MANAGEMENT
LEADING WITH ALIGNMENT
Is it time to get your ducks in a row?
As we start a new year, ANDREW BLENCH, school business partner, encourages SBLs to take a fresh look at leadership style and approach. Is it time to finally ‘get all your ducks in a row’ - and what is leading with alignment?
T
he Cambridge Dictionary defines alignment as an arrangement in which two or more things are positioned in a straight line or parallel. One of the simplest illustrations is the wheels on your car. Once upon a time when taking our cars to have new tyres fitted, we would be asked ‘would you like alignment/tracking as well?’. The wheels would be spun around on a machine to make sure there was no wobble, and that they were truly straight. The risk being that if the tyres were misaligned, we would have a rather unpleasant ride. So, if that is what alignment means, what does leading with alignment mean? What is the equivalent of the straight line used in the definition of your leadership style? What do you need to be in parallel with when leading? TRUE NORTH (INTERNAL ALIGNMENT) To lead others with alignment we need to be in touch with our own ‘true north’. The measure against which you measure everything else in your personal and business life. Leading with alignment starts here, internally, before it impacts others. Those we work with are quick to spot when we are not leading with authenticity. What are your values, calling and beliefs? Here are some of mine: Inclusion – that all are
26 January/February 2024
welcome here, everyone has a voice and a right to be heard. Potential – that all people have significant, and at times unrealised, potential for growth. Agency – that as a leader I can and should help others to be their best selves. If you haven’t done any work in this area before, I encourage you to either read Bill George’s book or access some online tools. ALIGNMENT IN THE SCHOOL SETTING We lead with alignment when we pull together in the same direction. Firstly, by the school or trust that we work for. Schools and trusts have a statutory requirement to agree and regularly review the ethos, values and mission as detailed in the Governance Handbook 2023. The board should set and safeguard an ethos of high expectations for everyone in the school community. This includes expectations for the behaviour, progress and attainment of all pupils and for the conduct and professionalism of both staff and the board themselves. The board should foster a common culture, set of values and ethos across the whole organisation, ensuring it is reflected consistently in both its policies and its practices. So, do you know what your school or trust’s stated cultural values and ethos are? These are often set out in things such as mission statements or vision