Principled by Gill Kelly and Matt Hall
“Leading is never a solitary act, because everything you do is in relation to other people.”
3 Main Messages:
Leaders need to be intentional about their behaviours and lead by example.
Be aware of your saboteur voices and their impact on your behaviours and actions.
There is great power in pausing
It is well documented that stress has a physical effect on the human body: increasing our heart rate, temperature and speed of breathing. A study completed at NASA into behaviours of would-be astronauts* revealed something very interesting - all of the candidates tested were able to remain calm and in control while flying a machine, but their stress markers greatly increased when they were placed in the position of co-pilot. In other words, we become much more stressed when we don’t have our hands on the wheel. In order to reduce stress then, it is imperative that leaders regain and remain in control.
Written with the wisdom gained from years of working with hundreds of international schools, Principled asks questions to help school leaders establish that control, by encouraging them to be authentic in their daily lives and to improve the quality of decision making and relationships. This self-published book comes recommended by many experienced and highly respected international practitioners and demonstrates a good understanding of the increasing complexities of leadership.
Principled offers a journey into having a “greater sense of purpose, belonging and groundedness” and is peppered with real life examples and tools to promote higher thinking and deeper understanding. Split into 5 chapters, it starts by focusing on what it means to lead and particularly what it has meant to lead during the past few years.
The expectations around what schools are able to offer to their students and staff is always changing, but never more so than during the pandemic. As Kelly and Hall point out, schools have had to pivot quickly, staff have been incredibly resilient and creative in their teaching, and school leaders have experienced a change in both attitudes and roles. With some governments issuing last minute guidance changes, it has been challenging for leaders to remain one step ahead and to maintain a position of knowing authority. All of which has been highly stress-inducing!
In this period of change and instability, Kelly and Hall argue that it is more important than ever to be grounded, driven by values, and to demonstrate courage. They write about the need for leaders to prioritise their own wellbeing, physically, mentally and spiritually, in order to be able to lead calmly, and with clarity.
The book also promotes the importance of building networks in order to avoid hierarchical isolation. Coaching is advocated throughout the book and, as a practising coach myself, I agree with Kelly and Hall’s emphasis on the importance of carving out time for reflection in a confidential space to allow for “time and space for you to catch your emotional tail.”
In the chapter on ‘thinking’ there is a focus on what is referred to as the 6 'saboteur voices”:
The perfectionist voice
The little child voice
The workhorse voice
The conformist voice
The comparator voice
The punisher voice
Each of these voices can rear their heads at different times in an individual’s career and Kelly and Hall write about the key trappings and how to be aware of them and how to avoid certain mindsets in order to lead confidently.
The next section focuses on ‘being’ and how a leader’s daily behaviours ripple throughout the school. Readers are encouraged to notice and process their emotions by Recognising, Allowing, Investigating and Nurturing them - which is an easy acronym to remember.
The focus of ‘doing’ is all about the power of pausing and reflecting. There is an emphasis on the importance of building and knowing your team and playing to everyone’s strengths: “High performing teams know what each person brings to the table.” Again there are stories told which give real life examples of how Kelly and Hall’s coaching clients have developed their thinking and made significant improvements in their own and their team’s performances as a result.
With useful activities, observations and reflections, Kelly and Hall have written a book which encourages leaders to be authentic and honest. They have provided tools and examples which support readers in regaining their purpose and drive. As we navigate through an ever-evolving approach to education, this book demonstrates how anyone in the driving seat of a school can regain control and make the most rewarding job manageable again.
*The Learning Leader Podcast Episode 504: https://learningleader.com/jeffshesol504/
