Change your leader change your fortunes........?

Since the start of this season over 30 football managers in the top four divisions of the football league have lost their jobs including 11 Championship clubs that have changed their mangers. In the last few years there has been an increasing similarity between football managers and leaders of our schools.in the Times Educational Supplement this week there are 32 secondary headship posts advertised. Both are under enormous pressure to achieve results. The failure to do this often results in the sack for football managers and a compromise agreement for head teachers. I hasten to add the financial differences in terms of compensation are totally dissimilar.
League tables have a lot to answer for, the position a team or school find themselves in can influence the board our governors in deciding who the manager should be. The similarities don't stop there, purists would say a good football team entertains its supporters with flowing intelligent football whilst in schools most Heads would want a broad, balanced stimulating curriculum that can inspire and excite learning. Both can come at a cost and both rely on access to good quality people. A football manager needs balance in his team and the right players to perform the style of play he strives for, this takes time and careful man management as well as good coaching and leadership. A Headteacher only has so many opportunities a year to change staff and very often poor teachers don't move on, again it can take time, sometimes up to 5 years to recruit and develop a successful team. In both cases supporters and parents are often not as patient and when there is the slightest sniff of challenge and pressure governing bodies can be quick to over react. I think football club directors and in many instances school governing bodies do not spend enough time in the recruitment process in order to acquire the right person to lead the club or school. I think, as is the case in all walks of life, the person has to have the skills, credentials and qualifications to take on the role but not enough consideration is given to whether the person is right for that post. Is the jump they are making too high? Does there experience match the post? What kind of communication skills do they have and often underrated but to me the most important how high is there emotional intelligence. Recently we have seen an influx in foreign managers, 8 in the current premiership and a move in some schools, particularly academy chains, to recruit headteachers with business experience and not qualified or experienced in teaching. This is despite the development of the FA coaching scheme and the new coaching centre at Burton. We have to nurture our own coaches and managers in the same way that we need teachers with a good training background. The new school direct entry. To teaching is putting the responsibility of training into schools and this can only benefit the wider development of headteachers for the future. The bringing together of the National College and Initial teacher training in Nottingham is a positive move in this direction.

Developing our leaders in sport and teaching requires commitment to training and patience.