Effective Capacity Management for Faculty Leaders
Leadership Contingency 7: Capacity Manager
Stepping into the shoes of Faculty Leader feels like balancing two full-time roles - an intense, almost full-time teaching gig, and the added weight of leadership responsibilities. The task of navigating classroom requirements while juggling a myriad of management responsibilities is far from simple. One glance at the monumental list of duties highlighted in the General Teaching Council for Scotland's Standard for Middle Leadership could have your head spinning! Every leadership position comes with its unique challenges, but for me Faculty Leadership stands out due to its significant imbalance of teaching and leadership, meaning minimal time reprieve. Therefore, it requires a delicate balancing act which firmly positions it as one of the most demanding leadership roles one can undertake.
In my previous articles on Faculty Leadership, discussions have focussed on Leadership Contingencies for Faculty Leaders - behaviours or actions that are essential for Faculty Leaders to develop in a school-based context. Having explored the challenges of being the Sandwiched Negotiator, the importance of a Mediated Vision, the steps towards Uncontrived Collegiality, embracing one’s role as Faculty Inspector, innovating by Challenging Mindsets, and getting your faculty’s Big Picture Thinking, let's delve into Leadership Contingency 7: Capacity Manager.
Given the limited time in their day-to-day role, here are three time-management considerations for every Faculty Leader:
1. Dedicate Time for Reflection
Task prioritisation is crucial, but there's a common trap of being constantly in 'doing' mode, rarely pausing to reflect on the tasks at hand. Brundrett and Irvine (2016) pointed out that self-reflection and self-awareness guide middle leaders to understand their leadership style better and plan accordingly for their growth.
For me, the quiet, uninterrupted time of Friday afternoons post-school were ideal for reflection. After an exhausting week most teachers had left sharply, allowing me uninterrupted time for contemplation and future planning. Establish a regular reflection time, maintain a journal for your thoughts, and review them periodically. Utilise these notes during formal learning programmes, meetings with your supervisor, or mentor discussions.
2. Delegate Leadership Responsibilities
A Faculty Leader once told me, 'I'm not here to do my faculty’s work for them – I'm here to support them in doing their work!'. What she meant was the need to have a clear awareness of your team's responsibilities and be willing to distribute the workload fairly among everyone, yourself included. This includes delegating leadership responsibilities.
Leadership is not contained solely within a promoted role, but is a reasonable expectation from every teacher in your faculty. Revised teacher standards across many countries expect teachers to take leadership of the curriculum, so be clear that you will be delegating responsibilities to each colleague. Don't fall for the fallacy that you are solely responsible for all the development work in the faculty – it's a collective responsibility where you act as the strategist ensuring progress is made. For example, you might expect everyone to lead development of the curriculum for a particular year group. Be clear with specific outcomes, such as teaching resources to be developed or assessments to be created. This should also be linked to each colleague’s professional development focus wherever possible.
3. Share the Administrative Burden
Faculty Leaders often prioritise the administrative aspects of their roles, which seem to constitute most of their workload. However, this approach is an easy refuge to evade involvement in more complex, emergent facets of their role. While you can't avoid all (or any) administrative tasks assigned to you, you can prevent additional, unnecessary administrative burdens. For instance, creating extensive spreadsheets to track student attainment data; spending time formatting documents for a consistent 'look'; or organising all photocopying instead of sharing this task among teachers. If a task does not impact teaching and learning, specifically what goes on in the classroom, downgrade its importance and delegate where possible.
For example, in terms of setting administrative expectations, consider creating time for yourself by reasonably delegating administrative tasks to your team. I have often met colleagues who expect their Faculty Leader to print their resources or to organise the textbooks they will be using. Worse still is Faculty Leaders who spend most of their time in such administrative tasks thinking it represents the major function of their role. Set a clear expectation – you can buy in the resources through the faculty budget or an online subscription, but you are not the faculty admin person.
Concluding thoughts
The demanding workload and bureaucratic requirements in school leadership posts often create tension between Faculty Leaders' desire to lead and manage and the available time to undertake the work. Faculty leaders often feel the pinch of time scarcity, exacerbated by a heavy teaching load. Therefore, as a Faculty Leader, use your time wisely. Ensure you allocate time for reflection, make it clear to everyone that they are all leaders of learning and don't hesitate to delegate. Your leadership time is invaluable; ensure you're utilising it in the most impactful ways.
Reference / Further Reading
Brown, M. Rutherford, D. Boyle, B. (2000). Leadership for School Improvement: The Role of the Head of Department in UK Secondary Schools. School Effectiveness and School Improvement. 11:2, 237-258.
Brundrett, M & Irvine, P. (2016). Middle Leadership and its Challenges: a case study in the secondary independent sector. Management in Education, 30:2, 86–92.
Turner, C. (2003). A Critical Review of Research on Subject Leaders in Secondary Schools. School Leadership & Management. 23:2, 209-227.
Jarvis, A. (2008). Leadership lost: A case study in three selective secondary schools. Management in Education, 22:1, 24-30.
Glover, D. Miller, D. Gambling, M. Gough, G. Johnson, M. (1999). As Others See Us: Senior management and subject staff perceptions of the work effectiveness of subject leaders in secondary schools. School Leadership & Management. 19:3.
Gleeson, D. Glover, D. Gough, G. Johnson, G. (1998). The Meaning of Management: The Development Needs of Middle Managers. Educational Management and Administration, 26:3, 279-292.
Rhodes, C & Brundrett, M. (2009). Growing the leadership talent pool: perceptions of heads, middle leaders and classroom teachers about professional development and leadership succession planning within their own schools. Professional Development in Education. 35:3, 381-398.