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