in the kindergarten where parents and whānau could see. They could even consider putting their book, Mauri Ora, close to where parents arrive or often spend time such as where children’s lunch boxes or bags are put away.

Returning to the kindergarten several weeks later, one of the first things that greeted me was the book of whakataukī open, and displayed alongside where parents and whānau sign in. Kaiako shared with me that not long after building up the practice of choosing a whakataukī for each day and sharing it with parents, families and whānau, a young parent, (a dad who was Māori) initiated taking on this leadership role in the kindergarten. Each morning, he would quietly come in, look through the book, choose a whakataukī, display it for other parents and whānau and talk to the teaching team about his understanding and interpretation of the whakataukī.

As an expression of authentic and shared leadership, this emerging practice became a routine. It was a wonderful way to demonstrate the concept of ako, the shared role of teaching and learning and maximising the gifts and contributions of whānau.

Kaiako then shared what they did with this gift. Each morning the teaching team and tamariki sat together, shared stories and talked about the day ahead. They took the whakataukī, chosen by the parent, and shared it with tamariki, talking about the meaning, and asking the children what they thought and understood. For example by breaking down the values of manaakitanga they could connect it to what children could see, feel and hear in the learning setting. Kaiako would ask tamariki “What do you notice?” “What does manaakitanga look like for you?”. In this way the whakataukī started to reflect in the programme.

I often reflect on the impact of that one action.

Enacting a bicultural curriculum requires understanding the significance of whakapapa as a taonga in Te Ao Māori. We have responsibilities and obligations to champion equity, use te reo Māori with correct pronunciation, and to create leadership opportunities for tamariki to share, learn about and connect with Te Ao Māori including from whānau (Ministry of Education, 2017).

Leadership is not about having answers and obtaining knowledge – it’s about conversations, reflection and creating space to hear and respect the legacies of others. This story highlights the importance of partnerships, relational trust and the opportunities for shared learning when designing a local curriculum through genuine engagement with whānau and conversations with tamariki mokopuna.

To affirm whakataukī is to accept the indigeneity of a Māori/iwi lens and invites the receiver to align their thought processes to this. This is biculturalism in its truest sense as one worldview interacts with another on the same level. Each Tiriti partner has equal status, their individual mana remains intact and intertwines to co-construct a collective understanding.(Te Whāriki Whakatauki cards)

whakatauki-cards

This series of cards (image above) represent the whakataukī in the early years curriculum Te Whāriki. They are available to download from Te Whāriki Online and are a great resource to support leadership practice through conversations and critical reflection.

Download the whakataukī cards >

Grow your leadership with resources, workshops and courses >

References

Alsop, P. & Kupenga, T. (2016). Mauri ora – wisdom from the Māori world. Potton & Burton

Forsyth, H. and Kung, N. (2007). Āta: A Philosophy for Relational Teaching. New Zealand Journal of Education Studies, 42 (1/2), 5-15.

Ministry of Education Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga (2017). Te Whāriki He whāriki mātauranga mō nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, NZ

Ruru, S., Roche, M., & Waitoki, W. (2017). Māori women’s perspectives of leadership and wellbeing. Journal Of Indigenous Wellbeing – Te Mauri – Pimatisiwin, 2(1). Retrieved 17 July 2020, from https://journalindigenouswellbeing.com/media/2018/07/64.51.M%C4%81ori-women%E2%80%99s-perspectives-of-leadership-and-wellbeing.pdf.

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Spiral of Inquiry: It’s a new year, should we start again?

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Teaching as Inquiry: where teachers inquire into their practice and use evidence to make decisions about ways to change that practice for the benefit of the learners.

 

A common question that comes from collaborative inquiry teams at this time of year is: Should we start again?

A better question to ask would be: What progress did we make with our collaborative inquiry last year and where to next?

Scenario:

A teaching team worked together last year to scan their learners widely – building up a picture of learners’ social, emotional and cognitive wellbeing, strengths and areas for exploration. They used the evidence to focus on a theme that emerged and to consider their practices attached to that theme. A focused inquiry came to light and the team engaged in learning together and took some initial action in the classroom to change their practices and to make a difference for learners. By December, the team had taken some action but had not yet engaged in learning for long enough to embed new practice. While they checked learner progress and achievement, they hadn’t really checked widely to see if they’d made enough of a difference overall.

The new year:

What progress did we make with our collaborative inquiry?

An influx of new learners in the new year doesn’t have to mean ‘new inquiry’ for the team. Collaborative inquiries morph and change over time based on the evidence you gather about teacher practice and learner progress. One way to confirm that your inquiry is still useful and relevant for your team is to ask yourselves if you’ve gathered enough evidence to show that:

  • Your learners have experienced success and you’ve made enough of a difference for them (what data shows this? Whose voices are represented? What do your Māori learners and whānau think?)
  • Your teaching practice has changed and the new practices are fully implemented and embedded (what observations and other data show this? What were the criteria for success that you used? What research evidence supports the new teacher practices you implemented?)

Other questions teams can use to evaluate the progress of their collaborative inquiry include:

  • What evidence did we seek to know we were making a difference? What research and other knowledge informed this?
  • When did we check and how often? How did we check in a way that allowed for adjustment – right away?

“Checking is about beginning to set the stage for what comes next” (Kaser and Halbert, p. 7, 2016). That means that once a focused inquiry is underway, it never really “ends” – it simply shifts focus over time based on new evidence and clarity over whether or not changed practices have made a difference and have become embedded into our learning environments

But what about our new learners?

Often we think our focused inquiry from the year before won’t be relevant for our new learners this year. However, remember that:

  • Collaborative inquiries are focused on the gaps in our practice as teachers, highlighted by the challenges our learners face.
  • Those gaps remain in our practice until we fully implement and embed change.
  • The Learning phase is not short term or quick fix

“The professional learning research evidence indicates that the integration of substantial new knowledge requires a minimum of a year of focused collaborative effort to make a difference. Two years is much better. With three years of engaged effort, movement towards a transformed learning environment is usually well under way. So space must be created for this to happen” (Timperley, Kaser and Halbert, p. 16, 2014).

Next steps

At the start of the year, when your team is part way through an inquiry from the previous year, consider a “re-scan”. Re-scans can be shorter and more focused. For example, four weeks of Scanning your newly selected learners with a particular focus on your existing team inquiry may be most appropriate.

If your team has changed significantly (staff re-shuffle or turnover), you may wish to do a wider, longer scan while also considering evidence from the previous year’s inquiry.

A re-scan and continuation of your existing inquiry can be your team’s opportunity to:

  • Improve the ways in which you gather whānau and learner voice
  • Better consider the place of culturally responsive practice in your change plans
  • Consider new approaches to identifying clear goals and outcomes for changed practice and ways for checking these

As your team discovers the results of initial scanning in the new year, you can then have a robust team conversation about whether the evidence is telling you to continue with your inquiry, or whether to adapt your Learning and Action to cater for new evidence. This is a “morphing” of your inquiry rather than dismissing all of the previous year’s learning and action.

Featured Image by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

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A personal story of leadership for learning

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Leading authentically and mindfully closes the gap between our intentions and reality. Being culturally responsive requires effort, and relational pedagogy is an experience best measured by those around you. It’s not what you say you do, it’s how others experience your decisions and actions that defines your leadership and ultimately leads to successful outcomes.

This post shares my learning from leading a Ministry of Education funded national project supporting the implementation of the revised curriculum Te Whāriki He whāriki mātauranga mō nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum (2017). I was excited by the challenge and opportunity to work with others to develop new leaders, build unity through early learning networks, and strengthen practice across the sector.

waka

Two recent events have prompted my reflection on how others experience my leadership and its relevance to my learning.

  • The first is the name kaiurungi given to me by a colleague to describe my new role at CORE Education as navigator of the waka of the Early Years team.
  • The second event is an expression of leadership portrayed in the image above by Ngāi Tahu artist Morgan Hale-Matthews, which was commissioned by a stunning group of wahine toa/strong women.

Part of my role included recruiting and leading 26 ngā Kāiaki Marautanga/Curriculum Champions to support the implementation of Te Whāriki across Aotearoa. This taonga/art piece was presented to me at our final hui along with some stories and recollections of my leadership. The korowai/cloak adorned by 26 feathers represents each curriculum champion. The image and their tribute are dear to my heart and reminds me of our shared experiences, and my learning, and acts of leadership. When I look at this image and hear the name kaiurungi/navigator, I think about two things — my leadership intentions and others’ experiences of my leadership.

The context — Leading a project on the implementation of the revision of a highly acclaimed and treasured curriculum, Te Whāriki, was daunting. The kaupapa demands a compelling vision for all children in Aotearoa. I entered a new work environment with different systems and online tools, developed and led a national team, worked in partnership with the ministry, and engaged with diverse perspectives across the country. One of the hardest things was the high expectations and, at times, polarising feedback from a very interested ECE sector. I quickly became overwhelmed and consumed with worry.

My story and what helped? I will focus on the following four areas that are important to me and have guided me in my leadership practice.

● Self-efficacy and emotional intelligence
● Authenticity and leading mindfully
● Acting with purpose to ‘be’ culturally responsive
● Relational [online] pedagogy

What does it look like, feel like, and sound like?

Self-efficacy and emotional intelligence: My previous learning and focus on self-awareness helped me to be resilient and adaptive in this situation. Being successful in leadership has been linked to having a strong sense of self efficacy and emotional intelligence. Self-efficacy is more than having confidence, it means believing in your own abilities. This required me to think about and define what success for me looks like, feels like, and sounds like.

Goleman (2018) considers emotional intelligence one of the most significant success factors in the context of leadership. This includes self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Goleman suggests we check in with others and warns against only going by your own sense of how well you do. We all have blind spots when considering our own strengths and limitations — from the very humble to the ego driven personalities. He recommends seeking an evaluation of your emotional intelligence from people who work with you, know you well, and whose opinions you trust.

New pathways and insight are created by being open to feedback and a review of your work. Having the courage to ask for help was a defining moment for me that resulted in a shift in mind-set. I began to see things differently, changed my expectations, reprioritised, and intentionally moved into a space of uncertainty that, overtime, became comfortable. Constantly consolidating, chunking things down, adapting my ideas, and checking in with others became a useful strategy. Some advice I received was to use my connections and the people around me well. When you actively work to create a culture of respect and seek input from others, you increase the intelligence of the group. This created powerful learning moments. At times, feedback or a different perspective would stop me in my tracks and lead to a greater understanding. Acknowledging my learning and understanding my emotions and reactions helped me to be strong enough to change my mind, be less planned and scripted. What does it look like, feel like, and sound like to be agile and responsive?

Dr Kate Thornton online

Shared with permission from Dr Kate Thornton guest webinar.
Ministry of Education Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga: Spotlight:Leadership for Learning

Authenticity and leading mindfully

You don’t own your thoughts
Hold ideas lightly

Dr Kate Thornton provided a guest webinar on Leadership for Learning. She talked about the capability of authenticity. For me, being authentic means being true to yourself, honest with others, and aware of your influence and impact. Being vulnerable and in control of your emotions can lead to deeper learning opportunities. Alongside this is awareness of context and maintaining perspective. As leaders, we can spend a lot of time in our heads — thinking, reflecting, analysing, perfecting, re-visiting past events, and planning our responses. Whilst reflection and self-awareness are necessary, I learnt first-hand the impact of spending too much time in my head and worrying too much. This worry and overthinking is counterproductive and gets in the way of action, creativity, and seeing what you need to see. Investing in self-awareness and surrounding myself with different viewpoints helped me to lead in different and unchartered waters. Several points in the book, Leading Mindfully (Sinclair, 2016), resonated with me — most especially, the idea of getting out of my head. The strategies and suggestions in this book helped me to recognise when I was stuck, to understand my reactions and to let things go more quickly and move through things lightly. This freed me up to focus on what really matters.

Acting with purpose to ‘be’ culturally responsive

Another of the capabilities that Dr Kate Thornton referred to was having a clear vision and purpose. The project had clear deliverables and was based on a new model of teachers teaching teachers in a mostly online environment. My role and our vision was to grow others, build leadership capability, and create a new layer of leaders for the sector. This required deliberate and purposeful strategies. I talked with others, read about online pedagogy, and learnt about effective ways to develop an online community of practice. An important consideration was how can I lead and maintain a relational approach in an online space to build capability. My own vision and priority is to enact my responsibilities as a Tiriti partner. To be my authentic self, this situation could be no different. My cultural competence is always evolving and in recent years I have set myself a challenge:

when I know more, I do more

I no longer have excuses; I equip myself, challenge myself, and embrace the feelings of being a learner who is open to feedback and who may get it wrong, but tries. I feel the nerves and do it anyway. My professional responsibly as an educational leader is to role model respectful tikanga, use te reo Māori, and create opportunities and encounters for others that validate Māori as Māori. The idea of acting with purpose is a great way to ‘be’ culturally responsive. Promoting whanaungatanga and demonstrating tikanga-a-rua became a deliberate decision. With strong views and importance placed on kanohi kitea/the seen face, we had a big job to do — the kaupapa was Te Whāriki.

After 200 years of educational history Māori was, for the first time, being given the opportunity to influence a new curriculum that would touch the minds of future New Zealanders
(Reedy, 2014).

curriculum champions and CORE Education team

Ngā Kaiaki Marautanga/Curriculum Champions and CORE Education Early Years team at a hui with special guests Sir Tamati and Lady Tilly Reedy. Photo used with permission from CORE Education | Tātai Aho Rau.

Relational pedagogy — Leading a team in a mainly online environment

Working alongside the curriculum champions in an online community of practice was a highlight. At the beginning, there were mixed views about the online component as it was a new experience. I came to appreciate the way digital technology could afford us different and equitable opportunities to meet anywhere, anytime, across Aotearoa. I needed to overcome my own reservations, have an open mind, and inquire into the possibilities of online tools and platforms. We created a supportive and predictable routine of meeting online weekly, and I developed a regular post ‘from Kathryn’ to keep the group engaged and connected on CORE’s online platform Edspace. Building relational trust is what made the difference. Kaiako felt comfortable enough to be honest and ask for help. We were patient with each other. We struggled at times and celebrated in each other’s success.

Below is a breakdown of some of the ideas and strategies that we used to support online engagement and promote cultural responsiveness through a relational approach that was based on CORE’s Tātai Aho Rau values.

Whanaungatanga: relationships, identity, and whakapapa — What we focus on grows. At the forefront of our minds was people and place. Who do you bring with you? was suggested by one kaiako as a way to introduce ourselves for the first time. The success of our mahi was in the strength of our relationships.
Manaakitanga: an ethos of care and agency as a stimulating kaupapa — Establishing our tikanga and way of being through regular connection inclusive of all. Taking the role of hosting seriously and checking in with each other to share, console, and celebrate our achievements was important.
Co-constructing the agenda by being vulnerable ourselves as learners and engaging in dialogue we could hear what was on top and be responsive to new ideas, and experience just-in-time learning.
Wairuatanga: acting with moral purpose and connecting with heart — ensuring the uniqueness and wellness of each person is nurtured spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually.
Kaitiakitanga: maintaining the integrity of the kaupapa. Harnessing the collective wisdom of the group to learn and share our ideas and culture about past, present and future. We needed to preserve and protect the kaupapa and its foundations, and be genuine in our engagement, so our time together was efficient, beneficial for all, and added value for future citizens of Aotearoa

My focus was building pedagogical leadership capability for effective curriculum implementation. My approach and intention was to be relational and role model cultural responsiveness as a starting place for having conversations about practice.

My experience taught me to keep getting to know myself, trust in my own abilities, value immensely the contributions and mentoring of others, and seek different viewpoints and perspectives.

● How do you intend to lead?
● How do you think you are going?
● What do others think?
● How do you really know?

Intentionally entering into an uncertain space required me to think differently and be well equipped. It is complex and comes from within, but it is also about understanding your context, being clear about the purpose, and taking action.

I want to finish with the following by Jan Robertson that aligns with my own views about effective leadership as a way of being.

Effective educational leaders:

are self-aware. They know their values, beliefs and assumptions about life, leadership and learning, and are critical, deep thinkers about how these perspectives impact on their leadership. They seek feedback;

know how to learn deeply from their everyday work of leadership, and they know how to enter relationships as a learner to create new knowledge and inspire vision for what might be;

know they are system leaders, not kura, kindergarten, or school leaders … they collaborate together with other leaders, within and across contexts, to think, and to transform the system of education;

understand the importance of partnership in relationship, and know how to partner in leadership, in learning and as Treaty partners …

are emotionally, socially, culturally and cognitively intelligent and responsive in their practice. They are ego-less in leadership and can build capacity in leadership by developing themselves and others around them. They see this as important leadership work;

are creative, informed thinkers who cross boundaries to seek and explore new places and spaces of learning and knowledge and inspire others to do the same as they continuously focus on the quality of teaching and learning;

are confident and intentional in leading transformative change, underpinned by a strong moral purpose for equity and future-focused learning opportunities;

are digitally confident and competent in e-learning communities and understand the potential of technology, networks and connectedness for enhancing learning;

are comfortable with ambiguity, complexity and not-knowing as they learn and adapt within their leadership practice.

(Robertson, 2017, p. 16).

Bibliography

CORE Ministry Video. (2018, July). Dr. Kate Thornton [Video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/277217640/7cad45e26f

Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand Matatū Aotearoa. (2017). Five Think Pieces. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Five%20Think%20pieces.pdf

Goleman, D. (2018, March 1). Do You Make This One Big Mistake About Emotional Intelligence? [Linked in]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/do-you-make-one-big-mistake-emotional-intelligence-daniel-goleman/

Ministry of Education Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga (2017). Te Whāriki He whāriki mātauranga mō nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, NZ: Author.

NZEI Te Riu Roa. (2016, November 9). Te Whāriki turns 20 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_3870276665&feature=iv&src_vid=xJOv5U3J7VQ&v=tyAQdhP69XY

Robertson, J. (2015). Think-piece on Leadership education in New Zealand In Leadership for Communities of Learning. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Five%20Think%20pieces.pdf

Sinclair, A. (2016). Leading Mindfully: How to focus on what matters, influence for good, and enjoy leadership more. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Te Whāriki Online. (2018). Spotlight: Leadership for learning. Retrieved from https://tewhariki.tki.org.nz/en/leadership/

 

Image credits:

Waka: Shared with permission from Ngāi Tahu artist Morgan Hale-Matthews

Dr Kate Thornton online:  Shared with permission from Dr Kate Thornton guest webinar.
Spotlight: Leadership for Learning: Ministry of Education Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga: Spotlight:Leadership for Learning

Curriculum Champion team and CORE’s Early Years team photo: CORE Education

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Grow your team

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What’s going on in the place where you’re a leader? Leadership, teamwork, goal setting and planning are probably all areas that are no doubt part of your role and, in some cases, maybe where you may seek more support. The sharpest organisations are seeking out the right support, just when they need it, and that’s what I’m going to focus on in this post — where you currently ‘are’ as a leader, and the right support for you.

You’re a leader! Are you leading?

When you moved into a leadership role, it might have been because you showed some key leadership qualities. It also might have been because you were one of the best at what your organisation does (e.g., one of the most effective teachers, the best engineer, the most successful detective, or the most talented, client-focused hairdresser).

Either way, if you’re a leader, it might be worth reflecting on the following questions to see if you’re really leading:

Leadership style
  • What type of leader are you?
  • What were the qualities of your past, respected and admired, leaders?
  • What are the agreed qualities of leaders in your organisation? What is expected of you as a leader?
  • What type of leader does your team need and want? How do you know?
Developing others
  • In what ways are you empowering others around you who have the potential to become leaders?
  • How many of your staff have leadership aspirations?
  • Are you doing the work of your team, and as a result, holding them back from growing?
  • What qualities are you looking for in your staff? Do they know what you’re looking for?
Leadership accountability
  • What does your leadership role require of you?
  • Should you be on the ground sometimes doing the work? Or should you remain in strategic spaces overseeing others to do the work? Why?
  • Do others agree with you?
  • Are you clear about your organisation’s strategic plan and goals, and can you help others to understand how their work contributes to these?

You lead a team! Is it a team?

Leading teams is complex. Time, workload, personalities, and change impact on your priorities as a leader. Regardless, you are likely part of a team of leaders, and you are also leading a team — whether they are leaders or people on the ground doing the work. You may want to consider the following questions to uncover any assumptions you might have about your team(s):

  • Which team is your priority and why?
  • What expectations do you have of teams and how they work together?
  • Are some teams outperforming others? Do you know why?
  • How do you support teams to manage their time and workload?
  • Are team meetings boring with only one or two people talking most of the time? If yes, how can you change this?
  • What levels of trust exist in the team? How are you fostering trust on an ongoing basis? Are people able to disagree, and do team members enjoy a good debate?
  • How do you approach “difficult” personalities or step into “challenging” conversations?

Your team has goals! Are they ready for change?

All organisations have aspirations and goals. We are always seeking to improve what we do in any context. Aspirational goals mean ongoing change. Every leader needs to have a focus on leading change to some degree, and these questions will help you to uncover how you and others perceive change in your organisation:

  • Do people believe that change is needed?
  • Do all teams have clear goals that they had input into?
  • Do all team members know that their team goals will often require them to be in a constant state of change in order to reach those goals?
  • Which teams, or team members, appear to be stagnant and unchanging? Why?
  • How do you support people who are finding change difficult? Do you support them differently to those finding change straightforward?
  • What approaches are most effective when people are finding change difficult?
  • Are you struggling with change while also being expected to lead change? How do you manage this?

Help! What might help you as a leader?

It’s important to choose the support that is going to work best for you and the people in your organisation. Do this by involving your other leaders and teams who will be receiving the support. These people are most able to say what issues they currently face. They are also the best people to critique the range of support available. In seeking support, consider the following questions:

  • What are our issues and challenges?
  • What have we tried?
  • What worked?
  • What didn’t work?
  • What bothers us the most?
  • What hasn’t been tried yet?
  • What support can be tailored for our context? To what extent?
  • How often will we review this support to check that it is working?

 

You might not have all the answers to the questions in this post. With great leadership support you can find a range of solutions that best suit you and your organisation. That support can come in many forms, such as:

  • The Advanced Leadership programme, facilitated online over six months
  • Individual leadership mentoring/coaching
  • Leadership Team mentoring/coaching
  • Change leadership support and facilitation
  • Teamwork and collaboration facilitation or mentoring (from building trust to communication to goal setting and conflict/debate strategies)
  • Online courses combined with face-to-face, or virtual, support
  • Support for coherent planning and action
  • Online support such as Educational Leaders and NZC Online

Image Credit
Fern by Michael Gaida from Pixabay under CC 0

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Middle Leadership Matters

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middle leadership meeting

At the heart of an educational organisation are its middle leaders. Middle leaders often describe their position as rewarding, yet challenging. On one hand, they believe that they can directly influence teaching, leading and learning, and on the other, they feel a real tension between their dual role as teacher and leader. As influential leaders within schools, they are expected to drive curriculum, change, and innovation (Ministry of Education, 2012). However, many middle leaders perceive that they are not adequately prepared for their leadership role, nor effectively appraised as middle leaders (Bassett, 2016, Cardno & Robson, 2016). Whilst the onus is on senior leadership to develop and appraise their middle leaders, evidence suggests otherwise. In the absence of government initiatives, we’d like to offer an online course that specifically supports middle leaders to meet this need.

According to the latest Education Review Office report (2017) on Communities of Learning | Kāhui Ako, the priority for our education system is to achieve equity and excellence in learner outcomes. This requires effective leadership, which “builds collective capacity to do and use evaluation and inquiry for sustained improvement” (p.11). The advantage of an online course designed for middle leaders is that it provides ubiquity, connectedness, and flexibility, regardless of geographical location, or size of organisation. One of the key outcomes of this course is to build a community of leaders, and utilise a specific model of middle leader inquiry to enable critical reflection which has the power to improve outcomes for all, collectively. Enabling leaders to connect across communities offers them opportunities to curiously inquire into their own leadership practice, with a view to challenging their existing skillset, assumptions, and capabilities. In the online course, facilitators offer the external expertise required to ensure that middle leaders matter.

Organisations are complex, and as such, extremely challenging to lead and manage. Bassett (2016) asserts that middle leadership demands a set of leadership and management skills that require specialised knowledge and training. Drawing on the work of Bolman & Deal (2013), a set of principles are outlined to navigate the complex nature of leading from the middle. Using a multi-frame approach, middle leaders are supported to improve their leadership practice by exploring multiple perspectives “to understand and influence what’s really going on” (p. 40). These principles are: shared vision, developing culture, building relationships, and implementing systems/structures, each of which is unpacked within the middle leaders’ context, during the online course.

Ultimately, middle leaders matter. For our middle leaders to feel valued and developed as leaders, meaningful appraisal experiences and middle leadership development opportunities need to be a priority.

References:
Bassett, M. (2016). The role of middle leaders in New Zealand secondary schools: Expectations and challenges. Waikato Journal of Education, 21(1), 97-108
Bolman, L. G. & Deal. T. E. (2013). Reframing organisations: Artistry, choice and leadership (5thed.). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Cardno, C. & Robson, J. (2016). Realising the value of performance appraisal for middle leaders in New Zealand secondary schools. Research in Educational Administration & Leadership, 1(2), 229-254.
Education Review Office (2017) Communities of learning/Kāhui Ako: Collaboration to improve learner outcomes (Wellington: Education Review Office).
Ministry of Education. (2012). Leading from the Middle: Educational Leadership for middle and senior leaders. Wellington: Ministry of Education.

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