Lead Like a Pirate - Ask and Analyze

Prompt #3
One of the most important things that we should do as leaders is challenge the status quo. What questions do you use to do this when working with your teams?

This question really got me thinking and reflecting on what I do to challenge the status quo, about is it necessary to challenge it and what questions I ask to see if it is working. 

It is necessary to challenge the status quo, but only if it is needed, not just for the sake of doing it.

I believe that I am only a caretaker of the school for the time I am here so when challenging the status quo, I always ask myself, is what I am doing sustainable and beneficial for everyone, today and tomorrow?  I want to ensure that the school is moving forward and what I am doing will help with that journey.

When working with my team I ask questions or give them an idea to reflect on.  The main two questions I ask is "how is this going to impact our students and their learning?" "Is what we are doing beneficial to everyone?" If the answer is 'yes' then it is worth looking. 

At present with some of the changes that we have made I measure how successful they are on student attendance and how engaged they are when I walk around the school.  If attendance has gone up I know the changes are making a difference.  If children are engaged and excited about what they are learning again I know that the changes are making a difference.  

The next step for me is to now look at the data around children's learning and seeing how some of the changes have impacted on this.

I go back to my first post where I talked about how I am passionate about the students and ensuring everyone has a good education.  If children are attending and are engaged and excited about their learning, then they will be getting the best education we can give them, that is why I have started at this point and now will be looking more closely at the data.