1. Resistance to Excellence Tony Nicholson NLE

2. The role of Governors being responsible for strategy, holding the school to account acting as the critical friends of the Principal and senior leadership team ensuring finances are properly managed

3. My experience 2 x DHT under 3 strong and contrasting HTs Exec Principal Hodgson Academy – Grade 1 HT merger Bispham / Collegiate both grade 4 Principal Montgomery High School grade 4 Ofsted inspector since 2013 NLE, FCTSA, FCAT National Challenge Advisor and LA SIP

4. Levels of Engagement Committed (Want what you want, will not get distracted and will bring their energy to move your agenda forward) Enrolled (They want what you want and bring their creativity, enthusiasm and ideas… may get distracted) Willing Compliance (if that’s what you want I will get on with it) Grudging Compliance (I wouldn’t do it this way, but if that’s what you are telling me to do I’ll have to do it) Apathy (I don’t care about what you want … hard to shift) Resistance (I don’t want what you want /I will work against you.. …you won’t get much from me in this state)

5. Why might they resist? Perceived workload /time implications Poor attitudes / arrogance / lazy! Fear Stress Absence of a compelling vision or purpose Poor / weak leadership Lack of confidence and/or trust in leadership…. Or overly dominant coercive leadership workforce dynamics / unions No belonging ---- no connection to the organisation No ownership or buy in

6. So what is this conference theme ‘Resistance to excellence’ really about? Essentially it is all about ……LEADERSHIP Good and Outstanding leadership WILL overcome resistance LEADERSHIP clearly encompasses governance ENERGY FLOWS WHERE ATTENTION GOES- To move forward we need to win over the Critical Mass – Pockets of resistance marginalised and insignificant Focus our attention on the win wins

7. Win-win mindset - Covey Lose Lose – “If I am going down you are going down with me” Win Lose – competitive..dominant.. Lose Win - weak … an attitude of setting low expectations and compromising standards Win Win is being courageous and considerate at the same time.

8. Leadership is about change People don’t like change!! So who might resist? SLT…… – Maybe the headteacher! Middle Leaders Teachers Students Parents AND >>>>>>>>>>> – Governors!!

9. The importance of values WHAT ARE WE REALLY ABOUT?…. WHAT DO WE SIGN UP TO? FCAT Core values AMBITION RESPECT RESILIENCE EXCELLENCE INTEGRITY PRIDE Shared values create a sense of common purpose / common mission! janitor at NASA in 1962, who, when asked by a visiting President Kennedy what he did said with pride “Well, Mr President” ……, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.”

10. How to win the Critical Mass The ones who are with you already The ones who are largely with you. The easy wins The ones who need more persuasion, the sceptics. The hard core resistant group ENERGY FLOWS WHERE ATTENTION GOES

11. The power of non-negotiables FCATs NON-NEGOTIABLES…..our red lines …. They are not up for debate! (so don’t waste time asking!) Children First No excuses Working together Passion for learning Consistency and compliance Outward facing

12. Overcoming resistance GOODWILL Resistance stress Resistance time Resistance fear REQUIRES A COMPELLING VISION and STRONG LEADERSHIP Core job description Goodwill

13. Shaping the future- Securing Engagement and commitment Working with others the leader creates: A shared vision A strategic plan Togetherness Consistency and Compliance

14. Shaping the future: Promoting sustained improvement achieving excellence Shaping the future: The leader takes actions to: Build Trust / Faith / Belief / Confidence Share the vision Translate the vision into agreed objectives and operational plans Ensure Key Priorities are acted upon effectively by all Walk the talk Motivate others to create a shared culture and positive change climate Empower others / distribute responsibility Utilise the skills, diversity, values and experience within the team. Promote creativity, innovation and risk taking

15. Developing the right climate Openness Trust Security Distributed Leadership Empowerment

16. Organisational climate – Climate is a measure of people’s perception of what it feels like to work here – Climate indicates how energising the work environment is for employees – Climate accounts for up to 30% of the variance in key performance measures – Climate indicates how well your organisation / team is realising its full potential What leaders do is the biggest influence on climate and results

17. Climate: your responsibility  Climate is determined by the leader(s)

18. Six climate dimensions Flexibility Responsibility Standards Recognition Clarity Team Commitment

19. Individual Styles (energy) Getting the best from people by knowing them well Securing individual engagement and commitment

20. There is a balance between challenges and skills In Flow, we feel that our abilities are well matched to the opportunities for action. In everyday life we sometimes feel that the challenges are too high in relation to our skills, and then we feel frustrated and anxious. Or we feel that our potential is greater than the opportunities to express it, and then we feel bored. Playing tennis or chess against a much better opponent leads to frustration; against a much weaker opponent, to boredom. In a really enjoyable game, the players are balanced on the fine line between boredom and anxiety. The same is true when work, or a conversation, or a relationship is going well. There is no worry of failure While in Flow, we are too involved to be concerned with failure. Some people describe it as a feeling of total control; but actually we are not in control, it’s just that the issue does not even come up. IN FLOW

21. What does all this mean for the role of leader / governor Leadership coach Quality assurer Guardian of the flame Strategist and risk assessor Influencer and negotiator Ambassador and champion Business developer

22. Dealing with deep seated resistance where vision and all the above is not enough On the bus or off the bus? In the team or not? We are not changing direction… so what is your next move? Professional Standards

23. Moving to outstanding Relentless focus on quality of – LEADERSHIP – TEACHING AND LEARNING – OUTCOMES – BEHAVIOUR and SAFETY – No surprises there!!!!! – Never satisfied / always wanting better / constantly tweaking to transform