Building leadership in schools

While great leaders may be as rare as great runners, great actors, or great painters, everyone has leadership potential, just as everyone has some ability at running, acting and painting.

(Bennis and Nanus 1985: p. 222)

Why the emphasis on leadership in schools?

• Mandated places for young people to be

• Increasing complexity

• Demand for change

What do you feel about leadership and leading?

• Reflect on your first significant act of leadership.

• How do you know it was an act of leadership?

• How comfortable are you with seeing yourself as a leader?

Background

• Focus on quality leadership and succession planning.

• Aimed to develop a tool to support associations and principals in building their own leadership and leadership in schools.

• Building on what had gone before

Fundamental understanding

Developing the L5

• What do real, effective school leaders do? Think about people you would be willing to follow. List five things.

• As a group attempt to agree on your top five things.

Agreement on the fundamentals of

leadership

• Its about knowing what needs changing and having the confidence to do something about it.

• Its about having an impact on other peoples’ behaviours, beliefs or attitudes.

• Its about being focused on the kids and the staff - on teaching, learning and wellbeing.

• Its about being professional and being able to run things smoothly and efficiently.

• Its about being an optimistic role model and support for others.

Five propositions became the L5 frame

Leadership starts from withinLeadership is about influencing others

Leadership develops a rich learning environmentLeadership builds professionalism and management capability

Leadership inspires leadership actions and aspirations in others

1. Leadership starts from

within

L51• Beliefs• Values• Integrity• Vision• Responsibility• Commitment• Courage• Resilience• Humour

2. Leadership

is about influencing

others

L52• Power• Communication• Respect• Expectations• Politics

• Trust

Understanding influence for leaders

at all levels

Australian Institute of Management

Recommended

3. Leadership develops a

rich learning environment

L53• Intellect• Facilitation• Teaching• Openness• Evidence• Collaboration

• Trends

4. Leadership builds

professionalism and management

capability

L54• Systems• Evaluation• Accountability• Consistency• Networks

• Rigour

5. Leadership inspires

leadership aspirations and actions in others

L55• Encouragement• Risk• Opportunities• Mentoring• Coaching

• Modeling

Reality check

• Your top five?• A leader you admire?• Political leaders?• Does ‘good’ leadership

necessarily build leadership?

Leadership starts from within

Leadership is about influencing others

Leadership develops a rich learning environment

Leadership builds professionalism and management capability

Leadership inspires leadership actions and aspirations in others

A leadership frame for the profession

• Consulted widely• Receiving completely positive

response within and outside of schools

• Supported by the associations• Provides common understanding and

language of leadership

The L5 approach to leadership

• Leadership is leadership• Leadership can be learnt• Leadership can be sustainable

Leadership starts from within

Leadership is about influencing others

Leadership develops a rich learning environment

Leadership builds professionalism and management capability

Leadership inspires leadership actions and aspirations in others

Leadership starts from within

Leadership is about influencing others

Leadership develops a rich learning environment

Leadership builds professionalism and management capability

Leadership inspires leadership actions and aspirations in others

Leadership starts from within

Leadership is about influencing others

Leadership develops a rich learning environment

Leadership builds professionalism and management capability

Leadership inspires leadership actions and aspirations in others

Leadership starts from within

Leadership is about influencing others

Leadership develops a rich learning environment

Leadership builds professionalism and management capability

Leadership inspires leadership actions and aspirations in others

Resilience

Respectful relationships

High but achievable expectations

Authentic participation and contribution

56

The L5 is a frame for leadership

• The L5 is a frame through which to focus on leadership:– At different levels– For particular purposes– In particular contexts

• The L5 also provides strategic structure

• As an overarching or underpinning frame• For developing tools

Learn:Lead:SucceedA resource for building leadership in schools

• Developed the L5 into a professional learning resource - not a program

The LLS approach

1. Leadership is a natural progression

2. All school staff members have leadership responsibilities

3. Leadership development is individual, school and employer business

1. Leadership development is a natural progression

• Self development and formation; to

• Working with and leading others; to

• Leading and managing teaching and learning, and professional development; to

• Leading and managing the organisation; to

• Motivating others

2. All school staff members have leadership responsibilities

• In working with children and young people

• In being a part of an organisation

3. Leadership development is individuals’, schools’ and the employers’ business

• Individual’s professional responsibility

• Organisation’s responsibility to ensure professionalism and sustainability

• Employers responsible for providing high quality learning opportunities - in preparation, ‘just in time’, and developmental

Part 1 (pp 4-20) of Learn:Lead:Succeed invites school leaders and leadership

teams to build leadership capacity

• Leadership succession and building leadership in schools

• How leadership is formed• Leadership development pathways.• School based leadership

development programs• The leadership journey

The professional learning resource

Part 2 (pp 21-81) consists of five sections. Each section has the same structure.

• Proposition• What others say about leadership• Reflective questions• Individual processes• Group activities and processes• Strategies for action (for individuals,

groups and employers)

Metaphorical drawing

Page 29

But first…• Your school is a garden• What kind of garden is it (such as formal,

Jamie Durie, cottage, Tuscan, courtyard, bush, concrete and roses)?

• What is your role in the garden (such as designer, head gardener, absentee landlord, pest controller)?

• Who are the other players (such as workers, particular plants, insects, birds, animals)?

Developing a leadership stance

Page 27

Building a learning community - The high performance school

Page 56

Possibilities

Avoiding the scattergun

• Leadership learning, like any other learning, needs structure

Leaders LeadThe big leadership picture

The L5 frame

Leaders MatterThe wellbeing of

school leaders

Mentoring and coaching

Leaders WorkThe work of school leaders

L52

L51

L53

L54

L55

Using the L5

• An audit tool - on its own

• Combined with other models

• For particular purposes

Leadership Curriculum and pedagogical

Organisational and management

Political and community

Cultural and wise

…starts from within

…is about influencing others

…develops a rich learning environment

…builds professionalism and management capability

…inspires leadership actions and aspirations in others

Leadership Of Indigenous education

Of student wellbeing

Of boys Of the parent community

…starts from within

…is about influencing others

…develops a rich learning environment

…builds professionalism and management capability

…inspires leadership actions and aspirations in others

Implementation

• What are the possibilities – For structuring leadership

development programs?– For in-school work?– For inter-school work?

www.apapdc.edu.au

Leadership Life is the day by day living of it

With apologies to Tolstoy