I saw 'Invictus' last night which is based on the book "Playing the Enemy"...

It's a great film starring Morgan Freeman as South African President Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Rugby Captain Francois Pienaar. It is the story of Nelson Mandela's first years as President of the culturally separated country in the run up to the Rugby World Cup in South Africa in 1995. The poem 'Invictus' is a great reminder to us all about what really matters in life.

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

William Ernest Henley

A friend sent me this brilliant quote to help steady the nerves...

"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities
and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."
Harry Truman

"Ability is what you're capable of doing.

Motivation determines what you do.

Attitude determines how well you do it."

Lou Holtz

My colleague Geoff Roberts sent me this after reading my Interesting Times blog...

"Hi again Chris, One of your posts from The Guardian Public Services Summit 2010 got my mind working – which for a Friday pm is pretty impressive. It led me to think about the difference between change management (which is what tends to get discussed) and change leadership. I don’t doubt that change management is important and that there is a place for standard methodologies such as PRINCE2 – although I suggest that such methodologies are more appropriate for building roads or writing software than the sort of ‘human change’ that we tend to get involved in and which lies at the heart of the challenge. We also know that the difficulty of implementing change varies with each different change. Why might that be – it’s not about the plans or the technologies it’s about the people and people do not respond in programmatic ways that can be ‘managed’, they respond in individual ways depending on their individual Values, drivers, motivations, circumstances, etc. Where change efforts so often fail is in not answering each individual ‘Why?’ and ‘What is in it for me?’ – if there is nothing in it for me then the best anyone can expect is compliance, whereas good answers to Why? And Wiifm? can generate the sort of commitment that makes change much easier.

If I have learned one thing in my many years as a change agent it is Communicate, Communicate, Communicate – and to do most of that by listening, not preaching. We (and to be very frank, "we" includes quite a few Education Leeds people that I come across) need to understand the difference between consultation and involvement as well as appreciating where and when to do each. My typification of the difference is:
Consultation – "We plan to do this, have you any thoughts on the proposal before I make my decision?"
Involvement – "We share a problem, let’s sit down and figure out how to solve it"
The latter takes time and means early stakeholder identification and persistent involvement to craft a mutually satisfactory solution, the former lets the experts sit in their current paradigm and each side blame the other when things go wrong. The former requires rudimentary skills, the latter much more sophisticated interpersonal and group dynamic capabilities. We know that change is more effective and sustained when it is done by the participants rather than being done to them. Don’t know if this is just me ‘soapboxing’ or whether it makes a useful thinkpiece – you judge. Be well, thanks and have fun, Geoff."

"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost.

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost."

J.R.R. Tolkien

I found this brilliant article on the web...

The Dream Cycle

by Anthony Fernando

The process of transforming your dreams into reality is the same regardless of what your specific goals are. I’d like to share with you The Dream Cycle..

There are six stages in the Dream Cycle and each one of them is very important.
Stage 1: Dream
Every man-made item you see around you began as the spark of an idea in the mind of a single individual. The greatest architectural monuments, the most famous works of art, the most stirring pieces of music, the most profound works of literature – they all began as a thought…an idea…a dream.
We all have flashes of inspiration from time to time, but sadly, many people let these ideas fade away. Successful people however are different. They realise how precious these ideas truly are and they are not afraid to dream BIG dreams.
Stage 2: Plan
Imagine for a moment that you want to travel from your home to the supermarket. You get into your car, drive to the nearest intersection and flip a coin to decide which way to turn. If it’s heads you turn right, if it’s tails you turn left. At every intersection you come to you repeat this process of flipping a coin and choosing a direction. How long do you think it will take you to reach the supermarket using this navigational approach?
Clearly it is unlikely that you will ever reach your destination unless you know how to get there.
Unfortunately this is how many people navigate through life. They make random decisions from day-to-day and hope that somehow they will reach their destination.
In order to make your dreams a reality you must take the time to formulate a plan which will act as your ’street directory’ to guide you from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow.
Stage 3: Work Hard
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that success is easy. It isn’t.
True success in any area of life involves focused and consistent hard work. A good way to gauge your chances of achieving success is simply to count the number of hours each week that you are actively working on achieving your goal. If you don’t put in the work – you won’t get the result.
Stage 4: Achieve
The feeling of achievement that comes from working hard and transforming your dream into reality is one of the most satisfying feelings you can ever experience. This is why the Olympic Games are so popular. Elite atheletes are a great example of people who are prepared to put in the hard work necessary to achieve their dreams.
Stage 5: Celebrate
It is very important when you achieve a major goal to take the time to really enjoy and celebrate your achievement. Don’t make the mistake of trying to launch straight into your next goal. Take a break and enjoy your success. Go out with someone you love, do something you enjoy or buy yourself something special. By doing this you will reinforce the positive energy associated with achievement and be ready to move on to your next dream.
Stage 6: Give Back
The final stage of the Dream Cycle is to give something positive back to the Universe. If you’ve achieved a monetary goal, give 10% of your profits to a worthy cause.
This idea of giving back does not only relate to financial goals however. For example, if you’ve just lost 30 pounds and reached your ideal goal weight, share your knowledge and experience with others. Tell them how you achieved your goal and encourage them to pursue their own dreams.

The Inner Circle
You will see that the inner circle of the Dream Cycle contains two items:
(1) Visualise
(2) Enjoy
Visualisation
Visualising your goal in every detail is the best way to clarify your dream. It also helps you to create your plan and keeps you motivated while you work hard to make your dream a reality.
Enjoy
Don’t be afraid to really enjoy your success and achievement. Celebration and giving back to the Universe helps you create a positive mindset which in turn helps you achieve bigger and better dreams.
Action Steps:
This week, review your major goals and see where you are in the Dream Cycle. Ask yourself these questions:
(1) Do I have a clear plan for transforming my dream into reality?
(2) Am I putting in the regular hard work necessary to make my dream a reality?
(3) Am I visualising my dream daily?
Until next time,
Dare To Dream!
Dr Anthony Fernando

"If people are good
only because they fear punishment,
and hope for reward,
then we are a sorry lot indeed."
Albert Einstein

"The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends to its children – their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialization, and their sense of being loved, valued, and included in the families and societies into which they are born"
UNICEF

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

Andrew Carnegie

We are facing another onslaught from our friends at OFSTED who are also visiting our 'satisfactory schools' and ratcheting up the bar and focusing relentlessly and ruthlessly on data, outcomes and progress...

At times like this 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 continue to 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.

And back to our schools and OFSTED, we know the key to school improvement. It’s the quality of what goes on in the classrooms and everything points to the fact that teacher quality is the key to success. We need to focus on how we improve teacher quality and the key must be to love the one’s we’ve got. Evidence suggests that big improvements are possible provided we focus vigorously on the things that make a difference. There is also a strong relationship between well-being and child poverty and between well-being and inequality. Research shows that poverty and parenting both matter and that the eradication of child poverty is a great cause which must remain a high priority.

I have worked for over thirty years trying to answer these challenges and 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 need to be determined, persistent and focused even if it is hard.… whatever it takes!

Chris

A young colleague introduced me to 'Independent Thinking' today...

'Independent Thinking' is a compny working to bring the best out of young people and those who work with them, focussing on areas including thinking, learning, motivation and creativity. They aim "to inform, inspire and shamelessly entertain, because education is too important to be taken seriously." Their website shows you what they do, why they do it Their written mission which I love is "To enrich people's lives by changing the way they think - and so to change the world".

You can visit their website at http://www.independentthinking.co.uk.
Chris

"Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another."

Nelson Mandela

We are all struggling with change but I found this really helpful article and wanted to share it with you...

Learn to Love Change

By Karen Susman

“History's lesson is that it is precisely the times of wrenching change that humankind makes its most significant advances…that the richest personal fortunes are built, that the most enduring achievements are recorded.“

Marshall Loeb

You can hate change or love change or embrace change or reject change. Change doesn't care. It's happening. Choke back your resistance. Here's how:

1. Adjust your attitude. Reframe the change as positive. Find the potential gain.

2. Pay attention to trends. Spot them first and adjust your plan before you're forced to.

3. Focus on solutions. Don't get stuck in problem mode. Ask yourself, “What actions can I take to manage the change I'm facing?”

4. Be flexible. Have Plan B. The worst idea is having only one idea. Knowing you have several options is great relief.

5. Become comfortable with risk taking. Try a risk a day regimen. Today green eggs and ham. Tomorrow the world.

6. Learn continuously. You'll keep your brain sharp and stay ahead of the curve.

7. If you're experiencing change in one area of your life, reduce changes in other areas of your life. Don't change jobs, mates, houses and locations at the same time. Routines are your friends when you're in the midst of change.

8. Use water logic as opposed to rock logic. Water flows and adapts to its surroundings while retaining its power. Given enough friction, being rock solid can turn you into a sand pile.

9. Nurture support systems. Change is smoothed with a little help from your friends.

10. Know that you will be able to handle the changes in your life.

As philosopher Soren Kirkgaard said, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

©Karen Susman.

Karen Susman, Speaker/Author/Coach, works with organizations and individuals that want to maximize their performance and quality of life. Check out her free tips and articles at www.karensusman.com. Karen can be reached at karen@karensusman.com.

This is such brilliant advice in an ever changing landscape where we don't know what tomorrow will bring.

Chris

"If you can't explain it simply,
you don't understand it well enough."
Albert Einstein

"Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing,
you will be successful."
Albert Schweitzer

"Anyone who has never made a mistake
has never tried anything new."
Albert Einstein

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
Albert Einstein

The challenge we all face is about action or is it inaction. We spend too much time in working parties, committees, focus groups, project boards and meetings talking about the things that are wrong and what we need to do to put them right. We create strategies, plans, structures and resources. We inspect, monitor, measure, check and audit.

My challenge is why don't we simply put all this activity into action and do something about underachievement by rolling up our sleeves, targetting vulnerable and hard to reach groups using the things that work like Every Child a Reader. Makes sense to me.
Chris

I attended a brilliant session at the NEEC 2010 in York last week.

Dylan Wiliam from the Institute of Education’s session on ‘Leadership and Learning in a Changing World’ was looking at School Effectiveness and School Improvement at a time when structural change, curriculum change, new models of governance, new technologies and workforce reform are impacting on schools. Over three generations of school effectiveness research from raw results, through demographic solutions to value-added approaches we’ve learnt that an effective school is a school full of effective classrooms managed by highly effective teachers supported by highly trained classroom assistants. Importantly the most effective schools are not those achieving the best 5A*-C including English and Maths scores. Research suggests that it doesn’t really matter which school young people go to because only 7% is down to the school and 93% is down to external factors. When you adjust the data for those external factors there is very little difference between schools, be they public or private sector.

Interestingly as well, the key to school improvement is not the school, not the headteachers, not the class size. Specifically it’s the quality of what goes on in the classrooms and everything points to the fact that teacher quality is the key to success. And importantly subject knowledge and professional qualifications make little difference. Pedagogy is more significant but largely being a brilliant teacher is unexplained.

We need to focus on how we improve teacher quality and the key must be to love the one’s you’ve got. Left to their own devices teachers do improve but slowly because we’ve been doing the wrong kind of professional development. Evidence suggests that big improvements are possible provided we focus vigorously on the things that make a difference; even if they are hard.

To create a climate for improvement we, as leaders, need to be committed to creating effective learning environments, creating a culture of high expectations, providing time, space and support for innovation, supporting risk taking and maintaining the focus on the things that matter. Our colleagues must be committed to continuous improvement and maintaining a focus on the things that make a difference to learning outcomes.

The continuing focus on school improvement and improving outcomes for our young people is a national economic priority. We can improve achievement through improving teacher quality and focusing on formative assessment and the creation of school-based and area-based learning communities.
Chris

I attended an interesting session at the NEEC 2010 in York last week….

Professor Jonathan Bradshaw’s session on ‘Understanding Child Poverty and Child well-being’ highlighted the international research which consistently put us at or towards the bottom of the international league table. The session attempted to identify why we are doing so poorly.

It’s important to drill down into these figures. In some areas we are performing well:

- accidental deaths;
- educational attainment;
- housing conditions; and
- peer relationships.

But in some areas we are performing badly:

- subjective well-being;
- income poverty;
- risky behaviour; and
- NEET

There is a strong relationship between well-being and child poverty and between well-being and inequality. Children are happier at school and their friendships have significantly improved. Spending on vulnerable families is high but improved outcomes have not been seen YET! Interestingly the research suggests that subjective well-being; how young people feel about their well-being is the essence of well-being. Between 1994 and 2007 there have been little variation in happiness, self-esteem and feeling troubled. Importantly most children report that they are happy. Research shows that poverty and parenting both matter and that the eradication of child poverty is a great cause which must remain a high priority.
Chris

"Intelligent accountability preserves and enhances trust, involves participants in the process, encourages deep, worthwhile responses and recognises and attempts to compensate for the severe limitations of our ability to capture educational quality in performance indicators. "

Sad then that there is so little intelligent accountability around.
Chris

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."

John Maxwell

People constantly tell us that things are impossible. They tell me that you can't get every child to read by the time they are eight. That you can't get every young person the equivalent of 5 good GCSEs by the time they are sixteen. That every school in Leeds can't be a great school. That you can't create great teams with the current people. However, we all know that success doesn't come in can'ts it comes in cans. We simply need to change the culture and get people to believe; to believe in themselves and to believe in our children and young people and our colleagues. The next person who tells you it's impossible with these children, these young people, these families or these colleagues, tell them straight back that if you believe anything is possible and that achieving the impossible is nothing!

Chris

A friend sent me this quote after Christmas...

"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."

Albert Einstein

When I attended my first 'Investment in Excellence' session I discovered that there is a special part of the brain called the reticular activating system that filters out the noise, the rubbish and the irrelevant in the world around you to allow you to focus on what you are looking for...

The world around us is full of success and failure, inspiration and boredom, happiness and sadness, opportunities and problems. So if you’re looking for success, inspiration, happiness and opportunities, you will find them. Unfortunately it also means that if you are looking for failure, boredom, sadness and problems, you will find them too. The truth is that what you experience in life depends on what you are looking for!

So how do I cope with all this? Well I try to start each day positively and optimistically. However hard it is, I make a conscious decision everyday to filter out the negatives and the pessimistic influences in my life and I refuse to waste my precious time with people who are negative, boring and destructive.

I constantly search for successes, inspiration, happiness and opportunities and usually it delivers brilliant results. Why don't you try it?

Chris

"Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

A friend sent me this message over Christmas...

"live with intention.
walk to the edge.
listen hard.
practice wellness.
play with abandon.
laugh.
choose with no regret.
continue to learn.
appreciate your friends.
do what you love.
live as if this is all there is."
Mary Anne Radmacher

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Another New Year...

I hope that everyone who reads the blog has a happy, healthy, safe and successful 2010 and that it brings you and those you love and care about, peace fulfillment and all the things you really, really want. It is certainly going to be an interesting year!
Chris

'Life is Good'

I received a wonderful present from the special people in my life...

It was a plaque with the main message 'Life is Good' and listed some themes which I wanted to share with the other people in my life:

• Be kind;
• Be true;
• Keep the faith;
• Be a friend;
• Sing and dance;
• Be in love;
• Treasure family;
• Cherish laughter.

The world gets more complicated all the time but I think that just about captures what really matters as we approach another New Year.
Best wishes to everyone for 2010. Stick with these messages and you will be OK.
Chris

"There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life happiness, freedom and peace of mind - are always attained by giving them to someone else."

Peyton Conway March

Tomorrow is my last day now until Monday 4th January so the blog will go quiet for a few days while I unwind, relax, recharge and get ready for yet another interesting and challenging year here in Leeds... I hope everyone out there manages to do the same. And remember when you are out there... think team, think family, think about the things that really, really matter and hold hands and stick together. I hope that this Christmas brings you and those you love and care for, happiness, freedom and peace. See you in 2010!
Take care.
Chris

"Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."

Og Mandino

It's the Climb!

"There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most."

2009 has been certainly been interesting and challenging.
What will 2010 bring?
Chris

We all know that having bought the banks the next few years are going to be tough and that we will need to work smarter and more effectively and carefully watch all our resources to eliminate waste and drive efficiencies wherever we can...

However hard it gets you must remember that talent will out and that you have skills and abilities that are in demand and in short supply. Our culture and values are rare in the public sector and the focus on creativity, innovation, trust and equality rarer still.

The OFSTED Inspection Report on Safeguarding and Looked After Children's Services is published on 7 January and the Review of Children's Services will drive change as the Council appoints its new Director of Children's Services. So change is going to be constantly with us as usual and our job will be to stay focused on the things that matter: ensuring that young people in Leeds are happy, healthy, safe and increasingly successful... whatever it takes!

We live in interesting times is a Chinese curse but I am even more certain now that the future is simply what you make it. So, make it brilliant one. Have a great Christmas; one that brings you and those you love… delight and simplicity, foolishness and fantasy, and noise, angels, miracles, wonder, innocence and magic.
Chris

You are what you eat, so be careful...

These are my top five foods:

• coffee;
• chocolate;
• blueberries;
• green tea;
• salmon.

You may have seen the front page of the Yorkshire Post today or looked at the DSCF website where it details the intervention the DCSF are making here in Leeds and the threat of more to come if the OFSTED inspection result highlights more concerns...

We all need to stay positive, optimistic, calm and focussed during what are undoubtedly interesting times - travelling through very dangerous shark-infested waters, surrounded by crocodile-infested swamps. We have been inspected, scrutinised, examined, and reviewed…. and they have gone and we’re still here doing whatever it takes to transform outcomes for the children and young people in Leeds. The DCSF confirmed yesterday the announcement of an Improvement Board for Leeds children’s services with Bill McCarthy as the independent chair. Tomorrow we have the publication of the annual rating of children’s services which says that Leeds children's services is performing poorly; the worst category. However, the report goes on to say that the majority of services here in Leeds are good or better.

We don’t yet know the outcome of the council’s review of children’s services and the announced inspection result won’t be published until January. What we do know is that here at Education Leeds we are surrounded by talented, passionate and committed colleagues who come to work every day believing that they can make a difference and we have the evidence that we are. We know that inspections and reviews will come and go, but deep and long-lasting change and progress is achieved through the everyday actions of the talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful colleagues in our teams and in our schools. We know that we have already achieved remarkable things together and that no matter what happens over the next few weeks we will still be passionate about Leeds; still be creative and imaginative; and still look for ways to achieve better outcomes for all our children and young people and their families.

Yes, these are interesting times; yes these are difficult and challenging times and I am deeply grateful to you for your continued support. It is more important than ever that we continue to think and act team and look after each other. As always, I’m here if you need to talk.
Keep the faith.
Chris

The Qualities of Good Leadership

The Institute of Leadership and Management in partnership with Management Today magazine commissioned a report to assess the state of trust in organisations...

This really interesting piece of research focused on six dimensions by which the trustworthiness of leaders and managers is measured: ability, understanding, fairness, openness, integrity and consistency. These dimensions, weighted by the importance respondents applied to them, were then examined against a number of factors, ranging from the size of the organisation and its industry sector to the age and gender of manager and employee, plus the length of their service and relationship with leaders and managers.

Confidence in the boss' ability to do their job is the most important factor in breeding trust among the workforce. Almost as important is the ability to demonstrate a strong sense of personal integrity. The other factors were seen as being far less important than ability and integrity. The drivers of trust in line managers are more diverse. Once again, ability is top of the list of characteristics, but integrity is marginally outweighed in importance by line managers’ understanding of the needs and abilities of others, and matched by fairness in the way that they treat them.

The larger the organisation, the less trust employees are likely to show in its leadership. The most trusted bosses are those at the helm of organisations employing up to 10 people. This trust in CEOs falls off consistently as the organisation grows and reaches its lowest in organisations that employ more than 1,000 people. Overall trust in line managers is also highest in the smallest companies but falls to its lowest point in medium-sized enterprises. It then recovers marginally in the bigger organisations, which possibly indicates better manager training in larger concerns.

The longer bosses and line managers have been in post the more trust employees have in them. Conversely, the longer an employee has been with the organisation the less they trust their management team. This apparent contradiction can be explained by the effect of the length of relationship between manager and managed. Trust is at its highest between a new employee and long-serving managers, and at its lowest when a long-serving employee is working under a new leader.

Age and gender have less effect on trust than might be expected. The research reveals a small dip in trust for middle-aged leaders and managers and a general trend for employees to show greater trust in bosses who are of the same sex and similar age as themselves. Women are generally more trusted and trusting than men. But the research found that, although women tend to start employment with more trust in their managers than new male recruits, their trust decreases more sharply, ultimately falling below the levels of men.

Trust in public sector bosses compares poorly to many bosses in the private sector, although this can partly be explained by the fact that many public sector organisations are large. Trust is low in large organisations that feature a high percentage of long-serving employees and a high turnover of bosses and line managers.

Conclusions

Clear patterns and trends emerge from the research. Establishing trust takes time and is improved when the relationship between leader and follower is close. This finding has important implications for new bosses of very large organisations, many of which are in the public sector and feature long-serving employees. The bosses of these organisations have the steepest hill to climb to establish trust, and they will not be able to reach the summit without demonstrating a strong sense of personal integrity. If they can’t show the qualities of principle and honesty, and that they are in it for the long haul, not just as a lucrative or advantageous career move, they will not be trusted.

'We Are The People We've Been Waiting For'

I picked up a copy of 'We Are The People We've Been Waiting For' in the Guardian on Saturday. I managed to watch it this evening...

"The world is changing rapidly but our education system is not keeping pace."
The film is an independent documentary, inspired and guided by Lord Puttnam and Sir Michael Barber, which explores the education system in the UK. The film follows five young people and asks whether our current system provides young people with the opportunity to develop their talents and abilities. Sir Richard Branson, Professor Germaine Greer, Henry Winkler, Bill Bryson and Sir Ken Robinson share their personal experiences in this thought-provoking film which offers us all a unique insight and reveals a very inconvenient truth about education. Everyone who cares about education and learning should watch this film which you can find at http://www.wearethepeoplemovie.com/.

The film argues for a strong investment in teaching and learning where we respect and trust colleagues to inspire young people but also argues for a new pedagogy of learning that values flexibility, creativity and alternative ways of doing things. It argues that we need to re-imagine teaching and learning and to re-invent the curriculum to unlock the potential and magic in each and every learner. We need to consider what is possible and how we reach all our young people through more experimental approaches. We need a new generation of teachers to coach, guide and support our young learners and to make better use of technology to stretch and challenge and connect with young peoples interests.

This is the basis of the Dalton method and the Kunskapsskolan approach where we personalise and customise learning to meet the needs of each and everyone of our unique learners. We will always need great teachers to teach great lessons but these must be surrounded by a sea of opportunities which individual learners can access, adapt and use to reach their personal goals.
Happy to discuss.
Chris

We must continue to develop a clear shared vision and a 'can do' anything attitude. We must be proud, hopeful, positive and optimistic. We must nurture innovation, creativity and be constantly curious. We must be resilient in the face of the difficulties and setbacks we currently face and dig deep to ensure that while we are passionate, totally focused, determined, persistent and energetic. We don't need to work harder to build brilliant. We need to work smarter and better as a team. We need to communicate more, talk and listen more and most importantly we need to continue to think team. Let's also ensure that we continue to spend time together using the Annual Lecture, the ‘Evolve’, Harnessing Technology event and the Christmas Party as ways of celebrating the best of Leeds.

Education Leeds and RM would like to invite you to our first ‘Evolve’, Harnessing Technology event on 10th December 2009 at The Queen’s Hotel in Leeds City Centre to carry on the conversation; to release more butterflies and to build brilliant. This event is FREE, but places are limited so make sure you register as soon as possible. To find out more information about the event and to register your place, please visit http://evolve.leedsschools.org. And finally never doubt that a small group of talented, thoughtful and committed people can change the world… we are and we will continue to… because what we do is create magic, release potential and build the future.
Chris

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover."

Mark Twain

The Seven Aspects of Emotional Leadership

Emotional leadership requires:

• Self-Awareness.
• Emotional Resilience.
• Motivation.
• Sensitivity.
• Influence.
• Intuition.
• Conscientiousness and integrity.

Chris

I know that there is a profound difference between leadership and management but I am not sure why everywhere I look there is such a lack of leadership...

"Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing"
Leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion while managing means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for or to conduct. There are great managers everywhere but very few great leaders. In his book "Learning to Lead: A Workbook on Becoming a Leader" Warren Bennis, writer of leadership resources and business professor at the University of Southern California, identifies the differences between leaders and manager.

• The manager maintains; the leader develops.
• The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it.
• The manager focuses on systems and structures; the leader focuses on people.
• The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
• The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
• The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
• The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader has his or her eye on the horizon.
• The manager imitates; the leader originates.
• The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
• The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.

Times like this require us to think more in terms of leadership and as leaders we need to ask questions like...

• "What is really going on here?"
• "How do we remain relevant?"
• "How do we fulfil our goals in these changing times?"
• "How do we make colleagues understand that what we do is important?"

Chris

Leaders lead people. Manager manage tasks. There is a difference...

The old proverb says that leadership is doing the right thing; management is doing things right. Leadership is about getting people to abandon their their old habits and achieve new things, and therefore largely about change - about inspiring, helping, and sometimes enforcing change in people. "While there can be effective management absent ideas, there can be no true leadership."results. However, if your organization is not on a journey don't bother about leadership – just settle for management and see where it gets you.

I don't really know anyone who isn't on a journey!
Chris

I visited the Innovation Unit website and found the Radical Efficiency Model which has four principles; new information, new customers, new suppliers and new resources...
The model is intended to provoke us to think in different ways about the design and delivery of public services. The aim of Radical Efficiency is to prove that this approach can lead to the design of public services that are better, cheaper and more efficient. The idea of better, cheaper and more efficient is often described as the holy grail of public services – as something unique but everyone needs to ask themselves these questions. If you want to find out more visit the Innovation Unit website at http://innovationunit.wordpress.com/.
Chris

I picked up a brilliant little booklet at the 'Innovation in Education' Conference earlier this week...

It's called 'What's Next? 21 Ideas for 21st Century Learning' by Charles Leadbeater and showcases some schools working in challenging contexts and achieving great results. The 21 ideas are:

• There should be individual budgets and self-directed support plans for families at risk;
• We should develop emotional resilience programmes;
• We should develop learning concierge services;
• We should break up large schools;
• We should develop peer learner programme;
• We should develop personal challenge;
• WE should develop personal learning plans and portfolios;
• Every young person should have a right to intensive mentoring;
• We should provide personal budgets for young people in danger of becoming NEET;
• We should develop an investors in learning programme;
• Schools should develop as productive enterprises;
• We should scrap the six week summer holiday;
• We should create the school of everything for our schools;
• We should appoint community based teachers;
• We should create third spaces for learning;
• We should develop whole school projects for the community;
• We should develop participatory budgeting;
• We should work to develop leadership teams not headteachers;
• We should develop wider measures of progress and outcomes;
• We should develop a National Curriculum of capabilities.

Everyone who is interested in the future of learning, in innovation and achieving brilliant results should read this booklet. You can download a copy of the publication from the Innovation Unit's website at www.innovation-unit.co.uk.
Chris

We have had an interesting and somewhat challenging start to the new academic year and I fully understand the pressures colleagues are facing across the company...

However tough the going gets we need to stay positive and optimistic, and critically, we need to support colleagues across the company who may be feeling uncertain during this period of significant change. We must never doubt that the work that we are doing is important and makes a difference. I know that it’s a very tough journey but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it isn't a train coming the other way!

As a team, we have achieved so much together over the years and made such a difference. We are ultimately responsible for the health, the well-being and successes of all the young people who live here in Leeds and our legacy is the real difference we are making every day, every week, every term and every year and don't let anyone tell you anything different.

I know that you are all working hard to respond to the increased pressures and the wicked issues. I appreciate the efforts that each of you have made and are continuing to make to manage budget and staffing resources more effectively against our priorities. Unfortunately, the budget is one particular wicked issue that won't go away, but this just means that we have to be even more creative and innovative to continue to deliver what matters most.

The council's review of the children's trust arrangements is an opportunity to examine the structures and systems that support the work we are doing. Please take time to reassure colleagues that whatever the outcome of the review, the core purpose that we are all engaged in - improving outcomes for children and young people - remains a priority for Leeds.

The inspection is another opportunity for us to demonstrate that we know what needs to be done to improve outcomes for our children and young people; and more importantly, that we can deliver. With our knowledge, expertise and strong track record in working through inspections we are in a good position to support our colleagues across the children's services partnership at this time. Thank you to all the colleagues who are already leading key pieces of work for the inspection.

Remember, as leaders we all need to 'Keep Calm and Carry On' and demonstrate the confidence and sense of purpose that marks Education Leeds out as a strong, dynamic learning organisation. This will take us through the next few weeks when the inspectors arrive in Leeds. We must continue to have a clear shared vision and a 'can do' attitude. We must be proud, hopeful, positive and optimistic. We must nurture innovation, creativity and be constantly curious. In these trying times we must be totally committed to our colleagues; recognising, celebrating and developing our strengths, while understanding and supporting our weaknesses and mistakes. We must be resilient in the face of the difficulties and setbacks we currently face and dig deep to ensure that while we are passionate, totally focused, determined, persistent and energetic, we work hard to make sure that we all enjoy what we are doing and wherever possible have fun together.

We don't need to work harder to build brilliant. We need to work smarter and better as a team. We need to communicate more, talk and listen more and most importantly we need to continue to think team. Let's also ensure that we have fun together using Children In Need, the Annual Lecture and the Christmas Party as ways of celebrating the best of Leeds.... see you there!
Keep the faith!
Chris

We are 'painting by numbers' in a world monitored, policed and controlled by the 'bean' counters and the 'keep within the line' checkers and the 'weigh the pig' consultants and we are trapped in a viscious spiral of negativity, of it's not good enough so let's do something else, of let's create another intiative, of let's get more consultants and of let's make sure that we find someone to blame. ...

These are dangerous times for those of us who understand the learning process. I have said it so many times, 'command and control doesn't work' and sadly all you get as aresult is mediocre outcomes and millions wasted on initiatives that make little or no real long term difference to outcomes for our children and young people. What really, really matters is the quality of the leadership and quality of the learning teams in our schools and the quality of the local services supporting our brilliant learning places. To achieve transformational outcomes and to release the magic we need colleagues in schools facing the greatest challenges to feel trusted, empowered and supported!

We really need to reflect, think and get back to basics... vision, discipline, focus, passion, engagement, relationships and leadership. 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, from Reggio Emilia, from Sweden and Finland and Denmark and from anywhere else that will help us to build brilliant local provision.
Chris

We are challenged all the time to do better, and to do it faster and more efficiently and more effectively...

I have been working on school improvement for over thirty 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. We have the passion, the discipline, the intellectual rigour, the materials and more importantly we have the people to deliver real magic and to achieve world class outcomes consistently across individual schools and across all schools.

I am not in any way complacent about the challenges we face here in this wonderfully rich, diverse and incredibly challenging city. It's never easy but like you, I am constantly looking for the answers and constantly asking myself how much more I can do, how much more we can do and how much more our schools can do. I am also constantly asking myself about my effectiveness and how I can continue to develop and do better tomorrow than I am doing today.
Welcome your thoughts and ideas.
Chris

A friend sent me the Storyteller's Creed in case I had forgotten...

"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge, That myth is more potent than history, That dreams are more powerful than facts, That hope always triumphs over experience, That laughter is the only cure for grief, And I believe that love is stronger than death."
Robert Fulghum

Always keep the faith!
Chris

I read the Hay Group publication 'Make or break' this evening...

The little booklet highlights the fact that to be successful we must ensure that our organisations have the capacity to keep our promises. It stresses my view that it is not the execution capabilities that make all the difference. Programme management, performance management and measurement systems matter but they are not enough. We need to understand the three major tools we have for turning strategy into reality:

• translate the strategy into a structure that allows the organisation to best serve its customers, clients and stakeholders;
• constantly and publicly reward the way things are done as well as the results achieved;
• consistently repeat the message through stories and check that the message arrives.

We all need to understand that there is a risk within organisations that our body language and our tone contradict the content of our message. We must think very carefully about rewards and structures to ensure that they match our strategy. Content still matters and we still need a vision and a strategy but we should reserve words for what they do best - telling stories that inspire and inform.
Chris

Colleagues gave me a copy of our new 'The Education Leeds Learning and Development Guide' which I read over the weekend...

It's a powerful little statement about the support for talent management and highlights three golden threads:

• equalities and diversity in everything we do;
• working in collaboration - in teams, within Education Leeds and with our partners;
• Leaders and people managers - developing a culture, inspiring and managing colleagues.

The booklet covers induction, personal development, enabling programme, aspiring programme, inspiring programme, health, safety and well-being, child protection and information technology. The document sets out our commitment to our colleagues and their professional and personal development. We need to help colleagues with their own progression pathways to ensure that each and every one achieves their potential and releases their magic.
Chris

Exceptional people in exceptional organisations refuse to choose between
performance and people...

If we want to be outstanding we must do five things to promote both people and performance:
• Get colleagues to trust us;
• Engage directly with colleagues;
• Maintain our focus and consistency of purpose;
• Build our collective leadership;
• Foster and nurture our shared purpose.

It's as always about ownership, engagement, passion and belief. Simple really.
Chris

Change is with us: perhaps it always has been and perhaps it always will be...

We need to recognise that social, economic, end environmental issues all impact on what we are doing. Schools, 21st Century Schools, lie at the heart of Children's Services and the relationships between learners, their families and our colleagues are vitally important if we want to tackle disadvantage and underachievement and release the potential and magic. We need to continue on the journey to excellence with passion, commitment, energy, belief and determination.
Chris

I read a copy of the new Education Leeds Strategy 'Brilliant Learning, Brilliant Learning Places' over the weekend...

It sets out our vision for the next three years. That all our children and young people will be engaged in learning that:

• challenges their expectations;
• rases their aspirations; and
  
• enables them to fulfil their potential and their ambitions.

It's a great document full of wonderful photographs of our children and young people and expresses our ambitions for 2012:

• we will ensure that children will have a good start and thrive in learning;
• we will ensure that young people will be engaged and thrive in learning;
• we will narrow the achievement gap for vulnerable children and young people;
• we will work to support the continuation of learning into adulthood;
• we will ensure a 21st century learning experience for Leeds children and young people;
• we will ensure that we develop and support the leadership and governance needed to deliver 21st century learning;
• we will promote learning that supports children and young people to make informed choices;
• we will ensure that schools and services provide integrated support to safeguard children, young people and their families;
• we will ensure that schools are at the heart of strong communities with places to go and things to do;
• we will ensure that Education Leeds is a strong and successful learning organisation where people are trusted, valued, respected and enabled to release their potential.

Thanks to those colleagues who produced such a wonderful statement which will drive our efforts here in Leeds over the next three years.
Chris

The mind is similar to the muscles of the body: if you do not use it and give it a good workout every day, it will become flabby...

Too many people are neglecting their brains and the world is in serious danger of becoming flabby. What are you reading and doing to keep your brain engaged and active.
Chris

You’ve done all the right things; provided leadership and direction to your colleagues, rewarded courageous risk-taking, encouraged innovation, honored diversity, demanded personal accountability, put children and young people first but it all just went to the dogs in an OFSTED inspection report...

It’s 3:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning and you’re at the fridge again because you can't sleep. You find yourself breaking into a rage every time some well-meaning and over-paid consultant who has never managed anything tells you he has all the answers, to “play to your strengths,” and “enlist everyone in a positive change effort.” So what do we do?

However tough the going gets, there is always hope especially when some of us have travelled this road before. There is a light at the end of the tunnel which isn't a train coming the other way. We all know that it’s a very tough journey but they all are aren't they when you work in the big cities. There are clearly no guarantees of success, but pressing on is our best hope.

This is our business and we are ultimately responsible for the health, the well-being and successes of all the young people who live here in Leeds. So let's all list the five things that will make the biggest difference for our young people. Take a moment to recognize how difficult these things will be and then do them anyway. Our job is to convince enough people to join in the pursuit of a better and more sustainable tomorrow; a tomorrow that delivers better schools and better outcomes for our children and young people than we are achieving today... whatever it takes!
Chris

The current short-term, and quick fix interventionist approach is not based on in-depth understanding of the context and culture of the school, but on superficial data analysis and instant judgements...

It is important to remember that the situation is clearly very different in real schools. The core business of schools is teaching and learning and, to achieve this, the school leaders have to find ways to overcome the many obstacles real schools are facing. To achieve their core purpose and become successful, we know that schools need to move from a culture of dependency to a culture of enterprise, discipline and hard work. That requires strong and highly effective leadership, powerful governance, an organisational infrastructure, financial resources and autonomy, professional excellence at all levels and brilliantly responsive and flexible support.

We know that some of our schools have moved very successfully in this direction and achieved great things; simply look at what John Smeaton Community College, the David Young Academy and Morley High School have achieved over the last few years. However, a small number of our schools still lack great leadership, have poor discipline and are too dependent on support.

We must develop a "can do" approach where there are only challenges and opportunities not problems. We need to contribute practical advice and insightful reflections about the issues faced by our schools; ideas rooted in the reality of effecting lasting change and adding to what the schools already know.

We know that the task we all face is enormous but we know how to do this and we simply need to be break the problems down into bite-sized, manageable strategies and tasks targeted to make a real difference.

Chris

When things in your life seem to be getting on top of you and almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough to get everything done, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee. If you haven't read the story read on...

"A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for th e pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked." The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.""

Whenever things are getting you down and you need a friend remember about my offer to buy you coffee.
Chris

“I have yet to meet the man, however great or exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism.”

Charles Schwab

It' s funny but few people I know have learned how to deliver criticism...

We learn by making mistakes. Simply watch a small child learning to walk. The best way to correct our mistakes is by finding something to praise before we are criticised. In this way people show faith, confidence and trust in our abilities and talents and we will be more willing to listen once we know the intention is to be helpful and constructive.

Praise works. Top football managers dish out praise and appreciation regularly and publicly. Genuine praise is not flattery. We are all more willing to listen to advice when we know the boss has faith in our abilities.
Chris

At Extended Leadership Team this week, I mentioned that I was awake at 2.30am and had thought about other colleagues doing exactly what I was doing, hungering as I hungered, wondering as I wondered and unable to sleep and that we were all members of the 'Fellowship of the Fridge'. This is where that came from..

"Leftovers in their less visible forms are called memories. Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and cupboards of the heart.

These are just few of mine that came up tonight: the laughter of a friend, the last embers of a great fire, the long glance of love from my spouse from across a room full of people, an unexpected snowfall, the year everything went wrong and turned out right, and a chunk of poetry I learned in high school. These precious things - these leftovers from living on - remain to serve as survival rations for the heart and the soul. You can't entirely live off them. But life is not worth living without them.

My solitary late-night forays for food in the fridge are often garnished with such thoughts. I don't go to the refrigerator just to eat. But to think. To sort it all out. And sometimes I think about the other people who must be at the same place in their kitchen at this very moment, doing exactly what I'm doing, hungering as I hunger, wondering as I wonder. We will never get together. There will never be an international convention of us. No kitchen is big enough. But we are bound together. We make up the secret society of the Fellowship of the Fridge. Somehow muddling through and getting by. And not really as alone as we often think we are, after all."

Robert Fulghum

On yet another night when my mind is refusing to let me sleep, I wonder who else is out there.
Chris

"If educators invested a fraction of the energy they now spend on trying to transmit information in trying to stimulate the students' enjoyment of learning, we could achieve much better results."

Csikszentmihalyi

It's important that we all understand that the chief impediments to learning are not cognitive; it's not that any of our students can't learn; it's that many of them don't want to. One of our major challenges is to switch on what is currently switching off so many of our young people.

All ideas welcome.
Chris

What is it that is driving this uncompromising and relentlessly critical approach to standards, safeguarding and provision by the DCSF and OFSTED...

Do we really believe that headteachers, teachers and schools will only do their job properly if they are constantly criticised, tightly directed and carefully monitored. Do we really believe that a significant and increasing minority of headteachers, teachers and schools are performing so poorly that they need to be identified and removed from their roles. Do we really believe that headteachers, teachers and schools are generally well intentioned and professional in their work, but that they need to have continuous, unequivocal external guidance about what they are doing.

What we all need is intelligent accountability. Accountability that...

1. preserves, enhances and develops trust.
2. develops ownership and involves us in the process.
   
3. supports professional responsibility and initiative.
4. encourages deep, worthwhile responses rather than shallow surface window dressing.
5. recognises and compensates for the severe limitations of our ability to capture educational quality in simplistic performance indicators.
6. provides effective feedback that promotes insight into performance.
7. supports good decision making about what we should celebrate and what we should change.
   

Let me know what you think.
Chris

If only...

If colleagues live with criticism They will learn to condemn. If colleagues live with hostility They will learn to fight. If colleagues live with ridicule They will learn to be shy. If colleagues live with jealousy They will learn to feel guilty. But if colleagues live with tolerance They will learn to be patient. If colleagues live with encouragement They will learn self-confidence. If colleagues live with praise They will learn to appreciate. If colleagues live with fairness They will learn justice. If colleagues live with approval They will learn to like themselves. If colleagues live with security They will learn to have faith. If colleagues lives with acceptance and friendship They will learn to find love in the world. Chris

We are building brilliant learning in brilliant learning places here in Leeds...

This is an ambitious statement but we all know that everything we do needs to be good or better and there can be no exceptions. OFSTED and the Audit Commission have raised the bar again with the new OFSTED Framework and the new Corporate Assessment and we are rightly facing higher and higher expectations in everything we do. However, we don't do it for OFSTED or the Audit Commission, the DCSF or the Government. We do it because we all believe that the children and young people of this great city are its future and have extraordinary potential. It is also important that we recognise that our parents and carers, our communities and our partners want every school and all our provision to be brilliant. And, we can do it!

Over the last few years we have proved time and again that we can do it and that underachievement, poor behaviour and poor performance should be things we simply won't accept anymore. Simply visit Carr Manor, Morley High, John Smeaton, David Young and you'll see it. And the message must be that we need all our colleagues to be passionate, persistent, determined, courageous and hard working.

There can be no excuses; our challenge over the next five years is to deliver world class outcomes... whatever it takes.
Chris

How do we build a great learning team here in Leeds?

We must:
1. Have a clear shared vision;
2. Have a 'can do' attitude;
3. Be proud, hopeful, positive and optimistic;
4. Nurture innovation, creativity and be constantly curious;
5. Be totally committed to our colleagues;
6. Recognise, celebrate and develop strengths;
7. Recognise, understand and support weaknesses;
8. Be resilient in the face of difficulties and setbacks.
9. Enjoy what we are doing and wherever possible have fun;
10. Be passionate, totally focused, determined, persistent and energetic.

How do you think we match up?
Chris

'Backing the Future' provides the economic and social case for transforming the way we invest in the future of society through our children...

The report by the charity Action for Children and the New Economics Foundation makes clear the need for a comprehensive investment programme in preventative services for children and young people that would both save spending on dealing with the impact of problems later, and deliver wider benefits to society. To achieve lasting change, 'Backing the Future' demonstrates why it is essential to address the impact of the structural factors affecting the circumstances of children’s lives, such as poverty and inequality, together with psychological and social dimensions of their well-being. Evidence of the need for decisive action by national governments is compelling. When compared with our European neighbours, the UK comes bottom of the pile on almost every preventable social problem – crime, mental ill health, family breakdown, drug use, or obesity. The analysis shows that the UK has to spend a third more in addressing the consequences of its social problems than the next most troubled nation. But the costs are not only economic. The prevalence of these social problems has a direct impact on how children experience their lives and on the cohesiveness of our communities. This means that the UK has some of the lowest levels of child well-being when compared with countries of similar economic wealth, and across social and psychological dimensions.

Yet is it so hard to imagine a different future? A future where all children feel loved, are free from poverty, have supportive relationships with other children and adults, feel happy and safe, and are free to imagine and explore as they journey through their local neighbourhoods. A future where all children feel valued; where they give their ideas, time, passions, and their creativity to everyone they meet and to all that they do. A future where the UK no longer languishes at the bottom of international rankings of child well-being and indices of social dysfunction. The report demonstrates that investing more in children is necessary, economically viable and a better use of public money in the long run. The cost to the UK economy of continuing to address current levels of social problems will amount to almost £4 trillion over a 20 year period. This includes addressing problems such as crime, mental ill health, family breakdown, drug abuse and obesity. Investing in a package of support, including targeted interventions and universal childcare and paid parental leave, could help address as much as £1.5 trillion worth of the cost of these social problems. This would leave the UK in a similar position to European nations such as Finland, Sweden and Denmark which have the best social outcomes.

The report shows how this can be achieved and presents an economic model for how the UK Government could fund a transition to a more preventative system, therefore turning aspiration into reality.If you want to read the report visit their website at http://www.neweconomics.org. Chris

I read in the Times Educational Supplement that the National College for School Leadership has commissioned a peice of research to discover the leadership qualities young people believe headteachers should have...

Reassuringly young people felt that intelligence was most important, followed by someone they could respect and look up to. Boys wanted a winner while girkls wanted their headteacher to be kind and caring. Commenting on their current headteacher young people said that they wanted the best for their school, were fair and understanding, understood right and wrong and wanted students to do their best.

Asked about their dream headteachers the top ten were:

1. David Tennant;
2. Barack Obama;
3. J.K. Rowling;
4. Cheryl Cole;
5. David Beckham;
6. Will Smith;
7. Michelle Obama;
8. Sir Alan Sugar;
9. Lewis Hamilton;
10. Alan Shearer.

It certainly makes interesting reading!
Chris

I know that we all want Education Leeds and schools across the city to be the ‘Best Places to Work’ locally, regionally and nationally...

Being a brilliant learning place takes a deep-rooted commitment focused on leadership, performance management and resource management. We must all work hard to help our colleagues be the best they can be, doing the best we can in every area of our work and supporting each other to be our brilliant best. Research has shown that looking after our health and well-being affects the experience for young people and their parents and carers improves recruitment and retention, drives up standards and drives down poor attendance. There is no question about it secure, happy, engaged colleagues are the key to success.

We need to focus on improving the things that really make that difference. Leadership is the key to this and we need to understand how colleagues feel about us as leaders and managers and how they view our values and principles. We need to coach colleagues and nurture their well-being to help them manage the pressure, the stress and maintain their life-work balance. Increasingly we are looking for colleagues to be more flexible and develop generic skills and we need to put in place training and development programmes to release colleagues potential and their magic. We also need to continue to think team, build team and create teams where colleagues work together on the challenges and the wicked issues.

We must continue to be proud to be part of the learning team here in Leeds. We have made such a difference together and colleagues in so many ways have made a fantastic contribution. We are building something simply amazing which is helping young people to achieve better and better outcomes.
Chris

Last week was a celebration of brilliant buildings, brilliant leadership and brilliant people...

I visited some great schools in Leeds: our two new Academies - Leeds West and South Leeds; our two new schools built under the Building Schools for the Future programme - Allerton Grange and Swallow Hill; and Clapgate Primary School. I also went to Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College in Bradford. Here in Leeds we've built some truly exceptional buildings over the past few years; brilliant learning places that are at the heart of local communities. They are all unique, creative and imaginative places where wonderfully talented colleagues will be able to release the enormous potential and magic in our young people.

I spent time with some great leaders: Annette Hall, Colin Bell, Richard Hughes, Lesley Simpson, Rick Whittaker and Bernard Knowles. We have appointed some truly exceptional headteachers over the last few years; brilliant colleagues who have transformed learning in their schools and helped us achieve some outstanding outcomes. They are all unique, creative and wonderful colleagues whose leadership, commitment and example has helped us release the enormous potential and magic in our colleagues.

As with most weeks here in Leeds the real highlight was that I spent time with some extraordinary young people with enormous talent and potential. Potential doctors, lawyers, scientists, sportsmen, artists, teachers, managers, entrepreneurs, politicians; young people with energy, enthusiasm, character and magic. Young people who make it all worthwhile and who remind us why we are here.
Chris

I attended 'The Science of Success' a 'Benchmark for Business' Conference with Daniel Goleman and Malcolm Gladwell today...

Daniel Goldman highlighted the impact of leadership styles on climate. The most important elements are:

• a visionary style which provides long-term direction; and
  
• a coaching style which develops colleagues;

Other elements that make a difference are:

• an affiliative style which creates teamwork and harmony; and
• a democratic style which build commitment through collaboration.

Interesting, but unsurprisingly, some styles have a negative impact:

• a commanding style that demands compliance; and
• a pacesetting style that pushes colleagues to accomplish tasks.

So keep the vision, coach colleagues, think team and share wherever you can.
Chris

It is becoming increasingly obvious that things are going to get a lot more interesting around here...

We need to work harder to build brilliant. We need to:
1. share the big picture and put aside other agendas;
2. share the reality and always be honest with each other;
3. share everything and constantly listen to feedback;
4. share the workload and support others;
5. share every success and every failure.

This is more than just a series of goals or the Education Leeds vision - it's about our values and our culture and helping colleagues to understand where they fit into the bigger picture. We must be prepared to confront the harsh realities when things go wrong and give and receive honest feedback. We need open, clear, two-way communication and active listening to continue to build teamwork across the company and across Children's Services. If we get this right I believe that things will happen spontaneously; colleagues will understand where the pressures are, what the challenges are and how to manage the workload. They will then collaborate to get jobs done by building creative teams, dynamic partnerships and strong and meaningful relationships.

In a genuine 'one team' culture, everyone wins, loses and learns and most importantly everyone improves and develops together.

Chris

What are your goals?
What do you want to achieve?

REMEMBER...

• to stay positive!
• see set backs as temporary!
• believe in yourself!
• be determined!
• be disciplined!

REMEMBER...

• start now!
• focus! and
  practice, practice, practice!

When you hear the word ordinary, when you are talking about a child, a colleague, a friend, an athlete, a dancer, a school, a place or anything else, what do you think?

You probably think of words such as average, dull, boring, plain, common, and every day. You're probably not thinking of examples—ordinary people and ordinary places don't stand out and simply aren't that important or that memorable. Now what you think of when you hear the word extraordinary. Are words such as amazing, wonderful, talented, gorgeous, outstanding and brilliant coming to mind? We almost always think of a particular individual or a particular place that fits the description: a hero, a partner, a child, a friend, a great school, a great restaurant, an incredible footballer, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, a great poet, or your favourite place.

Many people believe that if you are an ordinary person with an ordinary job, you have no hope of ever achieving success or doing something extraordinary: something that really makes a difference. This is not true. You are a unique and extraordinary individual with incredible potential and the difference between being ordinary or being extraordinary is not skill, the difference is attitude!
Chris

It has taken me a long time to discover the fact but I now know that self-discipline will allow me to be successful in anything I want to achieve and believe I can achieve...

The problem we face is that wherever you look so many people have hardly any self-discipline. Sad really because using self-discipline you can make all your dreams come true! If you set a goal you simply need to stay focused, keep disciplined, trust your instincts and never let anyone tell you that your dreams are unattainable. Discipline and success go hand in hand; it is the formula which will help you to achieve your goals.
Chris

It doesn’t really matter what approach we take, honesty, respect and discipline are needed to ensure success in everything we do...

Remember that this is a team game and we’ve all seen new colleagues and old ones who simply try too hard. We must carefully listen and build trust, respect and understanding.

Remember that relationships take time to develop, and we must allow and support everyone so that they grow into an effective team member and team player.

Remember that nothing can be learned through talking. Asking questions and listening should represent 80% of our interactions with colleagues.

Remember that respect is always earned over time and by example.

Chris

The great teams I know are obsessed with getting things done...

They have the vision, the ambition, the aspiration, the dreams, but they also know how to deliver brilliant outcomes. Without action and execution, dreams can only take you so far. This is true of any great team, whether it's a non-executive board, a city council, a school or an orchestra or band.

What's remarkable is you don't hear of orchestras, musicians or artists burning out from the pressure, overwork or stress. They love what they do and they thrive on the pressure, in good or bad times; teams of people who have dreams and a love of performing and getting things done.

This dream plus action approach is what we need from our teams, large and small; in our business and in our schools.
Chris

After another interesting week, I realise once again that Education Leeds is our organization to make work and it’s not “them” that’s the problem; if there is one, it's us. I adapted this from some materials I read by Tom Peters...

• This is a team game and we must all be team players.
• We should dump the power and the control freaks.
• We should share everything on the web.
• We must develop openness and transparency so that everything is available to everyone.
• “Integrated joined up solutions” should underpin our culture.
• We should only partner with the “best”.
• Remember all schools are created equal and all schools contribute equally!
• Remember professionalism and excellence are the watchwords.
• We must all invest in re-wiring our organisations.
• We must all live the Leeds Brand.
• We must become fans of co-operation and partnership.
• We must all use the words “partner”, "team", "we" and "us".
• We should obsessively seek inclusion.
• Buttons & Badges & T-shirts matter.
• We must work on team identity and solidarity.
• We must develop rewards and incentives.
• Losing, like winning, is a team affair.
• Blame is not part of our culture.
• Every member of our team matters.
• We need to nurture “Wow Projects”, large or small that demand by definition excellence.
• We must unearth and reward cooperation and partnership working.
• People want the opportunity to do something memorable.
• Colleagues who shine in the working together bit should be rewarded.
• To improve and develop our new culture little teams should be formed on the spot to deal with urgent issues.
• We must make it normal to be “working together.”
• Project “management” experience should become as natural as breathing;
• Everything we do should be about pursuing and developing excellence.
• We must pick partners based on their ability to co-operate and work in partnership.
• We must talk partnership and value-added at every opportunity.

I would as always welcome your comments and feedback.

Chris