We feed back to colleagues to help them reflect and improve. It can be positive feedback (acknowledging strengths, efforts and achievements), or critical feedback (what could be improved in their behaviours and actions). Feedback is at the heart of a long-lasting and successful career. Without feedback, we may forever be stuck with the skillset and … Continue reading 10 ways school leaders give feedback that really lands
Author: ianfrostblog
10 tips on how to build a cohesive team
There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves. Lyndon Johnson As we begin our first few September meetings, we may experience two feelings. On the one hand there is the joy and privilege of leading the individuals who make up our uniquely-shaped team. But on the other … Continue reading 10 tips on how to build a cohesive team
Fathers and Sons
I’m one of four boys, who have just lost their father, very soon after losing their Mum. As a father myself, I have two sons in their twenties. And as a school leader for more than 30 years, a question I often ask myself is, what kind of men do we want our boys to … Continue reading Fathers and Sons
Balancing the operational and the strategic
'I’m spending all my time being operational', is a common complaint I hear from school leaders. They are, in other words, too busy dealing with the day-to-day to be able to focus on the the longer term. They sometimes describe this in a way which suggests that ‘operational’ is somehow more basic, a set of … Continue reading Balancing the operational and the strategic
Leading through uncertainty
I love that scene towards the finale of The Wrong Trousers where our heroes Wallace and Gromit are riding the runaway train and both realise the rails beneath them have run out. Gromit reaches out to grab a pile of track, and then at super speed lays it piece by piece, as though dealing cards … Continue reading Leading through uncertainty
Mother’s Day presents
First, I brought you petals from collapsing rosesAnd you would hold them, wet and full of dewAnd marvel face to face, each drop reflectingClouds across a clear and liquid view.You’d cup your hands for shells, run them alongClay pots I’d fashioned, cards and artless stuffAnd I would scan your face and wait to feelThe glow … Continue reading Mother’s Day presents
Having better conversations
We have talk enough, but no conversation. Samuel Johnson I’m working on having better conversations. I want to focus on how I listen, what I say and how I behave when I’m talking with colleagues. We assume that the art of conversation is a skill that we are all born with, as natural as talking. But … Continue reading Having better conversations
Strengths, not weaknesses
Whether it’s losing weight, getting off the phone, or trying to read more books, new year resolutions are mostly about fixing our weaknesses. It’s tempting to apply this preoccupation with our failings into work mode. But the beginning of the year is the best time to focus on our strengths and how we might develop … Continue reading Strengths, not weaknesses
The practice of writing cards (saying thank you, better)
One of my former bosses would, every time he visited my school, make a clandestine card drop on my desk, which I’d discover only when he was driving off into the sunset. The card was simple, the handwritten message heartfelt, and it never failed to make my day. I struggle with gratitude. I don’t mean … Continue reading The practice of writing cards (saying thank you, better)
Walking in winter
It’s November. It’s wet, and it’s getting cold. This morning I walked round a lake. It was pond-like, the air misty, even milky, and during the whole walk the sun promised to slip through, but never quite did. Willows stood upright, sharp and distinct, like pencil drawings. Tiny, industrious birds flitted from the bush ahead … Continue reading Walking in winter
