Monday, 11 June 2007

Leadership Training

Last Friday we had the pleasure to have Geoff Moss and Elizabeth Floyer  from Behaviour & Learning Management in school for our summer inservice day.

Geoff had been over on the same inservice day last year to move us on in Assertive Discipline. This was a very enjoyable and enlightening course which has helped embed assertive discipline across the school.

This time Geoff and Elizabeth were doing a 1 day course to introduce Situational Leadership.

This was aimed at giving all staff a common language of leadership and mentoring. This will give the staff a common reference when talking to each other. So they know what is meant when sharing professionally. When someone is learning a skill each phase is called a Directions

It describes a cycle of learning which happens to us all. The example I used when finding an example where I was a learner was learning to ride a bike

D1 - Before you learn a new skill - That is easy to do, anybody can do that!

D2 - While learning a new skill - This isn't as easy as I first thought. Leave those stabilsers on!

D3 - Learned the new skill but still not sure - What do you mean you have let go of the saddle Dad!!!!

D4 - New skill is embedded - How come they find riding a bike so hard!!! I never did.

Each of these need a different form of Leadership or Mentoring but only for that particular skill. The person is not a Phase only the learning.

S1 - Very directed - Look where you are going. Keep the legs moving, Don't move the handle bars so much

S2 - Directed but with much more encouragement to keep the learner going - That's it! Little less on the brakes.

S3 - Communicating with the learner - How does that feel. You want me to let go? Well I already have let go.

S4 - Delegating. - Off you go. I know you can do it.

Its interesting when I think about various situations in ICT Training where I am a S4 leader and perhaps the individuals are D3 or worse when I am an S1 leader and they are D4.

I suspect I will be referring to this model a lot over the coming year.

 

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