Laura Williams

Category: Line Managing

  • 040 – A Framework For Line Management

    Listen on…

    In this episode, I’m sharing the line management framework I recommend to SBLs, Heads and CEOs. 

    Not sure how often you should meet with your staff? 

    Want to improve communication with your team? 

    Trying to build up to a difficult conversation? 

    This episode has the answers!

    The episode at a glance:

    [0:45] –I talk about how to create safe, informative meetings with staff that avoid too much formality but still feel structured and professional.

    [3:36] –I describe some of the situations that would require you to adjust your management style and how to do so effectively.

    Support:

    This framework has been tried and tested by me and other school leaders, but you will need to tweak it to your particular staff needs and context. I hope you found this useful and know that you are not the only one who struggles with difficult conversations. If you’re dealing with a difficult situation and want some extra guidance, get in touch and we can talk about it together.

    You can also find me here:

    –       Website, Blog & Free Resources

    –       Twitter

    –       Instagram

    –       Facebook

    –       LinkedIn

    Related Content

    RESOURCE: Line Managing Difficult Staff

    PODCAST: Difficult Conversations – 3 Questions To Ask Yourself

    BLOG: How To Lead When Everything Is Out Of Control

    BLOG: How To Prepare For Difficult Conversations

    BLOG: How To Set Staff Objectives For Performance Management

    Want to be a guest on the podcast?

    Click here to leave me your details and I’ll be in touch soon!

    Subscribe:

    If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes! 

    ·      Or click here if it’s easier!

    Get in touch:

    You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!

  • 041 – Where To Start With Delegation

    Listen on…

    In this episode, I’m sharing my top delegation tips. If you’ve ever thought, ‘it’s just easier to do it myself’ rather than delegate to a member of your team then this episode is for you! 

    I talk about what might be stopping you and how you can go about it without stressing yourself out even more… 

    The episode at a glance:

    [0:29] – I talk about the barriers I put up to justify not delegating and how you should question them.

    [3:00] –I share some fail-safes I have used in the past to help me delegate successfully.

    Support:

    If you’re still panicking about the size of your workload and you need some support, then please get in touch. I’m always here if you need to talk.

    You can also find me here:

    –       Website, Blog & Free Resources

    –       Twitter

    –       Instagram

    –       Facebook

    –       LinkedIn

    Related Content

    PODCAST: Episode 40 – A Framework For Line Management

    PODCAST: Episode 37 – How To Deal With Interruptions

    RESOURCE: Line Managing Difficult Staff

    PODCAST: Difficult Conversations – 3 Questions To Ask Yourself

    BLOG: How To Lead When Everything Is Out Of Control

    BLOG: How To Prepare For Difficult Conversations

    BLOG: How To Set Staff Objectives For Performance Management

    Want to be a guest on the podcast?

    Click here to leave me your details and I’ll be in touch soon!

    Subscribe:

    If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes! 

    ·      Or click here if it’s easier!

    Get in touch:

    You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!

  • 029 – Difficult Conversations: 3 Questions To Ask Yourself

    Listen on…

    In the final episode of the Summer of CPD series, I’m flying solo and I’m tackling a big topic – difficult conversations.

    I talk you through the three questions that you need to ask yourself before you have a difficult conversation with a member of staff and how to deal with a variety of possible scenarios.

    The episode at a glance:

    [1:00] –I talk about the importance of clarity, expectations and boundaries

    [3:28] – I share my tips on how to be sure you’re being reasonable

    [6:52] – I talk about how to approach the conversation and in what scenarios you might need to adapt

    [8:52] –I share my own experiences with difficult conversations and my advice on how to overcome the dread of having them

    Related Content

    DOWNLOAD: Line Managing Difficult Staff Guide

    BLOG: SBL Surgery: How to Prepare for Difficult Conversations

    COACHING: Group Coaching or 1-1 available to help you target specific issues

    Want to know more about what I do and the types of CPD that I offer?

    My mailing list receives all the latest updates and info about my SBL CPD events (free & paid) before anybody else (as well as a weekly Tuesday e-mail guaranteed to amuse, entertain and occasionally inspire!)

    Click here to join my mailing list and you’ll be the first to know about the next round of support sessions and masterclasses as well as get an early heads up on when the doors for my next SBL Group Coaching Program will open again!

    Want to be a guest on the podcast?

    Click here to leave me your details and I’ll be in touch soon

    Subscribe:

    If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes! 

    ·      Or click here if it’s easier!

    Get in touch:

    You know I love to hear from you so please pop me an email or get in touch on social media to let me know what you think of the show and what you’d like to see in the future!

    You can also find Laura here…

    –       Website, Blog & Free Resources

    –       Twitter

    –       Instagram

    –       Facebook

    –       LinkedIn

  • The ‘Triage System’ That Every Leader Should Implement

    The ‘Triage System’ That Every Leader Should Implement

    Interruptions are a necessary evil in the life of a school business leader, but there is a way that you can deal with them that will help you to be more efficient and set some very important boundaries.
     
    After giving up on a ‘Do not disturb’ sign – which I found to be rarely effective or, in some cases, too effective! – I implemented an ‘interruption management system’ that I have since labelled the ‘triage system’. When someone comes into your office, or approaches you to ask for ‘a favour’, or they start their sentence with ‘Can you just’ this is how I advise you to proceed…

    • Establish a set of actions that you can designate to every possible interruption.
    • Decide what you will deal with immediately (the true, fire-fighting moments that just can’t wait), what you will make note of to pick up at the next opportunity, and what can wait a little longer.
    • When someone comes in to see you, get to the point as quickly as you can so you can ‘triage’ appropriately. If the tasks can wait, ask them to come back later, or tell them you will go and find them, or ask them to send you an e-mail, or direct them to another member of staff. When someone comes in, get to the point as quickly as you can so you can ‘triage’ appropriately.
    • Don’t let them hover in the doorway – or worse, park themselves in your office giving you the full spiel of what they’ve done, where they’ve been and what they’ve tried already! By hearing them out, but firmly guiding them to the point, everyone feels heard, you’re available to deal with anything critical and anything non-urgent can be redirected as appropriate.

    Making people take ownership of non-urgent issues can be powerful, over time, as you’re training them to solve their own problems. It’s also helpful if you need to break the same habit that I suffered from for longer than I care to remember; taking everything on and saying ‘Yes’ to things on the bounce!  
     
    Ultimately, if you’re polite yet direct, and consistently apply this method, it trains people to be more respectful of your time as well as helping keep you sane.

    Here are some useful ‘triage’ phrases to get you started:

    • “Of course, I’ll look at this in more detail and let you know when I can get this done by.”
    • “I’m working on something else at the moment but I’ll ask one of my team to look at this and get back to you if I/they need more information.”
    • Depending on who is asking, and what the task is, you might say, “What would you like me to do first?” or, “I’ll check this out with the head and see how they would like me to deal with this.”
    • “I can see why you’ve asked me about this but it’s actually someone else’s remit. I’ll pass it on/you should pass it on.”
    • “I have a number of deadlines that I’m working to right now and, if you leave this with me, it just won’t get done in the time you’ve specified. If it can wait, that’s great. If not, it might be quicker to do this yourself/ask someone else.”
    • “From what you’ve said, I’m not clear exactly what’s involved – can you please explain it to me in more detail so I can prioritise accordingly?” [This is particularly useful for the drive-by – the person that mumbles something unintelligible, drops a file on your desk like a bomb and then hotfoots it out of the room.]

    Remember, your time is valuable, you’re valuable and you’ve got more than enough to do without taking on everyone else’s to-do lists too!

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    Source: My blog vault

  • SBLs: The Art of Saying ‘No’

    SBLs: The Art of Saying ‘No’

    To feel comfortable saying ‘no’, you must first of all ask ‘is this person making a reasonable request?’

    If it isn’t (let’s say it’s class tickets to Wimbledon), then politely explain your reasons (of which I’m sure there will be many) and be firm. 

    If the answer is ‘no’ and will always be ‘no’, it’s important that you respond immediately, politely and firmly. In these situations, be sure that you have the autonomy to make the decision. If you don’t, let them know that you’ll note their request and get back to them when you’ve spoken with the Head. 

    Of course, it gets harder if you know that what they’re asking for is something that could really benefit the school and in a time when money wasn’t an issue, you wouldn’t think twice about saying yes. 

    In these situations, examine the request more thoroughly and ask yourself – has anything they’ve said made you reconsider the existing budget priorities? Is there anything that either you or they can do to enable you to say yes? Maybe there is a cheaper way of doing something or reducing expenditure in another area could create additional resources. 

    If you don’t know the answer to this off the bat, then don’t be afraid to say ‘I hear where you’re coming from, leave it with me and I’ll see what I can do.’  

    When you’ve investigated, make sure that you go back to them with a clear answer and explanation. If you try and you fail to meet their request, then at least the person will see that you recognise the importance of what they’ve asked for but there are good reasons behind why you’ve had to say no.

    It’s worth keeping a note of any budget request you receive to discuss in your finance meeting with the Head. Any requests that fall into a ‘grey’ area can be reviewed as a whole as the financial picture continues to shift.

    💫 Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to my Tuesday emails here.

    Source: My blog vault

  • Is Your MAT Mismanaged?

    Is Your MAT Mismanaged?

    Almost every day we read a news article about a MAT scandal. Whether it be a financial notice to improve, a poor Ofsted report or a failure of governance, these stories have become all too common.

    The questions that are often asked are: why has it taken Ofsted, the DfE or the ESFA to come along for people to realise how bad it is? Why hasn’t something been done before?

    A MAT cannot lose all of its money or shift from good to special measures overnight. These things happen over time. 

    So how do you know if you’re working in a mismanaged MAT? What are the symptoms you should be looking out for that may lead to a detrimental diagnosis?

    In my experience, there are three key areas that you should assess to determine whether your MAT is being mismanaged:

    Governance

    • Consider the constitution of your Board and Governing Bodies. Determine whether they are the right people to undertake these roles in terms of their values, skillset, personal interests and capacity. 
    • Review the governance self-evaluation systems that are in place. Consider how objective this process is, how often it is undertaken and how effective your MAT is at following up on areas for development. 
    • Evaluate the effectiveness of your Scheme of Delegation. Determine how well it is adhered to and whether it is effective in operation. 
    • Assess the quality of your meetings in relation to schedule, agendas and records of discussion. Evidence of accountability, scrutiny, challenge and support should be clear and documented.
    • Consider the level of transparency of your governance systems. You should be able to clearly articulate your decision making process and justify the actions of governors both to local stakeholders and external bodies.

    Leadership

    • Consider the capacity of your leaders in relation to delivering sustainable improvement within your MAT. 
    • Assess how well your leaders tackle poor performance and conduct and whether they execute their role as leader fairly, equitably and consistently.
    • Determine how well your leaders apply the policies of your MAT. Consider how you ensure that MAT systems and processes are followed in relation to education, employment law, finance and compliance.
    • Review the performance management processes for your leaders to ensure that they focus on MAT determined core competencies beyond education specific targets. Consider finance management and people management as indicators of leadership quality.
    • Consider how well the leaders within your MAT respond to challenge and the opportunity to collaborate. Issues within these areas can indicate an underlying cultural problem that can erode the effectiveness of the MAT over time.

    Finance

    • Consider the level of experience of your finance staff and the qualifications they hold in the context of the role that you expect them to perform. Assess their ability to provide correct and timely information and whether they present it in an audience-appropriate way.
    • Determine how your finance team responds to challenge and scrutiny both within meetings and from external bodies. Questions that cannot be answered or data that cannot be supported is a red flag that should not be ignored.
    • Review the financial systems within your MAT to ensure that there are appropriate checks in place to act as an ‘early warning’ system. An external audit report should not be the first time that you learn about financial issues within your MAT. 
    • Assess the value of the MAT central team in terms of the capacity that they add to the schools and whether the relationships between the financial team and local school leaders enables sound financial management.
    • Consider how the finance function integrates with other areas across the MAT including school development planning, curriculum planning, staffing strategy and capital expenditure. A financial team that works within a silo cannot be effective.