Governance

Advice to a new head

Once the recruitment process is over and your new head is just about to take up the post, what advice should you give them? By Dorothy Dalton

Make sure your personal ambitions are fully aligned with your governors’ and your ambitions for the school that you now lead.

Even if you are an experienced head, make sure that an induction programme for you has been planned in advance, that you have agreement before you take up your post that the school will invest in your professional development, and make sure you have appropriate mentors and support networks of other heads.

Keep it personal
Do not neglect your private life, family and friends. Even though you will have to work very hard, make sure that you get a proper work/life balance and make sure you get enough sleep. Keep yourself physically fit and maintain outside interests.

Care for all your staff and get to understand them as people, not just as employees. On the other hand, remember to maintain a professional distance so that, if you have to carry out any disciplinary procedures, your professionalism and objectivity are never compromised.

Look for differences
Do not surround yourself with clones of yourself or people who will always agree with you. You will need people who complement rather than duplicate your skills and personality, who see the world differently but who are equally committed to the work of the school, who will give you an honest opinion and not be afraid to challenge you constructively.

Build a strong professional relationship with your chair in which both of you understand your different but complementary roles. Nurture and cultivate all your governors. However busy you are, make sure that you put time aside for building and developing these relationships. Remember, their role is not to rubber stamp everything you want but to be a challenging friend and that they have ultimate responsibility for the school. It is a key part of your role to ensure that they fulfil these responsibilities. Have sufficient confidence in yourself to give the board an accurate and balanced picture of what is going on. Give them both the good news and the bad news. If you have difficulties with your governors, seek advice and help. Do not try to turn the senior management team or other employees against them. Maintain high standards of professionalism throughout.

Keep your financial nous
However strong the bursar or your finance department is, always make sure you understand enough to keep abreast of the current and predicted financial situation. You need to have some understanding of budgeting, balance sheets, depreciation etc. You need to be able to put probing questions to your bursar.

Make sure you have time to listen to others. Do not be afraid to admit mistakes or to ask for help when you need it. Your staff will feel empowered if you encourage them to come up with solutions and ideas.

Managing responsibilities
Differentiate between what you must do and what you can safely delegate to others. Generally, you should only be doing things that a head can do. If someone else can do it, let them do it. This will allow you time to concentrate on planning strategically for the future and ensuring that the school is on track to achieve its objectives.

Be prepared to take calculated risks and follow hunches. Keep your governors, especially your chair, fully informed about the risks you are taking and why you are taking them.

Dorothy Dalton is editor of governance. This article first appeared in the January 2006 issue of governance: essential information for effective trustees. Dorothy can be contacted on 020 8426 6686 or dorothydalton@charitygovernance.co.uk or visit www.charitygovernance.co.uk 

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