CommentaryIn the Keynote Video, I spoke of 2 maxims that have guided my work and went on to explain why and how answering 4 simple questions, honestly and openly, can lead to success, not just in education but in any human endeavour. This commentary and guidance is offered for those who want to delve into more detail.

The 2 maxims and 4 questions were forged, in the heat of school improvement, as I worked to empower leaders and their colleagues to stand up and speak for themselves, rather than merely wait for others to impose their judgements and opinions on them. They are based on a belief that no outsider can understand the intimacy of a professional’s work better than s/he. I have found that when teachers and leaders grasp responsibility for answering the questions they go on to support and challenge each other and strengthen key elements of their leadership: vision - judgement - analysis - planning. Even better, they commission support and challenge from respected and trusted others, they now regard as professional equals.

The more individuals and teams answer these questions, confidently, the more they learn and demonstrate deeper skills in self-evaluation and planning for improvement. Their convincing answers, over time, complete virtuous cycles of improvement activity as each revolution, completed with rigour, identifies the marginal gains that lead to individual and team success. Nothing impresses observers more than a self-evaluating team. There is no better preparation for external inspection because self-evaluation and planning means teacher led, informed discussion and, invariably, validation for the team’s judgement and planning.

Transformational leaders know this truth. They understand that achieving success is about all colleagues in a team taking responsibility. They know that successful organisations are made up of individuals and teams, all of whom can answer these 4 questions. Put simply, meaningful improvement will only be achieved when staff and students believe that, “Looking at what we do, with a view to doing better next time, is part of our work”. Meaningful becomes sustainable when all witness the impact of their efforts over time. Self-evaluation can become a self-believing, self-sustaining and self-fulfilling philosophy.

I ended by saying that this is deceptively simple stuff and stressing the critical determinant, in an individual, or team’s, success, is their will to undertake the rigorous self-evaluation I described. If we really want to succeed we have to be prepared to face down our demons and face up to our successes. It’s our will, more than our energy, that drives us in this.

© John Pearce 2016 www.johnpearce.org.uk john@johnpearce.org.uk

Keynote Video Commentary4 Key Questions for Transformational Leaders and their teams…

The 2 maxims1. Keep it simple, it’ll get complicated anyway – start complicated and you don’t stand a chance.

When busiest we are most easily tempted into shiny new complexities, as we pile up new approaches and systems. The best designs strip away all the unnecessary detail. So, work hard at removing the encumbrances, the barriers and the overwhelming in order to focus on the important.

2. Never underestimate the skills, knowledge, understanding, or nous (practical intelligence) of your colleagues. Far too often we ignore this wisdom and fall back on a quality control, or regulatory approach to teaching and learning with an examiner, or inspector, standing at the output end judging quality. By valuing, respecting, listening and working from the perceptions of those in the system we create a quality assurance approach – which can be far more efficient and sustainable.

4 Key Questions – guidanceThese questions can be applied to any human endeavour by an individual, or team. They are plural here to emphasise they are questions asked by a Transformational Leader of his/her team. They are intended to be answered by the team, working together. Obviously, they can be asked by each individual of her/himself in relation to their own work, within the team.

1. How well are we performing now?

Your answer to Question 1 should be a clear and honest judgement about how well you think you are doing in relation to a vision of expectations. So, it’s about surfacing that one word, number, letter, or descriptor we all sense about our work (or should be doing). Think of a continuum from your worst to your best and ask yourself, “Where we are now?” in relation to, “Where we need to be”. You should:

make a simple and clear judgement statement. “My judgement is that we are……” e.g. Grade 1 out of 5 / Silver Medal / 4 Star / C+ / Meeting Expectations / Outstanding. Whilst others may agree, or have differing views, this judgement must be yours (if it’s for your work) and agreed (if it’s for the team’s work). Making this judgement is the start of taking responsibility for answering the next questions successfully.

Reference your judgement to agreed sets of criteria or competencies.   “This judgement meets criteria in…” e.g. Ofsted, Professional Standards, Local Descriptors. If there are no set criteria, or competencies, draft your own for current and improved, levels of performance. ( Many are doing this, currently, to replace National Curriculum Levels in the #lifebeyondlevels debate. )

2. What evidence justifies this judgement?

Remember, your judgements remain opinions, to others, until you convince them with telling evidence. So, your answer to Question 2 should be a “Golden Paragraph” summarising the critical information and data that justifies your judgement in Question 1. Source only the most compelling evidence to prove your judgement is accurate. Remember - Keep it simple, it will become complicated anyway … You should:

look for a mix of quantitative and qualitative detail, triangulate by using a wide range of sources and people, precis the complexity but be prepared to furnish more detail if requested.

Questions 1 and 2 should have established the validity of your judgement (they are the equivalent of the Self-Evaluation Form (SEF).  Questions 3 and 4 are at the heart of Success Planning because they move into analysis prior to creating your, all important, Action Plans for success. 

© John Pearce 2016 www.johnpearce.org.uk john@johnpearce.org.uk

3. What will help and hinder our success?

You and your team are held, “Where you are” because the forces that HELP progress to, “Where you want to be” are weaker, or being frustrated, by those that HINDER. In Question 3, to start closing the gap, you should:

analyse and list the people, resources, information and support that have provided help, or might yet offer help as you strive for success,

analyse and list the people, resources, information and support that have hindered, or might yet be a barrier to progress

Take time weighing up this list and, when sure you have hammered out all the factors:

accentuate the positive forces but also identify the negative factors you can influence, prioritise those you can mobilise and favour those offering the greatest potential impact.

4. What are we planning to do next?

Answers to Question 4 (for each priority in Question 3) create simple, prioritised action plans to achieve the marginal gains that will combine to achieve your desired level of performance. You plan to accelerate progress by harnessing what helps and clear your path to improvement by removing barriers. The example “Planning Strip” has headings WHAT – WHO – SUCCESS CRITERIA - WHEN. There are more complicated versions. Whichever you use you should be able to specify:

who will be doing what, by when, to achieve… the specific, measurable results you require and the resource implications(be clear, unambiguous and realistic in what you write on each strip)

Finally, implement the plans and evaluate their impact by returning to Question 1. Transformational leaders involve and collaborate with colleagues knowing this builds their capacity to make sustained progress by looping through the 4 questions in a continuous cycle:  VISION - JUDGEMENT - ANALYSIS - ACTION linking on to: VISION (re-adjusted?) - JUDGEMENT (updated?)   - ANALYSIS (refreshed?)  and ACTION (re-focussed?)

© John Pearce 2016 www.johnpearce.org.uk john@johnpearce.org.uk

FOLLOW UP

These materials and others can be downloaded from

www.johnpearce.org.uk click on EVENT MATERIALS

www.academytransformationtrust.org

Materials available include:

1. KEYNOTE VIDEO Commentary and Guidance (This paper)2. The handouts in the #ATTStaffDay

4 Questions For Transformational Leaders (Shorter paper) Planning Strips

3. The iAbacus Model (The 4 Questions as used in The iAbacus Software

ABOUT

John Pearce

Unlike many colleagues who've been involved in education for over 40 years, I’m told I have maintained a hope and realism fuelled by a wicked sense of humour. First a happy and successful teacher, then middle and senior leader I became adviser and eventually Deputy Chief Inspector for Nottinghamshire in 1993. Going freelance, in 1998, allowed me to focus on school improvement, rather than inspection. Roles have included: Consultant; Head teacher; Executive Coach, National College Lead Facilitator & Regional Curriculum Adviser. My specialism is self-evaluation and success planning www.iabacus.co.uk which is increasingly applied across Education, Business and Lifestyle. All my work in Education is now is about creating respect, value and belief in the professionalism of teachers and their leaders. A finer balance involves: family, chairing The Kenyan Educational Trust, blacksmithing, sculpture and climbing high mountains, preferably covered in snow.

© John Pearce 2016 www.johnpearce.org.uk john@johnpearce.org.uk