Effective school leadership vs management Webinar Effective school leadership vs management Helen Morgan Introduce the webinar, self and welcome participants. Download this presentation from http://bit.ly/LeadMan

Leadership vs management In this webinar, you will develop your understanding of: when you need to lead, when you need to manage and the skills needed for both strategies to equip you to lead with vision and purpose the differences between leading and managing in a school how leadership and management skills should work together to motivate people to follow you and achieve progress. Leadership Management Outline the webinar objectives and highlight the disconnect that often exists between leadership and management hence the focus on Leadership ‘versus’ Management’. Discuss the need for the leadership and management of change.

‘Action without vision is only passing time, Nelson Mandela ‘Action without vision is only passing time, vision without action is merely day dreaming. But vision with action can change the world.’ Discuss the quotation from Nelson Mandela and explore how a separation of leadership and management can be potentially damaging and lead to negative consequences e.g. action without vision can lead to confusion, frustration, repetition etc. Highlight the ‘dangers of the so-called ‘charismatic’ leader in this context.

Leadership vs management (Transformational) Management (Transactional) Shape the vision Values led Create the direction Drive and moral purpose High expectations Outward facing Look to the horizon Communicate effectively Align people and resources Highly visible Emotionally intelligent Inspire and motivate Take calculated risks Operational Systems led Plan and organise Budget -keep an eye on the bottom line Direct and control Focus on the ‘now’ Competence and maintenance Create stability and order Establish boundaries and frameworks Professional distance Manage performance and appraise Risk averse Create and drive change Maintain status quo Discuss some of the words we often associate with ‘leaders’ and ‘managers’. Indicate that some of the words e.g. organisation are often perceived as ‘low level’ yet in reality, they are incredibly complex and challenging e.g. ‘organising’ the Olympics. Challenge the view of management being simply transactional. Focus on the language e.g. synonyms for organise e.g. create, originate, shape and build. The word itself is related to the word ‘organism’ which suggests growth and life, it is not mechanistic or about process.

Leadership vs management It can encourage the idea that some people do ‘leadership work’ and others do ‘management work.’ It can lead to a ‘romantic’ approach leadership that often bears no resemblance to reality. It can promote a separation between ‘vision’ and ‘implementation.’ Many initiatives fall down at the implementation stage. It can drive a wedge between leadership and management resulting in essentials being neglected and a lack of communication and dialogue about important issues. Outline the dangers of guillotining leadership and management.

Leadership AND management In reality, leadership and management need to work in tandem in order to secure sustainable improvement. Effective leaders are ambitious in terms of vision, seize new opportunities BUT they are meticulous in terms of their planning and execution. Effective leaders ensure that they manage their teams effectively; playing to individual strengths and making sure that everyone understands that they have an important part to play. Leadership Management Indicate the shift from ‘leadership vs management’ to ‘leadership and management.’ Discuss how they need to work in tandem and how the lines between the two concepts needs to be necessarily blurred. Create the link between vision and planning and successful execution. Outline the importance of leading, managing and influencing others.

Reflections As a leader and manager: to what extent are you guided by your values and a sense of moral purpose? how do you maintain a focus on the big picture and take responsibility for getting the whole job done, whilst, stepping outside where necessary? is your leadership time strategic or are you drawn into operational issues? when do you do it yourself and when do you delegate? how effectively do you communicate your vision and expectations to key stakeholders? how do you motivate and inspire others? to what extent do you carefully monitor and evaluate the impact of actions taken? Ask participants to undertake some reflection based on the questions posed. Identify how these represent some of blurred lines that exist between leadership and management and some of the challenges leaders and managers face. It is a complex balance e.g. choosing when to do it yourself and when to delegate. Exemplify one or two of the questions.

Kotter ‘Leading Change’ C. Implementing and sustaining the change B. Engaging and enabling the organisation A. Creating a climate for change Introduce Kotter’s 8 step process for leading change and explain how it can help participants to lead and manage with vision and purpose. Outline the 3 basic principles, note how they start bottom up with ‘creating a climate for change’ as the foundation and lever for change. Explore how engaging and enabling the organisation encompasses aspects of leadership and management and in relation to the point made earlier, it focuses on the need for a bold vision to be accompanied by meticulous planning and execution and highlights the importance of motivating and inspiring others. The third phase is critical this is stage where change can break down and frustration and disaffection ensues because the change doesn’t stick and is replaced by ‘another new initiative’.

Kotter ‘8 Steps’ Implementing and sustaining the change 8. Make it stick 7. Don’t let up Engaging and enabling the organisation 6. Create short term wins 5. Enable action 4. Communication for buy-in Creating a climate for change 3. Get the vision right 2. Build guiding teams 1. Increase urgency Move from the three phases of Kotter’s Change model to exploring the ‘8 steps’ in greater depth. Exemplify each stage and identify what participants can do in practice. Indicate that research shows that the 8 steps do not necessarily have to be completed in the order to create success, what is important is that all of the steps are undertaken.

Questions & Answers Find more resources at http://www.my.optimus-education.com/knowledge-centre/leadership-governance Follow us @LeadershipOE Questions & Answers