As the leader of Forward Education Trust, I try to think hard about how do I get the best out of people? I’m constantly learning, sometimes I get things right, on other occasions I get things wrong.
I saw an article recently about the smart questions to ask to keep your best employees. Several of them struck a chord with me:
If you could, what’s the one thing you’d change about our organisation?
This is an open-ended question that can lead to insightful feedback on organisation-wide issues. Attentive listening and not being dismissive of someone’s opinions are important ways of getting the most out of how someone responds.
Can you describe a recent occasion when you felt really positive about your work?
This question can reveal what specific tasks or interactions make an individual feel successful and valued. Doing more of what makes someone feel good is a great idea.
Are there any obstacles that prevent you from doing your best work?
Identifying these and addressing barriers can significantly improve job satisfaction and productivity. In education, we talk a lot about workload challenges. Being able to make choices about doing the most important things can help to reduce the number of things we ask each individual to do, so that they are as impactful as possible.
What learning or growth opportunities would you like to pursue?
We spend so much time trying to teach our children, we mustn’t forget about the need to teach our adults as well. As an organisation, we try to look at personal & professional development, to nurture the whole person, so that we’re improving our skill and ability. This will have a powerful impact for our children.
What can I do to support you better?
I’m open to feedback and I want all of our Headteachers and leaders to be like that. I’m committed to the success of every individual who works for our organisation.
Using some of these smart questions helps me to be a better leader tomorrow than I was today.