IPPN

Published: 29 November 2023

In preparation for the publication of the progress report on the Sustainable Leadership project, we issued a member survey to which over 1500 school leaders responded. Your responses to that survey indicated that you are doing some very positive things in your schools with regard to the maintenance of a focus on core purpose and the effective sharing of leadership. The Pathways to Sustainable Leadership session, at this year’s Principals’ conference, was an opportunity for attendees to talk and hear about the things that are working for others so that the wisdom of the collective can shape and enhance our own individual leadership practice.

Attendees were divided into three groups and each of the three groups reflected on and discussed one of the following

• How can I focus more on my core purpose?
  
• How can I share leadership more effectively with my deputy?
  
• How can I share leadership more effectively with the wider team?

Having considered these questions, each attendee was asked to identify something valuable that they had learned or heard. The following is a synopsis of those learnings.

Some of the reflections may resonate with you and others may not. At the very least, they may remind us of some important messages that we already know but that we may occasionally lose sight of in the busy-ness of the daily routine. We are sincerely grateful to the hundreds of school leaders who participated in the sessions and who so generously shared their wisdom and insights.

What might assist me to be able to better maintain a focus on my core purpose?

• being clear about what that core purpose is
• reframing “leading of teaching and learning” as “enabling teaching and learning”
• recognising the agency we create in our schools by managing all the non-curricular issues that enable the high quality leadership and delivery of teaching and learning by all staff
• valuing the impact of our emotional intelligence in cultivating the environment in our schools that promotes teacher and student agency
• recognising the importance of the quality of relationships that exist in the school
• remembering that we have agency as leaders to ensure a focus on the schools’ stated priorities and to have the courage and confidence to do so
• setting ambitious but reasonable goals for ourselves as leaders and also for our school communities (including having realistic “to do” lists!)
• challenging our assumptions about what constitutes instructional leadership and who might be involved in it
• remembering that the principal does not have to be the one providing the instructional leadership, they can promote and facilitate it
• recognising the expertise and wisdom of others
• remembering that it is ok to say that I don’t know 
• remembering that it is ok to say no
• remembering to trust your own understanding of your school context and the decisions you make in the best interests of that school community 
• remembering that leadership of teaching and learning is a shared responsibility
• planning staff meetings to ensure that there is time for informed discussion and professional conversations about teaching and learning
• ensuring such discussions and conversations are time bound and lead to decision making
• valuing the opinions and suggestions of others while being true to your own focus/vision
• availing of the professional coaching opportunity now provided through Oide
• remembering to recognise, enjoy and celebrate progress/success
• prioritising the maintenance of connections with teachers and children
• remembering to be fully present in such situations
• creating good habits around having time to think, reflect and focus on teaching and learning
• ensuring that boundaries are created and respected
• acknowledging that there are things you cannot control
• remembering that whatever the current “crisis” is, this too will pass and there will be something valuable to be learned from it
• recognising that being good enough is good enough
• prioritising our self-care

o making sure that we are on the list of people that we are worried about
o feeling less guilty about things we do for ourselves
o putting on our own oxygen masks first
o honouring our own needs

• recognising the value of collaborating and consulting with other school leaders
• asking ourselves the question – “how do the children benefit from this?”
• remembering that some things don’t need an immediate response and sometimes they don’t need any response
• remembering that a resistance to change is natural and that sometimes people just need time to adjust
• avoiding using the phrase “leave it with me” when someone comes with a problem – ask questions about what they have tried, as opposed to trying to offer a solution

What might assist me to be able to better ensure a partnership/co-leadership approach to the leadership of the school with my deputy?

• remembering that it is ok to relinquish control
  
• remembering to proactively foster and cultivate the relationship
  
• finding creative ways to “release” the deputy principal so that we can have structured time to work and plan together
  
• ensuring that we are on the same page in relation to our vision and ambitions for the school
  
• challenging each other’s thinking privately before presenting a unified face publicly
  
• challenging our own assumptions about the deputy’s willingness and capacity to co-lead
  
• being mindful of how our actions as principals may limit or undermine our deputies capacity to co-lead
  
• recognising the value of having complimentary skillsets
  
• prioritising the facilitation of the deputy’s professional development
  
• encouraging the Board of Management to invest in the deputy’s professional development
  
• encouraging the deputy to collaborate with other deputies and to participate in local support groups
  
• encouraging the deputy to avail of professional coaching
  
• availing of opportunities to learn together – Forbairt, team coaching
  
• recognising the potential of the relationship between principal and deputy principal to model a culture of effective shared leadership

What might assist me to be able to better share leadership effectively with the wider team?

• recognising that the sharing of leadership is a necessity and not a luxury – failing to share leadership limits our own leadership effectiveness and also school effectiveness.
  
• recognising the central importance of trust
  o building an environment that is open, inclusive and respectful of differing opinions
  o trusting the capacity of others to lead and manage with responsibility
  o creating a culture of shared responsibility and accountability
  
• respecting the competence and expertise of others
  
• ensuring meetings are planned and structured to facilitate engagement and participation
  
• engaging in active listening
  
• recognising that there may be other and better ways of doing things
  
• recognising a diversity of skillsets
  
• maintaining a state of “relaxed vigilance”
  
• avoiding the temptation to micro-manage
  
• availing of professional opportunities for the leadership and management team – team coaching, Comhar
  
• investing in the professional development of emerging/aspiring leaders
  
• avoiding assumptions about a lack of willingness on the part of teachers without promoted posts to become involved in the leadership and management of the school
  
• remembering that empowering others builds not only capacity but also confidence
  
• remembering to acknowledge and celebrate achievement/progress/success
  
• adopting the “apple tart” approach – cut the apple tart into slices and allow people to take their slice as opposed to serving it to them
  
• using the PIEW model to agree and ensure the focus of the leadership and management team is on shared priorities
  
• remembering that what works in another school may not suit your context – there is no one-size-fits-all approach