Another fairly brutal week, but I felt like I made progress on some of the things that were really worrying me prior to taking the role. I also feel like I’ve started to get into a rhythm — with peers, will the teams and with some leaders.
Rose — What went well
- I had some conversations with people in teams that reminded me what great humans we have in Teacher Services and TWD — great at what they do, ambitious, and nice with it.
- We made some concrete progress on some risks that had been worrying me, and risked blocking teams.
- I got great, honest, feedback from someone I’ve loved working with in TS, that will help me be a better leader.
- I expected that stepping up to lead people who were my peers would be really hard, but so far I think it’s gone well. I’ve been able to provide an empathetic ear, concrete support and clear direction where needed.
Thorn — What didn’t
- Wading through process and paperwork like treacle. More than once I’ve thought back to that infamous CIA document which talked about deliberately slowing down organisations as the most efficient way of sabotaging them, and wondered if someone is doing this to us.
- Here I am, facing up to over a 100 emails to wade through on a Sunday afternoon.
- There’s a large project looming over the horizon. I’m not close to the detail, but I feel like I could give more to make it a success.
Bud — Opportunities
- People still want clarity on what TS does/ doesn’t do. I want to share as I work it out — leading transparently from the front.
- The negativity towards the civil service being reported in the press makes me furious. I’m looking forward to channelling that anger into making our services, and teams, even better.
