The start of the journey: creating and leading a well functioning and trusting team

Yesterday was the start of the journey for me.  Creating and leading a well functioning and trusting team.  I'm not using the words 'creating and leading' in a sense that it is all about me, and all about what I think this team should look like.  But in the end, as much as I am a part of this team, I am also at the end of the day responsible for how this team operates and am accountable to the BoT (and other staff) to ensure we are a TEAM. 

Last week I shared with the team both the current ERO review report and a reading given to me, 'Cultural relationships for Relational Pedagogy'.  We met with our ERO facilitator online yesterday and the ERO report was broken down for us. Each aspect was clarified and further meaning and insight added.  We were then given time to give our perspective on the findings.  

Everyone in the team spoke, and it felt like the answers were real and truthful.  There were no big question marks from anyone, and there seemed to be an agreement with the barriers currently in place, and the next big steps required.  One of the things we discussed was what our thoughts were on what our first priority should be.  This highlighted that most thought that we needed to prioritise developing what a positive culture looks like at our kura.  

In some ways this is a bitter pill to swallow, as upon coming to this kura, this was my main focus.  In a way, it feels like there have been no real gains in the last three years.  However, that is my glass-half empty lense.  Now to put my glass half-full lense on it.  

As a school community we have developed new values: Empower, Protect, Identity, and 
Connect' (EPIC).  We have also developed schoolwide expectations of what it means to display these values.  We have also become less punitive in dealing with behaviour, and more restorative.  We did design a Positive Behaviour Model which describes what minor/major behaviours look like.  We started new initiatives to reward positive behaviours, with our token and certificate points system. We have also grown in school roll as students have more pride in this kura and see the opportunities and experiences they are offered.  

Did all of this come from a shared vision and shared discussion: yes.  It involved the entire staff and took a long time to construct.  Has it become embedded and do we have an overall positive culture at school: no.  

So why not? 

The real driver of all of this mahi was me.  Yes I had a bit of a team around me, and they did some of the ground work.  Our school vision and strategic plan has predominantly been created and planned by me.  Of course, there has been both Board and staff involvement, and there have been discussions with SLT to refine this.  But really it was driven by me. The positive behaviour for learning model was brought in and pushed by me (yep we had 80%+ of staff approval). Did I have the full buy-in and support of my SLT?  Could I ever have had the full buy-in and support of my SLT through the way I lead change in our kura?   These questions are ones that I have reflected on a lot lately.

I feel tired.  This year has been, to be brutally honest horrible.  But the thing is, I am still here.  I'm not a quitter, and I am also willing to look in the mirror, see the finger I am pointing, and also see the three fingers that are actually pointing straight back at me. 

So I am ready to look at growing my leadership capabilities.  I want to work in and lead a well-functioning and trusting team.  I need to release some of the ropes I have tied myself too and open myself up to be more collaborative.  

It's a sobering thought when you have previously prided yourself in being relational and collaborative. But its okay.  Because I know that I am both of those things, but just not effectively enough. Because I know that some of what I have done over the course of the last three years had to happen, and happen quickly.  And now I am ready to add some leadership qualities to my reportoire that will enable me to share the load, and learn how to collaborate more effectively and in a more trusting environment.  

So, today I sent the first email to SLT asking for us to make a decision together on when it would be best to meet as a team regularly (which has been a struggle this year).  I purposely wrote and rewrote certain parts of the email so that I took out my opinion and really tried to sound like there was no 'foregone conclusion' already.  I hope that by making little tweaks like this to how I engage with my team, I am able to lead us on a co-constructed path, but we are taking that journey together, taking the wins together, taking the hits together, and modeling 'togetherness' for the rest of the school.