Hello Leaders!
Yesterday (19th October), we held the first ECE Leaders Forum for the new academic year 2017/2018. It's always a pleasure for me to meet the leaders in this group, who show enthusiasm and are, quite simply, positive!
Our focus this month was on music within early childhood education, and we also discussed strategies for leading successful pre-schools.
What got me thinking, was the tension that sometimes exists between being a proficient leader and not always having all the answers for the members of the teams that we lead.
In practice, I got to a place where I accepted that, even though I knew a lot, I never would have all the answers. It's a healthy place to be as a leader, as it alleviates the unnecessary pressure of trying to be perfect. It also opens the door to a place where 'up-skilling' is possible.
Definition and Synonym
My legal mind, almost forces me to define phrases:
'Upskill' - to teach (an employee) additional skills
Synonym - 'brain training', 'assimilate', 'know better than'.
Now that we agree on terms, something else that springs to mind is that for anyone to upskill, they need to be in a teachable place. Yes, openness and vulnerability are required. That's not always easy when one is in a position of leadership, but where there is a safe place to discuss and disclose, so it's okay.
Mentoring Leaders within Early Childhood Education
Professional Minds has created a safe place to mentor ECE leaders. The basis of this service is confidentiality, with a view to upskilling leaders and improving the work that they do in their pre-schools. For further information and to book a complimentary 20 minute session, please email: INFO@PRMINDS.ORG. Alternatively, please click on the 'Book Online' icon, above.