Dr. Douglas L. Ragland
Retired Superintendent of Schools
Blog
How to Build a Winning Team-10Tips from Outstanding School Administrators by Jeremy Sutcliffe
Posted on September 11, 2018 at 11:29 AM |
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Identify skills gaps (Surround yourself with
people who complement your areas of Improvement). Look
at the balance of your team and try to find people who complement each other,
says Roger Pope, principal of Kingsbridge
Community College, Devon. "I
identify who I need for a particular role within a team and actively try and
recruit somebody with those characteristics. For example, when I first became a
head I knew I had skills in communications and strategic thinking but wasn't
strong on the logical, mathematical side of things. So I appointed someone with
a first class honours degree in maths to be my logical, mathematical thinker on
the team. That partnership has worked well for 12 years." Build friendships (Form Trusting Relationships) Joan
McVittie, head teacher of Woodside High School in north London, has
taken her school from special measures to outstanding with virtually the same
leadership team. Successful teams are built through friendship, trust and
spending time together, she says. "On
the day before we start school every year I invite my leadership team to my
home and we have a buffet and a glass of wine so we can talk as a group about
what we did over the holiday and make sure we're ready for the next day, but
under very sociable circumstances. It's those little soft skills that make a
school tick over." Identify and promote talent (Recruit, Develop, Enhance, and
Maintain Talent). A
crucial part of leadership is spotting people with talent and giving them
opportunities to grow, says Lynn Slinger, head teacher of Forest
Way Special School in Coalville, Leicestershire. "Always
try to find the best in people and if they show talent utilise that within the
school. Sometimes you take risks with people and it comes off, sometimes it
doesn't. I had a supply teacher who I appointed deputy head and she's still
with me 17 years later. It was a big risk but it paid off." Play to people's strengths (Assess Gifts and Talents and
Incorporate Accordingly) "On
a leadership team some people will move people around because they want them to
get experience in all sorts of skills and different areas," says Roger
Pope. "I
tend to play to people's strengths. So I've got people who are very good at
dealing with parents and children who will specialise in that and not go
anywhere near the data and others who will specialise in that." Help people to develop (Professional and Personal Development) "As
well as identifying people's strengths and talents you have to try to help them
overcome their weaknesses," says Lynn Slinger. "Nobody's
perfect. Someone may be an absolutely superb teacher and brilliant at leading
learning but lack emotional intelligence when dealing with colleagues. You need
to try and give them an opportunity to improve. "It's
not just about developing skills. It might be a personality trait that's
causing an issue that you need to address. It's about helping people to grow
and really push themselves personally." Lead by example (Model with Excellence and Expectation) It
is a leader's job to act as a role model for both staff and pupils, says Joan
McVittie. "I
do set high expectations but I never ask people to do things that I wouldn't do
myself. I am always prepared to roll my sleeves up. If we are running revision
classes over a holiday then I will make sure I come in. Leading by example like
that is critical." Delegate (Be Prudent and Responsible in Assigning Duties) Don't
try to do everything. As leader it is your role to set objectives and make sure
the right outcomes are achieved, says Roger Pope. "The
way I tend to operate is to say: 'This is the role, this is what we need to
achieve; you are responsible for doing it and you are accountable'," says
Roger Pope. Joan
McVittie takes a similar approach but stresses it is a leader's job to
intervene when necessary. "People do things in many different ways and I
recognise that more often than not their way of doing them is better than mine.
So I'm not didactic in how they manage things. However, if someone keeps making
errors and the outcome isn't what I want then I will pull them in and be fairly
didactic." Be prepared to move people on (Accountability) "You
can't have a successful team if you've got dead wood. It really has to be a
case of 'Get on the train and leave the station'" says Lynn Slinger. "While
you always try to grow leaders and develop people who want to be part of a
successful team you also have to tackle those who don't want to be there for
the sake of the children and the school. It's about holding people to
account." Take collective responsibility (Support the Decision) "It's
absolutely critical that the team understands that we have collective,
corporate responsibility," says Joan McVittie. "We can have a very
full and frank discussion at team meetings but once we've made a decision and
we move outside the door then everybody has to abide by it." Be positive (Look at Challenges as Opportunities) "You
can never underestimate the impact of your words on a person," says Roger
Pope. "One of the prime things about motivating people and keeping them happy is having a sense of what you say to different people at different times in order to have that positive input. "In our school we have a lot of light-hearted banter and always try to look out for one another. We also try to create the sense that there is no such thing as failure; that you can learn from mistakes, take risks and have a 'no blame' culture. It's about avoiding the negatives and promoting the positives." Jeremy Sutcliffe's book: Successful School Leaders is due to be
published by Continuum in 2013. |
Quality Schools Equal Success
Posted on July 20, 2013 at 11:15 PM |
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A famous philosopher once said, "Education is the key to success and without it you will fail". I would like to go a step further and say that a successful school system is the foundation for excellent leadership, productive living, and the catalyst for growth in the community and business world. The best of the best would be attracted to our city, thus enhancing our resources, opportunities, economy and in essence the quality of life. As I have said on many occasions, the level of success of the school system equates with the level of success in the community at large because one cannot be successful without the other. This is why it is so important that we have a top notch school system in the city of Birmingham. Please give me your thoughts on this matter. |
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- Home
- About Dr. Douglas L. Ragland
- Vote for Dr. Douglas L. Ragland
- Dr. Douglas L. Ragland for School Board
- Dr. Douglas L. Ragland's School Board Success
- School Board Member
- Dr. Douglas L. Ragland's Major School Board Accomplishments
- Dr. Douglas L. Ragland's Proven Leadership
- Resume
- Blog
- Photo Gallery
- Greene County Schools Superintendency
- Midfield City Schools Superintendency
- Major Career Achievements
- Superintendent's Role
- Role of the Community College
- Diversity
- Culture, Equity and Language
- Race and Culture
- Annotated Bibliography
- Successful School System
- Flipping the Classroom Tools
- Communicating with Podcasts
- Technology
- Digital Technology Plan
- Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Professional Study Reflection
- Shared Understanding and Goals
- Communication/Problem Solving
- Continuous Assessment
- Continuous Improvement
- Professional Development
- Educational Resources
- Curriculum/Instruction
- Cultural Norms
- Reflection on Student Success
- Bibliography
- Literacy in Education
- Dr. Douglas L. Ragland's Literacy Plan
- Building a First Class Staff
- Recruiting Strategies
- Successful Tips for Leaders
- Organizational Dynamics
- Politics and Education
- Videos
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