The hardest part about applying for a position on SLT was not knowing what to expect or how to even begin to prepare – hopefully this post might alleviate some of those worries for others out there.

If you are coming to this post the night before the application deadline or the day of the interview for a few quick tips, I’m afraid you may be a little late.

For me, preparation for this role started months, if not years, before a post was even announced. Being a senior leader, and one day a headteacher, is something I’ve always aspired to. Being able to impact the change I want to see and influence outcomes on a grander scale has called to me ever since I became aware of the detrimental impact of disadvantage within the education system.

With that in mind, my application for a senior leadership position started in how I conduct myself as a middle leader…

Now this image may seem contradictory to my previous comment about ‘my application for a senior leadership position started in how I conduct myself as a middle leader’ because I don’t know about you, but I’ve never witnessed a Senior Leader walk around with a lampshade on their head. However, there’s a far greater moral behind this act of random silliness.

Be approachable

As a sector we often talk about an ‘open door policy’ but I have often found that some leaders merely pay lip service to this approach. I completely understand that everyone is busy, no more so than the person working tirelessly to make the mark on the school and prove their worth. Yes, a paper trail of hard work is pretty handy, but leaders are Separated by the culture they create, not the stacks of paper on their desks.

Chances are your Middle Leadership post is something subject specific or team specific; there are a group of individuals within your line management or on your team. Don’t let the trees obscure your view of the wood – don’t forget that your open door policy shouldn’t be guest list/invite only – you should be approachable for others, outside of your area because you never know when you need to rely on your reputation to help move culture in your setting.

Be humble

There’s nothing worse than a leader who treats others like their minions, who seemingly have their memory neuralyzed; conveniently forgetting what it’s like to teach a full timetable and be on the ground, in the thick of it.

You should never put someone in the position whereby you give them a task that you would be unwilling to do yourself, because if shit hits the fan, you’ll be doing it anyway; call it cosmic karma. You get out what you put in.

Be realistic about your expectations of others because what they perceive to be important might be different to you. Their idea of high expectations might look different to yours. If you assume their understanding of what you expect; it will definitely make an ass out of you and me – be clear about what you expect, explicitly so. While you’re at it, ask for their input and how they would approach the task, coming to an understanding that everyone is on board with.

Don’t assume you are the most experienced or knowledgeable in a room – you’re probably not.

Be honest

Now, as someone who is innately clumsy and spontaneous, it’s vital for me to admit the errors I make because I do and will make them. There’s no harm in making fixable mistakes as long as you learn from them – that’s the hard bit, seeing past the frustration to the lesson.

I’ve found that in being honest about the mistakes I make or owning up to not knowing something has given staff the platform to follow my lead and the opportunity to build a positive culture of professional trust. Remember that. Professional trust goes a long way.

Be reflective, be adaptable

As educators we are often our own worst critics, highlighting the bits that have gone wrong in our lessons, failing to see all the things that have worked. We are told not to be and to pick of the positives.

However, scrutinising your strategies for flaws and loopholes is an important part of being a leader – if you don’t someone else will. It’s not about writing an idea off because it didn’t work in the trial run, it’s about adapting your ideas to meet the needs of the stakeholders and fit your vision.

You are not a polished, perfect version of your leadership self. Remember that. There’s always something you can do better. It’s about being confident enough to identify your flaw or weakness and working on it, implementing, testing, improving and then back round again.

Be visible

Back in the day, when I worked in bars/pubs one of the major things we were taught was about visibility when it came to customer satisfaction and atmosphere control. It might seem a little odd that I would compare educational leadership to bar work, but I think the similarities are glaring.

Have you ever popped out of your room to chat to a student or knelt down at the back of the class to work one-to-one and noticed the noise levels rise? We all know it’s because of the old saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’ – if they can’t see you, they can’t respond to your presence. Simple.

This goes for all aspects of leadership, whether it be your presence on a corridor, supporting with behaviour management or attending extra-curricular clubs. Get yourself out there and be present.

People will notice.

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My core behaviours as a middle leader are what secured me the position in senior leadership. It was my ability to confidently apply myself to the position required, to be calm and collected when answering their questions because I had spend years researching different approaches, to be proud of my journey to date.

I have a wealth of middle leadership experience, I haven’t stuck to one lane or shied away from the difficult conversations or hidden myself away in a room under a stack of work. I’ve been approachable, humble, honest, reflective, adaptable and most importantly visible.

For more on how I secured my senior leadership role, please see my talk on ‘building a whole school culture of excellence’ at #TLLeeds22 – you can find it under my ‘Free Stuff’ tab (hyperlink below).