Eamont Education
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School leaders often feel like they’re on a hamster wheel

If you find yourself in this situation, do yourself (and your school) a favour and step off.

Feeling like you’re running at full pelt, but going nowhere, is a common experience for many school leaders. I know. I’ve been there myself at times. However, if you create space for yourself to focus upon the really, really important work, both you and your school will be in a much better position for it. This article outlines the risks associated with such relentless ‘busyness’ and the non-stop firefighting often associated with the role. I’ll also offer some practical strategies to help you step off the hamster wheel.

Rolling your sleeves down

There are always times when the unexpected happens and leaders need to roll their sleeves up and dive in, but a leader’s job is to consider the entire organisation and who is best placed to act. That’s hard to do when you’re stuck in the detail. Leadership needs to be sustainable as adrenaline can only support us for short periods before it starts to do us harm. Operating in a strategic manner can allow us to proactively focus energy upon the right things, reducing the need to constantly fight fires.

The risks of leading by doing

How are you currently making yourself aware of what’s on (or beyond) the horizon? Making time for this is vital for leaders and their organisations. Do you remember renting a DVD from Blockbuster? Blockbuster is now a mere memory. Leaders at Blockbuster focused upon operational details and didn’t look up to see that the world of visual entertainment in homes was changing at a rapid pace. Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010. You’re now probably paying a subscription to one of the successful entertainment organisations that created time to step back and scan the horizon.

Justifying space to stop and think

Flyvbjerg and Gardner, in How Big Things Get Done, suggest that those wishing to ensure success in projects should ‘think slow and act fast’. They argue for sufficient time to develop considered, detailed plans to support effective delivery. Taking time out can feel difficult as there will be an emotional pull on leaders to directly support their teams and show that they are willing to get their hands dirty. Resisting this pull is necessary. Johnson, from her long-term research into organisational effectiveness in Step Up, Step Back, highlights the importance of ‘slack’. Slack is the regular time devoted to thinking about what’s working well and what needs to change. Johnson states that, ‘Without slack, there is no learning; and without learning there can be no improvement’.

Strategic time as a given

Planning ahead to protect thinking space is a powerful approach. The concepts of ‘redwork’ and ‘bluework’ are offered by Marquet in Leadership is Language. Redwork is when we physically act to implement the desired results (the doing). Bluework is when the strategic thinking happens to support the effectiveness and efficiency of redwork. Although schools may not be places where whole staff teams can operate together for bluework periods (children still need teaching), Marquet’s concepts could help leaders be more creative about how to protect time to think.

Ways to step off the hamster wheel

I’ve led schools myself and know that it’s hard to do things that benefit us directly when we’re trying to do things for everyone else. I’ve also seen effective, caring headteachers burn out, resulting in a huge impact upon their schools. You may think you’re being selfish when you put your needs first, but leadership is about ensuring the whole organisation is performing well for those you lead and serve.

Seven Strategies

  • Proactively plan time and space for thinking and dedicate funds to protect it.
  • Explain to your team what you are working on and why this will keep everyone safe, well and performing effectively.
  • Consider working off site to avoid disruptions. This may require supply cover. Empower those in school to manage anything that crops up.
  • Let governors know that you’re taking time to focus upon strategy and explore new perspectives. Effective governors could offer valuable support when doing this.
  • Consider the return on investment (ROI) you’ll reap in the long run if you identify efficiencies relating to working practices during your strategic thinking time. One return could be increased wellbeing and reduced staff absence costs.
  • If you think that stepping away will lead to more pressures in school, reflect upon what’s creating such demands. How could you alleviate this?
  • Consider a ‘We could…’ rather than ‘I could…’ approach when identifying possible actions. A ‘We could…’ approach might open up more possibilities as to who is best placed to carry out a task rather than automatically taking it on yourself.

Next steps

When I work with leaders who are feeling overwhelmed and unable to step off the hamster wheel, I offer a confidential space to explore their specific, unique situation. We then work together to identify effective solutions to put them on the front foot and perform as the leader they know they can be.

My advice is to –

Make a commitment right now to book some time out for yourself within the next three weeks.
Go on.
Do it.
You, your team and your school deserve it. (Your family might thank you for it too.)

Resources

dangardner.ca/publication/how-big-things-get-done

Leadership Is Language – David Marquet, Author, Keynote Speaker, Creator of Intent-Based Leadership, Intent-Based Leadership International

Step Up, Step Back: How to Really Deliver Strategic Change in Your Organization: Elsbeth Johnson: Bloomsbury Business – Bloomsbury