Apr 10

Whatever the question – the answer is more global competence …

Listening, last Monday, to former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, as he gave a detailed and incisive lecture at the University of Edinburgh Law School, hosted by the Scottish Council on Global Affairs, I was struck by how – once again, it would seem, we have all failed to heed the lessons of centuries of history in Europe.

It was an uncomfortable – and at times even slightly terrifying – hour, as President Ilves offered a sharp, urgent reflection on how we have arrived— again — at a moment where war in Europe (which will inevitably spread) is not only possible, but threatened. His message was both subtle and clear: this has happened because we didn’t learn from history, and we didn’t take preventative action.

President Ilves was talking about defensive military and political action, and made himself very clear: we no longer live in a world where a balance between military superpowers guarantees the (relative) global stability that has sustained us since the end of the Second World War. The post-1945 order, and the assumptions of peace it allowed Europe to rely on, have fractured, and we must now imagine and invest in new forms of collective security – largely because of a growing misalignment (or, indeed, chasm) between how some nations view the world, and how they interpret the actions of other nations.

Personally, I really, really hope that President Ilves is wrong, and that a full-scale war of aggression in Europe can be averted… but rather than be lulled into a sense of hope that suppresses realism, I would like to advocate (again) for defensive action of a different kind – an immediate, universal focus in our education systems on the importance of global awareness, global citizenship, and global co-operation … all underpinned by the global competence that we need to learn if we are to become effectively united and connected as human beings – with different identities and backgrounds, but with enough of a shared understanding of what it means to be human. This global competence could perhaps be the most important set of skills that our children – and, quite frankly, all of us – need to adopt, urgently. This is a call to action …

If you haven’t read my book, The Globally Competent School, do so; and if you are in Shanghai on Saturday, I will see you at the China Festival of Education, at Wellington College China, where I am leading a workshop session on Global Competence (as well as being interviewed about coaching). It will be a thought-provoking day …

Mar 29

The core governance skill we should never forget

This is the time of year that I find myself immersed in budget discussions in each board meeting I attend, whether as non-executive Director, Trustee or simply as a governance coach/consultant. No matter where I am in the world, there are days at the moment when I seem simply to move from one meeting to another where I am diving into figures, questioning projections, challenging the data, and contributing to the prediction of scenarios and productive outcomes. I do enjoy this: these are intense sessions, demanding concentration, rigour and clarity; amidst the reading and interrogating of spreadsheets and forecasts, however, I am reminded of something much more fundamental – something which underpins all effective governance: the skill of thoughtfulness.

Governance, at its heart, is about making decisions that serve the best interests of an organisation and its people. And this starts not with talking, but with thinking: deep, reflective, considered thinking. Thoughtfulness in governance is not about hesitation or delay – quite the opposite. It is, I believe, about creating space to think carefully; it is also about drawing on our diverse backgrounds and experiences, pausing long enough to reflect, and allowing new conclusions – and sometimes entirely new ideas – to emerge.

This thinking process, of course, is not an isolated one. The next step in governance – and a vital one – is communication; we must be able to articulate our thoughts, share them with clarity, listen carefully to others, engage in respectful discussion, and ultimately work collectively with our fellow Board members to steer towards consensus. Without the foundation of thinking, however, the ship can very quickly go off course; good governance starts with – and is sustained by – thoughtfulness.

In a world that often demands rapid response and immediate answers, there is something profoundly powerful – even radical – about choosing to think deeply. Thoughtful governance sharpens our cognitive skills. It builds our astuteness, and tt feeds our understanding of the world and our place within it.

So, as I surface from another round of number-heavy meetings, I remind myself that the real work of governance is not only in the spreadsheets or strategy documents. It lies in the pause before the decision, and in the reflection before the action. It is in the space we create to think … and this something worth pondering upon.

Enjoy pondering!

Mar 15

The power of the question

Although I occasionally joke that my life would be much easier if I hadn’t taught my children the word ‘why?’, I am an enormous advocate of the power of the question. As a coach, or as a Board member, or as an interviewer, I ask questions every single day, and I know that the right question opens up avenues of thought, illuminates the unarticulated or hidden assumption, and can even shift the axis of understanding of the person for whom the question is intended. Good questions are transformative.

This is why I absolutely loved the opportunity I was given last Wednesday to be asked questions by groups of Grade 4 students at Dalton School Hong Kong, which I was visiting in my capacity as a Foundation Board member, helping to prepare for the final steps towards becoming fully K-12. These Grade 4 students were in the early stages of planning to set up their own businesses, and as part of their research had invited various Board members and local entrepreneurs to be quizzed on what works in setting up organisations, and what pitfalls they should be looking out for, as well as what motivated us personally, and why we had chosen to do in our careers what we do. Their questions were perceptive, and genuinely made us think; I came away from the session actually understanding even more about myself, as well as a strong sense of participation in the work of the children, and a connection with them – it was a mutual investment in a shared outcome.

This is the power of the question … but it is also the power of the education behind the question. The fact that these young students were able to craft these questions, and had developed not only a strong inquisitiveness and curiosity, but also with the ability – even at their young age – to focus and direct questions, to unearth deeper truths, was not the result of chance; but rather the outcome of the education they have been experiencing over the past few years. I have had the honour of being associated with DSHK, and its vision of a student-centred, dual language, future-ready education, since its inception over a decade ago, and the reason why it I see it as such a privilege is because it is evident that the school is genuinely pushing beyond the limitations imposed by national curricula, to expose children to opportunities for learning and growth that will ensure – absolutely ensure – they will succeed in the future that awaits them.

Dalton Graduates – just as envisaged by the founder of the student-centred Dalton Plan, Helen Parkhurst, over a century ago – will have necessary diplomas and qualifications, of course; much more importantly, though, they will actively have developed the human skills that will be essential in our new world. This is a world that is fast advancing – where automation extends far, far beyond anything we could have imagined even a few brief years ago – a world where Large Language Models can take over much any repetitive task – and many creative ones too. Jobs that have been the goal of professional ambition for centuries will, quite simply, no longer be needed. As Professor Po-Shen Loh reminded us at the Dalton Speaker Series Event recently, however, what AI cannot do is be human, and what the students at DSHK are learning is the range of skills that only humans can learn, to build their connection with other humans.

Hence the power of the question – if one of the most important skills our children need to learn to be successful human adults is to connect with others, then the right questions, to prompt connection, are arguably one of the most powerful tools they can develop. Worth remembering … and so … the question is … what are you going to do about it? If you are in Hong Kong, do visit DSHK – a warm welcome (together with curious questions) awaits

Feb 21

Lessons from the Seoul Metro

Arriving in Seoul for the Second WISE (Women in International Schools Empowerment) conference this weekend – which I am VERY much looking forward to! – I set off early this morning for a ride on the metro. I will confess that it took me a number of years of international travel before I could comfortably embrace the challenges of travelling on the metro/underground/subway in a new city, but once I did, I find myself inexorably drawn to this mode of transport almost as my habitual starting point in any new city.

The metro system in any city provides, I believe, a fascinating intersection between the familiar and the strange for the traveller – an intersection that is thrilling and daunting in equal measure. ‘Familiar’ includes the concept itself of a mass transit system, and practicalities such as the need to buy a ticket to travel, and the need to present the ticket at an automatic gate in order to access the system; ‘strange’, on the other hand, might include the history of the development of the system, as well as the means by which the ticket is purchased, the various rules around what kind of ticket can be used and when, and how to present it at the gate efficiently, without creating a blockage in the queue behind – all of which is gloriously overlain by the instructions in a language different to one’s own (even if English is frequently used on signage in major world cities).

The ‘strange’ is often subtly strange – where to stand, what side of the escalator to use, what expectations of behaviour exist, and how people navigate the space. The strange is why I go to the metro, rather than default always to private cars to take me around from place to place in the cities I visit. It is humbling to experience the helplessness of not knowing where to go, or how to get there, not matter how well-planned the outing through the prior study of guidebooks and metro maps. This helplessness is a reminder to us all that when we experience things for the first time, and often subsequently, we need guides to help us … and also that we can very much learn from those around us, as long as we know that this is how we will grow in our understanding. Humility underpins learning, after all, and one of the dangers as we grow older is that we lose our humility because we surround ourselves always by the familiar. As educators, the sharpness of humility and helplessness connects us with our charges; arguably, it is a necessity of our craft.

When I go to the metro for the first time, I watch people intently, so I have a better idea of what to do, and what is not acceptable. Without them knowing it, they become my guides; watching how they navigate the space reveals unspoken rules and shared courtesies—it is akin in many ways to an intricate dance of social harmony. I am fascinated, too, by the safety videos on various metros, and as I gaze at them, often in perplexity, trying to work out what the cartoon character host is seeking to communicate, they remind me that there are many, many more social norms that I have yet to understand in a different culture. When we travel, we must never take for granted that what we know, others know, or vice versa. It is one of the fundamentals that connects us across the world – our sameness and our otherness.

The strangeness of the metro soon dissipates, as journey layers on to journey, but the delicious feeling of taking the plunge of courage into exploring that intersection of familiar and strange, lasts longer. It is a privilege of travel.

Buses, though … they are a more extreme kind of strange! Metros, at least, have fixed start and stop points, run on fixed rails, and operate according to standardised rules which, once identified, tend to be well-replicated; buses run much more at the whims of their drivers, and have a whole set of different – and differing – rules.

More courage – and heaps more humility – is needed to tackle buses … Onwards and upwards, though!

Nov 19

Brainstorm: explosion, creativity and adolescence

The student performances at FOBISIA conferences are always excellent and this year’s performances at the 31st FOBISIA conference in Bangkok this past weekend more than exceeded expectations. The harmony of a school chamber choir, the fluid elegance of a school dance society … and then there was a duologue performed by two students from St Andrew’s International School Bangkok, which was so powerful that it literally brought me to tears.

Why? Well, the duologue was introduced as the outcome of work that students at the school had done in conjunction with an external theatre company based on the concept of the play ‘Brainstorm’. To sate my immediate hunger for more information, I delved into the internet and discovered that this is more than just a play – it is, in fact, more of a framework for the elucidation of the personal experience of a cast, although there is also an original play script which has been performed at the National Theatre in London, and which can be can be performed by schools. The whole point of this dramatic project, however, is not just to replicate what others have done, but to illuminate and explore the unique and wonderfully complex, evolving brains of the teenagers who are performing – brains which are not ‘broken’ but rather glorious in their ‘exhilarating chaos’.

People who don’t work with teenagers often misunderstand this period of human development – probably because they have forgotten (or suppressed the memory of) what it was like to have the brain of a teenager, where ‘86 billion neurons connect and collide’. With so much happening in the teenage brain, it is little wonder that the ability to act and communicate in a ‘conventional’ manner can elude teenagers, but rather than become frustrated if adults embrace this process they can gain glimpses into the amazing phenomenon that is the inner world of the adolescent – a place that is arguably one of the most creative places to be on this planet.

Teenagers care … they really, deeply, acutely care. They care about the world and (even when we can’t see it) they care about us, the adults around them. To assume that they don’t is to do teenagers a grave disservice, and fail to afford them the respect they deserve for navigating everything that is happening in their environment and their bodies, their emotions, their minds and their brains. What is so beautiful about ‘Brainstorm is that it enables teenagers to give a glimpse into their world and hear their thoughts, their raw love and their wisdom.

The emotion was strong, hence the unleashing of the tears. No parent or educator could fail to be moved by the silent reminders, spelled out in written words on the stage by the two teenagers we watched and heard that reinforced their love for their parents, their need to be alone at times, and their reassurance that they’re going to be okay.

I was speaking at FOBISIA on maximising diversity of thought in leadership teams, and I was part of a panel which explored how women leaders still need to work to change perceptions and secure their seat at the leadership table. My reflection after experiencing ‘Brainstorm’, however, was that in order to solve either or both of these problems, or the other issues raised at the conference, we could all do a whole lot worse than listen to the insights of the world’s adolescents.

They – and all of us – deserve their input.

Nov 01

A Wellness of Kindness …

One of the topics I have been focusing on in particular with leaders this term, and which I will shortly revisit, at one of my talks at GESS Dubai 2024 later in November, is that of the wellness of school leaders and teachers: what it means, how to engender it, and how to sustain it in the busy, often frantic and frenetic, environments in which educators work.

There are many aspects to wellness, of course; firmly, at its heart though, arguably (and demonstrably), is kindness: kindness to self, kindness to others, kindness to the world in which we live. The science tells us this, in fact … a study in Canada in 2013, for example, which has been picked up and confirmed by later studies, showed that adolescents who volunteered actually had significantly lower levels of certain markers for cardiovascular risk, including the marker interleukin-6, about which you can investigate online if you are so inclined (but basically, for the non-medical, is better for human bodies to possess in smaller rather than larger amounts). And if you still needed convincing, hear the words of that now-guru of Leadership Wellness, Brené Brown, who talks and writes extensively about the importance of kindness. If the great Dr Brown says it, is must be true … kindness matters!

Kindness, the evidence shows, affects us at a cellular level. The act of being kind – ie not just having people be kind to us, but being kind ourselves – actually makes us healthier. So fundamentally, if we want to be well (and we want our school leaders and staff to be well), then kindness is a pretty good place to start. This includes, of course being kind to ourselves, focusing on praising ourselves when things go well, rather than simply punishing ourselves when they don’t; the power of kindness would seem to be amplified, however, when we apply it to others, and we are proactively kind.

So, what does this mean for schools? Pursuing this train of thought highlights that wellness starts from within – that is to say, it begins with the individual. Individuals need to choose to be kind, and then need to practise kindness, if they are to be truly kind. Kindness is a complex concept in some senses, because it is a combination of kind intention, communication of this kind intention, and reception by another of this communication, but it is also extremely simple – start with the intention of kindness, and (although admittedly not a failsafe approach, given that some gestures intended to be kind can fall far short of the mark), the chances are that some of the kindness will land, and will be impactful on the person for whom it is intended.

Moreover, and importantly, this act of being genuinely kind will have increased your wellness. Yes, really! Kindness can start small – with a smile, a pause to help, a thought for others; it certainly starts with us as individuals. Of course kindness needs to be led from the top in schools … a kind environment does not take form if our leaders are unkind. But actually, for kindness to have impact on the wellness of staff, it needs to be practised by the individual, for their own sake as well as for that of others.

In our society, we often fall into the trap of surrendering our responsibility for ourselves to others – to systems, to processes, to protocols … but in fact, each of us has responsibility for ourselves, and the wonderful advantage of choosing and practising kindness is that we are actively impacting both ourselves and others.

Let us not forget that any change in our behaviour, as students of the science of habit formation will know, requires individual discipline and commitment … Let us embrace this in our quest for wellness! Great change happens intentionally, after all, and kindness is no exception. My challenge for today is practise being even kinder, because you will be taking the next steps forward in your journey of wellness.

Enjoy!

Jul 20

From ‘What If …?’ to ‘Let’s Now …’ Reflections on the 2024 Hakuba Forum

It is now almost exactly a month since the second Hakuba Forum, which took place over four days in the Japanese Alps in the second half of June, and it has taken me this amount of time to process this astonishing experience and capture it in a format which can, I hope, begin to communicate some of the essence and energy of the event. When c60 forward-thinking educators from around the world come together, then it would be reasonable to expect that sparks of ingenuity and determination be born, and they definitely, definitely were.

My key takeaways, I realise, are ‘connection’ and ‘action’, bound together by a depth of reflection.

Connection … with people, with others, with place, with thoughts, with minds and hearts, with nature, and with our world … One of the core purposes of the Forum was to bring people together in order to reflect and create plans for action for the future of learning, education, schools, children and humans. Through reflection and focus, through sharing with others and making deep bonds, like a web of connective tissue that holds us all together, we did this. It was my privilege to work with an energising trio to conceptualise a community of practice, a framework and network to keep the energy flowing, and to ensure that the ideas that emerged will continue to flourish in action, and to give visibility to projects and hold us all to account for our continued commitment and engagement.

Action … in the then, in the now, in the future … The drive of the Forum was to challenge us to commit to concrete actions in our spheres of influence, to turn provocations or ‘what-if …’ into planned actions, and the ‘let’s now …’. It was uplifting to see practitioners and leaders leaving the Forum with a commitment to shift the mindset of their communities around why they exist and how they are going to to create sustainable, profoundly happy human schools, through practical projects. For me, I have committed anew to challenge and support the audacious learning of school and other educational leaders, and I am actively working on developing this project now

Forums like this don’t happen by accident; a phenomenal amount of preparation underpins them, and nurtures them. Others have already expressed a profound gratitude to the team behind the forum, and I echo this. I am deeply, deeply grateful to have been part of it. I came away engaged, focused, appropriately dislocated, energised, and ready to reflect and act still further. Plus I loved, with immense joyful abandon, being able to connect friends and colleagues with others and making new friends and colleagues – I LOVE my new friends!

Let’s now then turn commitment into reality and see what the new academic year brings as a result. Bring on change …

Jun 18

Feeling the story …

‘I wasn’t feeling that story anyway’ … so says Robert Peston in the British Airways safety video, as he dutifully demonstrates packing away his laptop, and storing it securely for take-off.

As I head to Japan (on a BA flight) for the Hakuba Forum, where I hope to learn, grow and explore, alongside other educators and leaders in their fields, I note that I have started – and abandoned – no fewer than 3 blogs over the past 9 days. I might well return to any of them – and more of my ideas that I have been processing – over the next few months, because I would love to share my thoughts and reflections about some or all of the following:

“It is raining in Tokyo”
  • enduring relationships, which was brought home to me in Sydney last week, as I picked up again, almost seamlessly, with numerous friends and colleagues, despite having been physically absent for 5 years;
  • the spread of disciplined student-centred, project-based learning, drawing on the progressive work happening in the ScotsX programme that I had the privilege to see in practice at Scots College Sydney (with thanks to Dr Hugh Chilton and former colleague Dr Ian Lambert);
  • the fractures of the past, and how they haunt our society now, unless we find ways to forgive, drawing on thoughts about the performance of ‘Stolen’ that I saw at the Wharf Theatre in Sydney, about the Stolen Generation – such a powerful performance.

But, as Robert Peston’s words encapsulate, I clearly wasn’t quite feeling any of these stories quite enough to be able to write them down succinctly and clearly – probably because everything is a bit of a whirlwind at the moment, and I had so many thoughts and reflections to draw on. A gluttony of riches, even, and my heart overflowing … What I am clear about, however, is how much I am looking forward to Hakuba. 4 days of thinking, learning, reflection with friends and new friends … what a wonderful opportunity to grow, and contribute to educational growth on a wider scale.

This is a story in the making, and it is one that I am definitely feeling!

Speak soon … 😊

Jun 04

Ridiculously joyful learning

I have felt ridiculously, joyfully pleased with myself several times over the past ten days. It has been amazing! At moments, I have felt like singing from the rooftops, as I have taken enormous pride in the achievements of those with whom I have worked, and have felt the glow of satisfaction for having helped bring these achievements to fruition. As a coach, I know of course that it is not about me, but about the other person, and I have, also of course, noted the wise voice in my head that cautions me to remember that being pleased with oneself is a small step away from potentially blind self-satisfaction, or the pride that can often be followed by a fall … nonetheless, though, I have over the past week or so, on numerous occasions, quite simply abandoned myself to the limitless joy of the inner child, and to feeling super-super-super-pleased with myself … and it has been such a glorious feeling!

I recognise that it is the most enormous privilege to do what I do , working with educational (and other) leaders around the world, and when I was in Dubai at the beginning of last week, it was fantastic to help facilitate two days of activity with a group of superb leaders, who are already at the top of their game, and who were on a quest to tweak their behaviours, in order to become a genuinely high performing team. Fast forward to the end of the week, and another ‘ridiculously pleased’ moment came when I had the opportunity to spend a brilliantly energetic day with a cohort of deputy heads, shifting their mindset about themselves as learners, seeding and creating ideas which will now shape the work they do with their own teams, as well as on themselves. And just look at what we did together! Shedding misconceptions (including about the perceived barrier of time), identifying personal learning styles and new habits … oh, the joy I felt in making a difference! Their energy, determination and focus was palpable at the end of the day – I was utterly, utterly delighted on their behalf … and mine! I had curated a really targeted set of materials and tasks for them, and it really worked! The pleasure that it brought me was immeasurable!!

At the heart of all of this activity last week was powerful learning. I am totally convinced that learning (and relearning) to be a learner – a curious, inquisitive human being – is utterly transformational. This is why I am so proud of the work of the Edinburgh-based charity I chair, Light Up Learning, about which I have written before, which enables young people with multiple layers of disadvantage, and who are frequently not served well by the school system, to learn to really love learning, through a process we have developed which essentially involves them in learning about what they love. The difference this makes in their lives and for their future prospects is phenomenal, and another of my ‘ridiculously pleased’ moments happened yesterday, in my regular weekly conversation with the Head of Operations (with whom I love working – Iona, you are fab!), when I was struck again by the absolute enormity of what we are achieving. Making a fundamental difference for young people and their futures through what we do as an organisation – how amazing is this?!

I know of course – rationally – that I cannot claim personal credit for all of the progress made by all the learners I engage with, because they are doing the actual work of shifting their mindsets, tweaking their behaviours, and learning to learn. Moreover, in the case of Light Up Learning, it is actually our wonderfully engaged learning mentors who walk directly alongside the young people, and the Board and I just ensure that the organisation thrives* … but releasing myself to the joy of the impact I/we are having was such a wonderful, wonderful feeling. Look at how people are growing and evolving, in front of my and their eyes! Imagine the impact they will now have on others!! Isn’t it all just so amazing?!

Back from Dubai, I am now just about to embark on a journey to Sydney – my first time back in that beautiful city since the pandemic – in order to rekindle relationships and explore some innovative educational practice. I am in learning mode myself … and ready to become even more ridiculously pleased with myself as my brain and heart expand yet further. I am so, so looking forward to the journey.

Join me in being ridiculously, joyfully pleased – and ridiculously, joyfully grateful. And then I think that we will all find that it is not ridiculous at all … Onwards and upwards!

*talking of which … Light Up Learning is actively building our network of donors; if you want to make a difference through regular giving to young people in Edinburgh and the Lothians, please contact iona@lightuplearning.org. You’ll love talking to her anyway, and hearing about what the organisation is doing – enjoy!

May 05

Female leaders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

I have just spent a truly lovely day largely in the company of a number of wonderful female school leaders in Riyadh, ahead of the inaugural GESS Saudi Arabia conference, which takes place on 6-7 May. Today has been enormously uplifting and stimulating; I have enjoyed engaging in discussions, astute observations, and insights. Plus we laughed and hugged a lot!

I coach many successful senior female school leaders across the world, and encounter many more female leaders through the recruitment processes in which I am privileged to be involved with LSC Education; each female leader is different (as you would expect!), and each is at a different stage in their careers / lives / self-confidence / self-awareness. However, one thing I consistently notice about these female school leaders is an enhanced, acute drive to succeed in their roles by forging ahead, pushing boundaries and creating a more equal world.

Reflecting on this, I am sure that this drive will be born to a large extent of the need that many female leaders readily acknowledge, ie that they feel they must keep proving themselves to the world – not, in fact, because they actually need to do so personally, because they are already demonstrably successful, but because the world still has vestigial (and not so vestigial) memories of imbalances between men and women in leadership roles. Most of the female leaders I meet have stories of encountering unconscious bias throughout their career, and they realise that they still have to lead the way in creating and embedding new layers of expectations about what leadership can look like when women practise it.

These female leaders have for the most part discovered and developed communities of other female leaders, who are willing supporters and mentors (including the WISE programme, who have just announced their 2025 conference, this time in Seoul); they also, however, usually have an acute recognition of how much still needs to change in order to ensure that future generations of women do not encounter frustrations or limitations in their careers, many of which derive directly from prejudices born of lack of understanding that women can actually be extraordinary leaders. This awareness – and their determination to do something about it – translates into the pioneer, forward-facing drive that is almost tangible in these successful female leaders.

As you might expect, the social history and developmental curve of Saudi Arabia makes this drive even more significant. Riyadh is a very welcoming place, yet the laws and rules that have brought a greater equalisation of women and men are still recent; moreover, laws and rules take time to be translated into social norms. Being a female leader in the Kingdom is clearly perfectly possible; substantial change always requires role modelling, however, so that girls and young women can see who they can be.

One of the panel sessions that I am chairing at GESS Saudi Arabia is about success stories for women in education, and I am really, really looking forward to this. The female leaders with whom I spent such a glorious time today already have their stories to tell; what is so exciting to see is not only how they will add to them over the next few years, but also how they will empower and enable others. The future awaits!