Another week note written on the cusp of the new week starting — this time after 4 days off for the platinum jubilee. I really, really enjoyed having a quieter 3 day week before the time off — It gave me the chance to do some doing as well as being in meetings, and also gave me the chance to revisit my 100 day plan. The long weekend gave me loads of time to absorb podcasts, which I always find revitalising.
Rose — What went well
- Some of the things I prioritised as part of my first 100 days are moving nicely, owned by members of my leadership team.
- I had a lot of good chats with people in my team, but had focused more on two people who I was especially concerned about being put in unreasonable situations. They seem to be doing much better which is a relief.
- I’m starting to settle in and find my voice in different SLTs I’m part of. I’m constantly catching myself for being frustrated about how slow this seems to be moving, and reminding myself it’s only a month in!
- I had some time to think!
Thorn — What didn’t
- I’m still finding it hard to work out what level of detail I need to have on things. I get frustrated with being dragged into the detail on certain things, and then worried I’m not close enough to other bits
- The more I’ve stepped up over the last 18 months, the more I’ve found the bureaucracy harder to deal with, and more frustrating. This week was no exception.
Bud — What went well
- I’m struggling a bit with what type of strategy Teacher Services needs. We’re so delivery orientated that stopping and defining the strategy feels like a bit counterculture in itself. But, it’s an exciting opportunity to shape where we go next!
- I’ve noticed a few bad habits I’ve developed — eating poorly, dropping everything to reply to people in Slack immediately, too much headphones in concentration time in the office to name a few. I’m looking forward to course correcting with them
