Category: Reflective

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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Many things can affect how we feel about our jobs. I have both loved and hated my job in the same week – sometimes in the same day!

But if you’re feeling down or unhappy and have been feeling like this for some time, it’s hard to know whether you’re really falling out of love with your job or whether it’s just a rough patch. 

Looking back on the reasons that help me decide I wasn’t in the right job, they vary pretty wildly:

• My boss was leaving and I didn’t want to work for his replacement
• I wasn’t challenged enough and the role was too monotonous
• I felt that I had both hit my ceiling in the organisation I was at and a new opportunity came my way that was very appealing
• I no longer felt aligned with the organisation and where it was heading

To help you figure out how you truly feel about your job and whether you should consider a change, I’ve put together a list of ten ways you can pinpoint exactly how you feel, why you feel that way and what you can do about it.

You & the Workplace

First, spend some time thinking about how your job makes you feel. It doesn’t matter if you work for the best organisation in the world if you don’t enjoy what you do.

1. How you talk about your job to other people

When someone asks you ‘what do you do’ how do you answer? If someone says that your job sounds great or interesting, do you agree? Or do you say it’s great, but you feel yourself cringe inside?

The language you use when you talk about your job with other people is a good indicator of your true feelings. If you’re not sure, ask your partner or your friends. Do they think you’re happy at work? Maybe you don’t realise how much you talk positively (or negatively) about what you do.

If you find yourself talking negatively about your job, ask yourself:

• Where does this bad feeling come from?
• How long have I been feeling like this?
• Am I just going through a bad patch?

2. The tasks that you do

When you think of a typical week (ok, in education there’s no such thing so let’s say a half term), how much of what you do, do you enjoy? When you think of doing the things you don’t enjoy, does it colour your view of your job or do you accept that every job has parts that aren’t satisfying? Consider the ratio of good parts to bad parts and how happy you are with that.

If you’ve found yourself in the position where most of what you do, you don’t enjoy, ask yourself:

• Has it always been this way?
• Is this a temporary situation and if so, when will it change?
• Is there anything that I can do to shift the balance?

3. What your days are like

Does the time fly, or do you find yourself constantly clock-watching? If you’re clock-watching, consider why that is. Are you struggling to concentrate? Are you behind on a deadline or are you just anxious for the day to be over already? 

If the time flies, is it because you’ve got way too much to do or are you having fun? 

Whether you’re strapped for time or are an avid clock-watcher, ask yourself:

• Is this how I like my working day to be?
• What changes can I make to my role or the way that I work to make this better for myself?
• Do I need to speak to someone about this to get some support and help me improve the situation?

4. Your work/life balance

How easy is it for you to switch off at the end of the day? Do you find yourself compromising family time to get work done at home? Do you find yourself getting in super early and staying as late as you can (i.e. until the caretaker kicks you out)? 

Work/life balance isn’t a science. Everybody has different thresholds and mechanisms for managing their time and workload. 

If your work/life balance isn’t what you’d like it to be, ask yourself:

• Is this a blip or has it become routine?
• What does a good work/life balance look like to me and what am I comfortable and not comfortable with about my current situation?
• Am I controlling my work schedule or is it controlling me? What can I do to address the balance?

5. Your plans for the future

When you think of the future, do you see yourself in the same job? Or do you see yourself in another job entirely? Have you outgrown your role or do you see that happening in the near future? Maybe you know that the job you’re in right now isn’t for you in the long term. But have you considered where you’ll go next? 

Maybe you’ve got your eye on a promotion or maybe you’re waiting for a vacancy to come up in another organisation. Either way, having an eye on the future can help you address some of the issues that you have in the present.

If you’re not sure what the future holds and you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself:

• Do I want to carry on doing the job that I’m doing now and if so, for how long?
• Do I want to progress to another role in the future?
• Should I be planning to move to another organisation or can I continue/progress where I am?

The Workplace & You

Now spend some time thinking about your workplace. It might be that you have the best job in the world but you’re not sure if you’re working for the right organisation.

6. The values and culture of the organisation

When people ask where you work, are you proud to tell them? If someone asks you if they should apply for a job in your organisation, what do you say? Do the vision, mission and values of your organisation motivate you? What is it really like to work there?

Maybe it’s great, maybe it’s so-so or maybe it’s hell, no! Regardless, ask yourself:

• Does your organisation operate by its values or does it contradict itself?
• Does how I feel about my organisation impact on my feelings about my job or my capacity to do my job well?
• Do I really enjoy working there?

7. Your relationship with your Line Manager

Think about the interactions that you have with your Line Manager. Are they positive? Are they respectful? Does your Line Manager support you? How do you feel right before you’re due to go into a meeting with them?

Did you know that approximately 70% of people leave their job because they don’t have a good relationship with their direct line manager? That’s a pretty big number. Nobody is saying that you have to be BFFs but at a minimum, the relationship should be professional, respectful and supportive.

If you think your relationship with your line manager could be better, ask yourself:

• What are the specific issues that contribute to how I feel about my line manager?
• Would speaking to them about how I feel help to improve the situation?
• What action can I take to improve or mitigate the negative elements of this relationship?

8. Your relationships with your colleagues

Throughout the course of the working day, how many interactions do you have with your colleagues? Overall, are they positive or are they negative? Do you have colleagues that you can talk to about what’s going on at work? Do the people you work with treat each other well and with respect?

We spend so much of our waking time in the workplace that having nobody to talk to or working in a toxic environment can really impact on how we feel about our jobs. 

If you think that your working relationships with your colleagues could be better, ask yourself:

• What is holding me back when it comes to building relationships with my colleagues?
• How can I improve these relationships?
• Do I have at least one trusted colleague that I can talk to about how I feel and give me some advice?

9. The opportunities that you have

Think about your job and the skills that you have. Does your job give you enough opportunity to use your top skills to best effect? How often do you feel challenged in your role? Is your organisation invested in your development and do they support you with appropriate CPD? 

• What are my aspirations for myself and my role, both now and in the future?
• Does my organisation know what my aspirations are?
• Who do I need to speak to about how I’m feeling so I can be supported?

10. The way you are treated

Think about how your organisation treats you, as an employee. Are you treated fairly? Are you paid fairly? Do you feel secure in your job? If you have an issue, how is it dealt with? Is the value that you add to your organisation recognised?

If you work for an organisation that you don’t feel a part of and you’re worried that someone is plotting to get rid of you, then this will, of course, have a direct impact on how you feel about your job. 

If you don’t feel that your organisation treats you the way that you deserve to be treated, ask yourself:

• Is it one incident or have there been many incidents that make me feel this way?
• Is it just me that feels this way or do others feel the same way that I do?
• Do I see this changing and if not, what am I going to do about it?

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Many of the School Business Leaders I coach struggle with one issue above all else: being able to effectively demonstrate how fabulous they are in order to get the recognition that they deserve for the great work they do.  The causes of this vary widely.

To any SBL who doesn’t feel heard, valued or recognised – please know that this does not mean that you are terrible at your job. It also does not mean that there isn’t anything you can do about it.

In my role as coach, I work with SBLs to help them interpret and navigate their contextual terrain to effectively identify and remove roadblocks. I’ve created a framework that is one of my go-to tools. How do I know it works? Because over a decade ago, I used it to both survive and thrive in my very first SBM role and every leadership role I’ve undertaken since. 

1. Identify who

We’ve established the issue isn’t you… so who is it? Think about your school and context and identify who specifically isn’t listening to you, is stopping you from being heard or doesn’t value what you have to say. Is it one person? Is it a group of people? What level of the organisation are they at and how much of an impact do they have on you and on your role?

2. Identify why

Why do you think that they behave in this way? Is it lack of knowledge? Do they think they know better? Are they uncomfortable? Do they prefer to be in control? Do they have different priorities (or seemingly so)? Are they hierarchal? Do they not respect your role? 

3. Identify what

When it comes to School Business Leadership, there are five tools that you, as an SBL, have at your disposal and have total control over. To illustrate these, I’m going to share with you some of my experiences as a first-time SBL and then ask you some questions to consider in your context, right now: 

Your Knowledge

I fell into the role of SBM by accident – as so many of us do now – and it really was a baptism of fire.  When I first started out, I didn’t know a lot. I had a good working knowledge of the school through other roles I had done but I had zero job-specific qualifications and limited education-specific knowledge. This meant I had zero credibility and zero influence. The gaps that I had were vast and my priority was to fill them as quickly as possible. 

Your turn…

How long you have been in post and is that an advantage? What qualifications do you have? How strong is your knowledge of education? How well do you know your school? What is your school like to work in? How could it improve? Think about any knowledge gaps you have and how you can fill them. Also, consider how accurate your knowledge base is (is it objective enough?) and your knowledge sources (are they credible)?

Your Role

When I started as SBM, not only did I lack credibility but so did the role! My predecessor (and the first SBM in the post at the school) had left under a cloud therefore, the value that this role could create was still questionable. I had to gain credibility and fast. I had to be a strong leader to my teams, set clear boundaries with staff and evidence the impact of my work in a way that left no room for debate.

Your turn…

Are you seen as a leader or more operational? What does your Head expect from you? Are you seen as ‘essential’ or ‘extra’? Do you and your teams operate in a parallel universe? Do you have the appropriate level of autonomy to do your job?

Your Relationships

Because of my starting point and the history of the role, I found myself, more often than not, working in my own lane and on my own highway. I wasn’t invited onto SLT and was seen as somewhat of an adjunct. That was okay at first as I had a very steep learning curve – but then I found myself hitting walls when it came to getting things done. My rapidly growing knowledge was my power but my role was just words on a page. I had to make it come to life. My priority became reshaping and developing my professional relationships.

Your turn…

Think about your relationships with your Head and your SLT. Does your Head support you? Do you get enough time together? Are you on the SLT? Do you act like a member of the SLT? How do they support your work? How do you support their work? Do you go to SLT meetings? Do they listen when you talk? Do they trust you?

Your Way of Working

Creating new ways of working without compromising the relationships I had built was a tough task. I had to cut through some very well-established and sometimes jealously protected bad habits. To achieve this, I had to work really hard on adjusting my leadership style in accordance with context and personality as well as digging in for the long haul, picking my words wisely and my battles carefully.

Your turn…

Think about how you operate. What is your office like? Are you out and about in the school too much – or not enough? Do you prefer e-mails or face-to-face conversations? How do people get to know what you know? How do you get things done? How do you deal with difficult situations? What makes you speak up? How does the way you work impact on how you are perceived?

Your Presentation

When it comes to being an SBM, you don’t just have to ‘talk-the-talk’ you have to ‘walk-the-walk’. My first SBM role was an uphill battle from day one, and at every turn I was being tripped up either by my own feet or somebody else’s. Even though that got to me, I never showed it and I never wavered. Instead, I kept showing up – I kept moving. Some days, I ran to stand still and some days I actually got somewhere. I got through it by being relentless, consistent and downright determined. 

Your turn…

How would your Head and SLT describe you? How do you walk down the corridor? How do you respond when challenged? How do you conduct yourself in meetings? In terms of your wellbeing, do you look after yourself well? How much do you value yourself? Think about this; if you don’t act like a leader and value yourself, then why should they?

One final thought…

Remember why you do what you do in the first place. Don’t let the judgement of other people take away your passion, dedication and commitment to this job. You can do this and if they don’t appreciate what you do or the value that you add, find a school that will!

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Choosing the right coach for you is an important process.

If you subscribe to my e-mails or you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big advocate of coaching. 

I’ve seen first-hand the difference that coaching can make in terms of improving mind-set, increasing confidence and setting and meeting goals. It really can be a transformative experience both professionally and personally. 

One of the first questions that I get asked when I recommend coaching is…

How do I find a coach? 

Quickly followed by…

How do I choose a coach?

Choosing the right coach is a critical step to achieving success through a coaching programme. It can be an intense process and whilst there are many factors in play, the relationship that you have with your coach is essential to you being able to engage, progress and succeed.

Here are my top tips on how you can choose the best coach for you:

Reflect

Before you start the process of choosing a coach, you need to spend some time thinking about what it is that you want to achieve from the coaching process. Ask yourself:

• Where am I right now?
• Where do I want to be?
• What difficulties am I currently experiencing?
• What do I want coaching to help me achieve? 
• What do I want from my coach?
• What style of coaching would I respond best to? 
• Am I actually ready to commit to the coaching process?

If you’re not able to fully answer these questions, don’t worry. A good coach will work through this with you when you get started but if you at least have an idea of what you’re looking for (or what you’re not looking for), it will make the selection process a lot easier.

Research

There are lots of ways to source a coach – word of mouth, online, through professional networks etc. However, once you’ve got some names, it’s time to dig a little deeper.

• Look at their LinkedIn page, website and/or blog if they have one and see how they describe their services, who they work with and how they articulate their offer
• Look at their social media feeds and see what type of content they’re putting out there
• Look at their testimonials and client feedback to find out what other people are saying about them
• Look into their background, what sectors they have worked in, what sectors they work in currently, what type of coaching they offer and whether they understand your sector and your challenges (if that’s important to you) 
• Look at all of the above as a whole and determine what feeling you get overall; how do they come across, is this someone that you can see yourself working with? Do you believe that they can help you in your current situation?

By doing some due diligence, you’ll quickly be able to draw up a short-list of potential leads to follow up.

Interview

Never start working with a coach until you have had some form of contact with them, ideally face-to-face or over the phone. You are the client. You can and should ask as many questions as you feel you need to. Good coaches not only ask questions of you but are also keen for you to ask questions of them to ensure that you feel as comfortable as possible. Questions you should consider asking are:

• What type of clients do you work with?
• What type of clients do you prefer not to work with?
• What kind of issues do you help people to overcome?
• What is your approach to coaching? What is your style?
• What can I expect from you as my coach?
• How many sessions are typical for the type of issue that I have?
• How are the sessions structured?
• How frequent and how long will the sessions be?
• Do I need to do anything to prepare for the sessions or after the sessions?
• How much will it cost?

If you’ve not been able to find out something that you really wanted to know from your research i.e. specifics about their background, ask about this as well.

Once you’ve finished your telephone call, hang up the phone and sit for a minute. Consider how you feel immediately after talking to them. Are you encouraged, inspired, uplifted? Did they make you feel comfortable? Do you feel like they ‘got’ you?

All of these things are important to consider when it comes to reaching a final decision.

Agreement

When you’ve reached a point where you’re ready to select your coach, make sure that you have a written agreement in place with them before you get started. 

This should:

• Identify the specific goals that you’re working towards or areas that you’re going to focus on
• Outline the agreement you’ve made in relation to the number, length and cost of sessions
• Articulate clearly the expectations of the coaching process, of yourself as the ‘coachee’ and of them as the coach
• Outline other relevant areas such as payment terms, contact protocols, confidentiality and data protection

Having a clear framework to refer to throughout the coaching process will help you to stay on track and ensure that you’re getting what you need from the process.

Choosing a coach to work with to support your professional development is both a big step and an important decision. Whatever decision you make, make sure it’s well informed and that it’s right for you and where you’re at right now. 

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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.

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