{"id":80,"date":"2025-05-13T10:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T09:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/?p=80"},"modified":"2025-05-13T11:53:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T10:53:31","slug":"putting-your-toolbox-into-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/2025\/05\/13\/putting-your-toolbox-into-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting your &#8216;toolbox&#8217; into practice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"886\" height=\"87\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/files\/2024\/09\/Practice-banner.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/files\/2024\/09\/Practice-banner.png 886w, https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/files\/2024\/09\/Practice-banner-300x29.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/files\/2024\/09\/Practice-banner-768x75.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/files\/2024\/09\/Practice-banner-500x49.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 886px) 100vw, 886px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Who is this blog post for:<\/strong>&nbsp;Current&nbsp;or emerging middle leaders and for senior leaders or Headteachers who are developing middle leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Author:&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncl.ac.uk\/ecls\/people\/profile\/lisaramshaw.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lisa Ramshaw<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Posted on:<\/strong>&nbsp;14th November 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ke<\/strong><strong>ywords:<\/strong>&nbsp;Application; toolbox; situational; reflection; conscious; self-awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>In this blog post, we explore some of the scenarios that you may face in your middle leadership role and consider what Goleman leadership styles could be appropriate to deal with the scenario when selecting them from your leadership \u2018toolbox\u2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scenario 1<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Isha has been at the school for 16 years and is a member of the team that you lead. She is respected by parents and feared by many staff due to her abrupt manner and \u2018to the point\u2019 talking. She is extremely set in her ways and gets good results from the pupils. The school is trying to implement a more creative curriculum, but Isha doesn\u2019t want to change her traditional style of teaching. Recently she has become very negative about all the changes and often expresses her views loudly in the staff room and has also been known to talk to the parents about her views of the new style curriculum. You have your team meeting coming up soon, where this is an agenda item, and you fear that Isha may create some discord within the team.&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-electric-grass-gradient-background has-background\"><strong>Prompt questions&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>As a middle leader, how would you plan to deal with this scenario? Where would you start and what step would you take?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What leadership styles do you think would be most effective in this situation and why?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Before clicking the response below&nbsp;to reveal a suggested solution, reflect on what you would do to handle this situation and make some notes to capture your thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you are ready click the button below<\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Response (click to expand)<\/summary>\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Within this scenario, you seem to have the advantage of being aware of this situation before your team meeting. It could be useful to meet with Isha before this meeting to allow her to share her views. Approaching this from an&nbsp;<strong>affiliative<\/strong>&nbsp;point of view initially could be beneficial, so that Isha feels heard and her views shared.&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">You may then switch to a more&nbsp;<strong>visionary (authoritative)<\/strong>&nbsp;style, as you share the reasons why this creative curriculum is being developed and implemented.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Since Isha is an effective teacher of 16 years, you could then move to a more&nbsp;<strong>pacesetting<\/strong>&nbsp;style whereby you hone in on her experience and success and consider aspects of her practice that are of a high standard and would be needed to make sure such a new creative curriculum can be implemented effectively. Hopefully, this approach could make her feel valued, and she could then be a supportive advocate of the change to help coach other members of the team.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Once in your meeting with all other team members, using the&nbsp;<strong>visionary (authoritative)<\/strong>&nbsp;style again to position the reasons for the creative curriculum could be useful to set the scene. Once the \u2018why\u2019 has been shared, adopting a&nbsp;<strong>democratic approach&nbsp;<\/strong>to draw out the opportunities and challenges as a collective team could be useful, so that you can democratically problem-solve any challenges that may exist to help move the project forward<\/mark><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>How does this suggested solution compare to your own thoughts and suggestions?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Would you do anything differently? If so, what would that be and why?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scenario 2&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You have a teacher on your team who is very keen and motivated;&nbsp;however, they consume a lot of your time by \u2018running things by you\u2019 and regularly catch you in the corridor to share what has happened in their day. The \u2018two minutes\u2019 they ask you for, always turns into twenty-two. This often puts a strain on your time, and you then&nbsp;have to&nbsp;stay later at work&nbsp;to finish off the things you needed to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-electric-grass-gradient-background has-background\"><strong>Prompt questions&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The next time this scenario happens,&nbsp;as a middle leader,&nbsp;how could you deal with it differently, so that twenty-two minutes doesn\u2019t progress to forty-two minutes?<\/strong><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&nbsp;<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What leadership styles do you think would be most effective in this situation and why?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Before clicking the response below to reveal a suggested solution, reflect on what you would do to handle this situation and make some notes to capture your thinking.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Response (click to expand)<\/summary>\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">In this scenario, when someone is so keen, it is very hard as a leader to dismiss them or say that you are too busy. Most leaders always want to be accommodating and give time to others. However, it seems that this teacher has a dependency or a learned helplessness that you may be encouraging.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">For the benefit of the teacher themselves, you want to be able to develop their independence, so that they have the confidence to use their own initiative and be self-reflective. Therefore, the next time this happens, I would suggest that you as the leader are a little more assertive (with a smile!), using a&nbsp;<strong>commanding (coercive)&nbsp;<\/strong>approach \u2013 kindly. Share that you are very interested in what they have to say, but you are unable to chat right now. Ask them to email you to arrange a time when you can have a more focused conversation. This way, you have shown that you still have time for them, but it is going to be when it is more convenient to you.&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Once you arrange this meeting with that teacher, the&nbsp;<strong>coaching style<\/strong>&nbsp;could then be&nbsp;adopted. As long as you are the leader who is just verifying any query they have, they will always be dependent on you as they see you as their mentor. However, if you use coaching and develop their skills to be able to think for themselves and empower them to take their own initiative, you will develop their independence. I always find the GROW model is a simple and effective strategy when coaching and the results I have achieved have been very successful. Many teachers have thanked me for opening up their own minds to solutions they didn\u2019t know they had.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">GROW is an acronym for&nbsp;<strong>G<\/strong>oal\/s,&nbsp;<strong>R<\/strong>eality,&nbsp;<strong>O<\/strong>ptions,&nbsp;<strong>W<\/strong>ay Forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>G<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; In the initial stage, start by asking what they want to achieve from the conversation, or what they would like to chat about, i.e., their goal or aim.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>R<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Then move onto asking them what the current reality is, and why it is important to them \u2013 i.e., what is happening now.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>O<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Once you have established this, the most substantial part of the conversation is about discussing and debating what the relevant options are to achieving the initial goal. Depending on the teacher, you may need to step in with some possible options, but I would always encourage you to provide a choice to the teacher, so they always feel that it is them who has made the decision and feels empowered.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>W<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Finally, once all possible options are discussed, ask the teacher how they would like to proceed \u2013 i.e., what is the way forward from here?&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Hopefully, a few of those conversations will significantly reduce the amount of long-winded corridor conversations and move your teaching team from dependent to independent.<\/mark><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>How does this suggested solution compare to your own thoughts and suggestions?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Would you do anything differently? If so, what would that be and why?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scenario 3<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the first\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/2023\/03\/24\/challenges-opportunities\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/2023\/03\/24\/challenges-opportunities\/\">reflection post<\/a>\u202fof this series, it was prefaced that\u202f<em>the two layers of the hierarchical structure can pull a middle leader in many directions<\/em>, framed as \u2018sandwich leadership\u2019. Usually, middle leaders are sandwiched between senior leaders and their teams, therefore, there are also times when you need to \u2018lead up\u2019 and times when you need to follow their lead. The following scenario asks you to consider just that and reflect on what Goleman Leadership styles may be appropriate in this situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>After a recent meeting with your senior leader, you have been instructed to provide judgements for each one of teachers in your team. You have perceived your senior leader\u2019s style to be quite commanding (coercive) in their request. However, you need to do this within two weeks, and you feel that you don\u2019t have enough time to organise thorough learning walks or lesson observations to be able to make fair judgements of teachers. Since you are new to your middle leader role, you have not made judgements on teachers like this before, and although you have the teacher observation data from last year, you want to be able to make judgements based on teacher performance within this academic year.&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-electric-grass-gradient-background has-background\"><strong>Prompt questions&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>How would plan to deal with this scenario?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Would you work within the parameters of the deadline, or would you meet with the senior leader again and try to negotiate?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What leadership styles do you think would be most effective in this situation and why?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Before clicking the&nbsp;response below to reveal a suggested solution, reflect on what you would do to handle this situation and make some notes to capture your thinking.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you are ready click the response below<\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Response (click to expand)<\/summary>\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">With this scenario, it seems that you have two options or two directions you can go in.&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Follow the initial instructions and work out the fairest way to provide teacher judgements as per the deadline.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Speak with the senior leader again and try to negotiate \u2013 i.e., Lead up.&nbsp;<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Or, perhaps a third option \u2013 whereby you do 1. first to demonstrate compliance, and then follow up with 2. in an attempt to try and influence different future ways of working.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">I\u2019m sure that you are already thinking of a specific senior leader, and you will know whether they are approachable for negotiation and whether they would be open to a further discussion. Equally, you will probably know whether their request is flexible, or whether it is due to an external request&nbsp;and&nbsp;is, therefore,&nbsp;not flexible. This is the relational aspect of being a middle leader within a school and working with people you are familiar with. There will be certain norms that have been established in the hierarchical leadership context, and you will be aware of how flexible these are, or not.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">However, the bottom line is,&nbsp;that in this scenario you don\u2019t know why this data is needed within two weeks as the senior leader did not share that information with you.&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Therefore, let\u2019s consider what leadership styles are most appropriate for option 2 \u2013 \u2018Leading up\u2019.&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Although the leader is perceived to be using a commanding style, you may wish to approach your leader in a more&nbsp;<strong>affiliative<\/strong>&nbsp;way. Perhaps share your own feelings about the request and ask if it would be possible to speak with the senior leader again. Sharing a degree of vulnerability should evoke a response from your senior leader, so they agree to meet with you again. It will be important to establish what the vision is with respect to the request (i.e., the why), encouraging your senior leader to adopt a more&nbsp;<strong>visionary<\/strong>&nbsp;style. Once you understand the vision, you could then request a&nbsp;<strong>coaching<\/strong>&nbsp;conversation in order to support you in this task and new role. Alternatively, you may request the senior leader to conduct some learning walks or lesson observations with you, so you know you are making the correct judgments. This way you are encouraging the senior leader to adopt a more&nbsp;<strong>pacesetting\/mentoring<\/strong>&nbsp;role. Either way, you are encouraging a particular leadership style from your senior leader based on what you need, and effectively communicating how you would like to be led.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#cdffcc\" class=\"has-inline-color\">With this approach, it is also important to consider your own integrity within the \u2018sandwich leadership\u2019 scenario and whether what you are asking of your senior leader, you would be willing to do for your team.<\/mark><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>How does this suggested solution compare to your own thoughts and suggestions?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Would you do anything differently? If so, what would that be and why?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>As stated at the start if this blog post, we hope these scenarios have helped you reflect on different ways to deal with different scenarios, and how effectively your leadership toolbox can be employed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Should you have any specific scenarios you would like to speak with us about, or leadership training needs in your school, then please click the \u2018Register your interest\u2019 link below.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hieker, C. and Pringle, J. (2021) The Future of Leadership Development: Disruption and the Impact of Megatrends. Springer Nature.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Goleman. D. (2000) Leadership that gets Results. In&nbsp;<em>Harvard business review,&nbsp;<\/em>78 (2), pp. 78\u201390. Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whitmore, J. (2010).&nbsp;<em>Coaching for Performance: The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership FULLY REVISED 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION<\/em>. Hachette UK.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who is this blog post for:&nbsp;Current&nbsp;or emerging middle leaders and for senior leaders or Headteachers who are developing middle leaders. Author:&nbsp;&nbsp;Lisa Ramshaw&nbsp; Posted on:&nbsp;14th November 2023 Keywords:&nbsp;Application; toolbox; situational; reflection; conscious; self-awareness. In this blog post, we explore some of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/2025\/05\/13\/putting-your-toolbox-into-practice\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6648,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,21],"tags":[7,11,8,13,9],"class_list":["post-80","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mlc","category-practice","tag-cpd","tag-middle-leadership","tag-primary-education","tag-professional-development","tag-secondary-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80\/revisions\/194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/elcblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}