Leadership Conversation – Video think-pieces
The Leadership Conversation has produced a number of leadership video think-pieces aimed at stimulating debate and discussion within education and training organisations and the sector about key leadership issues.
As well as the video on the main project page, 12 further videos were produced:
- An overview by Lynne Sedgmore CBE
- Leadership insights from 2 College Principals
- What does excellent leadership look like?
- Looking ahead
- Focus on learners
- Leading staff and empowering others to lead
- Leading diversity
- Attitudes to risk
- Connecting with business
- Systems leadership
- Relationships with Boards
- Leadership insights from the Academic Advisory Group
An overview by Lynne Sedgmore CBE
Lynne Sedgmore CBE, Executive Director of the 157 Group, provides an overview of the Leadership Conversation and the key questions the project is trying to address. Lynne presents the findings from the project's literature review on leadership as well as the key themes that have emerged from over 50 interviews with sector practitioners.
Leadership Insights from 2 College Principals
Sarah Robinson OBE, Principal of Stoke-on-Trent College, and Peter Roberts, Principal of Leeds City College, share their thoughts on leadership. This includes a focus on the importance of vision, creativity, distributed leadership and setting and maintaining clear standards. Sarah and Peter also talk about the challenges of leading when things go wrong!
What does excellent leadership look like?
A wide range of education and training sector stakeholders, from students to senior leaders, talk about what excellent leadership looks and feels like to them.
From masculine/feminine leadership styles, distributed leadership, to inspiring growth and innovation, the video highlights the vast array of skills, competences and personal attributes it takes to deliver excellent leadership.
Looking ahead
A range of respondents within the education and training sector talk about what leadership in the sector is likely to look like in future.
Key topics include managing the advances in technology, internationalism, changing funding landscapes and greater employer involvement in the design and delivery of vocational education.
The video highlights a number of challenges and opportunities that face the education and training sector, but notes that leadership within this context does not mean having all the answers, but rather knowing how and when to respond.
Focus on learners
A range of respondents within the education and training sector talk about what leadership in the sector is likely to look like in future.
Key topics include managing the advances in technology, internationalism, changing funding landscapes and greater employer involvement in the design and delivery of vocational education.
The video highlights a number of challenges and opportunities that face the education and training sector, but notes that leadership within this context does not mean having all the answers, but rather knowing how and when to respond.
Leading staff and empowering others to lead
A number of sector leaders talk about how excellent leadership fosters a culture which inspires and empowers people to reach their full potential.
Excellent leadership focuses on looking at where people can best use their talent, providing staff with opportunities to develop talents outside of the sector and recognising the importance of peer support. Feedback from students is also highlighted as imperative in supporting staff development.
Leading diversity
Leaders celebrate the diversity within the education and training sector in terms of backgrounds, cultures and the communities they serve.
Contributors talk about different initiatives fostered within their organisations to ensure that equality and diversity are embedded and contribute to the development of organisation, its staff and students.
Diversity and equality priorities are seen not just as good within their own right but also helpful in preparing the sector, including learners, to work more globally.
Attitudes to risk
Sector leaders talk about how taking risks is imperative if the sector is to innovate and thrive within an ever changing landscape.
Contributors discuss what they have done to move away from a culture of risk aversion to one of allowing people to make mistakes and recognise the learning achieved therein.
Managing and mitigating against extreme risk is discussed, as is fostering key personal attributes within staff and learners, such as self-awareness.
Connecting with business
This video explores how sector leaders embed business and entrepreneurialism into the learner experience to facilitate the transition from education to employment. Jointly developed curricula and inviting employers into the classroom are among the practices discussed by contributors to ensure learning matches the needs of business and students have a realistic understanding of different vocations.
Systems leadership
A number of sector leaders talk about what systems leadership means within the context of their organisation and community. A variety of external systems are described through networks with local industry, community and public services.
Contributors speak about how they lead these systems and the differences between systems leadership and partnership working.
Relationships with Boards
A number of sector leaders talk about the importance of developing effective working relationships with their Boards so that the latter can offer appropriate challenge and support. Contributors talk about some of the key issues going forward with respect to Board recruitment in order to ensure that Boards have the necessary skills and expertise to support organisations through changing times.
Leadership insights from the Academic Advisory Group
International academic experts within the field of leadership discuss how they feel leadership within the education and training sector needs to adapt in order to respond to future challenges.
Contributors feel the sector needs to move away from top-down hierarchical forms of leadership, modelled on examples of previously successful leaders. Discussion centres on how shared, collective and distributed leadership empowers those at every level within an organisation to contribute improvements. Those in senior roles manage and control processes but enable suggestions for improvement to emerge and be co-created within every level of the organisation.