Writing a Leadership reflection
Leadership reflections are based on three simple steps: 1. Description, 2. Interpretation and finally the 3. Outcome.
When writing a reflection it is best to be kept it short and to the point. Generally, it should be written in the past tense. I have used the Covid-19 pandemic as an example of a leadership reflection. You will see from the example I have used that a reflection can help crystalise next steps in a leaders journey.
1. Description
I am writing this reflection in regards to our school’s readiness to move to an online platform due to the Government Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Interpretation
For me, the most significant aspect was the speed in which we travelled through the alert levels. At the time we hit alert level 2 I thought we would have a number of weeks before we ever got to alert level 4. This clearly was not the case and subsequently, we were probably not as prepared as we could have been to go into lockdown as quickly as we did. However, I believe we managed to achieve this relatively well and I am proud of the way the staff reacted and lifted their game in trying circumstances. This reveals the strength of our senior management team who, at short notice, was able to co-create a plan of action which was divided amongst us and disseminated out to middle management. It also revealed the work done towards developing our digital curriculum was an unexpected bonus as all staff had some understanding of google and using this tool within their class environment.
3. Outcome
Having discussed this with the senior staff I now realise that the work we had done around collaboration and distributed leadership with Brad Gay had really paid off for our team. Most importantly, our ability to divide and conquer meant every member had an area of responsibility which freed me up to work on contingency plans with the BOT, the Office and our onsite construction team. This means that we dealt with the situation smoothly and professionally. Our communication out to key stakeholders was excellent and many parents emailed me to congratulate the staff on the calm and sensible approach the school had taken. Because I am not yet certain how this will play out for the rest of the year I am keeping weekly check-ins with senior staff via Zoom where we discuss various issues or opportunities. As a next step, we need to prepare our teachers for a prolonged online learning environment.
Keep safe.
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