Teacher’s Leadership Development Program

Teachers’ Leadership Development Program

The NESLI Teachers’ Leadership Development Program is a fourmonth journey that provides a path for recognising and strengthening leadership capacity. Primarily this course has helped to understand that:

Leadership means establishing a goal

We all have goals and working towards the goal is not about the sprint, but the journey. The journey teaches you about yourself. What you value. What you trust. It helps you know that there’s strength in faltering and not everything is a win. These are the foundations of establishing a goal and the drive to action. When your action correlates to what you value and believe, you can take strength in whatever the journey offers.

It’s going to take time

Leadership takes investment and commitment. Challenges can be tough, but knowing that you are committed to your journey provides confidence to continue over the long term.

Data backs up the challenges

When working with others it can be easy to infer a perspective that might not be supported with data. Considering the evidence is important for developing and maintaining relationships, moving forward through difficulty and encouraging yourself and others to grow. It provides a strong foundation for dealing with difficult situations because it gives leverage to a wider perspective. We might infer one thing, but the reality might be something different. Data will help clarify the challenge.

We need coaches and mentors

Leadership is about community. It’s about reaching out in trust with those who are known and new to us. In community, we spend time sharing new ideas and solidifying practice, instigating change based on feedback. Mentors and coaches help upskill us.

Change happens in small increments

Big, sudden changes can be a shock, unsettling ourselves and others. Sometimes they lead to injury and damage. Damage is best avoided by taking issues slowly and carefully, through the lens of history and perspective. Small changes are still development and can lead to a sense of victory and positivity.

Change and recovery go hand-in-hand

We can only make change when we know ourselves. Taking the time to reflect is important, and sometimes this means taking time to recover. Our recovery time provides for us the impetus to keep on, keep on, keep on. It can be a process of many small moments, interspersed with larger opportunities, to give ourselves the fortitude to hang in there.

Half way through the NESLI journey, there’s still more to explore. I’m confident an awareness of this is already ingrained within our community. Shelley McMorran Teacher-Librarian The King’s School Preparatory School