How to lead beyond the processes
In the fast-paced and highly regulated environment of schools, it’s easy to get bogged down by processes, policies, and daily operational demands. From attendance tracking to curriculum planning, school leaders spend a significant amount of time ensuring compliance and managing administrative tasks.
While these processes are essential for the smooth running of a school, effective leadership goes far beyond following procedures. To truly make an impact, school leaders must cultivate a vision that transcends processes and fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and growth.
Leading beyond the processes means focusing on the people, values, and broader purpose of education. Recently we asked “What Are Your Top 3 Leadership Words?” - a tough question to answer. There were a range of responses but several key themes emerged: trust, vision, empathy and communication (which encompasses a whole host of leadership qualities!). Unsurprisingly no-one responded with anything that was process or operationally focused. People want leaders that can lead people.
In this blog, we’ll explore how school leaders can break free from process-heavy leadership and be a leader embodying all of those qualities to create a dynamic, student-centred and thriving environment.
1. Trust
Trust is a complicated phenomenon. It encompasses and interrelates to many other concepts, yet it is essential if you are to successfully lead the people that make up your organisation. One of the big names in talking about trust is Adam Grant. He explains how trust has several properties including, natural limitations, fragility and finiteness. These are integrated into key qualities that are needed for trust to be built, namely: competence, integrity and benevolence; which can only truly exist when there is a culture of psychological safety and vulnerability. As leaders, it is important for us to explore our wider culture and on-the-ground climate for these qualities as without them levels of trust people have for one another across the organisation are likely to be impaired. It is important to acknowledge here that there will be high variation in trust across individuals with trust givers, builders and takers present in all proportions.
Trust is a cultural issue. Where there is a thriving culture of trust, people feel empowered to share ideas openly, collaborate more effectively, and take initiative without fear. This kind of environment fosters innovation, boosts morale, and strengthens commitment, creating a foundation where both individuals and teams can excel.
So where should leaders start? As you would guess, the answer is with themselves. Having trust in a leader is essential for any team or organisation to flourish. When team members trust their leader, they feel secure in the direction they’re heading and are more willing to commit their time, energy, and creativity to shared goals. To give a few examples of the qualities that benefit from the ripples of trust - a trusted leader demonstrates integrity, transparency, and consistency, fostering a sense of stability and fairness. They communicate openly, listen actively, and take accountability for their actions, showing their team that they respect them and value their input. Without trust, leaders have very little to go on.
2. Establish Vision
While adhering to processes is important for maintaining order, schools thrive when their leaders are visionaries who inspire and motivate others. A school’s vision should go beyond operational efficiency to encompass a broader educational mission that reflects the school’s values and goals. This vision should be focused on long-term student outcomes—growth, emotional wellbeing, and preparation for life beyond the classroom.
School leaders who move beyond a process-driven mindset use processes as tools that serve a greater purpose: empowering students (and staff!) to flourish. This requires articulating a clear, compelling vision for what the school can achieve and aligning processes with that vision.
Schools that have taken a more alternative approach to this include XP School in Doncaster, UK where “We build our community through activism, leadership and equity, sharing our stories as we go…”. This school’s vision looks beyond academia to prioritise the people within it to be the best version of themselves within their community through “Respect, Courage, Craftsmanship and Quality, Integrity and above all compassion,”. Whilst the school still adheres to the national curriculum requirements, learning is largely project based with leadership focusing on collaboration, creativity and real word problem solving.
An often overlooked component of having a clear vision however is how it is articulated and how it is branded. Core values (as described by XP School above) are essential in building a vision as they are the scaffolds which guide us as we build towards our vision. However they themselves are not the vision. Through a clear and established vision, staff and students know what to expect and what they are working towards, there is a clear anchor point for people to move forward from, not just a focus on the day-to-day expectations. So what is it exactly you are all working towards within your organisation?
3. Empathy
Empathy is another common quality that came up. Successful leaders understanding that connecting with others on a human level is essential for leadership, particularly in education where our main business is people! Empathy allows leaders to see from different perspectives which amplifies that skill to address concerns, problem solve, make decisions, recognise strengths and support individuals and teams in their personal and professional growth. Being empathetic circles back to trust, where staff feel they are understood, they belong and they are valued as individuals they can see where they align with the leader’s and organisation’s vision; where leaders have a deeper understanding of their staff they are better able to communicate a vision that genuinely resonates with individuals across the organisation. This connection instills confidence in the leader’s intentions, creating a trustworthy environment where people feel safe to innovate, take risks, and commit wholeheartedly to shared goals. By leading with both empathy and vision, successful leaders cultivate a positive, driven culture that thrives on mutual respect, trust, and shared purpose. This brings us to our 4th theme - communication.
4. Communication
Communication encompasses a whole host of features and qualities; is communication clear, sensitive and appropriate to the audience, timely, trustworthy, open, accessible, thoughtful to name but a few. When leaders communicate effectively, they not only convey expectations and goals but also create an environment where team members feel informed, included, and valued. Open communication builds trust by reducing misunderstandings and keeping everyone on the same page, especially during times of change or challenge. There is skill in achieving this, and it takes time and practice to establish mechanisms, routines and the required tone (we are entering process territory here!) for successful two-way-communication to be achieved. Where successful leaders are hitting the right mark for communication however is not necessarily about leading on the mechanisms or the routines for such communication - as they should have support in place for this (moving away from processes); but in the tone of their communication. For it is the tone that encompasses all those other values and qualities that are sought from their staff. It is through their communication behaviours, style and tone that their connection to the people they lead strengthens leading to a thriving culture, united in a mission.
What you get when these qualities come together-
1. Empowered Staff
By moving away from process driven leadership to focus on values including trust, communication, empathy and vision, leaders empower staff to take ownership of their roles. This is because the leader has a deeper understanding of their staff and are modelling and fostering a culture that connects with individuals more deeply. This leaves day-to-day innovation and excellence to the individuals who are driving the climate of the organisation on the ground and wider strategic planning and implementation to school leaders. Furthermore, leaders who know their staff better are more likely to have successful strategy implementation through knowing which staff members are best suited and motivated for the different strategic elements. Where leaders are demonstrating trust, effective communication and a clear vision, staff are more likely to buy-in to the direction of the vision and invest in the school’s success.
An example of this is High Tech High in California which embraces a model of teacher leadership where educators are empowered to design their own curriculum, lead projects, and take ownership of the learning process. This culture of teacher empowerment allows the school to innovate and adapt continuously, with a focus on student-centered learning.
2. Healthy and Flourishing Relationships
Emotional intelligence, empathy, and effective communication are critical for creating a positive school culture. By prioritising relationships, school leaders can foster a culture of trust, openness, and mutual respect. This requires being present, actively listening to the concerns and ideas of both staff and students, and creating an environment where people feel safe and supported. It also involves focusing on wellbeing—both for students and staff. When people feel cared for and valued, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and productive.
3. Dynamic Working
If the last 5 years have shown us nothing else, it is that the world is constantly changing. As such, all people need to be flexible and adaptable, both in their working life and their personal life. To lead beyond the processes, school leaders must be open to change and encourage a culture of experimentation. This means being willing to reassess and revise existing processes if they no longer serve the school’s vision or the needs of its students. By fostering an environment that embraces innovation and continuous improvement, leaders can ensure that their school remains responsive and forward-thinking. Again, this links back to the presence of the qualities described at the start of the blog, trust, vision, empathy and communication. Dynamic working requires the space to make mistakes and learn from them, to have the opportunities to respond to challenges and make decisions; if individuals do not feel safe to make mistakes (i.e. through trust and communication) then they will never be able to truly work dynamically.
An example of where school leadership has inspired dynamic working practices both for staff and for students is NuVu Studio, an innovation school based in Massachusetts. This school operates with a focus on adaptability. Students and teachers work on flexible, interdisciplinary projects that evolve in real time, and school leaders actively support an open, experimental learning environment.
4. Shift from Control to Collaboration
Process-heavy leadership often comes with a desire to control every aspect of the school’s operations. However, true leadership is not about control but about collaboration. Leaders who move beyond processes recognise that the best ideas often come from working together with others and that collaboration fosters a more dynamic, innovative environment. Through trust, vision, empathy and communication school leaders can encourage cultures of collaboration that span through staff students, parents and the wider community. When everyone is involved in shaping the school’s direction and contributing to its success, the school becomes a more inclusive, creative space.
Conclusion: Leading Beyond the Processes
To lead beyond the processes, school leaders must shift their focus from managing operations to creating a culture that inspires growth, collaboration, and innovation. This requires a clear vision, a commitment to empowering staff, and a deep focus on relationships and wellbeing all of which can be achieved through nurturing core leadership qualities.
In doing so, leaders can ensure that their schools are not only well-run but are also thriving spaces for learning, growth, and positive change. Leading beyond the processes means making education more than just a system—it means making it transformative.
If you are interested in exploring cutting edge coaching or team opportunities further for either yourself or your team and the benefits it can offer more widely for your organisation, we would be delighted to discuss options further. Please book a discovery call or contact us at info@glasshouselab.com.
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