From Pale Rider to Ted Lasso - a shift in educational leadership?

A moment in a leadership workshop, early in my second headship, became a turning point in how I approached the job of headteacher. The change in direction which followed seems to have mirrored a shift in educational leadership more widely.

That afternoon, as we were completing Angela Duckworth’s ‘grit scale’ (her research on grit is fantastic, by the way, if you haven't seen it), I reflected back on my first headship. I had a sense of pride, feeling as though I’d been the epitome of grit in that 5 year journey of leading our school team towards a ‘good’ judgement from Ofsted. However, as I went through the self-evaluation questions, I could see that although I had stuck it out and made it through, there had been some significant costs. 

To be truly ‘gritty’ according to Duckworth, is to live life as though it’s a marathon, not a sprint. There’s something there about enjoying the journey. 

On reflection, I could see that there were many times in that headship where I just wanted it to be over, but I carried on, pushing through my emotions in an almost brutal way.

I’ve never liked the idea of a ‘hero head’, who leads from the front and demonstrates their personal effectiveness. However, I could see that, deep down, there were elements of that in how I was doing the job.

Of course, this was the era when Michael Wilshaw was Chief Inspector, urging heads to show up in their roles like Clint Eastwood arriving on his horse in ‘Pale Rider’, pistol in hand, ready to take on the bad guys. I took issue with that approach, as many leaders did at the time. I knew that going round excluding kids and putting staff on support plans left, right and centre wasn’t the answer.

But I had questions. What did the more values-aligned alternatives look like, and what would they require of me?

Those questions took me on a journey of leadership discovery over the next few years, as I became more values-led in my approach. Empowerment became the north star that guided me forwards.

I’m pleased to reflect that leadership in the education sector, and indeed leadership more broadly, has moved on. Writers like Brene Brown, with her work on the significance of vulnerability, Simon Sinek and his advocacy of ‘human skills’ and Kim Scott urging us towards ‘radical candour’ - caring personally when we challenge directly - have shown us a different path.

Our leadership role models these days are less likely to involve a gun-slinging cowboy and more likely to involve a certain head football coach with a ‘believe’ sign.

Leaders today know instinctively that the most important things to focus on are the relationships and the culture in their organisation. However, we don’t always see how pervasive the drive to be the hero leader is, and how it can get in the way of being values-led. Working all the hours God sends can feel like grit and perseverance, but what message does that send out to the wider team? Taking all the hard stuff on yourself can appear to be servant leadership, but at what point does it become disempowerment?

Leadership that’s about culture and relationships requires empathy and compassion and those things simply can’t emerge in the context of too much ‘busyness’. They need space. Leadership presence of the Ted Lasso variety is more about ‘leaning in’.

I had a moment recently in conversation with someone which demonstrated this very clearly. He was talking about quite a humdrum topic and then I noticed something shift in his eyes and his facial expression. It was significant, but I could easily have missed it. I leaned in and showed, without words, my willingness to listen deeply and make space for whatever it was that he needed to say. Tears started welling up in his eyes, and he opened up about what he was feeling and going through. That conversation helped him move forwards and deepened our connection. I found myself wondering later how many moments like this I missed in the course of headship because leadership was happening at such a fast pace that subtle signals were lost.

So, in order to lead in 21st century schools and trusts in a way that's aligned with values like empowerment and compassion, there’s a need to slow things down at times. It needs to be slow enough to notice what’s happening, both within ourselves and externally, in the organisation. Maybe it’s about slowing things down so that we can enjoy the journey a bit more too! That might mean taking the time to sit in the staffroom once or twice a week, just with the purpose of being present for others. It might mean leaving work early once a week and going for a nice, long walk, just so that you can be present with yourself. 

Whichever way you choose to do it, slowing down regularly can help you to ‘see the wood for the trees’ and notice the small and subtle things that can actually turn into the big and important ones before you know it.

Leadership coaching and professional supervision are tools that can be used for stepping back, slowing down the pace for an hour and reflecting deeply, with a compassionate partner who is ready to ‘lean in’ when necessary. I provide both of these services to school and trust leaders, and I offer a free, no obligation consultation where you can explore the options. Click here to book directly into my calendar.