Springboard Trust - PLD Journey
On the back of my last entries it seems this Blog is morphing into a PLD journal. I'll take some time in the holiday's to actually work out who my audience is, and the potential for how I am using it. I must also take some time to see what the other Principals in the Kahui Ako, are doing with their ones...However, in the meantime I wanted to do a post on my Term 1 PLD with the Springboard Trust and how much I am loving working with my capacity partner.
Firstly, a little background on the Springboard Trust and the PLD that our Leadership Team is engaged in. The Springboard Trust has a lovely little catch phrase 'It takes a village to raise a strong school environment'. I agree with this wholeheartedly, and further to this, it is important to bring that journey to each and every member of a school's leadership team.
Springboard Trust's High Performing Leadership Team programme helps schools develop a shared vision, understanding and planning for high performance. This term our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) has been lucky enough to engage in this PLD, and I for one, am loving it.
One of the strategies I really enjoy is connecting with colleagues/experts in their field to share practice and problem-solve collectively. While I am incredibly fortunate to have be able to connect and collaborate through my local Principal Association, Kāhui Ako, Ako Hiko, and friends (a number of who are Principals). I have realised there are other opportunities to build a strong professional network outside of the education sector and I am going to invest time in strengthening these relationships.
I am working with a 'Capacity Partner' her name is Nicky and for privacy I won't tell you what company she works for but she is an expert in Human Resources. I meet with Nicky about once a fortnight and we discuss lots of topics -
- strengths
- next steps/challenges
- up and coming professional learning..what's on top - really'.
I love talking with Nicky, she is highly relational and has a plethora of amazing experiences and resources which she is happy to share with me. Last week Nicky and I discussed the schools coaching and leadership programme and she shared a new clip and book with me and it really resonated.
The book is called: Wayfinding Leadership: Ground-breaking Wisdom for Developing Leaders and I have to admit to not reading it (YET). However, I have watched this Youtube clip and I made lots of connections.
By way of background, Chellie mixes modern theories of leadership with the ancient Polynesian traditions of wayfinding, such as how the Maori found their way to New Zealand. This clip presents a new way of leading by looking to traditional waka navigators or wayfinders for the skills and behaviours needed in modern leaders. It's a very approachable 20 minute journey into wayfinding and leading, discussing principles of wayfinding philosophy, giving examples of how these have been applied in businesses and communities, and providing action points for leaders to practise and reflect on the skills they are learning.
I am really keen to share this clip with the wider SLT and get their feedback on leadership through a Te Ao Maori lens…..
