Making the step-up into senior leadership is undoubtedly an exciting opportunity but it can also be a daunting prospect. Taking on a promotion from middle to senior leader within the same school can throw up some unique challenges. So how best can we navigate these?
Whether you have many years of experience stacked up behind you or have been in middle management for a shorter period of time, you will almost certainly have made some solid and trusted relationships with other colleagues along the way.
Moving up an internal promotional ladder might bring with it issues that you were not expecting that can be a distraction from the job at hand.
It might even be one of the interview questions you are asked, for example: How will you effectively manage working relationships as you move from a middle to senior role in this school?
Nothing can fully prepare you for this change, but there are things for which you can plan. Below I would like to offer some tips and pieces of practical advice to consider that might help you manage those first few months in your new senior role and help you enjoy the opportunities and challenges that a career in school leadership can give you.
1, Have clear expectations
Congratulations, you are now a member of the senior leadership team. Now though, it is essential that you are clear about the difference between managing and leading.
Find time to determine which parts of your job will require you to be strategic, which parts will be around vision and mission, and which parts expect you to be operational.
Understanding these distinctions will help you focus your time better. Importantly, it will also help you to transition away from your previous job description and its requirements. This, in turn, will help you manage relationships better.
You must be clear about where your new job involves leading and managing staff and what this is going to look like. This is important because you might previously have sat in the staffroom as a fellow middle leader yet are now expected to hold these same colleagues to account through performance management.
Spend some time preparing for this relationship shift. You might need to develop new skills to be able to do this professionally and effectively. This could require additional training – more on this later.
2, Set professional boundaries
Knowing in advance where you are going to place socialisation boundaries between yourself and colleagues is vital if you want to be successful in your new role while not damaging valued workplace friendships.
You may remember previous social occasions with colleagues that have got you through difficult days, but you should consider what that professional distance looks like.
This might happen naturally over time, but it can be a difficult balance to get right initially. You want to avoid creating a culture of “us and them” while retaining a clear delineation of roles and responsibility.
3, Don’t be afraid to ask for help
You will need time to develop and grow into your new role. Just because you know the school well already does not mean that you will be able to immediately get to grips with everything that is now expected from you by the senior team.
Expectations on you will undoubtedly be higher because you are already known to colleagues. You will of course get better as you become more established in your new role but do be aware that this might take time and try not to hide behind the successes of your old role. Look forward, not back.
Be clear when you accept the job about what you will need in order to successfully develop into a good senior leader. Effective training is key to your success, though at the beginning you might not know exactly what this should look like. Having a conversation with your headteacher is a good first step.
One example of a useful training course early on in your senior leadership career journey might be on having difficult conversations. This element of the role will never be easy, especially when you have been promoted internally, but training can help.
When you are more settled you might consider additional training on how to present clearly on strategy as opposed to operations when reporting to governors and trustees.
It might also be worth looking at what professional development opportunities are available via your union. For example, the Association of School and College Leaders offers middle leader development programmes as well as coaching for leaders in their early years of headship.
There is also information and advice available on strategic leadership of specific areas that you may be taking responsibility for, such as curriculum or accountability.
4, Align yourself with other members of the leadership team
Your new role will mean you will now be working with a much larger group of staff. This also means that any preconceptions you might have had about individuals or curriculum areas need to be removed. It is time to wipe the slate clean to ensure you remain professional and consistent.
Going on learning walks with other members of the senior team can be a useful way of ensuring you are on the same page. Focus first on a key question, such as: What does great teaching and learning look like in this school? Check that you are in agreement. This is important, because the view from your previous middle leadership perspective might be different from that of strategic, whole-school leadership.
5, Manage your time carefully
Your hours and working life will change, so think about how you are going to control your time. This starts even before the role becomes yours officially, as you will want to structure early handover meetings in order to understand what is expected of you from the outset.
You might find yourself being pulled in all directions at the start – by previous middle leader colleagues and through the additional expectations of your new role. One solution is to stick as closely as possible to your diary.
Where you can, block-out time for tasks to help you manage your work/life balance a bit better. Deciding on an open-door policy indicates to your middle leader colleagues that they can pop in and chat with you at any time, but you might find that this can distract you from getting your head around new tasks with tight deadlines, so don’t feel guilty when you need to shut the door.
Final thoughts
We wish you all the best for your future in senior leadership. Remember, never be afraid to ask for help if you need it – regardless as to whether you are at the same school, this is a new role and you will be more effective with the right guidance.
Never pretend to know the answer. Some weeks will be harder than others but staying true to your vision and values will help you as well as those following your lead.
- Tiffnie Harris is policy specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders. Read her previous articles for SecEd via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/tiffnie-harris/
School leadership: The first 100 days
One of SecEd’s all-time most downloaded podcasts is our episode on how to tackle the first 100 days of a senior leadership role. School leadership: The first 100 days is still available to listen to via www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/podcasts/the-seced-podcast-school-leadership-the-first-100-days