Leadership Qualities Part 2

Last week I wrote to you about 4 important qualities that, we as Numeracy Leaders, need to constantly work on. This week I have another five I would like you to consider.

The five we are looking at this week are: resilience, vision, positivity, delegation and confidence.

When I look back at my time as Numeracy Leader, I think my best attribute out of these 5 was ‘positivity’. I have always been a “glass half full” person and I  get a lot of satisfaction from sharing my passion and enthusiasm for maths with basically anyone who will listen!

I think the one I struggled with, and still do to this day is delegation! I fall into the category, as do many teachers, of needing to be in control. I like to do things myself because I know they will be done how I like them!

Does this sound familiar to you?!

I am still working on improving this because I know I can’t do everything, and I need to ask for help… but it is definitely one thing I have always struggled with…

So here are this week’s 5 important leadership qualities:

Resilience: Being a Numeracy Leader is tough! You need a good dose of resilience to make sure you can bounce back from the setbacks you will inevitably receive from teachers who don’t / won’t take up your ideas, school leadership which doesn’t provide you with enough time or parents who constantly challenge you. As Dory says… just keep swimming😊

Vision: You need to have a vision for where your school in going in Numeracy and believe in it! For some teachers it is really hard for them to see the big picture, But as a leader, you need to persist with the vision and your actions must all lead towards enacting that vision.

Positivity: I have mentioned before how many teachers, parents and students think negatively about Maths. It is our job as Numeracy Leader to do the best we can to ALWAYS be positive about Maths and ensure we are bringing everyone on the journey towards enlightenment!

Delegation: You can’t do it all yourself. I have mentioned before that time and money are big limiting factors in how successful you can be in your role as Numeracy Leader. So, make the most of the people around you. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate. Most will be happy to support you if you ask nicely!

Confidence: Be confident! My motto is “fake it until you make it”.  Be confident in what you know and the decisions you make. As I have stated before, you only need to know 10% more about Numeracy than the rest of the staff to be an effective leader.

So my question for you is which of these qualities do you think you need to work on? …and which do you think you have ‘nailed;?