Closing the Gap

Today's session helped me to focus on the characteristics of an effective leader and to explore my own strengths and weaknesses. This helped me to reflect upon my own leadership role in order to identify my strengths and to target my areas for improvement. I identified that I was confident in serving others but that I needed to focus on my ability to hold others to account and to develop others. I saw these targets as interlinked and believe that holding others to account is the first step in developing and improving others. The NCTL identified that a strong leader who held others to account 'clarifies expectations, sets high standards for others and ensures that goals and objectives are achieved'. I believe that in order to do this a a good leader also 'develops and empowers colleagues' in order to encourage 'personal growth'. I identified with the struggle of making 'unpopular decisions' and recognised that this was an area that I needed to improve as I often avoided difficult discussions.

As part of my leadership challenge I plan to focus on holding others accountable within my pastoral role in order to help my own and others development.