The African Experience

Next week I am off to South Africa to do some voluntary work in The Ark Christian School. I am going as part of a team from the Rata Teachers' Support. Several months ago we got together in Cambridge to plan what we would do over there. We have a team going to Cape Town and a new group going to Ghana.


We will be working with teachers and leaders to build their teaching skills. This will include working with the teachers from The Ark and running a conference for local teachers. Developing an understanding of needs for learners in the 21st century is as important in South Africa as anywhere. How can we support teachers to build student skills in literacy and numeracy while also building their ability to think critically and creatively?

Why am I going?
We all have a role in supporting others. Organisational psychologist Wilf Jarvis, describes one level above self actualisation in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. He talks about the importance of self transcendence - the willingness to think beyond your own needs and to help others. This is something I want to get better at - to practice empathic leadership. I am very conscious on this trip that my main role will be listening to what The Ark teachers want, how they view the world and how they see us supporting them. I know so little of their world so it is a good chance to practice active listening and ask inquiring questions!

In a past life I was a teacher and principal. I was (and still am) constantly talking about the needs of learning for the future and what competencies students might need in order to thrive. In particular, risk taking stands out as important in this journey. Teachers talk about the need for their students to take risks but very rarely take any risks themselves, let alone expect it of their students. Teaching is a risk averse profession, so I guess when I left it I took a risk! This trip to South Africa is about me giving to others and growing from the experience. Stepping out of your comfort zone is the best way to grow so that is what I am going to do and if it encourages even one other person to get uncomfortable - that's great too!

Initial Thinking
In preparation for my trip I have been reading many books, exploring the internet, talking to those who have been to the Ark previously and thinking a lot about how I may be able to contribute. The following TED Talk by Patrick Awuah provided me with some insight. Although Patrick is from Ghana I believe there are many common ideas for South Africa and indeed for the world. Check it out for yourself.



Patrick says. "We must believe that these kids are smart...If we give them skills to engage the real world that magic will happen." This requires strong leadership that is based in sound ethical behaviour and a vision for the future.

If one small pebble makes a ripple in the water, doesn't that make a difference? I believe so. I don't think that is niave - I think that is hope.

So over the next three weeks join me on the journey.

Toughen up

I have been working on a framework for educational leaders and it has really reinforced for me the importance of self leadership. If we don't build our internal understandings of self it is extraordinarily difficult to understand others. The development of self awareness and self management can be grown in a number of ways. One of the most important ways is through receiving feedback. I'm not talking about a one off approach, but a regular way of listening to what others have to say and changing based on this feedback (or at least contemplating the feedback and choosing not to change!) Feedback should feed forward to next steps in learning otherwise why bother getting feedback. Never have the skills of dialogue and listening been so important.

In talking to a group of school leaders recently the scenario was posed of a teacher who was underperforming. They moved the students forward in terms of test results but they did so through fear. The school leader had given feedback to the teacher on several occasions but nothing had changed. Some students thrived, others survived. My question in these circumstances is always "So would you be happy if your child or grandchild was in that class?" I'm not talking about it necessarily being a first choice, but that you would be satisfied, at the very least. When leaders think about this question they often have an 'aha' moment and in many cases they come back with the answer 'No.' If no is the answer then leaders must be proactive in dealing with the issue, not skirt around the concern. This is about the future of a group of students year after year. If it ain't good enough for your child or grandchild it ain't good enough - full stop.

Yes, this can create industrial issues and it does get tricky. It is the leader's job to confront inadequate performance; to follow the rules, but to move things forward - consistently, rigorously and relentlessy. This may involve further development of the teacher in more explicit ways, and it may result in the teacher ultimately leaving the school. Working through such issues is really hard work and some school leaders do not feel they have the skills to confront them. In some cases, through not dealing with the issues when they first arose, and not investing in the development of high quality professional learning - they have exacerbated the problem.

Leaders must be proactive. They must first look to their own behaviour and explore what needs to be changed. What have I been doing (or not doing) that has led to this problem? What do I need to do to build my skills? Personal courage is needed as a school leader. Self aware leaders will understand that empathic and ethical behaviour is crucial at such times and they will act accordingly. A self aware school leader knows that they personally impact on students through their own behaviour and the way they model to the adults in the organisation. An unrelenting focus on doing the best for all students and developing a school community that lives and breathes this too - that's the challenge. So if the question is "Would you be happy to have your child or grandchild in that class?" and the answer is "No" take action.

Build Others - Stay Sane

People are overwhelmed with the sheer complexity of things to do and torn between the various commitments in their life, both at work and at home. Some of this is caused by the pace of change, the expectations of others and the nature of our work environments. Workload is killing us. The Japanese have a word for this phenomenon - Koroshi - literally death by overwork. Stress in low doses is good for you - this is called eustress. Stress in high doses is bad for you - this is called distress and in its worse form - death. I am more in favour of eustress than distress, personally.

Today I have friends visiting. We have had a wonderful time together and I haven't had so many belly laughs for a long time. Liz and I walked up the hills of Sumner admiring the views and talking about anything that entered our heads at the time. I don't do enough of this, do you? And yet exercise, laughter and friends are a winning combination.

I reminded me of the survey I asked educators to fill in towards the end of 2008. This survey asked some key questions about their competency in relating to others. It was a self rating survey and the results were very interesting. It was no surprise that the following question was rated lowest by respondents:

There are two main problems with lack of delegation. The first is that it can led to distress because we try to do everything ourselves. It will be quicker after all, we won't have to fix others' mistakes and we know how it should be done. Koroshi here we come!

The second issue is important too. By not delegating we are stealing from others who have the ability to perform. Our role as leaders is to build the capacity of others so that they can grow their own abilities, and in doing so succession is more likely to be assured. In order to delegate it is important to understand a person's strengths and build on these. What are the person's productive skills for that particular task? Do they have the constructive energy for the task? Consider these elements in order to delegate appropriately. Build the skills of others on purpose, for if you do everything yourself they will never learn. Your employees, colleagues and family will be trapped in a dependency model and may very well resent their lack of power. Develop their abilities to be resilient and to cope with stress positively. This implies building strong relationships and knowing the needs and capabilities of those around you.

I'm not going to rush off and shed my workload, or abdicate my responsibilities. But maybe there are some things that others want to learn and to take control of. Maybe I should start by asking them what I am doing that they could be doing. Maybe I could identify others' strengths to build on and support them to have a go. Maybe I could live for a few more years in a non-koroshi state...now that's appealing...