11 September 2017
There is a lot of doom and gloom around in the education sector at the moment. Real term cuts to funding, rising pension costs, public sector pay freezes. It is easy to be negative. But what does this do to the culture in your organisation?
Here at UHY we recently had a national “away day” which brought together partners and staff from our many offices across the country. Our sector specialists meet up regularly anyway, but days like this are a good opportunity to bring other people who do not see each so often together.
Part of the day involved a very good session from ‘inspirational speaker’ Steve Head. Steve is one of the most sought after keynote speakers in the country and is renowned for his dynamic approach and practical ideas. Now I am not usually a fan of things like this, but his session did get me thinking.
Steve has presented to audiences across the UK and indeed Europe, including a number of schools. Part of his session focused on positivity and the “149” method.
He shows a slide and asks the audience to say what they see:
1 x 1 = 1
2 x 2 = 4
3 x 3 = 9
4 x 4 = 15
Now be truthful, what was the first thing that you spotted? A high proportion of people immediately focus on the incorrect sum 4 x 4 = 15 (well let’s hope if you are working in a finance department and/or a school you did spot this!!!). But what else can you see? What about the three correct sums? Of course the moral is why concentrate on the negative? Problems or errors should not simply be ignored, but how much more can we get out of our people if we are positive and praise staff when they have done something well?
Steve also spoke about different cultures, and used one very good example which resonated with me because the issue is one that has arisen in some of the high profile academy trusts where one person has had too much control. He compared the aviation industry in which airlines share ‘near miss’ data with each other so that all can learn from mistakes to ensure the industry as whole does not suffer, with some of the problems faced by the NHS. The culture within the NHS can very much be that junior staff such as nurses do not feel they can speak up against top consultants or surgeons, and this can lead to what should be ‘never events’ (such as the wrong kidney being taken out during surgery) because someone feels they are unable to speak up.
Could something similar happen in your school? The high profile cases which produce a lot of negativity around the academy sector often stem from a decision being made which, to most people, was obviously not in the best interests of the school or the best use of public money. But if this was the case, why did no-one speak up and question the decision? Hopefully some food for thought…
To conclude, Steve Head really is an excellent speaker and if you are seeking some inspiration for your school you could do a lot worse than call in Steve to speak to staff and/or pupils. Steve can be followed on Twitter at @SteveHeadSpeaks.
