Wellington Catholic Primary Principal's Association Conference 2016

Guest Speaker: Professor Chris Branson
How do you become a successful leader of a community?

Leadership:

James Macgregor Burns - 'leadership' (2010)

Shared introduction of different theories of leadership since Burns

Leadership is it about hierarchy - it's about influence. 

Transactional vs transformational 

Transformational leadership adds context. How are people working together?

Accepting you are the leader and choosing what you want to do. Depends what the task is. 

A theory should explain the reality - no one theory can explain completely. Therefore not really theories - they are tools. Get the relationships right, so that you know which tool to use.

 

'Transrelational '- enabling others, rather than being about you. Be the promoter of what is happening. What others see happening is an important source of data. Building wisdom based on knowledge and experience of others - not ad hoc - not letting go. 

Build a relationship between the people you are leading, and the vision. 

Keep talking about and revisiting the vision. There are non-negotiables within a Catholic schools. Sometimes tough conversations with people who are resisting the direction - to understand why. 

Leader has to work at overcoming natural tendencies not to relate well to certain people. The leader can't choose who not to have a relationship with. 

-Knowing Self as person-

Multiple choice activity to work out your compass point - from this book:

 

 

Not a judgment - an appreciative model. About considering what have I not thought about. Considering self and strengths and why you react to people the way you do. About giving you control of yourself. 

Relationships are the source of your power, influence. Not control, coercion, position. 

Need to understand yourself firstly. Self knowledge is a fundamental part of becoming a leader. Do can control and direct your behaviour. Natural way of being has to be controlled. People behave inappropriately if they don't have an understanding of relationships. 

*-Influence of Values on personal choice-* Chris' field of research: 

Self-concept forms, and influences. Can change your self concept - when something goes horribly wrong, or can be changed more gently and deliberately. If you allow it to dominate you, you look for ways to avoid something negative. 

Motives- Self concepts are Strong and constant. Influences motives, how you act. 

Values come out of motives. 

Beliefs - eg given - I believe students should lead the assembly, given an early experience of feeling foolish in front of an audience.

Choices, judgments reflect own values. 

Contestation between organisational and personal values - can I live the values of my community?

Listed personal values, then 3 things I do in school to show/live that value. 

Ask what values others see that you live in school. If they name a value not comfortable with - ask why they think that, rather than disagree.  We judge others through values. Others judge you by their values.

They see you through their own lens/perspective. Others judgments can be considered as a source of reflection but only you know your values. 

Desired values - role model you try to emulate. Can use to change self concept, by considering actions and try to change own actions to reflect that value. 

Proclaimed values - interview person for school, describe/discuss values. People can claim particular values that are not actually their values.

Actual Values - when the pressure is on, these come out. Learn to control behaviours so that those you aspire to influence decision-making on the hop. 

-Knowing Self as Leader-

Completed LPI on self. Suggested to ask leadership team to complete about you as a tool for reflection. 

Need to be intuitive about how you make decisions. A leader needs to know their values, how they choose to do things - being able to defend choice, and stand up for those who don't have a choice- explain decisions. Align the vision to your action. 

Effective leaders are aware of their authority and knowledge

Goal isn't to fix your weaknesses, but to amplify your strengths and use them. 

If you are putting out false symbols you will attract people who are drawn to those symbols but you won't form trust with those people. Once you lose trust, it is hard to get it back. 

Rather, you should do and say what you actually believe, so that you create authentic relationships, by attracting people who believe what you believe. 

1. Be an "in-group" member - sincerely, naturally able to be in that group. Experience rather than observing. Relate, talk, understand, realise. Know how to reach out and give support. 

2. Champion the group - know what is happening in your school and be able to share that publicly, and informally, privately  (affirmation, thanks, congratulations). May mean standing up for the group.

3. shape the group's identity - the group will allow you to take them a step further, make changes, help them develop. 

4. Align the group's identity to the wider world - the group will be open to influence to the world beyond. Show our strengths - becoming part of the world. What does particular literature means to us? Is it relevant to us? Why - confidence in position. Don't have to win every argument. 

5. 

Pope Francis as a good leader. How can his leadership inspire? 

Added to other leadership models:

Your leadership platform: 

What are the five key values you want guiding you? Why? What would be the experience? What would be the outcome?

Day 2

Change

"Culture trumps strategy every time." (Harvard school business review)

It's the culture that makes change successful. Without cultural change you will come up to opposition. 

We may not actually see what is happening - involve the group to ensure you see what is really there. Just because you are the Principal, you may not see what is actually happening.

This is what I am seeing. I am concerned about ... What do you see? Ask people who don't see the same as you. Who have a different way of viewing the world. Engage with a larger, more diverse group. 

The culture impacts motivation. 

Am I seeing the real issue? Does the problem have minimal impact? Do I really need to worry about this. 

Critique your vision. 

Unfreeze / disconfirmation process - challenge current ways of doing things. Put some doubt in people's minds. When there is enough buy in by a sufficient (how many?) number of people, devise programme of how you are going to change.  

Celebrate changes that are successful

Compliment strategy by looking after the culture / health.

Cynefin (Karnavin) - four dimensions of change:

Chaos - no cooperation, collegiality, - need a transactional approach - mandatory, act. Then reflect and sense. Could relate to one segment of the school.

Complicated- can't be confident you know what is happening. But can work together to work out cause and effect. Need to gain a sense of what is happening, analyse what is happening, then have an approach 

Complex- need to probe more to gain a sense. 

Culture - what we do around here - the Gorilla - that supports the current practice, as well as the power asserted by the gorilla to influence new people. Sayings - Part of the culture. "We are a decile 10 school - we have a hidden agenda to be elite.  "we did that 10 years ago- resisting change. Heros in the community (teachers held up in the community, but students learning not actually being impacted at all. Physical arrangement in staff room. Perceived quality in different classrooms. Rituals, ceremonies, habits convey a message. 

How can YOU fit into that culture? Every behaviour has a belief behind it. 

Anecdote of mascot in a school. Got rid of mascot, then planned to start working on making a change. Staff became hostile. Discovered 'gorilla' was still in the room because was hidden in a classroom. Physical change wasn't enough. Needed to talk about the culture and how it impacts. 

Speed stating - problem stated. Each person writes what they would do to solve the problem - independent of anyone else's thinking.  Put a circle around. Then pass to next person and they make a comment about your solution. (Have you thought about,... Critical, question, ? ). Moves to next person - they can make a comment about original or about someone else's comment, etc. keep going until sheet goes around the group till they return to the owner. Analyse the feedback and make a choice about most appropriate solution, based on respect for context, values, etc. Then people vote on the best solution and begin working on it. 

Conversation mapping