I wanted to write at the end of another amazing year to thank colleagues for all your hard work and to encourage you to celebrate our many achievements over Christmas and the New Year. These are not mediocre times and your contribution to the Education Leeds story has been one of passion, commitment, energy, courage and hard work and I am really grateful because the impact has been fantastic.

We have had another incredible year… as well as delivering the last two PFI buildings, we have seen the opening of the first three new BSF buildings at Allerton High School, Pudsey Grangefield School and Rodillian School, with Allerton High School being officially opened by the Prime Minister. We have also had notification from the DCSF that our Primary Capital Programme proposals have been agreed with some minor amendments, which means that we can start work on an ambitious programme of work that will deliver another £100 million capital investment across the city. Our continuing success has been recognised through our nomination for the Carl Bertlesmann Prize, the extension of our Beacon Status for healthy schools, the Leeds Transformational Project celebrating the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade which secured £450,000 of lottery funding and the success of our ‘Find Your Talent’ bid, which has secured around £2.5 million of lottery funding.

We launched our emotional health and wellbeing toolkit, and our Investors in Pupils programme has moved to a national roll out. We are continuing to develop our sustainable schools programme and held our first Leeds schools green day. We achieved and exceeded our 2007-08 PE and school sport targets, launched our "Happy Healthy Active Lunchtimes" initiative, and established ‘Spirit Alive’ as our response to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.We were the first authority in the region to gain re-accreditation of our Inclusion Chartermark, and our visually impaired service achieved Quality Mark as well as successfully tendering and winning the contract to develop a visually impaired service for British services abroad. We also developed, organised and successfully delivered the first national Gypsy, Roma and Travellers History month and poster competition and more recently we won two of the national BSF Excellence Awards for the ‘BEST LEP’ and ‘Innovation in ICT’.

The STEPS programme continues to develop with more and more targeted parents and carers benefiting from the programme, and 39 clusters of schools and partners are working towards delivering the core offer of extended services; which has been commended by the DCSF for good progress. We have received recognition from the House of Lords for our work with International New Arrivals as well as recognition from Ofsted through one of their thematic surveys which identified good practice on social responsibility and community cohesion. Our Chinese Supplementary Schools have also been recognised as providers of excellent practice by the House of Lords. Many more of our services have achieved Chartermark and the company was the first to achieve the cabinet office’s Customer Service Excellence standard. We have achieved our best ever GCSE results; fantastic results at 5 A*-C, 5 A*-C including English and mathematics, 5 A*-G and 1A*-G , and our feedback from the Audit Commission survey gave us the best satisfaction rating we have ever had from our schools.

Finally, we held our first ever 'Spirit Awards' at Elland Road on Friday night to recognise the brilliant achievements of our coleagues. Thank you to everyone who attended, well done to everyone who was nominated and to those who made it into the top three, and congratulations to the winners: Ann Lomas, the BSF team, the Operations service, the Health initiatives team, Kaya Barker, Eve McLeish and the VI team, Peter Saunders and Sally Bavage - you really are fantastic, wonderful, brilliant and talented colleagues, and now you have the awards to prove it!

Thanks to everyone for your persistence and determination to make a difference. Our brilliant schools, and our fantastic children and young people, have achieved more than ever thanks to the energy, patience, and commitment of the many talented teams working so hard across the city. Together, here in Leeds, we have made a tremendous difference and we must continue to find, nurture and release the magic. We must continue to celebrate our schools’ successes, and work to create an even better tomorrow for all our children and young people.

I hope that this Christmas brings you and those you love… delight and simplicity, foolishness and fantasy and noise, angels and miracles and wonder and innocence and magic… we have certainly proved this year that you are talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful!
Best wishes
Chris

It has been a quieter week but I still had a great week...

A week when I remembered that we must:
· Keep on with doing the business and doing it brilliantly;
· Stick to the basics and keep it simple!
· Continue to manage by wandering around and seeing what is happening;
· Be absolutely straight with people, especially those at the front line;
· Ensure that we keep promoting our 'no blame' culture and all take collective responsibility for what we do;
·Banish "satisfactory", "fine", "gloomy", "negative", "boring" and "can't do" from our vocabulary, even if it kills us!
· Have a positive mental attitude; AND
· Know our strengths, and turn our challenges into opportunities and successes.

Dirk and I had lunch with the amazing visually impaired team before I attended the Leeds Schools Music Association Christmas Festival concert. I visited Boston Spa School and met some fantastic young people before I attended executive board to get approval for an important series of papers. The snow came on Thursday morning, and while I got to the David Young Community Academy no-one else did, so I had breakfast with the academy colleagues. Later, I met with Helen Plimmer and the hugely successful partnership development managers for PE and school sport from the PE specialist colleges. Even later, I attended and chaired another wonderful Leeds Mentoring Celebration at the Civic Hall before I attended the 6th Leeds Peace Poetry Competition and presented awards to some talented young poets. And finally, I attended the leadership forum session at Weetwood Hall and I visited Crossley Street Primary School to see their fantastic new classroom block.

Weeks like this, and a distinct lack of sleep, have given me time to think about the challenges and opportunities facing us as one year comes to an end and another new year rapidly approaches.

Are we doing all we can to ensure that all the resources at our disposal are deployed and targeted on the things that create the most value and make the most difference? Are we making it absolutely clear to everyone who works with us and for us that the only thing that really matters is achieving brilliant outcomes for our children and young people? Are we thinking enough and spending enough time looking for opportunities to build brilliant provision and develop the talented colleagues we work with, and using our ongoing successes as an opportunity to attract the very best colleagues to join us? Are we constantly recognizing and celebrating the achievements of those colleagues and teams who are working hardest on getting things done and building effective relationships? Are we using, adopting and developing "face to face" contacts as the key medium for delivering good, tough, or any news to colleagues, and our partners? Are we doing everything we can to keep all our colleagues and partners fully informed of our plans and our strategies? How tuned in are we to the health and emotional wellbeing of our colleagues, our teams, Education Leeds and children's services? Are we doing our best to stay out of negative and unproductive conversations and away from negative people, and how are we stimulating positive and productive conversations and people? And finally, are there any ways in which we can re-engineer what our colleagues are working on in order to make better use of their strengths and abilities?

Why not make a list of the things you want to achieve in 2009 and then let's get on with achieving them now?

Chris

What difference are you making?

After yet another week where we re-invented what we mean by successful and where it is hard to believe everything that has happened, I want to urge everyone to continue to put in the hard work so that we continue to make a real difference for the children, young people, families and communities we serve...

It was a week of brilliant events and great visits. I went to Windmill Primary School to listen to the 'Sing Leeds South Choir' which draws children from eleven South Leeds primary schools and to the brilliant 'Talking Leeds Talking Success' event organised by our talented young people at The Met Hotel. I visited the young people's leadership and management project at the Carnegie Stadium where I met some fantastic young people from Freeston Business and Enterprise College in Wakefield. I visited Lawnswood, Ralph Thoresby and Allerton Grange High Schools where I met committed, passionate headteachers and colleagues who are making a real difference. I attended the primary headteachers conference 'Making Learning Irresistible' at Elland Road with around 200 wonderful colleagues working to release the magic in our younger children. I attended the 'Global Citizens for Peace/PeaceJam' event at the Civic Hall celebrating the amazing young people and colleagues from six secondary schools who had attended the PeaceJam event in Los Angeles with Nobel peace laureates including Desmond Tutu. And then on Friday I attended the official opening of the brilliant new Allerton High School building by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls before dashing across Leeds to the 'Meet the Cabinet' session at the Royal Armouries. I was also delighted that Penny Fields SILC won the 'People's Millions' and that we won two wonderful awards at the 'BSF Awards for Excellence'.

We are doing amazing things here in Leeds but to continue to achieve real excellence we need to understand the world in which we now operate. We need to build BRILLIANT learning places in localities with strong community engagement and powerful and modern governance. We need to build deep learning in all our learning places. Deep learning to equip our little learners with the functional and personal and social skills they need to be successful bigger learners in a world that is increasingly automated, and where the routine, the repetitive and the ordinary are done by machine. We need to powerfully use ICT and local networks to develop and nurture excellence and share good practice and great ideas. We need to nurture talent, creativity and imagination… wherever we can find it and we need to share and network the things that work.
It seems to me after such an incredible week that successful organisations, successful schools and successful teams, all have the following characteristics...

• a vision, values and sense of purpose which shapes the way colleagues behave and helps everyone know they are making a difference;
• the courage to set challenging goals and to develop new and cutting-edge solutions;
• an innovative and creative culture that values people and makes them feel special;
• an innovative and creative culture that trusts, empowers and engages colleagues' distinct and unique talents;
• a rigorous and relentless approach to evaluating performance and individuals’ contributions;
• a concern for the wider community and the bigger picture;
• a reputation for excellence, hard work and passionate commitment; and
• excellent long-term performance.

After all, as Tom Peters said... "Leadership is the process of engaging people in building the future, creating a legacy of excellence and making a difference"... so what difference are you making?
Chris

My colleague Eddie Colquhoun who works in the Attendance Strategy team sent me a copy of his latest liitle book, 'You're Never Too Old To Be Young Again!' and it's a brilliant read...

"Believe in the best, think your best, study your best, have a goal for your best, never be satisfied with less than your best, and in the long run things will turn out for the best."
Henry Ford

This is a collection of stories, pearls of wisdom, great advice, fabulous quotes and would make a great Christmas present. Sections on have a mid-life adventure!, if you don't know where you are going any road will take you there!, laugh and the world laughs with you, you could be a priceless antique, be a risk taker!, and the best is yet to come are wonderful antidotes to the usual miserable stuff in the papers and on the news.

The epilogue of this little book says " I am told that we laugh a staggering three times less than we did in the 1950's. Remember, fundamentally, we don't need to be happy to laugh, but we can laugh to be happy. If laughter is the best medicine isn't it about time we all introduced it again to every area of our everyday lives? Let's bring celebration back into every moment of our lives!"

Thanks Eddie and Judy for a great read which made me laugh, smile and occasionally weep.
Chris

It has been another really wonderful week...

I attended the Leeds Young Peoples Positive Achievment Awards at the Royal Armouries, gave and received awards at the Big STEPS Celebration at the Civic Hall, and spoke at the ADCS, Aspect and RM's Building Schools for the Future Visioning event in Stratford-upon-Avon. I had breakfast with the Morley FOS headteachers , attended another wonderful Staff Induction session at Derek Fatchett CLC and yet another fantastic STEPS celebration at Hollybush Primary School before finishing the week with lunch with the amazing Dinneka Smillie, our AimHigher Young Sixth Form Learner of the Year. I also managed to get to St Peter's CE Primary School to see Liz Holliday and her team who are releasing the magic at the heart of Leeds.



I won another award this week but unless I am mistaken most of us miss out on life's really big and important prizes. I know that I am never going to be Prime Minister, win the FA Cup, win a Pulitzer Prize or win a Nobel Prize and I am unlikely to win X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing, win the lottery, win an Oscar or get a Knighthood. But I do recognise how incredibly lucky I am because I know that I am eligible for life's small pleasures; small pleasures that are worth so much... a thank you after I've done something really well. A touch or a word when I am feeling down or things haven't worked out well. A kiss or a cuddle from a friend. A starry night. A full moon. An empty parking space. A beautiful smile. A crackling fire. A great meal. A glorious sunset. Hot soup. Freshly baked bread. Cold beer. Chocolate. Great coffee. Why don't you add to my list?

Don't be upset about the fact that life's big awards and rewards simply won't come your way. Enjoy its small and wonderful delights and pleasures. There are plenty of those for all of us and we can help each other share them.

Chris

After yet another wonderful week here in Leeds, the scary thing isn’t what we have achieved, but the potential we have to achieve so much more if only we can release the magic…

We need to switch more people on by engaging their interest, connecting with things that motivate and enthuse them, nurturing and developing their energy and potential. What always surprises me is how much potential there is out there. Our job as leaders, as managers, as coaches, as teachers, as parents, as people who care, is to help individuals set their goals, realise their enormous potential and understand that this is not as good as it gets!

Another week in Leeds where I realise that it is all about co-operation, teamwork, networking and partnering. We must constantly celebrate our successes... chocolate helps! We must continue to encourage the BRILLIANT projects, challenges and initiatives that are making such a difference. We must dig deep to continue to find, nurture and sustain talent wherever it is. We must declare war on bureaucracy, complexity and mediocrity and keep it simple and create simply beautiful systems. We must above all communicate and share everything that is great about what we are doing across 265 schools with 17,000 colleagues working for and with 108,000 children and young people. I have been to some incredible learning places recently. And everywhere and wherever colleagues are releasing the magic they are trusted, talented, empowered and effective... brilliant colleagues working in schools and classrooms supported locally by focused and efficient teams releasing the magic and delivering world class outcomes.

AND we know what it takes to build brilliant... it's alive and well here in Leeds...

• leadership really, really matters;
• enthusiasm is contagious;
• small is beautiful;
• relationships are key;
• whatever you do be passionate;
• coaching counts;
• persistence and determination go a long way; and
• you tend to get what you expect.

This job we do is too important for any of us to be ordinary. We must all strive, each and every day, to be extraordinary, to be outstanding, to be brilliant.

Chris

"People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote - a very different thing."
Walter H. Judd

Every moment is a celebration...

Ask Lewis Hamilton because winners know this. If you focus on the positives, on your successes, on your achievements you will excel and reach your higher goals. It isn't rocket science and this is one of the most important secrets of success. But if you dwell on the negatives in your life,you will get nowhere fast.

So get into the habit of focusing on the positives today. You will be amazed!
Chris

So many people tell me that they find it hard to manage the stress and the pressure and ask how I manage to stay so cheerful, so positive and so enthusiastic...

It's easy if you know how and if you have the right attitude and the right tools and strategies to manage the XXXX...

1. Get a to do list, learn to say "no", ask for help when you need it, and set realistic and achievable goals.
2. Take more breaks from your work, get away from your desk, go for a walk.
   
3. Be positive, lighten up, smile more and laugh a much as you can.
   
4. Don't waste time on the small stuff or worry about the things you just can't change.
   
5. Get more sleep as it will increase your energy levels and your ability to concentrate.
6. Find mentors, friends and people to talk to.
   
7. Spend as much time as you can with optimistic people and people with a positive attitude to work and life.

Try just one of these for a while and see what happens. I promise that it will change your life!
Chris

As the nights draw in and the news adds to the gloom, it is easy to let it all drag you down – but only if you let it!

How do we avoid the sad syndrome:

• Smile at life and laugh a lot: laughter is a great medicine!
• Make time for yourself and those you love and care about!
• Get out, walk, exercise and enjoy the fresh air whenever you can!
• Enjoy the positives; the changing colours of the seasons, chocolate, red wine and the company of those you love and care about;
  
• Take up a hobby or interest, learn a new skill, a new language or go on a course;
  
• Have an autumn/winter de-clutter, throw out the past and the rubbish in your life;
  
• Avoid spending too long watching the news or reading the newspapers – unless you want to be depressed!

Whatever you do, don't let it get you down. Always remember it could be so much worse.
Chris

“There is a brilliant child locked inside every student”
Marva Collins

Sometimes I think that we are 'painting by numbers' in a world monitored, policed and controlled by 'bean' counters, 'keep within the line' consultants and 'let's weigh the pig again' inspectors. In this crazy world to meet their targets the 'bean' counters, the 'keep within the line' consultants and the 'let's weigh the pig again' inspectors rush around developing more and more initiatives that no one owns and that make little or no real long term difference to outcomes for our children and young people... and sadly, in that sort of world, the evidence suggests that all you get is mediocre.I often ask myself what are we trying to achieve together here in Leeds? What is our vision for our children and young people? How do we build brilliant learning, in brilliant learning places to serve brilliant learning communities? What is the trick to releasing the magic and unlocking the potential of each and every child, of each and every colleague and of every family and every community to be their brilliant best?

Our culture, our beliefs, attitudes, and values, determines our choices, our decisions, and our effectiveness. We know that beliefs, attitudes and values are the best predictors of individual behaviour and that these things influence our perceptions, our judgements, and our behaviours. Research also indicates that beliefs, attitudes and values are powerful and highly resistant to change. ‘The way we do things round here’ is the culture and it is really important that we regularly check out what it is we all believe should be the beliefs, values and attitudes driving our work and shaping our behaviours.

I have worked for over thirty years trying to answer these questions. I have recently visited Stockholm and Helsinki looking for the magic ingredient and I have come to an interesting conclusion. I think that the future is already here. Just in terms of the people and places I have visited recently, it’s at Pudsey Grangefield School, John Smeaton Community College, Carr Manor High School and the David Young Community Academy. It’s also at Harehills Primary School, Asquith Primary School, Swinnow Primary School, Hunslet Moor Primary School and Robin Hood Primary School. And it’s at the Horsforth Children’s Centre and the NE SILC at West Oaks.

Those of us who have spent our lives at the front line know the real answers lie where they have always been...

• strong, disciplined, focused and passionate leadership;
• clear, shared vision, values and beliefs;
• talented, energetic, enthusiastic and creative teaching teams;
• empowered, trusted and disciplined colleagues;
• brilliant teaching supported by strong assessment for learning;
• stimulating, exciting and engaging curriculum pathways;
• powerful, stimulating and interesting learning environments;
• high self-esteem and high expectations of everyone;
• strong, dynamic and meaningful coaching relationships;
• high engagement and involvement of young people;
• positive engagement and involvement of parents and carers.

We all know that command and control doesn't work and we all need to wake up to the fact that what really, really matters is our children and young people and the outcomes they achieve. We need listen to young people, trust them, empower them and to help them make informed choices. We need to focus on improving the skills, knowledge and understanding of the colleagues working with our children and young people, the quality of the leadership around them and the quality of the local services supporting our brilliant learning places. We must continue to nurture and support our local learning teams to ensure that they deliver for our children and young people and let's take the very best of what we do here in Leeds and learn from the best practice anywhere we can find it; nationally and internationally; from Reggio Emilia, and from Sweden, Finland and Denmark and anywhere that will help us to continue to build brilliant local provision… whatever it takes!

Chris

Set the vision!

Leadership is about setting the future direction of any organisation...

We must describe our shared vision and how colleagues ideas, creativity and innovation can contribute to that vision. We need to constantly question what we are doing and to ask ourselves where will Education Leeds be in five years time and what part will innovation play in refining and re-imagining the company?

We must communicate our vision and mission and then communicate it again. Colleagues must be committed , passionate and enthusiastic and we must all work to protect those people who are shaping the future for us; trying out new ideas, breaking the rules and pushing the boundaries. We must accept risk, search out things that work and create networks of innovation and excellence.

The future is already here we simply need to find it, nurture it and make it happen in all our learning places.
Chris

I was listening to Keane's new album 'Perfect Symmetry'...

There is a great message in one track...

"You can tell yourself you are doing your best,

but you can do so much better than this"

So our message has to be:
BRILLIANT YEAR, FANTASTIC RESULTS...
we can tell ourselves that we are doing our best,
...BUT we can do EVEN better than this!
Chris

What happens to creativity within organisations...

When creativity disappears within organisations, schools and teams it is all about leadership or the lack of it! If it doesn't receive the ongoing and explicit backing of leaders creativity, innovation and ideas disappear. You can generate all the good ideas in the world but without leadership committed to creativity, innovation and imagination forget it. Research suggests that leadership for creativity is just an important as having creative and imaginative people in the first place. Like with everything else creativity and innovation starts and finishes with the leaders of an organisation who must model the way and develop and support ideas wherever they come from.

The sign on everyone's door must be 'just do it!'
Chris

Communication is one of the keys to any organisations' success...

Leaders need to be great storytellers constructing powerful images of the future in which every colleague has a starring role. These leaders convince us that through our goal setting tomorrow can be better than today, communicating with each and every one of us and persuading us that we can make a real difference. How are you telling our strory?
Chris

In his new book Malcolm Gladwell argues that it is practice that makes perfect...

Ability, according to Gladwell, is just one factor in success. Work ethic, luck, a strong support base and even being born in the right year play a far larger role. Gladwell argues that there is no such thing as a “self-made man”. Instead, the years spent intensively focused on their area of expertise place the world’s most successful people above their peers. In 'Outliers' he claims that the best way to achieve international stardom is to spend 10,000 hours honing your skills. The greatest athletes, entrepreneurs, musicians and scientists emerge only after spending at least three hours a day for a decade mastering their chosen field.

So the answer to building brilliant is practice, practice, practice.
Chris

I am not into change management any more...

The trouble with the term change management is that it implies that we are tearing things up and starting again; giving up on the last experiment, the last initiative, the last strategy and replacing it with the latest experiment, the latest initiative, the latest strategy . What we are actually about is growth and development... growing brilliant people and developing their amazing potential to help us change the world for our children and young people, their families and their communities.
Chris

I was listening to the radio as I drove home this evening and Radio 5 Live was looking at how we win even more medals at the 2012 Olympics...

What was interesting for me was the focus on coaching as one of the keys to success and goal setting as a discipline. The message which we have certainly signed up to here at Education Leeds is decide what you need to achieve; your goals. Then work out how you do it!

It's exactly the same message we have to adopt here in Leeds. I have said it before but it is all about goal setting:

• set the goal and make it happen;
• set the goal and invent the way;
• set the goal and shape the future.

What are you waiting for?
Chris

It's great to read the letters in the Yorkshire Evening Post last week especially when today the national results showed that on every measure we are closing the gap and producing fantastic results...

People constantly question what we have achieved over the last seven years; with their usual criticism of anything new, anything different and that perpetual cry from the unions and individuals that everything is OK and things should be left alone. They appear to hate Education Leeds, PfI and Academies with equal venom because we have challenged the boring and monotonous offer that these people cling to. We challenge the systems and structures that keep them where they are and undermine their position in these communities who surely deserve so much more from their schools. It's sad really that these people have so little expectation or aspiration or belief in our young people and I sometimes despair that they can't see what we have achieved so far by challenging the status quo, the routine, the ordinary, the irrelevant and the useless.

But of course the trouble is for our fiercest critics, they are the ordinary, the irrelevant and the useless.
Chris

Perhaps it's me, but after another day and another National Strategies meeting I sometimes wonder if I am living on the same planet as everyone else...

We had a meeting this afternoon where nineteen Leeds colleagues and six National Strategies colleagues watched by Government Office spent three hours to reach the conclusion that we need to continue to address standards in the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. Perhaps it's simply accountability. For me it's about trust and respect. Surely we can accept and understand that everyone in that room wanted to improve outcomes for all our children. Surely we can recognise the talent and the ability sitting in that room and the difference these colleagues are making... most of them are doing it day-in and day-out in some of the most challenging contexts and communities.

I can't believe that we have to constantly go over the issues with a group of people who don't really understand our context, our culture and our challenges. Perhaps it's me but I simply can't bear to work out what the meeting cost and I daren't ask myself what difference it made to provision in schools here in Leeds because I already know the answer!
Chris

Demonstrating, developing and sustaining leadership is one of the greatest challenges facing us here in Leeds...

Wherever you look we need to develop leadership and every issue we face requires strong, passionate and determined leadership; which sadly is in such short supply. It's easy to look inwards, to avoid risks, to blame others when things go wrong and simply think that we can focus on our own organisation and forget everyone else. However, everything we do connects us with others. locally, regionally, nationally and of course internationally as the credit crunch and crisis across the money markets of the world clearly demonstrates. Real leadership is about seeing the bigger picture and understanding your place and your responsibilities to build great learning places, great communities and a great Leeds. Every issue facing us is a team issue and requires us to work together to find solutions not for us as individuals or for our individual organisations but for Team Leeds.

If you are not playing for Team Leeds who are you playing for; perhaps you are not playing at all. If you are not playing for Team Leeds you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.

So get out there and start playing!
Chris

Like you I expect, I was glued to the TV for the Olympics and the Paralympics...

It was staggering to watch medal after medal being won in cycling by Team GB. In all, 15 gold medals in what was an astonishing team performance! What message should we here at Education Leeds take from the performance of Team GB? Why do some of our teams achieve surprisingly high performance levels and other similarly equipped teams fail to do so? What does it take to become consistently brilliant these days?

The world is growing and changing faster than we can adapt. We are in many ways poorly prepared to deal with the rate of change we now face. Many of us have willingly embraced the need to constantly grow and develop but some of us are still in denial and some of us are simply confused. Do you have a brutally clear view of your current performance? Can you define the challenges and forces at work on you? Does everybody in your organisation know, understand, and care about the strategy to build brilliant as much as you do?

Gold medals and brilliant GCSE results certainly don't come without a struggle! Do you really love what you do at work? The tragedy for many organisations is that they have become places where managers apply pressure to performance levers rather than lead people to perform.
Chris

The Search for Brilliant!

How do we develop brilliant learning and brilliant learning places...

Why not recall an activity, event, experience, person, or object that you remember as brilliant.

• Describe it.
• What were its characteristics?
• What made it so wonderful?
  

Share your memories with a colleague and try to agree on one major characteristic that identifies something as being brilliant.

Discuss your characteristic in a small group of colleagues. Come to consensus on the most important characteristics. Try to put these characteristics in a word or short phrase. Send your reflections to me.
Chris

Don't let anyone tell you that you are not bright, not clever and not full of potential. The really good news is that you can learn whatever skills you need to be more productive, more effective and more successful...

You can become whatever you really, really want to become. You can do whatever you really, really want to do. You can become a touch typist. You can become an expert with a computer. You can become a terrific negotiator. You can become a super salesperson. You can learn to speak another language. You can learn to play a musical instrument. You can learn to write effectively. You can run a marathon. These are all skills and abilities you can acquire, as soon as you decide to and make them a priority in your busy life.

Just do it.
Chris

This was the presentation I gave to Leadership Forum today...

Education Leeds…
releasing the potential and the magic
in a Children’s Services world.

“Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.”

A brilliant year and more to come…

…what was your highlight?

What do we want EDUCATION LEEDS to be?

SimplyBRILLIANT!

It’s not rocket science and there is no magic ingredient!

It’s about passion and commitment.

It’s about creativity!

It’s about imagination!

It’s about listening!

It’s about working together!

It’s about partnership!

It’s about networking!

It’s about your unique contribution!

It’s about releasing the potential and the magic!

AND… we still need a revolution!

A learning revolution… led by us!

A learning revolution… modeled by us!

AND… it’s not about more of the same!

It’s about re-imagining learning!

It’s about re-imagining our learning places!

It’s about re-imagining our services!

It’s about a STEP CHANGE in outcomes!

It’s about reaching family and home.. the FIRST Learning Space!

It’s about re-imagining school.. the SECOND Learning Space!

It’s about connecting with communities.. the THIRD Learning Space!

The Challenge!

We must continue to re-invent and re-engineer our learning provision and our learning places… building on the real excellence to eradicate the irrelevant, the second rate and the obsolete.

AND REMEMBER…

It is as simple as this…those who believe they can, can; and those who believe they can’t, can’t. …and it is no longer open to question.

And Finally!

Leadership is about: Passion, Enthusiasm, Appetite for Life, Engagement, Commitment, Great Causes, A Determination to Make a Difference, Shared Adventures, Bizarre Failures, Growth, and an Insatiable Appetite for Change. Otherwise, why bother?

The future..

We best way to predict the future is to create it for yourself. So we must build the future we want and we must continue to believe in ourselves and… practice… practice… and build brilliant!

The 'Good to Great' session yesterday at the Town Hall by Chris Moon highlighted some of the things I passionately believe help us build brilliant...

Chris Moon's 'Being Positive Pays' messages were:

• Take personal responsibility;
• Never take things personally;
• Focus on the positives;
• Set goals and plan;
• Develop self-belief;
• Have positive personal pep talks;
• Don't do negative;
• Never give up.

Important messages for us all.

Chris

I received this last night...

"Chris, As an ex-teacher from Leeds I have followed your blog for some time. Whether habits drive values and beliefs or values and beliefs drive habits is an interesting chicken and egg situation. The quickest way to change culture - and drive up performance - is to give managers a diferent way to manage people. To invest more time in relationships with staff to facilitate their personal and professional development as an ongoing priority, driven by the need to continually improve the service. Working to achieve a significant return on investment in relationships with employees makes it possible to create a step change in performance. Also have to make it a priority to rigourously manage underperformance and those that merely 'whelm'! Do get in touch if you would be intersted in a chat. I am already running a Progressive Managers' Network in Leeds and perhaps we can do something to help? www.progressivemanagersnetwork.co.uk"

I know that their are people and organisations out there who share my passion and belief in the critical importance of relationships in cultural change and the fact that people matter most in developing brilliant organisations.. Looks like I need to talk to the progressive managers network!
Chris

I passionately believe that anything you deeply and honestly believe you can achieve, you will achieve if you take persistent determined action to do it...

Whatever you dream for yourself, keep it at the front of your mind. Repeat it all day, every day and never, let go of it. Colleagues from the Pacific Institute tell us that when you concentrate all your mental and physical energy on a single purpose, forces that you never knew existed are sparked into action and magic happens.

This is the secret of that mythical thing called genius: you simply need to find what you love to do and then spend all your time doing it. It is also one of the keys to well-being and happiness. A wise person said: "once you find what you truly love doing, you will never have to work another day in your life".

Haven't you always wondered how people with far less talent, imagination, creativity and ability than you have achieved great things and changed the world. So go for it focus, concentrate, discipline yourself and make your dreams come true.
Chris

I've been thinking about how we might refresh the culture here at Education Leeds...

Our culture, our beliefs, attitudes, and values, determines our choices, our decisions, and our effectiveness. We know that beliefs, attitudes and values are the best predictors of individual behavior and that these things influence our perceptions, our judgements, and our behaviours. Research also indicates that beliefs, attitudes and values are powerful and highly resistant to change.

‘The way we do things round here’ is the culture and it is really important that we regularly check out what it is we all believe should be the beliefs, values and attitudes driving our work and shaping our behaviours.

Let me know what really, really matters to you. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

• what motivates or inspires you as a member of the team?
• what inhibits or demotivates you as a member of the team?

Chris

Do you know what makes a great colleague, a great teacher or a great coach?

• Like your colleagues. Really, really, really like your colleagues!
• Respect and trust your colleagues and expect great things from them.
• Be creative and imaginative.
• Be passionate and enthusiastic.
• Be really well organised.
• Have fun and enjoy yourself.
• Never take yourself, or anyone else, too seriously.

Chris

Have you thought about what drains your energy and limits your actions and prevents you from being at your brilliant best and attaining all the things you want in life and at work...

The first step is to understand once and for all that you, and only you, can create magic in your life. The second step to successful living is to learn how to be a winner. The only limitations in your life are those that you set for yourself. We all know, because Lou Tice has told us so many times, that when you think without limits and have great dreams, wonderful things happen and powerful forces come into play. Anything you deeply believe you can achieve, you will achieve if you take persistent action in that direction. Keep your dreams at the front of your mind. Repeat them all day, every day and never, let go of them. When you concentrate all your mental and physical energy on a single purpose, forces that you never knew you had are sparked into action.

This is the secret of genius: finding what you love to do and then spending all your time doing it. As one wise person has said: once you find what you truly love doing, you will never have to work another day in your life. People with far less than you have achieved great things. So what's stopping you being remarkable?
Chris

I am glad that I am not alone in thinking that the National Challenge is mechanistic, simplistic and superficial...

I have been working on school improvement for over twenty years and I know some people will ask why haven't we cracked it and already delivered brilliant learning and fantastic outcomes everywhere. I wish it were that easy...

What we haven't tackled or cracked is poverty, deprivation, worklessness and the common factors that conspire against us and prevent young people achieving good outcomes however hard we work. I have also learned from countless school visits over the years that talented colleagues here in Leeds and amazing colleagues up and down the country are releasing the magic and driving up standards and outcomes in some of the most challenging contexts.

Interestingly reading the Times Educational Supplement over the last couple of months it's encouraging to know that they have carried out similar research to us and learned what we all already know...that many of the schools where 'radical measures' are needed are achieving fantastic results when you look more intelligently at their outcomes. Several of our 'National Challenge' schools have received letters from ministers congratulating them on being among the most improved and most effective schools in the country. These schools are now being told that they may be closed. Where on earth is the intelligent accountability?

We are also told that the 'National Challenge' brings additional and very welcome additional resources to these schools. Think what we could do if each of these schools working in areas of poverty, deprivation, worklessness, crime and ill-health recieved their fair share of the additional money. However in our political world where the answer is academies and super-consultants we are likely to end up with more people telling us that they know all the answers. If so, why aren't they with us already on the front line working in challenging authorities and these schools making a real difference?

Those of us who have spent our lives at the front line know the real answers lie where they have always been...

• strong, disciplined, focused and passionate leadership;
• clear, shared vision, values and beliefs;
• talented, energetic, enthusiastic and creative teaching teams;
• empowered, trusted and disciplined colleagues;
• brilliant teaching supported by strong assessment for learning;
  
• stimulating, exciting and engaging curriculum pathways;
• powerful, stimulating and interesting learning environments;
• high self-esteem and high expectations of everyone;
• strong, dynamic and meaningful coaching relationships;
• high engagement and involvement of young people;
• positive engagement and involvement of parents and carers.

My answers to the challenges we face? Radically reduce the number of people who work for the DCSF, Government Office, National Strategies, National College for School Leadership and all the other quangos and bits of the empire. Cut down on meetings. Trust and invest in local authorities and schools as the front line of an attack on poverty, deprivation, worklessness and under-achievement.

Of course in a world where appearing tough and delivering soundbites is seen as important, these things don't matter and sadly it will never happen.
Chris

Sometimes I think that we are 'painting by numbers' in a world monitored, policed and controlled by 'bean' counters, 'keep within the line' consultants and 'let's weigh the pig again' inspectors...

In this crazy world to meet their targets the 'bean' counters, the 'keep within the line' consultants and the 'let's weigh the pig again' inspectors rush around developing more and more initiatives that no one owns and that make little or no real long term difference to outcomes for our children and young people... and sadly in that sort of world, the evidence suggests that all you get is mediocre.

We all know that command and control doesn't work and we all need to wake up to the fact that what really, really matters is the quality of the people working with our children and young people, the quality of the leadership around them and the quality of the local services supporting our brilliant learning places. So let us nurture and support our learning teams to ensure that they deliver for our children and young people and let's take the best of what we do here in Leeds and learn from the best practice nationally and internationally; from Reggio Emilia, and from Sweden, Finland and Denmark and anywhere that will help us to build brilliant local provision.
Chris.

Stress is of course something we all live with but I am told that diet can play a significant and important part in improving your physical and emotional well-being...

So to quote the article "if stess is turning you into a moody chocoholic insomniac here is what you need to do"...

• Never skip meals. Eat three low-GL meals a day with snacks if necessary.

• Increase your magnesium intake... magnesium helps the body make energy, balance blood-sugar levels and maintain healthy blood pressure.... magnesium is found in green vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and pulses.

• Increase your intake of vitamins B5 and C... stress reduces these vitamins. B5 is found in eggs, fish, meat, lentils and whole grains. C is found in berries, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes and all fruit and vegetables.

• Increase your serotonin levels... eat yoghurt, bananas, figs and dates and drink milk.

• Eat oats for breakfast!

• Reduce the amount of caffeine, sugar and alcohol!

• Take exercise but don't overdo it!

So, this holiday, look after yourself; de-stress and unwind whenever you can.

Chris

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets"...

I love that quote and at times like this when the challenges increase I realise how many fantastic people there are in my world... my family, my friends and colleagues. It's true by the way that you should love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t because they are simply not worth the effort. I am not sure at the moment that I can believe that everything happens for a reason but I do know that if you get a chance, you should take it and if it changes your life, let it.

Nobody promised that my life or your life would be easy, but I hope that the journey I am about to embark upon with the people I love will be worth it.
Chris

"One small action from you today, can help create a greener tomorrow."

British Gas have launched 'Generation Green' a schools and communities programme which aims to provide educational resources, help your school to save energy and money and reduce your school's carbon footprint. To find out more visit their website at generationgreen.co.uk.
CHris

Perhaps it's me? Do you sit in meetings and wonder why you are there? I am a very simple and straightforward sort of person. I like to keep things simple and I basically hate meetings...

I have had a series of meetings where I really can't see what has been achieved and I wonder why I was there; especially when research shows that we can't concentrate for more than about fifteen minutes at a time.. I often sit there afterwards and think what did that achieve, what value did it add and what am I going to do differently as a result and the answers are generally depressing. My colleagues tell me that meetings are important; if not essential elements of what we do. If that is true, and to be honest I need convincing,my question is how do we improve our meetings and ensure that we are making the best use of our precious time.

I have started to ask myself some questions about each of the meetings I attend and I would encourage you to do the same. Simply ask yourself...

• Is this meeting necessary?
• Do I need to be at this meeting?
  
• What do we expect to achieve at this meeting?
• Could we do achieve the same outcomes in any other way?
  
• What would happen if this meeting didn't take place?
• Could these meetings take place less often?

Chris

Design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning.

"The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind... computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch numbers. But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind - creators and empathisers, pattern recognisers and meaning makers. These people - artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers - will now reap society's richest rewards and share it's greatest joys."

If you haven't read 'A Whole New Mind' by Dan Pink you have missed an extraordinary book that looks at how we have moved from an agriculture age through an industrial age to an information age and are now entering a conceptual age. The challenge we all face is to understand that abundance, automation and the impact of globalisation means that knowledge workers need to develop skills and abilities to make them unique and different.

Dan Pink's brilliant book offers a fresh look at what it takes to excel in this new conceptual age. 'A Whole New Mind' identifies the six skills on which, Dan argues, our professional success and our personal fulfillment now critically depend, and includes a series of hands-on exercises to help us develop the necessary abilities. These six skills are design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning.

This book not only changes how we see the world but how we experience it as well. Read this book and visit Dan's website at http://www.danpink.com
Chris

It's only a Game!

Last night's European Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United was a fantastic advert for the beautiful game and funnily enough someone had asked me in the lift yesterday morning what result I wanted...

I said I'd like a 3:3 draw after extra time and penalties and to be honest it certainly could have been 3:3... first half to Manchester United, second half to Chelsea... and anyone could have won it. The person I feel for this morning is John Terry who played brilliantly and then slipped and missed the penalty. The sign of true greatness is how he manages to pick himself up and get back on the field to do better... and we can all learn from his example, his courage, his passion, his commitment and his despair. Someone told me once that it doesn't matter whether you win or lose until you lose!
Chris

Attitude

I received a card from an old colleague today...

Sue Matthews, a colleague from my days in York, sent me this message...
Chris, Read your blog... saw this... and thought of you! Sue
P.S. Great blog!

The quote on the card read...
"ATTITUDE
Things turn out best
for people who make the best
of the way things turn out."

Thanks Sue
Chris

Don't Quit!

It has been tough recently so if you don't know this poem it is worth a read as we all struggle through the challenges life throws at us...

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

You can watch a brief presentation based on this poem at http://www.thedontquitpoem.com/

'Mavericks at Work'

I read this great book over the bank holiday weekend...

"Mavericks at Work' by William Taylor and Polly Labarre is a wonderful read and explains the success of companies across the world whose unconventional ideas and groundbreaking strategies help us to think bigger, aim higher and deliver better services.

They ask us to consider these questions:

• do we have a distinct sense of purpose that sets us apart?
• do we have a unique and compelling language and vocabulary?
• are we sufficiently focused on the long term mission?
• why should great colleagues join us?
• do we know great colleagues when we see them?
• do we teach our colleagues what works and what wins?
  
• if we disappeared tomorrow as a company who would miss us and why?

Answers to chris.edwards@educationleeds.co.uk
Chris

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change
our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."

Charles Swindoll

Do things to make people feel special

"Think, reflect, research, analyse and learn.
Be visible, accessible and available;
Walk the talk and constantly connect with colleagues;
Tell stories; celebrate, praise and challenge;
Teach, coach and model behaviours you want to see;
Get a life... live, love and regularly escape;
Do things to make people feel special."

The Future!

"The future is a blank canvas, you’re free everyday to paint it as you wish."

You can choose to paint a bleak picture…but is that's your choice? The Investment in Excellence programme teaches us that if you can see it, hear it or feel it, you can go to it.

So what you want in the future?

Be grateful!

What are you grateful for in your life right now?

One of the most uplifting qualities I know of in any of my colleagues and friends is gratitude... simply recognising that you are blessed in so many ways and saying thank you to everyone who in some small way does it for you. No matter who, where and when you are, the fact that you’re here at Education Leeds, means that you have at least one thing you can be grateful about in your life right now. Not talking about settling for what you have, but acknowledging it, appreciating the positives, knowing that there are so many good things in your life, will help you attract even more. Your attitude makes a real difference, and if millionaires can be depressed, and prisoners of war can be cheerful, you have enough power to change how you feel about yourself, your life and your work.

Problem Solving

Most people believe that it’s essential to know everything about a problem before they can change or sort things out. ‘If only I knew why I’m so... unfortunate, unlucky, unsuccessful... I’d be able to change my life’. Unfortunately, this isn’t true because understanding does not always create change. Solutions are usually new ideas injected into the existing situation. A belief like this often fosters the ‘paralysis of analysis’, encouraging too much navel gazing that makes people do the exact opposite of the following belief you need to overcome difficult times… Remember that it is not necessary to understand the cause of a problem to solve it.

The 80:20 Rule

If you spend 80% of your time focusing on the problem and only 20% on the solution what do you think is going to happen? It’s easy to complain. It’s easy to be a defeatist. You need to make it so it’s even easier to answer the question ’so what are you doing about it?’
Spend only 20% of your time on what’s wrong, and 80% on what’s right.

I am sorry but I need a break!

The blog is going to go quiet for couple of weeks while I unwind and get rid of the knots, recharge the batteries and gear myself up for another year in Leeds. Take care and look after yourself while I am gone.
Chris

There is no way to happiness.

Happiness is the way, so, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special...

"So, stop waiting...

• until you finish school,
  
• until you go back to school,
  
• until you lose ten pounds,
  
• until you gain ten pounds,
  
• until you have kids,
  
• until your kids leave,
  
• until you start work,
  
• until you retire,
  
• until you get married,
  
• until you get divorced,
  
• until Friday night,
  
• until Monday morning,
  
• until you get a new car,
  
• until your car is paid off,
  
• until spring,
  
• until summer,
  
• until autumn,
  
• until winter,
  
• until the first or fifteenth,
  
• until your song comes on,
  
• until you've had a drink,
  
• until you've sobered up,
  
• until you die,
  
• until...

Remember there is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So...

• Work like you don't need money,
  
• Love like you've never been hurt, and
  
• Dance like no one's watching."

~Author Unknown~

It's Your Choice!

The potential to be exceptional exists within everyone. There are no exceptions. Being exceptional is not defined by what you have or what you do, rather it depends critically on your attitude and the decisions you make...

Extraordinary achievers are ordinary people who make extraordinary decisions about the events in their lives. Your decisions drive your destiny and shape your future. What decisions did you make that have shaped where you are today? If you are dissatisfied with today, what decisions are you willing to make ... right now ... to create a different tomorrow?

It would be easy to justify reasons for other peoples success–- such as lucky breaks, better education, wealthy parents, etc. Yet the truth of the matter is attitude makes the difference between extraordinary achievements and mediocre results. All exceptional achievers make clear deliberate decisions about themselves, their future and their role in the world.

While you can’t change your past and the challenges in your present may “seem” insurmountable, almost every aspect about your future is yet to be decided. Do you choose a path of struggle, hard work,misery and mediocrity? Or do you choose to rewrite your future and become exceptional … however you define that?

The choice is yours.
Chris

Life's Big Prizes!

I found this quote searching the internet...

"Most of us miss out on life's big prizes. The Pulitzer. The Nobel. Oscars. Tonys. Emmys. But we're all eligible for life's small pleasures. A pat on the back. A kiss behind the ear. A four-pound bass. A full moon. An empty parking space. A crackling fire. A great meal. A glorious sunset. Hot soup. Cold beer. Don't fret about copping life's grand awards. Enjoy its tiny delights. There are plenty for all of us."
United Technologies Corporation slogan

Some Questions!

I wonder sometimes what it takes to build brilliant learning places and secure world class outcomes for our young people. What else we could do to release the magic in our young people...

We are already committed to providing a strong and dynamic universal entitlement which includes:

• brilliant teaching;
• intensive coaching;
• small groups;
• access to anytime learning;
• listening to young people's views.
  

We are also committed to providing targeted support for those young people who are not making the expected progress in their early years, their primary years and in their secondary years. This needs us to carefully track and monitor all our young people so that we know early on where to intervene to make a difference.
Chris

‘If we are to achieve the potential improvement in standards from personalisation, we need to create an early years and schools system where all institutions are consistently achieving at the level of the best’.
DCSF Children's Plan

One of my colleagues told me earlier today that I had upset some colleagues with my comments about the contribution outside agencies make to what we are doing here in Leeds. Just to be clear it was at the end of a JAR process which had consumed about six months of our lives and what I said needed to be seen in a wider context..."It is unfortunate that OFSTED, the National Strategies, the National College for School Leadership, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust ...are not yet part of the solution. We are constantly asking ourselves about our effectiveness and how we can refine, develop and do better for our schools. I think that the time has come for us all to stand up and to ask the same questions of these organisations. We need to ask what real value they add to the mix and suggest how we could use the huge resources they consume more powerfully and more effectively!"

I believe that the Six Keys to BRILLIANT are… Performance! Leadership! Teamwork! Attitude! Culture! Ownership & Engagement! We do have some brilliant support from OFSTED, the National Strategies, the National College for School Leadership and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust but my question is how are we working together to develop real ownership at the grassroots.

Chris

Success Guaranteed!

Imagine that success is guaranteed; that you can achieve your dreams, your goals and be whatever you want to be...

Well follow a simple formula and anything is possible. Whatever you are currently doing, your background, your skills and abilities you can go wherever you want to go, be whatever you want to be and do whatever you want to do. It's your future, your opportunity, your choice!

The way to do it? Simple...

• dream big,,, where do you want to go!
• take ownership... where are you now!
• make decisions... what do you need to do!
• take action... just do it!

What is stopping you?
Chris

Attitude is more important than facts

Those who believe they can, can and those who believe they can’t, can’t...

It is as simple as that and no longer open to question. People fail and people succeed not because of who they are but because of who they think they are. You have been programmed to believe that you are good at some things and rubbish at others. Like Joan of Arc we all hear voices… voices that talk to us all the time and control who we are and what we do.

Who has programmed you? Your family, your friends, your teachers, the media and anyone you listen to. However,the thing that determines your success is your attitude, your beliefs, your emotions about yourself.
Chris

GENIUS!

FACT There is no such thing as genius…

Well perhaps a tiny bit if I am pushed. Success is 30% coaching, teaching, mentoring and supporting and 70% hard work. Look at Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golfer in the world. He started when he was tiny, focused, was coached by his Dad and worked harder at it than anyone else and he still does. So I’m not clever enough is simply an excuse for the lazy and those not prepared to put in the effort… there are no excuses. Attitude is the force that matters. We all of us have great minds, great talents and great potential… you might not believe it yet but understanding this means that you will be able to achieve so much more. We all know people who have been dealt the worst possible deals in life. People who have been abused, locked up, bullied and oppressed and still succeeded. Just look at Nelson Mandela! When Nelson Mandela was elected as President of South Africa he told the people of South Africa that they were all brilliant, talented, gorgeous and wonderful.

FACT You are all brilliant, talented, gorgeous and wonderful but it’s your choice and there are no excuses.

Seven Steps

"Think, reflect, research, analyse and learn;
Be visible, accessible and available;
Walk the talk and constantly connect with colleagues;
Tell stories; celebrate, praise and challenge;
Teach, coach and model behaviours you want to see;
Get a life... live, love and regularly escape;
Do things to make people feel special."

Lessons from the Geese

Next Autumn, when you see the geese heading south for the winter, flying in a "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way...

"As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily, because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are heading the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

What message do we give when we honk from behind?

Finally - and this is important - when a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of the formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies; and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their own group.

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that."

Great story.
Chris

People who make a difference in your life!

I saw this on the web and wanted to share it with you...


"Take this quiz:
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five FA Cup winners.
3. Name the last five Best Films at the Oscars.
4. Name five people who have recently won a Nobel Prize.
5. Name the last five British Prime Ministers.
6. Name the last five World Motor-racing Champions.


How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name five friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a five people who have made you feel, appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name five heroes whose stories have inspired you.


Was this easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life."
Chris

Success!

Success is about determination, passion, persistence , commitment and resolve...

It's funny how many people constantly tell me why they can’t do things…

o not enough time;

o not enough money;

o not enough experience;

o they are not clever enough.

But actually they are all excuses because if you are energetic enough and determined enough and work hard enough you can do anything. You can change your life by changing your attitude.

OK what is stopping you from being successful… whatever it is, it’s rubbish.
Chris

Success!

It seems to me that successful organisations, successful schools, successful teams, all have the following characteristics...

• a vision, values and sense of purpose which shapes the way colleagues behave and helps everyone know they are making a difference;
• the courage to set challenging goals and to develop new and cutting-edge solutions;
• an innovative and creative culture that values people and makes them feel special;
• an innovative and creative culture that trusts, empowers and engages colleagues distinct and unique talents;
• a rigorous and aggressive approach to evaluating performance and individuals’ contributions;
• a concern for the wider community and the bigger picture;
• a reputation for excellence, hard work and passionate commitment;
• excellent long-term performance.

Chris

It's all about attitude!

FACT: What you think about yourself is the single most important factor in your life...

Everything about you:
o Your personality;
o Your actions;
o How you get along with other people;
o How you perform at work;
o Your feelings;
o Your beliefs;
o Your aspirations;
o Your talents;
o Your abilities…
They are all controlled by how you see yourself.

Are you brilliant, talented, gorgeous and wonderful.
Has anyone told you recently?
How do you see yourself?
Chris

Successful Leaders

Successful leaders learn, practice, refine and develop their skills until they become second nature...

Mastery comes with practice, practice, practice.
Chris

Simply a creative, talented and effective team!

Why is it that the negatives roll in constantly and we are challenged all the time to do better, faster and more effectively in our schools, our classrooms and our communities... and challenged by people whose track records are not of outstanding success and brilliant leadership. I want to put it on record that I currently work with the most creative, talented and effective team I have ever worked with and if anyone thinks that they can do better simply roll up your sleeves and step up to the plate.

Interestingly, I constantly visit schools here in Leeds. I don't dip in and clear off leaving a trail of negativity, disillusion and unhappiness for my colleagues to pick up. I am in here for the long haul and I know that we are making a real difference to young peoples lives and achieving better outcomes year on year. I know that we have the processes, we have the materials, we have the passion, we have the discipline, we have the intellectual rigour and more importantly we have the people to deliver real magic and achieve brilliant outcomes.

Like you, I am not in any way complacent about the challenges we face here in this wonderfully rich, diverse and incredibly challenging city. Like you, I am constantly looking for the answers and asking myself how much more we can do. I passionately believe that the real key lies with our leaders and our learning teams and how we convince them that the journey we are on is the right journey and that they are in control and trusted as the talented leaders, coaches, guides, mentors and teachers on the pathways to excellence for each and every one of our young people.

It is unfortunate that OFSTED, the National Strategies, the National College for School Leadership, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and the plethora of consultants and experts that appear to know it all and fill meetings and consume so much of our time are not yet part of the solution. We are constantly asking ourselves about our effectiveness and how we can refine, develop and do better for our schools. I think that the time has come for us all to stand up and to ask the same questions of these organisations. We need to ask what real value they add to the mix and suggest how we could use the huge resources they consume more powerfully and more effectively!
Chris

Make it count!

I spend valuable time in schools every week and I meet some incredible colleagues from schools and Education Leeds. Colleagues whose passion, commitment, energy, enthusiasm and hard work are changing the world for so many of our young people. However, I often wonder why some people work in our schools and our services when they are so miserable and clearly don't enjoy what they do. There lives are not inspiring, their relationships are negative and destructive and they are not being engaged or used effectively. .. someone told me that it was just a job. Surely life is too short and too important to be working somewhere tht you don't find stimulating, rewarding and challenging... especially if like me you work out the percentage of your life that you spend at work.

By the way it's 25% if you are interested. We spend 20% at our leisure during the week, 28% taking weekends during the year, 12% of the time we are on holiday and we spend another 20% in bed! I know by the way that the sums don't add up to 100% but it simply makes you realise that we don't actually work very much at all!

Be Extraordinary

I often wonder why our education system is so fragile, so prone to failure, so limited in its effectiveness and so poorly performing when compared to the best in Europe let alone the best in the world...

What is it about our teachers, our colleagues, our schools, our authorities? Colleagues elsewhere are no cleverer, no more skilful or talented and no more effective than our colleagues. Young people elsewhere appear to be very much the same as our young people. Parents and carers want the same for their children the world over. Authorities have team of incredibly talented and experienced colleagues who have already proved themselves in schools and classrooms.

We all know that we are the most inspected, assessed, moderated and tested education system in the world and we all know that you don't improve the pig by continually weighing it. They say that the Finnish system has cracked the code but I have my doubts...they do however have some elements which are worth considering. It comes down to the system and establishing a clear sense of what we are trying to achieve for our children and then getting out of the way and developing local accountabilities and allowing local solutions.

I have been to some incredible learning places recently; both here in Leeds and in Stockholm. And everywhere and wherever colleagues are releasing the magic they are trusted, talented, empowered and effective... brilliant colleagues working in schools and classrooms supported locally by focused and efficient teams releasing the magic and delivering world class outcomes.

We know what it takes to build brilliant... it's alive and well here in Leeds.

• leadership matters;
• enthusiasm is contagious;
• small is beautiful;
• relationships are key;
• whatever you do be passionate;
• coaching counts;
• persistence and determination go a long way; and
• you tend to get what you expect.

This job we do is too important for any of us to be ordinary. We must all strive. each and every day to be extrordinary, to be outstanding, to be brilliant.

Chris

Be Outstanding!

Why settle for satisfactory when you can be outstanding...

OK, satisfactory is easy, predictable and anyone can do it... well almost anyone! I often wonder why we settle for things that just aren't good enough when with a bit of energy and effort we can be outstanding.
Chris

A Brilliant Book!

I read a brilliant book while I was travelling to Stockholm and back...

'Small is the new big' by Seth Godin who also wrote 'Purplr Cow' is a great read and contains eight years of his blog posts, magazine articles and e-books. It is changing the way I think about blogging and how I see the world!

Seth Godin says " I dare you to read any ten of these essays and still be comfortable with what you have got. You don't have to settle for the status quo, for being good enough, for getting by."

Brilliant book... read it!
Chris

My Personal Philosophy!

• Help everyone understand that the job is easy;
• Show some enthusiasm;
• Praise everyone’s efforts;
• If it isn’t working... change it;
• Cut down on the paper;
• Break the rules;
• Get rid of the word “I”;
• Share what everyone does;
• Let them do it their way.
  

Superfoods

I was reading an article in the Times the other day and these are apparently the 'superfoods' we should all be eating.How many are you eating on a regular basis?

• Beans
• Blackcurrants
• Broccoli
• Oats
• Oranges
• Salmon
• Spinach
• Green Tea
• Tomatoes
• Turkey
• Walnuts
• Yogurt

Chris

7 Ways to Enjoy what you do

Over here in Stockholm you realise that people enjoy what they. Well they certainly do at the Nya Elementar School where I went this afternoon...

And thinking about it what makes schools in Stockholm such great places?
They are places where staff and students are:

• comfortable and at ease;
• confident about their school and what they are doing;
• sociable and friendly;
• helpful and supportive;
• healthy and adventurous;
• flexible and adaptable;
• simply there for each other!

Chris

7 Ways to Succeed

You need:

• vision;
• determination;
• fitness;
• mental health;
• flexibility;
• humour;
• generosity.

7 Ways to Delegate

• explain;
• coach;
• encourage;
• allow mistakes;
• allow routines;
• empower colleagues;
• don't interfere;
• share everything;
• explore new ideas;
• celebrate whenever and wherever you can.

It's not just me who loves the Eee PC...

This article by Stephen Fry was in the Guardian. "In recent weeks I have banged on about Open Source, expending two articles on Firefox alone. Open Source applications make their code available to everyone. Disagreements and rabid balkanisation within the Open Source community aside, for our purposes the term might as well refer to free software whose licence allows you to share the source code, alter it, use it, do with it what you will. The two great pillars of Open Source are the GNU project and Linux. I shan’t burden you with too much detail, I’ll just make the outrageous claim that your computer will be running some descendant of those two within the next five years and that your life will be better and happier as a result.

I am writing this article on a kind of mini John the Baptist, a system that prepares the way of the software saviour whose coming will deliver the 90% of world computer users who suffer under Windows from the expensive, clumsy, costly, ugly, pricey toils of Microsoft. The Asus EEE PC perched on my knee combines GNU software with a Linux kernel powered by an Intel Celeron Mobile Processor to produce a very extraordinary little laptop. It weighs less than a kilogram, starts up from cold in about 12 seconds and shuts down in five. It has no internal hard disk and no CD drive. It offers 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage and a seven-inch display; wireless, dial-out modem and ethernet adaptors are available for networking and internet connections, three USB ports, mini-jack sockets for headphones and microphone, a VGA out, an SD card slot and a built-in webcam. All for about £200 - less than the price of a show, dinner and taxi for two in London’s West End.

When you press the EEE’s power button, the lightning speed and quietness of boot-up tell you that you are in the hands of a solid state flash drive: no vulnerable moving parts and buzzing platters here. Within seconds a tabbed screen will appear on your display: the tabs are labelled Internet, Work, Learn, Play, Settings and Favourites. A click on each reveals a page containing bright, clear icons that relate to 40 separate applications and half a dozen or so selected web links. The applications include Skype, Firefox, Thunderbird (the Mozilla mail client) and OpenOffice.org, an Open Source suite of applications that allows you to create and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. One of the pre-installed web links is to Google Docs, which lets you do the same MS Office compatible work online. This combination of “server side” applications and Open Source software is, rightly, scaring the heck out of Microsoft which is in danger of relying, in a few years’ time, on its excellent Xbox games console for income and kudos, its domination of personal computing a rapidly diminishing memory. Well, I’m allowed to dream. The EEE is far from perfect: system software claims two-thirds of its meagre 4GB of storage, the keyboard is sub-par, the trackpad worse; it seems a shame to boast a built-in webcam and a full field of IM clients, yet be incapable of videochat; the OS, a customised version of Linux, part Debian, part Asus’s own creation, makes downloading outside the bundled software updater uncertain. But these defects are minor compared with the machine’s astounding value and functionality - and to the future trends in computing it heralds.

This is a computer designed as an introductory machine for children or adults, as well as a simple cheap do-it-all machine along the “One Laptop Per Child” model but which is also absolutely ideal as a truly cheap, portable, resilient device to slam into a backpack or briefcase. Everything you could want is there in free, Open Source form. It does not pretend to cater for the power user but, while file management is basic for the average person, tuxheads (Linux experts) can go straight to terminal mode and do their stuff. Meanwhile, for the rest of us, this is a wonderful little friend who does all we need straight out of the box. And it is only the beginning…
© Stephen Fry 2008