Much has been written about how crucial the first 100 days are for a leader in a new organisation. The temptation is to assume that if you haven’t made your mark by then, chances are you’ve blown it.
We all know as teachers that the first few weeks with a new class are time-critical in terms of laying down markers and expectations. Boundaries need to be set, rules and routines established so that everyone is clear about how things are going to work around here.
Nailing the climate or culture of learning is essential, and that begins and ends with you.
It’s not quite as simple as this when taking up a new position as headteacher in a school, or in our case, sponsoring a new academy.
You can’t just go in there and expect all the staff to fall into line merely because you are in charge. We’ve thankfully moved away from the days of the ‘hero head’ where authority and being the font of all knowledge were all you needed to get by. IQ has long been replaced by EQ.
But even this might no longer be enough. What we now need is CQ: Cultural Intelligence, or the ability to experience and adapt to new environments in more complex situations without losing sight of our own values and core purpose.
One thing you have to learn within those first 100 days is to live in the world you inherit.
A culturally intelligent leader is able to navigate this and get to grips with a culture that is new and alien to them. This of course takes time and so the very best leaders need all three, EQ, IQ and CQ if they are to lead effectively and focus on the main thing.
The trouble is, it’s not always that easy to know what the main thing is, especially in a school that may have become destabilised by the forces operating on it (of which you are one).
Your gut tells you that the main priorities must be to fix things quickly like marking, feedback, planning, instruction, behaviour, routines, attendance and so on. Pretty much every Ofsted inspection report for an SM school reads the same and all of these are likely to appear in the report in some shape or form.
As we approach the 100th day of sponsoring our newest academy, despite the complexities of IQ, EQ and CQ, over the years I’ve learnt that it all boils down to essentially three things: Aims, Beliefs, and of course, Culture.
Get these right – just like the teacher with a new class – and everything else potentially falls into place. It’s not quite as simple as ABC, but as starting points go, it’s a good one:
Aims: It goes without saying that being absolutely clear about what it is that you intend to do right at the start is essential. Make sure you tell your story so that everyone gets the same consistently clear message, regardless of how it might be received. As we’ll see next, perception is everything, so use every opportunity to re-enforce the fact that you willfollow-up and you will follow-through. Wrapping this all up in a clear vision statement is also crucial so that people know the ‘why?’. If they understand your purpose and why it is that things need to change, then levels of engagement will hopefully increase.
Beliefs: Perceptions lead to beliefs and beliefs lead to action. The things that we believe in as adults, rightly or wrongly, are based on our perceptions of reality. The things that we believe to be true determine very much how we choose to act (take religion, love or the football team that you blindly choose to support). So, if as a leader you want to change the way people act and behave, then you may need to change their perceptions and beliefs. This often starts with getting people to ditch their limiting beliefs and instead adopt a more open mindset. Nobody likes change, but if people believe it to be necessary and understand why and how it will be achieved, buy-in is far more likely to follow. Engaging your staff must be your main priority and they will only do this if they believe in you, themselves and the vision.
Culture: No matter how as a leader you try and re-culture an organisation, if the prevailing beliefs are holding you (and others) back, little will change. The development of a leadership culture is essential where everyone steps up and is prepared to embark on a voyage of understanding and discovery. To not change is simply not an option. No matter what we know about genetics, human nature is not fixed. People can choose to change if they wish. Your aim as a leader is to build a culture where staff embrace the need to work hard at developing themselves and becoming more self-aware of how they can improve, regardless of how limiting or enabling their beliefs are. This is where your core values come into play.
Up until now, during our first 100 days we have focused almost entirely on ABC. I’ve still yet to walk into a classroom and spend time watching how well the teachers can translate the curriculum into learning. I’ve flicked through the occasional exercise book but have yet to delve deep into how well the teachers assess pupils’ learning and feed this back to them. We haven’t tried to undertake any sort of data sweep, dump or analysis.
Whether this is the right thing to do or not remains to be seen. Perhaps to some it may appear as if we lack urgency.
But all of this is to come. The first 100 days do not mark the end of the story. Instead, it’s merely the end of the beginning. For those of you new to headship in September, take heed. The first 100 days aren’t about ripping up trees. Instead, use the time wisely to plant seeds.
Of course it’s not as simple as ABC; the management of change is far more complex than that. What it does help us remember though, is that sometimes, if giant leaps of faith are required, going back to the basics is always a good thing.