High performing leadership #2 – Insanely simple

One of the most valuable lessons I have learnt over the past year as a senior leader is in the power of using the right language. There have been numerous examples in the Academy recently where the simple switch from using complex but rather mediocre words to express an idea to using simple but well-thought through words and phrases has spiked momentum in many aspects of the school.

At Bristol Brunel, we call this switch ‘a nudge’.

“Nudges are ways of influencing choice without limiting the choice set or making alternatives appreciably more costly in terms of time,
trouble, social sanctions, and so forth. They are called for because
of flaws in individual decision-making, and they work by making use of those flaws.” (Hausman & Welch 2010, 126)

which we have taken to understand as

“A nudge is very simple idea, approach that has surprising leverage for improvement. It is low in energy and feels to staff very intuitive. It offers a different way or view without replacing or removing old ways. They are often located in the what and is a really good way to prompt improvement and change, without persuasion, resource or time.” (Dr Dan Nicholls, Principal of Bristol Brunel Academy)

Examples of nudges that highlight the power of language:

High performing leadership #1

Free resource included at the end of this post.

The past year and a half has been an amazing leadership journey, both for me personally and for the Academy. Here I try to capture some of the key revelations and insights that have allowed me to develop my own leadership skills and the leadership skills of staff that I either line manage or mentor.

1. The first ‘teaching moment’ was the burning realisation of the need to explicitly support staff to develop their leadership skills, and in recognising that leading is different from managing – from running strategic meetings (as opposed to meetings constantly mired in the operational), to knowing how to grow the bright spots in a team and create vertical influence (a la Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, and Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet). The USA has long encouraged the pedagogy of leadership in every relevant institution, from companies to politics to education; Britain has been somewhat slower in this realisation; industry taking the first step, but the pedagogy of educational leadership trailing a long way behind. Why, however, do we assume that a person can go from being part of a team to running a high performing team overnight?