Fantastic book based around Susan Scott’s idea that you change the world ‘one conversation at a time’. Highly applicable to school leadership.

Key Takeaways:

Squid Eye.

Squids are impossible to see. So instead you look for the ‘tells’ and when you find the tell you find the squid. Susan gives some great ideas around looking for tells that show you that an organisation is ill.

The power of feedback

Real feedback is 1:1, it is not anonymous instead it builds relationships and enables growth.

Hiring Smarts as well as Heart

Some great ideas about running the recruitment process so that you get the right people.

Engagement

“It’s true that most employees want to do stimulating work that impacts the success of a company they’re proud to work for. They want opportunities to develop professionally and advance their careers. They want to make friends at work. Ideally, a best friend. But what matters most is their relationship with their leader. With YOU.”

Susan argues again the engagement is primarily about building relationships and a personal accountability

From Legislated Optimism to Radical Transparency

Argues that legislated optimism is camouflaging and lying about reality. As one of my previous heads put it “believing your own bullshit”

Instead she proposes radical transparency where decision are made in the open.

A leaders job is:

“When you turn over rocks and look at all the squiggly things underneath, you can either put the rock down, or you can say, ‘My job is to turn over rocks and look at the squiggly things,’ even if what you see can scare the hell out of you.”