by André Double
Connect Your People To Your Purpose
Schools and organisations are being reinvented. Changes to models of learning and pedagogical practices mean learning is now ‘anywhere – anytime’ (RMIT, 2022) and far more learner-centred. Future leaders will not have all the answers in this evolving workspace and will need to recognise workplaces as brimming with talent just waiting to be actualised. Successful collaboration between all stakeholders means many international schools and organisations are removing traditional hierarchical lines in favour of work environments that support the growth, development, and wellbeing of their staff.
Connecting people at your school to your school’s purpose is likely to build a deep and meaningful culture. Here we discuss the importance of getting off to a good start in our international schools, and some ideas on what this might look like. Your ideas are just as important as mine, so do comment and share below.
First Impressions Really Do Count
What makes great international schools really great ishow well they know their people. This knowledge and awareness in such cases will have been built up over time. If the school you are starting at has done their homework – they will understand a great deal about you, your previous leadership experiences, key areas of responsibility you have had within your previous role and potentially – any budget parameters you have historically worked in. There is simply nothing worse than arriving at a new school when nobody seems to know absolutely anything about you. Some have turned around and walked out of the door. Have your HR counter this by profiling your staff – just as we do for students.
Staff Profiles
Staff profiles are a great way to elicit vital information that can help connect your people to your purpose – and connect them to their inner purpose. On the profile can be information such as – What are their Professional Development needs? Any leadership competencies that they want to strengthen and what their short, medium and long-term career aspirations are. If your school doesn’t know these – don’t be too surprised when the day comes when a staff member goes looking for a school that does.
In education, we always talk about students as individuals, but rarely staff. Find out what communication preferences your staff members have and then exploit them. Some staff respond far better to the personal touch, and some prefer the impersonal nature of email. Communication is always a two-way process, so find a way to communicate with staff on their terms.
Respect
In the first few days and weeks of a school year, in my experience, respect is either won or lost. It is won through a concerted effort to listen to staff, to understand them, their backgrounds and needs. It is lost in the desperate attempts to reinforce what your school is about in a manner that comes across as lacking self-confidence in who you are as a school and what you stand for. In Leading Your International School (2023), I talked about how respect is earned by:
- Working hard and modelling the example for others to follow.
- Valuing wellbeing as a central pillar of the school’s overall academic philosophy.
- Recognising potential in others, promoting it and fostering the conditions for others to succeed.
- Promoting diversity and embracing other cultures, values, and beliefs.
- Being modest – knowing your strengths and allowing others to complement your weaknesses.
- Recognising and rewarding people for their contributions.
What else would you add to the list?
If staff are asking themselves, “What does he do all day“? Then there is an issue with how the leader is being perceived and what effect they are having. If wellbeing is something in a glossy magazine, but not something that the school takes as seriously as it should, then you are not setting people up for success. Greg Parry, CEO at Global Services in Education, Ltd. talks consistently about ‘Mission Integrity‘ The start of the school year is the perfect time to hammer home who you are and how you reflect what is said on the walls, with empathy.
Policies as Support Mechanisms
Many staff will have been involved in policy review at the end of the last school year. Many, no doubt, will be pleased with what they have come up with. Remember that policies can be used as a great means to communicate your expectations outward. And remember further still to provide opportunities for new staff to provide you with what they will hold you to account over what they expect. If the two are aligned, it’s a sure-fire step to success. If there are early misalignments in expectations over any matters, no matter how small, the likelihood is that they could become vast. Use policies as support mechanisms. Drip feed them and, importantly, check for understanding. Your aim as a leader is for most policies to become redundant so that the school’s culture positively overrides them and that ‘doing the right thing’ becomes a matter of course.
Does Humour Have a Place?
In the ten years I worked internationally, I always found that a Principal’s attempts to be funny proved futile. Surprisingly, many Principals clutter their speeches with similes, metaphors, idioms, jokes and even body language, which can all be easily misunderstood. My advice – don’t do it. You are operating exclusively by doing so, and a great deal of your staff will be scratching their heads, wondering what it is you are on about.
Humour has a place in more personal settings, when you and others can truly be their authentic selves, when we build relationships over time. When laughing at yourself over trivial matters. It isn’t a useful tool for setting people up for success – many of whom will be more worried about their classroom resources, whether they have internet, or if their first paycheck will arrive on time.
Resilience
As teachers and leaders, we have to show resilience – particularly at the start of a new school year or in a school startup. Resilience is a skill like any other that can be developed and built upon. Use Ozmusul’s tips below when designing your onboarding and orientation programmes at the start of the year. Talk about resilience and have senior leaders model it.
Be Cautiously on the Lookout for Negaholics
The negaholics are (unfortunately) everywhere. Quick to point out this is not what they expected, the school has reneged on its commitments or even worse still, “I can’t teach these students” (yes, I have heard it in relation to levels of English). Deal and Peterson (2016) emphasise assessing the underlying norms and values of the culture and working collaboratively to change them into more positive and supportive ones. If you don’t develop collaboration and opportunities for people to work together through shared norms, then don’t be surprised if people react negatively. Know how to identify harmful behaviours and attitudes, and implement strategies like open communication, recognising achievements, and community-building activities.
And AVOID Those Cliques!
People naturally want to get close to the Principal. Some see it as a right to visit the principal’s office on a daily basis at a given hour. Whilst being open and emotionally aware, a leader needs to recognise how easy it is to slip into the trap of spending time with ‘favourites’. A principal heading out for dinner or drinks with certain individuals can send a seriously wrong message if it becomes a habit – especially if it ends up in certain people being promoted.
Remember to Enjoy What You Do!
International Schools are places of privilege. We get to work with incredibly high-achieving students, in some exotic locations, in substantially resourced classrooms. We should all be enjoying what we do when we do it. Celebrate the success, achievement and career milestones of staff to make the time spent at your school an absolute bliss. Build friendships that cross cultures and last a lifetime. Learn a new language and visit places beyond your wildest dreams. Wherever you are headed and whatever you are up to, enjoy every possible moment.
If you are a current International School Principal or aspire to become one, why not consider joining Leading Your International School and exploring some of the host benefits on offer, including Educational Leadership Interest Groups, Complimentary CV Reviews and ongoing Professional Development.
Redefining Leadership Starts Here.
References
- RMIT Australia, 2022. The future of learning and teaching: Big changes ahead. https://www.rmit.edu.au/study- with- us/ educat ion/ disco ver- educat ion/ the- fut ure- of- learn ing- and- teach ing- big- chan ges- ahead- for- educat ion.
