[the leadership issue]
Leadership is for all as Felsted extends opportunities throughout the school Chris Townsend is in his second year as headmaster of Felsted School. As a leader in the Felsted community we asked him how the school is developing leadership in Felstedians. Joel Garner writes
Leadership is changing. Leadership styles are changing. The theory of leadership is changing as well. In this environment, schools like Felsted, who aspire to develop the future leaders of this country, have changed their attitudes towards leadership too. My experience of Felsted in the mid 1980s was of an attitude in tune with the times when competition was king and those with sharp elbows could easily rise to the top. Some of our year group occupied most of the leadership positions available by being captains of the sports teams, prefects in house and school, and leaders both in the culture and community of our year group. Since then, attitudes have softened, says the current headmaster, and nature has been replaced by nurture. “It’s an error not to give all pupils a chance to develop these skills. In a year group, some have more developed skills than others and if they are given all the leadership positions they develop their skills more and others do not take responsibility. “I think it’s a big mistake to think of leadership as a talent that some have and others do not. If
some are never given the opportunity to lead, then they will never develop that capacity.” The headmaster reinforces the point that it is one of Felsted’s core values to produce generations of pupils that take up leadership roles in the wider world. To this aim giving Felstedians the opportunity to develop these skills is essential and firmly embedded in the schools’ culture. “Your best friend might become head of school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t apply and learn from that experience and that you can’t become a leader in other areas, for example in the academic arena, where you can opt to work and coach kids in the prep school. This might not be as explicit as traditional leadership roles, but the same skills are being developed.”
The school’s role Chris says that Felsted offers leadership roles across the school right down to the pre-prep. Service and leadership is visible through organisations like the CCF, but also through the junior leadership programme that is part of
think it’s a big mistake “to Ithink of leadership as a talent that some have and others do not…
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pupils’ education in Year 9, their first year in the senior school, he adds. There are opportunities to lead in the academic environment, outside the classroom in the school community too, and the approach is more nuanced now then it ever was before. “There’s no point making a girl who is not sporty captain of the girls’ hockey team. That’s not going to be a happy experience, but she may have other skills and attributes, such as being a good actress and in that environment she can become a leader, so it’s the school’s role to find those opportunities for every pupil.” This is not to say that Chris feels that leadership skills can only be developed through the school’s input as there’s an important role for individuals to find their own style and values. “By learning to manage yourself and developing a clear vision of what you want to be and the values you adhere to is a good starting point for learning about your leadership style and skills.” He adds that boarding schools encourage children to develop many life skills that are useful for leaders, such as independence, the ability to think for yourself and get on with a wide variety of people, but it doesn’t work for everyone, at least during their school days. Some non-conformists don’t flourish in the school environment but go on to make great leaders in later life. “We must never write anyone off. Richard Branson was a former pupil at a previous school and he never made it to the end but has gone on to do the most amazing things in life.”
Chris’s recommended books Alex Ferguson’s Leading Alistair Campbell’s Winners Matthew Syed’s Black Box Thinking Chris Townsend on a recent trip to Malawi.
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