Be Critical, Friends

If you’re leading any organisation, you need to be good at spotting where things are not yet as good as they could be and intervening in a way that will lead to improvements. The problem with this, however, is not only that not everyone is actually that good at knowing when and how to offer a critical analysis of either a situation or an individual’s performance but also that not all of us are great at hearing that we didn’t do something very well. When something isn’t right, it certainly needs to be fixed, but steaming into a problem with all the subtlety of a drunken British holidaymaker at a Tibetan peace protest is almost certainly only going to make things a whole lot worse than they already are. Not everything needs to be challenged either openly or immediately and quite often the first question that a leader needs to ask of themselves in this situation is is this the right time to do this?, followed also by am I the right person to do this? In a school, for example, there really isn’t a great deal of difference between the feedback that teachers give to students and the feedback that leaders give to teachers; both are designed to lead to improvements in each individual’s performance and to the school itself. If a leader is picking up on things simply because that’s what they think that someone in authority should be doing or because they think that it will make them look weak if they don’t, then the point of the criticism itself is very sadly lost somewhere behind that person’s oversized ego. Gill Hasson, in her wonderful Mindfulness book, writes of an old Arab proverb which “Suggests three gates you should be able to pass through before you open your mouth to speak: Is it necessary? Is it kind? Is it true?” In any professional organisation that seeks to constantly improve (such as a school, for example!), then a culture of constructive and purposeful criticism really is necessary (and I should stress that this, rather than outright verbal or online abuse, is clearly the kind of feedback that I am discussing in this blog!), but so too is the kind manner in which any feedback is given. Although honesty is essential, speaking the truth in a careless manner is not kind and only serves to damage the relationships that are vital to future improvements in the long term. Similarly, Richard Templar, in his book The Rules Of People, makes the following point: “Consider the big picture before you criticise at all. There will certainly be times when it is wise to put people straight, and they’ll benefit from being shown a better way, but there are also times when it’s far better to keep shtum. Even if the point is worth making, it might not be worth making right now. For example, you wouldn’t give an actor criticism of their performance five minutes before they go on stage for their opening night. Maybe tomorrow, when they have time to absorb it before the next performance.” In addition to Mr. Templar’s very wise words, I would also suggest that leaders need to think very carefully about who is best placed to have the conversation, difficult or not, with the other person. Timing, clearly, is important, but so to is delivery, and to this end it is vital that leaders at all levels in a school (or any other organisation) know their colleagues as individuals (in a professional manner) so that they are aware of the best means of ensuring that important messages are heard, understood and acted upon. Just because you’re sitting atop an organisation, it doesn’t have to always be you who offers feedback to colleagues, and the most successful places always have teams of professionals with different skillsets who work together to choose the tasks that are right for them and those who they lead. Returning to the timing of criticism, it can sometimes be a challenge to pick exactly the right moment to deliver feedback that a leader knows will most likely not go down well, but again it’s very much knowing what makes the other members of the team tick. In any professional environment, they are those who respond best to a very metaphorical arm around the shoulder and those who need an even more metaphorical kick up the bum, and it’s so important that leaders are able to modify their approaches as required. For some leaders, following Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog guidance of dealing with tricky moments as the first task of the day is the way forward, and this may be the right thing to do in some instances, although I am often more inclined to wait until a day’s teaching has taken place before having the conversation; that way, the teaching and learning in the classroom is unaffected by either anger or sadness (although the original problem may still be present, and if this is either a teaching and learning issue or a safeguarding one then you probably can’t wait that long!) and the colleague has time to take in what has been said and, hopefully, make sense of what needs to be done. The relationship between the leader and the other professional is key to success in this moment and it is necessary not only that trust exists between the two but also an understanding of why the feedback is being given. Always, as stated earlier, it’s about securing improvements for both the individual and, as a result, the organisation itself; it must never, ever be about someone in charge enjoying an opportunity to stamp their feet and prove to everyone just how higher up in the hierarchy they are. And, of course, if criticism is given, then making sure that clear guidance about what should be done differently is given rather than vague comments about generally, somehow being better than before is, quite frankly, essential. We should all, for example, try to avoid the kind of advice that my son gave me earlier this week when we were playing football and I wasn’t saving enough of his shots. “Dad,” he said, “you’re not very good in goal. You should try to save more shots.” Thank you, Tom, although you’re probably right in stating that I’m a bit crap in goal, what you’ve just told me hasn’t really helped me at all or given me any pointers as to what I might do differently!

 

An essential part of being an effective leader in any setting is being able to take criticism of your own performance on board and act upon it professionally. Not only does this set absolutely the right example for your colleagues to follow but also it indicates a high level of emotional intelligence and self-awareness as well as a professional desire to improve. As hard as it can be, even as a leader, to hear from someone that your performance has fallen short, it’s essential that your response as a leader is correct. Sometimes, even now, when I am criticised, a voice from my internal past looks almost immediately to deny what has been said and even to look to blame someone else for the feedback that I have received, although over time I have become much better at quieting this disruptive influence and realising that giving and receiving feedback is all simply part of the leadership journey that I find myself on. Andy Buck, in his book Leadership Matters, has written perhaps the most important guidance that I have ever read about receiving criticism thus: “The first thing about criticism is not to try and analyse it in the moment.” He is, quite frankly, absolutely right; no one enjoys hearing criticism, but it will come and when it does we almost always need a bit of time to take it in and work out what we need to do about it. No one, no matter what professional level they may reach, is brilliant at everything, and even the things that you’re good at already could always be better than they currently are. If anyone ever thinks that they have ascended to the limit of their abilities then it’s time to seriously consider the point that they have reached in their careers and the attitude that they are displaying to others. In his book Imperfect Leadership, Steve Munby writes that “The best leaders are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and don’t try to be perfect at everything. They understand what they are good at and what they are not good at. They look for people who will compensate for their weaknesses so they can play to their strengths. They look to create a perfect and complete team rather than to be the perfect and complete individual leader. They are honest about who they are.” Being honest, I would add, also includes knowing the simple truth that something working well in one context does not necessarily work so well in another; in every setting, the teachers, the children, the parents and the daily practices are completely different – to not be open to criticism or feedback, particularly if a professional environment is ever changed, would be to offer a level of professional arrogance par excellence. However, the flip side of this is also that some colleagues exist who have, quite frankly, spent too long in the same organisation and whose unwillingness to accept any criticism because that’s the way we’ve always done it around here can sometimes also present considerable difficulties to leaders. Being self-aware, but also aware of the organisation and its needs evolving around you, is vital if you are to pursue an agenda of seeking constant improvements as well as ensuring that complacency does not creep into your performance. For some leaders, difficulties can be found with their ability to accept criticism, and quite often this has to do with one of two different problems that can emerge over time. Firstly, if any organisation begins to enjoy some success (like a school achieving regularly excellent exam scores, for example), then a leader can begin to believe their own hype and adopt an attitude of I am the reason for this success so I am exempt from any possible criticism and there is nothing that I can learn from anyone (cue manic despot laugh). Seriously, this happens (although maybe not the manic despot laugh), and leaders really need to wake up to the reality that a school’s context and cohort have a significantly greater impact upon their performance than the actions of a single leader, no matter how charismatic or how big a deal of Twitter they might be. Secondly, if a leadership team becomes overly aligned to one way of thinking and a groupthink situation develops, then any criticism, either internal or external, becomes very difficult to accept at all. The most effective leadership teams challenge each other, with individuals all bringing a range of views and ideas to meetings; when everyone thinks the same and no one seeks to offer new perspectives, improvements are less likely to happen.

 

The bottom line for any leader in any organisation is, then, if you’re going to be good at giving criticism to others then you also have to be good at receiving it yourself. Key to this, clearly, is an understanding that criticism exists so that improvements to both individuals and the organisation itself can take place over time. When criticism doesn’t exist, things tend to drift off in an unwelcome direction or to stay the same whilst the rest of the world moves on to bigger and better things. How and when we offer criticism is also of vital importance and even the things that we want to hear the least can be presented in a manner that are rooted more in positive than in negative terms. No one in any organisation is the finished article and there is always something that we can learn from others; to learn, however, we need to be good at listening to what we are told and willing to improve ourselves as much as possible.