Leading On - Decision-making in tough times

Senior leaders in education must routinely make high-quality decisions, and developing this expertise is crucial. New roles, challenges and goals necessitate new approaches if decisions are to remain good enough. What helps?
 
This webinar draws on Dr Dudin's professional experiences of leadership in schools, and on theories and approaches from education and beyond, learning from others who have faced difficult moments and successfully stepped forward.
 
Through our discussions, we will consider how your unique context can be understood, and develop practical ways to grow your decision-making capacity, however tough the problems appear.

What constitutes a tough time? This will depend on the problems faced, your role and your experience. This webinar explains the four pillars that will support your decision-making in these moments, whatever your level of expertise:
 
  • What sort of problem are you facing? Learn to define the context shapes good responses.
  • How to decide and act? Engage others in decision-making and delivery, despite the whirlwind of competing demands.
  • Who should be involved? Clarity of roles is key.  
  • When to build this capacity? Developing reactive and proactive approaches increases decision quality and credibility under pressure.
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Dr Leo Dudin

Deputy Head Academic, Oakham School

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Participants will learn to:

  • Understand context better: Using Snowden’s well-established Cynefin framework for sensemaking, participants will learn to categorise the type of problems they face, which in turn signposts different actions to take. A common problem leaders face is not fully understanding the type of problem faced, which results in making poor decisions and pursuing ineffective solutions. As the saying goes, if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail; this framework provides different tools for the different jobs to be done.
  • Develop more effective and engaged teams: Using McChesney’s highly impactful 4DX model, participants will learn how to involve colleagues in choosing where to focus their limited resources and why, building buy-in and ownership throughout the school.
  • Increase professional learning opportunities: Embedding reactive and proactive opportunities for reflection – such as After Action Reviews (AAR), Premortems and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) – into school routines builds the capacity to make good decisions when needed. Through these activities, diverse insights and expertise can be captured. These learning opportunities nurture strong relationships, grow trust and enhance leadership credibility, all of which are pivotal for effective school leadership in tough times.

  • Executive Head, CEO, Headteacher/Principal
  • Deputy Head/Vice Principal
  • Assistant Head/Assistant Principal       
  • Aspiring leaders 
  • Middle leaders/HODs/Subject Specialists 
  • Business Leaders 
  • Governors 
  • Trustees