Teach Secondary Issue 13.4

the Norwegian wilds. The hut was close, but hidden in woodland on the other side of a deep, snow-filled river valley crossed by a single-track bridge. Without knowing our exact position there was a strong chance we would miss the hut. Our immediate situation, which required precise navigation, could have easily become dangerous – yet amid these hugely demanding circumstances Nigel remained perfectly calm, assiduously looking after and reassuring the group. Nigel’s attitude and calm positivity, combined with his brilliance as a navigator and experience traversing dangerous ground, is a classic example of positive leadership, and a model demonstration of how to create a sense of safety when it’s needed. Be aware of slipping into negative leadership Negative leadership can take many forms, but will often be characterised by behaviour that has a detrimental effect on other people within the team. Arrogance, rudeness and dismissiveness of others diminishes people, reducing their self-worth and willingness to engage. It undermines trust and mutual understanding in the team and makes people more status conscious. In the Army I worked for a time under a major who would shout at me and other junior officers to make his point. On one occasion, he shouted because a tin of paint had gone missing. Another time it was because of a problemwith a radio battery. We junior officers often had no real idea as to what we’d done wrong. I can still remember the time we stood to attention under a barrage of words, trying to grasp why he was so angry before he became evenmore annoyed. He in turn worked for a Lieutenant Colonel who was known for being arrogant and personally ambitious, but everything changed with the arrival of a new commander – a talented and emotionally aware leader whose presence and style transformed the Battalion’s culture. My immediate boss became more relaxed, and the effect was felt across the organisation. Contagious leadership Open, honest communication and a readiness to show empathy and kindness, are key elements of positive leadership. This type of leadership style not only inspires and motivates teams, but also gives rise to greater innovation, creativity and problem-solving capabilities. The impact of a leader’s behaviour is often contagious. If you practice kindness and empathy this will radiate throughout your team, as humans naturally mimic the moods and behaviours of their peers. Understanding this impact and incorporating positive leadership practices is critical to creating a successful and productive team. By serving their teamwell, and fostering relationships through open and honest communication, leaders will inspire and motivate their employees to perform at their best and ultimately achieve their collective goals. Neil Jurd OBE (@JurdNeil) is the author of The Leadership Book and founder of the residential training and video learning platform Leader-Connect; for more information, visit leader-connect.co.uk GETTING VALUE FROM SCHOOLVISITS The intuitive thing to domight be to focus on those centres with the best reputations for things such as results or reforming behaviour, but it doesn’t always follow that they’re the best places to visit. Developing schools can be just as useful as more ‘polished’ schools.You can learn a great deal from examples of things done well, but also just as much fromcentres that approach areas differently to howyou’d tackle themyourself. It’s important to approach any school visit with a clearmission objective in mind. Simply turning up in the hope of seeing something that will help you and your colleagues or students is a risky strategy, to say the least. Be sure to liaise with staff before you go.You want to talk to the right people about the right things. If you’re going with a subject focus, narrow it down to a specific Key Stage andmake it’s being taught when you’re there. School visits can be catalysts for overcoming acute and persistent issues in your own context, but the visit itself won’t necessarily solve the issue. In all likelihood, you’ll need to spend some time reflecting and then putting into action what you’ve seen. Yes, it may be that there are some techniques and strategies that you can start using straight away – but you need to go in with realistic expectations. It’s best to see visits to other schools not as solutions in themselves, but as a part of amap that points to where the solutionmight lie. A one-off visit is useful. Ongoing two-way dialogues between schools are evenmore helpful. Regular structured peer support is better still. So after your visit, keep those communication channels open. Invite teachers back to your school, andmake themost of this newly opened dialogue around teaching. If you get it right, a visit to another school is a game changer. Adam Riches is a senior leader for teaching and learning and author of the book Teach Smarter: Efficient and Effective Strategies for Early Career Teachers (£16.99, Routledge). “Before you caneffectively leadothers,you must understandandcontrol yourself” 57 teachwire.net/secondary L E A D E R S H I P