Staying Enchanted with Leadership

John West-Burnham

Professor of Educational leadership

St. Mary’s University

Themes from the NCTL hotseat:

• Leadership as values in action• A sense of purpose, vocation• Joy in the learning of children• Valuing professional relationships• Personal growth and change

…the process of becoming a leader is much the same as the process of becoming an integrated human being…leadership is a metaphor for centeredness, congruity and balance in one’s life. Warren Bennis

…’if you want to be a leader, you have to be a real human being. You must recognize the true meaning of life before you can become a great leader. You must understand yourself first. Peter Senge

To be enchanted . . .

When people are in their Element, they connect with something fundamental to their sense of identity, purpose and well-being. Being these provides a sense of self-revelation, of defining who they really are and what they are meant to be doing with their lives.Ken Robinson

.For a large majority of the sample of school leaders, irrespective of the faith perspective or context of role, the sense of call was to service in areas of social deprivation, be they disadvantaged communities of the inner city; the ‘forgotten’ areas of rural hardship or to those ‘damaged’ by personal circumstances . . . a sense of call to the hard places to be . . . a call to ministry as a teacher. Alan Flintham

When in flow – Self-consciousness disappears, yet one fells stronger than usual. The sense of time is distorted: hours seem to pass by in minutes. When a person’s entire being is stretched in the full functioning of body and mind, whatever one does becomes worth doing for its own sake; living becomes its own justification. . . Life comes into its own. Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi

Staying entranced:

• A sense of moral purpose• Collaboration and relationships• Leading learning• Personal growth and well-being

Sustaining moral purpose

Moral behaviour

Personal values

Ethical principles

Doing the right thing

• The evidence that banding, streaming and setting are only of benefit to those students placed in higher groups – for the others the impact can be highly negative. (Higgins et al 2010)

• The need to deploy the most effective teachers with the most vulnerable learners if these pupils are to make progress and achieve. (Sutton Trust 2011)

• The very clear evidence that certain teaching and learning strategies are more effective than others and therefore personal professional autonomy may be less significant than securing consistently high quality teaching and learning. (Bloom 1984) (Hattie 2009)

Growing personal authenticity:

What I believe

What I sayWhat I do

Personal authenticity:

• Consistency• Confidence• Competence• Credibility= Trustworthiness

“ Trust comes after good experiences”Michael Fullan

We don’t come fully formed into the world. We learn how to think, how to walk, how to speak, how to behave, indeed how to be human from other human beings. We need other human beings in order to be human. We are made for togetherness…to exist in a tender network of interdependence. That is how you have ubuntu – you care, you are hospitable, you’re gentle, you’re compassionate and concerned.Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Circles of intimacy

3-510-1530-50150

Leading learning:

The more leaders focus their influence, their learning, and their relationships with teachers on the core business of teaching and learning, the greater their likely influence on student outcomes. Robinson V M J (2011)

High-performing principals focus more on instructional leadership and developing teachers. They see their biggest challenges as improving teaching and the curriculum, and they believe that their ability to coach others and support their development is the most important skill of a good school leader... they work the same hours as other principals, but spend more time working with the people in their school.’ Barber, Whelan & Clark, 2010: 7

Leading learning:

• Dialogue – learning conversations• Modelling – do as I do• Coaching and mentoring• Risk taking, research and analysis• Deprivatisation of practice• Engaging with learning stories

Reservoirs of Hope

• Physical, social and spiritual well-being• Time and space for self.• Self-awareness - reflection.• Time with others.• Life style changes.• Friendship.