Today, 1st May 2009, I have reached an important milestone in my professional life...

I have been here in Leeds for eight great years. The important thing is the longer I stay the better it gets and surprisingly perhaps the more we are achieving and more importantly the more our children and young people are achieving. Our positive, relentless and persistent approach reaching out and releasing the magic; creating brilliant learning in brilliant learning places serving healthier and more harmonious communities. We have built a new world of learning in Leeds by nurturing, developing and searching for potential and coaching that talent and potential through self-efficacy, self-esteem and behavioural change programmes. Our energy, passion, enthusiasm, commitment and belief has released a special magic which is contagious. The more I look, the more I realise that I am surrounded by talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful colleagues whose energy, passion, enthusiasm, commitment and belief burn so brightly and who are day-in day-out making a real difference for children and young people and everyday building a better tomorrow for every child and every young person in Leeds.

Thanks to everyone who has made the last eight years, the best eight years of my professional life. Chris

'When the going gets tough, the tough get going.' It's all about attitude, determination and persistence. If you want to be successful in any aspect of your life you need to be persistent...

Persistence is the powerful force that keeps pushing you on when that little voice in your head is telling you to quit. Persistence is an intense desire to succeed. You either have it or you don’t but the good news is that persistence is a state of mind and you can develop persistence. Now is the time to be more persistent than ever. Now is the time for us all to step up. Persistence will reward us all for our efforts when we achieve our goals. It is one of the greatest feelings in life. Hang in there!
Chris

I've been dealing with a lot of difficult things; difficult people and difficult issues. I am grateful to those colleagues and friends who have helped me manage my demons recently and helped me realise that there are seven steps which help us manage the impossible:

Step1

Remember that problems are what we make them.

Step2

Remember that you have a choice in how you handle things.

Step3

Remember to never give up or give in when faced with a challenge.

Step4

Remember to deal with your emotions.

Step5

Remember that problems and difficult situations help us to grow as individuals.

Step6

Remember to learn to laugh at your situation and mistakes no matter how bad they are.

Step7

Remember we all need help and support.

It's great to have someone to talk to when the going gets tough, so that the tough can get going.
Chris

To create a brilliant school, a brilliant team or a brilliant organisation you must...

Behave Equitably
Treat others in a way you would wish to be treated yourself.
Be Honest and Trustworthy
Understand what is important, be open, honest and keep your promises.
Care About People
Be caring and supportive and make sure you treat colleagues with respect.
Use Coaching and Feedback
Nurture growth and challenge, and recognise that colleagues just want to do well and enjoy the roles they have, and do a great job.
Recognise Success
Acknowledge good performance and recognise it every and any way we can... thank you's, hugs, letters, stickers, flowers and chocolate all help.
Communicate Well
Be truly interested in what colleagues have to say and ensure that they are appreciated, information is openly shared and everyone contributes fully.
Delegate Well
Help colleagues do what they are best at. We must all let go of the things we don't need to do and use delegation to develop colleagues skills and abilities.
Build Relationships
Develop great relationships where colleagues care, share and connect their ideas, successes and concerns.
Appreciate Differences
Understand that every colleague can contribute their particular and unique skills and abilities to build real success.
Have Finally Have Fun!
Ensure that every Friday, if not every day, we smile, laugh and eat chocolate.

Let me know what you think we can do to build brilliant.
Chris

We need to remember that we are all talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful; all potential high achievers wherever we work in this crazy enterprise; in the school kitchen, the playground or the playing field, the classroom, the laboratory, the workshop, the office or at Education Leeds...

We all try out new recipes and approaches, we test assumptions, we experiment with new concepts and ideas, we look at data and outcomes and we constantly search for the magic ingredient that can lead to a breakthrough and help us make even more of a difference to the lives of our children and young people. In our constant search for brilliant; brilliant food, brilliant systems, briliant provision and brilliant outcomes, we must be creative, methodical, pragmatic and demanding and our personal standards have to be focused, relentless and uncompromising. Only our brilliant best is good enough for the children and young people, the families and the communities we serve. It is important that we all remember that achieving the outstanding, the brilliant, the magical comes from putting your heart and soul into your work. It is about being passionate and loving what you are doing to bring out your absolute incredible potential. The words 'passion' and 'love' are there because they are the secret to brilliant. If you don't love what you are doing with a real passion, you are wasting your life and you should take your magic and your potential and go and do something else!

It has been an incredibly difficult week full of meetings, challenge and frustration but interspersed as always with little interludes of real magic. I visited South Leeds High School as part of the Corporate Assessment tour we arranged fo the city's inspectors and auditors. We celebrated the achievements of yet another cohort of fantastic Higher Level Teaching Assistants. I attended the beginning of the RM/Education Leeds 'Demonstrating Transformation Conference where Professor Tim Brighouse gave the keynote address. I visited East Ardsley and Kirkstall St Stephen's CE Primary Schools. I had breakfast with some of the Templenewsam Halton Family of Schools headteachers and lunch with the Seacroft and Manston Family of Schools headteachers.

I have to admit that I have struggled over the last three weeks and I am sorry to say that on occasions I have lost the plot. I have become very tired, depressed and negative and I recognise that I have started to undermine the very special culture, values and relationships we have all worked so hard to nurture and develop here at Education Leeds. However, thanks to some friends and colleagues, I am pleased to say that at the end of the week and over the weekend I have readjusted the volume and the balance. I have managed to relax, unwind, refocus and re-read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. It’s a great book, first published in 1937, and things don’t get any clearer than this:

• Don’t criticise, condemn or complain;
• Give honest and sincere feedback;
• Be genuinely interested;
• Smile and laugh;
• Remember colleagues names;
• Be a good listener;
• Make colleagues feel valued;
• Avoid arguments;
• Respect colleagues opinions;
• Admit it when you are wrong;
• Be friendly and supportive;
• Get colleagues to agree with you;
• Let colleagues do the talking;
• Let others feel that ideas are theirs;
• See things from colleagues’s viewpoints;
• Be sympathetic to other ideas;
• Appeal to the moral purpose;
• Tell powerful stories;
• Set colleagues challenges;
• Begin with praise and appreciation;
• Identify mistakes indirectly;
• Talk about your own mistakes;
• Ask questions;
• Help colleagues save face;
• Praise every little thing;
• Talk colleagues up;
• Use encouragement;
• Encourage people to be happy at work;
• Keep it simple.

'Whatever you do keep it simple' should be etched on the wall in every staff room, every office and every room at Education Leeds. Complexity is the curse of the digital age. It is a type of intellectual pollution that drives out clarity of purpose, smothers thinking and common sense and impacts negatively and destructively on colleagues happiness, productivity and engagement. We all know that achieving absolute simplicity is something none of us will ever achieve but if we don't make some real effort, if we don't train ourselves to look for ways to simplify, we can guarantee our lives will become more complex, busier, less efficient and even more stressful and destructive.

Keep the faith.

Chris

I received a wonderful letter from Steve Grigg who is Head of SEN and Principal Educational Psychologist in the City of York...

Steve had visited Rodillian School, with a delegation from York, to look at the Rodillian/Broomfield Partnership. He and the group were bowled over by the building and the fantastic provision available for children with special educational needs. Steve highlighted how impressed everyone was by the drive and commitment of Sharon Cooper's team and the flexible approach the school has developed to the challenges this sort of provision faces. They were also impressed by the general atmosphere and behaviour around the school which is a real tribute to Andy Goulty who is doing a great job.

It is fantastic to get this sort of independent and objective feedback on the impact our SILC partnership working is having and how we are changing the culture in our secondary schools to make them happier, healthier and more inclusive places.
Chris

It has been a very hard couple of weeks..

We all face relentless and uncompromising pressure and higher and higher expectations. The real challenge is how do we continue to improve learning and outcomes for all our students? And how do we create provision that delivers significantly better learning outcomes? The challenges remain driving up secondary standards, improving the very low secondary contextual value added, improving attendance and improving behaviour. We must work even harder to address the needs of young people achieving very little after eleven years of statutory education, tackling those not in education, employment and training and we must ensure that no schools in Leeds achieve below the floor targets; whatever they are!

I often wonder why some of our provision is so fragile, so prone to failure, so limited in its effectiveness and so poorly performing when compared to the best in Leeds let alone the best in the country. Wherever we are not achieving brilliant outcomes we must do something. We must re-imagine our systems, processes and provision and be brave enough to ask ourselves what we can do to ensure that there is step change in outcomes for all young people here in Leeds... and then get on and do it!

I have been to some incredible learning places recently. Across the city, brilliant colleagues working in schools and classrooms are releasing the magic and delivering world class outcomes, often against the odds. We know what it takes to build brilliant... it's alive and well here in Leeds.

• leadership matters;
• attendance is crucial;
• managing behaviour vital;
  
• enthusiasm is contagious;
• small is beautiful;
• relationships are key;
• passion creates ownership;
• coaching counts;
• persistence and determination go a long way; and
• you tend to get what you expect.

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

Chris

I discovered these eight aspects that school leaders in Minnesota encourage, to achieve their vision:

• There are many academic roads, but all must be rigorous and lead to higher education.
• Educational investment must start early.
• Learning must take as much time as it takes.
• Great teachers must have great support.
• Data and research must inform teaching and improve learning every day.
• Funding must be predictable and sufficient to produce world-class performance.
• Services for students with special needs must emphasize outcomes, not processes.
• Global citizenship must be a core academic subject.

Interesting start to another debate.
Chris

I was thinking over the weekend about how we continue to drive the culture here within Education Leeds...

It's still about action, training, coaching and innovation and we must continue to:

• lead by example;
• put people first;
• manage by wandering around;
• develop transparency and openness;
• get the basics right;
• keep it simple;
• remember that the little things matter!

Chris

Today has been one of those days when I go from meeting to meeting and wonder what real difference any of it actually makes. The great thing however is that you meet wonderfully talented people at these meetings... people who are doing things, creating things, changing things and challenging the assumptions we all make about what is possible.

I know I am incredibly lucky that I work in an organisation where people, partnerships and relationships are central to everything we do. And it's true, you know, that you get back what you give away... smile and the world smiles with you... laugh and the world laughs with you... compliment people and the compliments come flooding back... trust people and they repay you by the bucketload. Sadly some people haven't a clue about this and they simply let their own limitations and frustrations get in the way.

We must all remember that good communication lies at the heart of our success and it's true that being positive helps colleagues to be their brilliant and outstanding best. These are some of the things I have learnt about leading successfully... we must...

• always try to see the bigger picture;
• always be as positive as possible;
• always say thank you;
• always share ideas and problems;
• always tell the truth;
• always listen carefully to what is being said;
• always smile whatever happens;
• always go the extra mile.

Chris

"If I were absolutely certain about all things, I would spend my life in anxious misery, fearful of losing my way. But since everything and anything are always possible, the miraculous is always nearby and wonders shall never, ever cease."
Robert Fulghum

The Safer Schools Partnership started the week training twenty four police officers who will be working in our secondary schools as members of the teaching and learning teams. This is a brilliantly creative initiative which will improve outcomes and target and support some of our most vulnerable young people. I visited Parklands Girls High School to talk to the team about the challenges we are facing and the critical importance of a rigorous and relentless focus on securing good outcomes this year with Year 11. I visited Ebor Gardens Primary School to see Kathryn Depledge and her team at this outstanding little school. I visited Roundhay School to be interviewed on BBC News 24 about the Safer Schools project. I was also interviewed by young people about the work we are doing to tackle bullying as part of the Diana Awards and by Rhia Page, one of our students who is doing a media course, about the work we are doing on inclusion. I visited St Francis Catholic Primary School in Morley where Jane Burns and her team are doing great things. I visited Wetherby High School to met with senior colleagues and governors from the school and from Boston Spa School to talk about the opportunities the two schools have to work more closely together. And finally, I attended the feedback session on the self-evaluation initiative the Artforms music team have taken part in, and was delighted that the outcome was that this is a good service with some outstanding features.

After such a busy week in so many brilliant learning places, what we have to do in terms of leading and managing change in our primary schools, our secondary schools, our behavioural provision and the 14 - 19 stuff and at the same time securing brilliant outcomes for all our children and young people becomes clearer. We have to make our colleagues understand that they have enormous potential; that they can do anything, and that the miracles and the magic are commonplace. I remember Lou Tice telling me that people act as they imagine themselves to be and that changing people's attitude was more important than anything else we did. I also recently re-read a study by Cambridge University which looked at the concept of genius and came to a really interesting set of conclusions... success is about 1% inspiration; about 30 % coaching, teaching and support and about 70% sheer hard work. So, it's true that you can be great at almost anything if you are prepared to put in the work and the only thing that is holding you back is your own perceptions of what you are capable of. What's really sad that so many of us have convinced ourselves that we are not clever, intelligent or talented... which is, of course, an excuse not to work hard at being the talented, brilliant, gorgeous and wonderful human being each and everyone of us could be!

This year we must continue to celebrate every achievement however big or small, and work hard to inspire our colleagues in Education Leeds, our colleagues in schools, our young people and our parents and carers. We must work even harder to release the enormous potential that currently lies dormant in our offices, our schools, and our homes and we must create an environment where this incredible potential can flourish, grow and develop.
Chris

Over Christmas I re-read this and wanted to share it again with you...

"What have I learned in life? I've learned that:

• you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
• no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
• it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
• it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
• you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better know something.
• you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.
• you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
• it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
• you can keep going long after you can't.
• we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
• either you control your attitude or it controls you.
• regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
• heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
• money is a lousy way of keeping score.
• my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
• sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
• sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
• true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
• just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
• maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
• you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.
• your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, how people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't always biological.
• no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
• it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
• no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
• our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
• just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
• we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
• you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
• two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
• no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.
• your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
• even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
• credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
• the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
• it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe. "
  

Powerful stuff and worth remembering as we enter another crazy and challenging year where undoubtedly we will get things wrong and screw up but hopefully continue to make a real difference for children and young people across Leeds.
Chris

I know that it's not a good idea when I think instead of sleeping but my ramblings recently reminded me about why I do what I do...

I love what I do and I passionately believe that we are making an incredible difference here in Leeds. However, it isn't enough and we need to do more. We need to find a way to work smarter, to focus ruthlessly on standards and outcomes for our young people. At the heart of this is the vision, the values and the beliefs that shape Education Leeds as a truly brilliant organisation... a commitment to people and to relationships, a belief in their potential and a relentless focus on doing whatever it takes to achieve great things and to release the magic. We all have such enormous potential to change the world for the better. Not necessarily in big chunks but in small pieces that together achieve great things... in bite-size pieces that can move mountains.

It's funny but after nearly eight years here in Leeds I am still unconvinced that we all live, eat and breathe this agenda; that we all thrive on what we are doing and don't see it simply as a job. That we get to work and think that we are so lucky to be doing this and serving the young people of Leeds and don't see it as a chore. That we all come to work everyday determined to make a difference and don't spend our time on the mobile phone or thinking about what we will be doing at the end of the day.

This job we do is so important to the health and well-being of the city and if you don't believe in what you are doing you should go and find something where you do pasionately believe and live that dream instead. Why waste your life doing something that doesn't excite you, that doesn't stimulate you, that doesn't make you think WOW aren't I lucky to be here!

Chris

Looking after your Mental Well-being

I was reading over the weekend and saw this...

"These are the eight steps to secure your mental well-being:

• develop your self-belief;
• take responsibility and control;
• be motivated and interested;
  
• be persistent and focused;
• be pragmatic and realistic;
• be flexible and creative;
  
• develop resilience and bounce; and
  
• be relentlessly committed."

Chris

Happy New Year

Welcome back to what looks like being another interesting year…

This is going to be another year full of opportunities for those of us who believe we can continue to make a difference, continue to deliver brilliant outcomes and continue to change the world. It is important that we all understand that this begins with leadership. We can’t be great at what we do unless we feel great about ourselves. We can’t be the source of positivity and support unless we are positive and optimistic about ourselves and the future. We must enjoy ourselves while we chase success; we must look after ourselves; we must read good books and be inspired; we must continue to learn and continue to improve and develop our talents, our abilities and our skills. We must be optimistic and remember these key messages so that we nurture the magic, develop the creative edge, foster imagination and keep all our colleagues happy, healthy, safe and successful… whatever it takes.

In case you’ve forgotten the key messages:

• focus and work hard;
• take personal responsibility;
• read lots and learn from everything you do;
• celebrate other people’s achievements and always say thank you;
• share your experiences, your learning and your successes;
• reduce the paper and clean up the clutter;
• always think about how you can make a difference;
• be positive, don’t put up with negative people or dwell on the negatives; and
• never lie about anything important.

And when the going gets tough and the challenges seem impossible:

• look after yourself and your colleagues;
• spend time with positive and optimistic colleagues;
• smile, laugh at life and search for ways to have fun;
• breathe deeply, stretch and exercise regularly;
• get enough sleep and take regular breaks;
• appreciate what you have; and
• celebrate everything that goes well.

Happy New Year

Chris

A New Year is a good time to set goals for the coming year...

But before you do you must dream! Dream of everything you want, and have always wanted in every area of your life. What would you attempt to do, if I knew you could not fail? What would you want for your life if you knew you could have it? Let your imagination run wild! Write your ideas down on paper and decide which ones are the most important to you.

Here are some tips and techniques to help us set our new goals:

• State each goal as a strong and positive statement.

• Write your goals down and be precise with dates, times and amounts so that you can measure your achievements.
  

• Set your priorities and don't try to do to much.

• Keep operational goals small and achievable.
  

• Set performance goals, not outcome goals.

• Set realistic goals that you believe you can achieve and that you really want.
  

So, what are you waiting for?
Chris

New Year is the time we say goodbye to the old year and welcome the coming year...

It's a time to forget those memories of a year past that are no longer useful or worth worrying about. It's a time for new beginnings, new ideas and new challenges. We should let go of the past, the mistakes, the bad memories and simply accept what has happened. Sadly, you cannot turn back time and do things differently.

New year is the time to celebrate your life and your achievements and to make new beginnings, develop new ideas and accept new challenges. It is time for a fresh start and to do things that would make a real difference. A time to change your life, to change someone else's life or just make someone's life little better. Make a pledge to do something to make a difference to your own life and to make a difference to least one other person. You will see the difference it can make.

The essential message of New Year is let go of the past and embrace and celebrate life as it comes to you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Chris

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris

What difference are you making?

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

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

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

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

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