How a Positive Culture Sparks the "Extra Mile" Mindset

So what is it that school leaders can do that can make the biggest difference to discretionary effort?  Some, like clarity, are not that exciting, but are absolutely crucial when it comes to creating buy-in. If people don’t know what is expected of them, the required culture will not develop and discretionary effort will inevitably be reduced. Others, like openness, transparency and trust are more about creating the conditions that mean people feel more positive about a school or organization.

Building discretionary effort

Role clarity, leading to consistency and mastery, THE EXTRA MILE is Openness, transparency and trust, asking first

Personal interest, care and forgiveness, THE EXTRA MILE is High expectation, leading by example

Ability to inspire, plan and communicate, THE EXTRA MILE is Focus on the positive, show appreciation

Shared values, purpose and teamwork, THE EXTRA MILE is Play to people's strengths, be flexible

Support, including manageable workload, THE EXTRA MILE is Formal and informal career progression

Appropriate challenge and autonomy, THE EXTRA MILE is Great training, learning and development

It is also important not to fall into the trap of believing these are all about what some might describe as the ‘warm and fluffy stuff’! A great culture includes high expectations combined with appropriate challenge and support.

It is also important to remember the greater engagement or discretionary effort doesn’t, indeed shouldn’t, mean that people are working longer and longer hours. It is about people feeling motivated to work more effectively.

There are three very simple and powerful synthesis of what motivates us at work. Based on extensive and respected psychological research:

1.      Purpose – caring about what we are doing and why it matters.

2.      Mastery – the opportunity to get really good at something

3.      Autonomy – having the freedom to innovate and personalize what we do.

All three are eminently possible to create in schools, but sometimes leaders can take the first for granted, can change too much too fast, putting the second at risk, or overly specify in detail how people should be doing their jobs, reducing the benefits from the third. The best leaders are consciously or intuitively tuned into their teams and their context to make sure they get this balance right.

Finally as well as building discretionary effort, a productive culture and climate also has a positive effect on staff retention. As Richard Branson says: ‘Train people well enough so they can leave; treat them well enough so that they don’t want to’. Given the challenges that never seem to go away when it comes to teacher recruitment in many areas, reducing the requirement to attract new staff by retaining those you already have, makes a great deal of sense.

Love and Light

DAO