Lisa Murphy, School Business Manager, talks about the collaborative approach her school cluster has taken to GDPR and the Data Protection Officer structure. She talks about how they did it, the benefits they have seen and shares tips on how you can do it too!
The episode at a glance:
[2:29] –Lisa explains the concept behind the Collaborative Data Protection Officer Network that her school cluster have adopted
[7:00] – Lisa details the training that she and her colleagues undertook to gain the knowledge required to deliver this model
[9:26]– Lisa explains how the DPO network is growing and how the model has expanded to support other schools
[14:58] –Lisa shares her tips for starting your own DPO network
[21:44] –Lisa talks about the time commitment and processes involved in being a collaborative DPO
[24:35] – Lisa talks about the additional benefits that this type of model creates
[28:06] – Lisa shares her top tips for setting up a collaborative network and GDPR in general
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!
Julie Cordiner, School Finance Consultant, joins me to talk about the importance of self-care for SBLs and shares her strategies to avoid burnout, increase productivity and take back control.
The episode at a glance:
[2:06] – Julie tells us about her background and her interests outside of education
[7:36] –Julie explains why self-care is so crucial and why she chose to speak about this rather than finance
[9:31] –Julie describes her experience of burnout and how to take back control
[13:05] –Julie talks about why you should start by concentrating on the things you can control and the steps beyond that to help you focus on self-care
[20:08] –Julie admits to her own bad habit (which sounds delicious!) and emphasises the importance of forming good habits
[26:41] –Julie shares tips on how to manage your workload and how it can impact your self-care
[34:34] –Julie explains how planning is “a promise to yourself” and how you can make it happen
[40:00] –Julie shares some other ways to manage your workload and your self-care including how to manage others
[52:50] –Julie emphasises the three things she wants us all to think about in order to boost our self-care mindset and our productivity
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!
Helen Burge, Deputy Chief Operations Officer, shares 6 tools to help SBLs have more strategic conversations with their Head & SLT… or as we like to call it, ‘The One With All The Tools’… If you’re a Friends fan, let’s just say you’re in for a real treat!
The episode at a glance:
[4:02] –Helen explains why SBLs need a toolkit for strategic conversations with the SLT
[6:06] –Helen shares the first two tools for the first part of the strategic improvement cycle – the diagnostic phase
[12:30] –Helen talks about ICFP as a strategic tool
[17:22] – We move into the prioritisation phase where a vacuum cleaner takes centre stage…
[22:46] – Helen and I get SMART as we talk about how this tool can be effective outside of performance management
[27:22] – Helen explains how asking ‘why’ can be useful when it comes to tackling someone who says ‘but we’ve always done it this way’
[31:00] – We look at how the tools fit together and in what contexts they can be useful
[34:28] – Helen tells us which of the 6 tools is her favourite and why
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!
Welcome to the show about all things School Business Leadership!
If it doesn’t involve teaching children, then I can guarantee we’ll be talking about it here! Finance, HR, Governance and everything in between…
If you’re a School Business Manager, Headteacher, Senior Leader, Governor… actually, any type of school leader (!) – aspiring, new or experienced – and you want to learn more about the ‘business of education’ then this podcast is for you.
Don’t forget to hit ‘Subscribe’ so you don’t miss an episode!
Vicki Manning, Headteacher, talks about her amazing School Business Manager, how they have built a strong relationship & why the School Business Manager role is essential to the success of a school.
The episode at a glance:
[2:31] –Listen to why Vicki’s SBM is a pivotal part of the team.
[6:42] – Learn how Vicki’s relationship with her SBM developed over time and how they work together day to day.
[12:05] –Listen as Vicki talks about the teacher/support staff divide and how she approaches it as Headteacher.
[15:59] –The key ingredients of Vicki’s strong relationship with her SBM revealed!
[19:32] –Vicki talks about how she line manages her SBM differently to her SLT
[20:36] – Vicki talks about the importance of CPD for her SBM and in particular, the impact that coaching has had
[23:11] –Learn how coaching has affected Vicki’s relationship with her SBM
[26:30] –Vicki gets super-specific about the value her SBM adds to her school and why she believes all Heads should spend time investing in and developing not only the role but the relationship
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 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!
Lorraine Ashover, Director of Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services, shares 5 things that all SBLs need to know about procurement!
The episode at a glance:
[2:07] –Lorraine tells me why she wanted to work in the education sector, how she got into procurement and why it can be a tricky area to navigate
[8:01] – Learn about the impact of Brexit on procurement processes – what’s the same and what’s changed
[14:08] – Learn how to assess which procurement process to use and when you might consider switching it up
[24:28] – Lorraine emphasises why you should always read the fine print in contracts and shares her tips on how you can tweak contracts to work to your advantage
[35:23] – Lorraine explains how to put contract management systems in place after you have completed the procurement process
[47:55] – Lorraine explains the benefits of collaboration in the procurement process and shares some examples
[58:13] – Lorraine discusses how contracts have been affected by the pandemic and how they may be impacted moving forward
[60:30] – Find out which frameworks Lorraine recommends and when to consider using them
[67:07] – Listen to Lorraine’s recommendations as to where you can find further procurement advice and support
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 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 asked and I answered… Today, it’s me in the hot seat answering your questions! Talking about my life as a SBL, my journey to SBL coach, supporter and champion and everything in between…
Here’s to 10% braver!
The episode at a glance:
[0:41] – Had I not gone into education, what would my career have been and why? I tell you about my ‘almost’ careers and why surprisingly, I’m not too far away from them!
[1:47] – How did I become a SBM? I explain my roundabout route into the role and why it was definitely not part of my plan…
[3:00] – What was my favourite thing about being an SBM? So many things… I have a list (of course!)
[3:52] – What made me decide to come out of schools? I talk through my education career path and how that led me to where I am now.
[5:50] – How do I keep current now I’m not working in a school? Hint: it involves doing something I absolutely love to do!
[7:18] – Do I have a special talent or party trick? I reveal a couple of random skills… one useful, one not so much!
[8:15] – What is my favourite ever conference or training experience? I tell all about how I ended up speaking at my first conference… by accident!
[12:10] – What is the coolest project I’ve ever worked on? I share my thoughts on project dynamics.
[12:53] – Advice for new or aspiring SBMs? I talk about why education can be a strange place and how you can feel at home more quickly.
[13:26] – What area of the SBM role did I struggle with most? I talk about why this area was a struggle and where the ‘mental block’ came from…
[14:04] – What is the one thing I wish I had learnt sooner? Hindsight is a wonderful thing and hopefully, mine can help you!
[15:40] – What is my favourite Friends moment? I epicly fail to narrow it down… but I do have a shortlist!
[16:17] – How do we keep resilience going as SBLs? I talk about SBL CPD and the power of the SBL community.
[18:24] – What advice would I give someone who is at crisis point? I explain what you should (and shouldn’t) do…
[19:47] – If I could coach anybody, who would I choose to coach and what would I try and help them to do? Officially the hardest question.
[20:21] – What is the bravest thing I’ve ever done? I talk about how composure and 10% braver have been critical tools for me.
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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!
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!
Jonny Coates, Business and Finance Director, joins me to talk about making the move from primary to secondary, the jaw-dropping challenges that came with it and the lessons he learned along the way….
The episode at a glance:
[3:34] –Jonny describes his journey into school business leadership
[7:33] –Jonny talks about the main differences he found between primary and secondary schools
[13:44] – Think you’ve heard it all? Think again. Jonny talks about his first day in his new job and the bombshells that followed
[23:02] –Jonny shares the challenges of culture change
[29:57] – Jonny describes his experience with a common emotion in the SBL role – loneliness – and how he went about fixing it
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!
