Middle leaders are the essential leaders of learning in twenty-first century schools and are increasingly recognised as such. To influence a peer, to hold colleagues to account, to develop the capacity of others or to build and lead a team rather than just a working group is the real challenge. Middle leaders need the skills and confidence to lead their teams because the team is where the change happens.
The one-day masterclass was designed for new and experienced middle leaders and attracted 65 participants. The aim was to develop an understanding of the characteristics of a great team and the leader’s role in enabling the team’s high performance. In developing the learning for the day, I used research from leading writers such as Jon Katzenbach, Patrick Lencioni and Ruth Wageman as anchors for our thinking.
The anticipated outcomes were: