New year is often a time to reflect on the year that has been and think about the year ahead. We might do some decluttering, decide to lose weight, or maybe we want to exercise more. There are two ‘declutters’ I’ve not heard many people do is think about which might resonate with you: 1) […]
When you need to have a difficult conversation, it can feel like the other person will never change. In fact, that might be a reason for you to not waste time in having the conversation. However, in my experience, people do change in the vast majority of instances, even with some pretty entrenched behaviour: I’ve […]
Some people automatically flee from conflict. Perhaps they run away like a frightened child or flounce off with a flourish in a huff, or storm out angrily! What should you do? Let them walk away and then arrange another meeting, informing them that it is inappropriate to walk out of a meeting about work; such […]
As a leader, you are not going to witness everything that happens in your school. This means that your difficult conversations can be about things you have been told about but not seen first-hand. This is fine; it’s part of your leadership responsibility and an expectation that staff can come and report things they are […]
These tips and mistakes may sound obvious when they’re set out in black and white but, from my experience, these mistakes are frequently made by managers. Tackling someone’s poor performance can be very stressful for managers too and, at times of stress, we often forget to take basic steps before plunging into the middle of […]
Culture usually evolves by accident; as soon as you have two or more people come together repeatedly, you have shared behaviour (because they interact), so behaviours become established (good and bad) and voila! You have a culture. It might be a great, high performing culture. The fact is most cultures are ‘ok’ not terrible but […]
If you want to have a successful difficult conversation you need to make sure 3 core components are in place. If you miss any one of these you will find one of three common problems occurs: They don’t hear what you need them to hear. The conversation drains your energy. They don’t make the changes […]
To be honest, this is a bit chicken and egg (ok, I know the answer is egg, but you know what I mean). The two work together, they are symbiotic and symbolic. Let me explain: Symbiotic When I walk into an outstanding school, and I walk into a lot, the environment demands more of me. […]
You might be familiar with the ‘I do, we do, you do’ strategy. I’ve heard class teachers use it and you might know it by a different name. If you don’t I think it’s a really neat way to support someone develop. It works like this: I do – I demonstrate doing whatever the person […]
You know those difficult conversations you struggle to have because the person has upset, annoyed or angered you so much? You find it hard to have the conversation you need to because your emotions are running high. There is a technique that can help you called reframing. It’s where you try to see the situation […]
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