We're going that way....

I saw a great example of leadership recently that I thought I’d share. I went to see my son’s new school and there in front of all the parents the head teacher spoke. Now I have seen a few of these speeches, often they fall back on cliché and focus on the past. Past achievements, past investments (look at our indoor tennis facility) and do not place school life in the context of the future.

This one was different. Firstly, the head looked like he loved giving that speech and was relishing having the audience. He was well prepared and welcoming but he also had a big ask.

He framed this in 5 succinct points.

He laid out the facts – the world is changing fast, the jobs the new students may well do might not even exist yet, they will live longer and in a more competitive world. A good education will give them choices.

He shared the reality – kids are only at school for a tiny percentage of each year (about 15% in terms of hours).

He created shared responsibility – we can’t get the outputs you desire without your support.

He shared a vision – two rails running in parallel the school and the parents, with the students in the middle – but heading in the same direction between those rails (this was underlined with some exemplary arm waving).

He set a standard – If this vision isn’t for you, that’s ok – but please go elsewhere because we are not deviating from our vision.

Having expertly laid out his position the school tour that followed was in context with the vision. Clear expectations of students, parents and the school staff were top of mind and there was a general feeling of optimism and energy.

So why doesn’t this happen more often in business?

Imagine being clear on what the facts are, the reality, what the responsibility of your role is, the vision you are working to and the standard expected. Of course we have that you say. Really? I bet if you canvassed your office you might get a mix of the company values, the current strapline or the acronym from the strategic plan.

We may be adults in the workplace not requiring school tactics but there is undoubtedly a value in clearly setting the tone in the way I saw that head teacher do it.

Now ask, if you had one rail for strategy and one for reality, which direction are your rails pointing?