Five Ways of Being
with Gavin Grift, Jane Danvers and Heather DeBlasio

Being trusting, brave, compelling, purposeful and growth focused are key levers to genuinely move the emphasis from what we do as leaders, to who we need to – and can - become. These ‘five ways of being’ help inspire leaders to ask themselves: who have I been, who am I now, and who must I become to enable the learning and growth of others? Jane, Heather and Gavin, the authors of Five Ways of Being, explain that the way Learning Leaders see themselves plays out in what they think, do and say every day. They will outline the key assumptions and characteristics for you to consider in the ongoing authoring of your unique leadership story, which is so critical to the learning needs of your students, colleagues, school and self.

The authors will also outline how empathy plays the most critical role in being successful learning leaders.

It is increasingly evident that it’s the strength of our relationships - the ties that bind us - that make all the difference in school communities. High quality relationships, in any context, are based on trust. But trust can only be built by getting to know each other as total human beings above and beyond our formal roles. Consequently, a core purpose for Learning Leaders is to cultivate trusting relationships with all members of their staff in what they say and do every day. By applying strategies such as Learning Conversations, Three Rules for Feedback, Talking Partners, Collaborative Learning Teams, I Do-You do- We do, Mindful Meditation and STOP, Learning Leaders inspire trust in those they lead. Jane, Heather and Gavin will take participants through a process for being a trusting leader of learning.

The inherent nature of learning requires us to feel uncomfortable, to confront the unknown, to feel vulnerable and to make peace with the ambiguity that learning brings. Learning Leaders understand the importance of this to their role in schools, where the core business is learning. To choose bravery requires Learning Leaders to commit to becoming braver. Through the application of strategies such as Lights-Camera-Action, Six Wedges, Crafting Your Self-Story, the Six A’s of Deliberate Action and DEA (delegate, expect, assume), building bravery can truly become a way of being for a Learning Leader. Participants will engage in a strategy designed to illuminate and address the areas of their leadership that calls for them to be brave.

Edgar Schein, in his book Organizational Culture and Leadership (2010), wrote that the essence of leadership is the creation and management of the dynamic processes of culture. We believe that culture is shaped, nurtured and manifested through what Learning Leaders think, say and do every day. Culture is a dance between the values and beliefs of the community, the daily activities and drivers that play out in classrooms and the relationships that underpin them. It is found in the tales the students tell when they go home, the conversations in the carpark and the social interactions of teachers. The challenge and the opportunity for leaders of learning is to bring them together in one central narrative. Strategies like the Story of Why, Back to the Future, Synectics, Snapshot Observations, Chalk Talk, Gallery Walks and Fireside Chats enable Learning Leaders to tell the story of their school. Participant will learn different ways of being a compelling storyteller for their staff.

A Learning Leader’s integrity relies in no small part on a direct link, or harmony, between intentions and actions. So being purposeful is integral both to getting the work done and bringing our people with us on the journey. It is as necessary in the big things as the little things, for both the incidental conversations and the regular meetings we conduct and attend. Being purposeful becomes a way of being through using strategies such as Begin with the End in Mind, Conscious Choices, Planning Purposeful Agendas, Working Agreements and Decisions, Decisions, Decisions. This session will have participants discover practical ways of being a purposeful learning leader.

A leader’s ongoing development can flourish or be hindered by the avenues available to them. If we have an explicit focus on making growth our primary purpose, not only for our students but our leaders and teachers, we can create a rising tide of growth that lifts all boats to greater heights of fulfilment and achievement. By using strategies such as Check-Ins (Not Check-Ups), Mirror-Mirror, Challenge Corner, Putting the ‘d’ in Development, Leadership Sprints, Leadership Moves, Annual Reflective/Planning Conversations and Tenure Review Revisited, we can transform our schools into incubators of human growth and potential. In this session participants will discover key insights into how we can all be growth focused leaders of learning.

A prerequisite for either being or becoming growth-focused is having a shared language and story about what leadership means in someone’s specific context. These elements provide a personal leadership roadmap to guide the way we knowingly shape the ongoing development of all our leaders and all our people. Through this plenary, Jane, Heather and Gavin lead participants through a process of targeted reflection - ensuring the day leaves an indelible imprint on your ongoing development, as your leadership story continues to unfold.