August Blog: Initiative

Initiative is a critical attribute for any leader. A successful leader will present an initiative to address an issue, challenge, or opportunity by articulating why (it is important and what will be the outcomes), what (it is all about and the benefits), how (it will be implemented), when (it will be implemented), and who (will be involved). Ideally, initiatives will be encouraged by all stakeholders within the organisation.

I believe leaders must be solutions-oriented. Issues will always arise for any leader. Rather than being reactive, the approach should always be proactive, thus, solution-oriented. Leaders should be strategic in outlook, so their solutions are looking to address future challenges and opportunities rather than known issues. For example, for schools relying on public or private transport for the students to reach school, then traffic delays will be inevitable at some time. This is a known (predictable issue) so there will be plans in place for when students arrive late. The late students are probably already frustrated and anxious parents may be concerned about their safety, so a very “calming” routine needs to be in place so that students can start their school day without distractions.

On the other hand, a growing locality indicates a likely increased student population for the school. The principal and school management team should start looking at how an increasing school population will impact the dynamics of the school and how it will mitigate the expansion with minimal disruption to the school’s learning programs.

Initiatives are often lacking sufficient detail to visualise its implementation. Three aspects are critical:

• planning is the key;
• ensure the initiative addresses the articulated issues or opportunity; and
• set key targets throughout the implementation process to keep planning on track.

Schools should be dynamic organisations, so principals will encourage initiatives and innovation from all stakeholders to ensure agency, empowerment, authenticity, and transparency.

For schools, major initiatives are likely to benefit from a grant process. While the application process can be painful, addressing all requirements usually results in sufficient funding to implement the initiative. When successful with a grant application, the principal should always promote its success and advise the school community why the initiative is important, its timeline, the project coordinator, and the outcomes.

Lower-cost initiatives likely to be funded by parent bodies must also receive the same promotion and acknowledgement. Ensuring a proactive parent body that provides funding for their initiatives will always be invaluable to schools.