Last week all of our
Across School Leaders got together for the first time in 2021. Responding to
the current climate, we had the option to attend the meeting physically or
online. The ASL meeting provided the opportunity to meet and discuss how work
was getting off the ground across the initiatives and also take some time to
delve into the Leadership framework and reflect on what we had been reading and
applying.
There was lots of content covered throughout the day and also time to check in with each other and build connections with newer members of the group.
Overall 3 main ideas/topics stood out as we drew the meeting to a close.
Firstly, Covid was on top of everyone’s radar because of Auckland school’s experiencing 2 lockdowns before week six of term one.The session was to reflect on how our roles change and adapt and so do all the roles within a school. Jill reminded us that responses will vary across all of our schools and this highlighted the importance of spending time at the beginning of the year to understand the context of each of the schools we are working in. Opening up understandings will impact the way that we approach initiative meetings and whole ACCoS events. Making things accessible remotely will mean that we remain connected.
Secondly, we spent
time discussing how to have conversations that bring problems from below the
line to above the line. Focusing on moving forward when faced with a challenge
and to focus on strengths and what will help us improve rather than ruminating
on the problem. Alison guided our coaching session and we explored the types of
questions that might be useful for making this move above the line.
Lastly, a term that stood out was ‘adaptable leadership’. Understanding that there is not a one size fits all approach to leadership. We had a big focus on leadership with Madeline and after working through examples of practice we discussed ways in which we could be flexible, drawing on different leadership styles as we work with different individuals in different contexts.
A great start to 2021
that had us thinking about how our roles and leadership styles will adapt to
suit the current climate and contexts of all schools in the ACCoS for the year
ahead.
