Summer holidays - a time for reinvention?

One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was back when I was a new headteacher. The LA had set up a new heads’ group, which I really valued. We sat together in a circle in one of our meetings, and listened to an experienced head, giving us their 10 top tips. It was close to the end of my first year as a head, and I remember feeling bruised and battered by all I had been through. One of the 10 tips jumped off the page at me: every summer you get the chance to reinvent yourself. It gave me hope when I was feeling disheartened with myself and the role.

In the busy-ness of my day to day work as a head, I hadn’t been able to properly step back and reflect on the enormity of that first year. However, in the summer holiday, after an exhausted week lying on a sunbed in Rhodes, I could start to piece things together. I took the idea of reinvention to heart, and began thinking about the leader I really wanted to be, what my values were and how I wanted to move forwards. The work of reinvention had begun. In that second year, I found more confidence and authenticity. I was starting to build a strong team, and lead in my own unique way, guided by my values, rather than the often-conflicting advice of professionals visiting my school.

I found myself repeating that exercise nearly every summer holiday while I was a head. The start of the Autumn term always gave me the opportunity to brush away the cobwebs, and begin afresh.

Lots of heads I’ve worked with and spoken to over the last year have been questioning their future, and feeling dissatisfied with the place leadership is taking in their lives. Now is a great time to reflect and take some steps in a new direction that feels more authentic for you.

So, if you’re lying on your sunbed pondering on this, here are a few questions to support your reflection:

1.??????What are you dissatisfied with in your leadership? What isn’t sitting well with you?

2.??????What are the biggest challenges your organisation faces in the coming year? What will they require from you?

3.??????What kind of leader do you aspire to be? What do you want to be known for?

4.??????What are your core values? How can they guide you through the challenges ahead?

5.??????What do you need to change? How are you going to make that change happen?

Making the change happen requires a lot from you personally – courage to take unfamiliar steps and determination to keep going when things get tough. Think about how you can bring your team along with you as you move things in a new direction. Use the opportunities of training days and improvement plans to set your stall out and inspire and motivate your team.

These questions are deep (digging deep is what I do best!), so if you would like some support in your reflection, leadership coaching might help. You can find out more about the services I offer here. I also offer online training for school leaders, focusing on building skills and leadership behaviours that empower yourself and others. You can find out more here.