Keep the fear off the set

Do you remember the actor/director John Cusack? He of ‘High Fidelity’ and ‘Being John Malkovich’ fame? I recently heard about ‘The John Cusack Rule’. When asked in an interview how he saw his role as film producer, he said his main job was, ”To keep the set free from fear.” This ‘rule’ was offered to […]

Transforming our learners’ experiences

“Leaders that sustain their transformation always remember the reason for the journey: Transformation leads to new ways of helping families to self-sufficiency. Transformation increases capacity to help communities” (Oftelie, 2014). Talking about ‘transformation’ can feel rather esoteric, vague and resonant of a hundred other buzz words of the moment. That said, what’s important is to […]

Leading Quality Change with Michael Fullan | Knowledge Seminar series

This post is a summary of the key points from Michael Fullan’s recent Knowledge Seminar, hosted by the Ministry of Education. Fullan kicked off by referencing Professional Capital as Accountability (newly published) and other publications and work such as ‘Stratosphere’ – check out his home page for full works. He argued that: Accountability reform can be counter productive, and […]

Change management is people

This post is a summary of resources that I am referring to as part of a virtual Emerging e-Leaders’ session today. “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” — Leo Tolstoy Point 1: He tangata! He tangata! He tangata! It is the people. We talk a lot about ‘managing change’, ‘change management’, ‘change leadership’. It […]

My Principal tweets: A report on leaders and social networks

We know that when leaders get involved in professional learning – when they walk the talk – their staff and community are much more likely to follow and be inspired to join in. The report – School Principals and Social Networking in Education: Practices, Policies, and Realities in 2010 – highlights the importance of school principals getting hands-on […]