The Independent School Podcast with Juliet Corbett: Recent Episodes
Juliet Corbett
Leading an independent school can be incredibly demanding, leaving little time or energy to identify the right priorities and see the bigger picture clearly.But with the right guidance it is possible to flourish as a leader, and make a meaningful difference in the world.
Join Juliet Corbett, an executive coach and strategy adviser, for actionable tactics and strategies covering everything from fundraising to fees, strategy to leadership.
How can private schools secure their future for generations to come amid turbulent times? How can they balance their long heritage with modern business acumen? Listen in for interviews and insights to find out.
After a short break, The Independent School Podcast is returning later in 2025 – and this time, we’re doing things a little differently.
In this short bonus episode, Juliet Corbett shares a behind-the-scenes update on the next chapter for the podcast. Expect candid conversations with heads and senior leaders from independent and international schools around the world, exploring how they sharpen their focus, make tough decisions and lead strategically – without burning out.
Whether you’re a long-time listener or discovering the podcast for the first time, this is your invitation to explore the back catalogue of 175 episodes... and to join me as we open up a new, more honest conversation about leadership.
Join Juliet’s email list: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
After four incredible years and 175 episodes, we’re bidding farewell to The Independent School Podcast. It has been an amazing journey filled with valuable insights, thoughtful conversations, and connections with passionate leaders in the school sector. Juliet would like to thank everyone who has played a part in it: the listeners, the guests and the wonderful team behind the scenes.
But as one chapter closes, a new one begins! Juliet is thrilled to introduce The Quiet Leadership Revolution Podcast, co-hosted by her great friend and brilliant strategist, Lucy Gower.
The new podcast extends beyond the independent school sector, offering universal insights for all leaders. Juliet and Lucy will be focusing on managing your time and energy, productivity, creative and strategic thinking, mindset and building your career confidence. Expect candid conversations, practical insights and a touch of humour as they share their experiences and what they have learnt along the way.
Episode notes
Playlists for The Independent School Podcast: http://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/TISPplaylists
Quiet Leadership Revolution podcast:
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Amazon Music
Listen on the podcast website
Join Juliet’s email list: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
Leaders in independent schools are having to make some hard decisions at the moment, especially those in the UK facing the possible addition of VAT to school fees.
Some of these decisions could be classified as ‘wicked’ - defined as a problem where multiple stakeholders want different, sometimes contradictory, outcomes.
In the last episode Juliet explored how NASA approaches this type of problem, drawing out lessons for school leaders.
In this episode Juliet explores further the three questions we finished with last time:
- What ‘wicked’ problems are you trying to solve, and what contradictory outcomes do the stakeholder want that makes them wicked?
- What system do you have in place to brainstorm new ways of doing things, anticipate knock-on consequences and rapidly revise the plans?
- Are you and your team ready to embrace change that might feel hard?
Episode links
Listen to the last episode: 173: Solving wicked problems the NASA way
'Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant' by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at http://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
It turns out that NASA rocket scientists think that solving ‘wicked’ problems, where multiple stakeholders want contradictory outcomes, is far harder than the science of sending missions into space.
So when we’re trying to solve similarly ‘wicked’ problems in our schools it’s no surprise that leaders sometimes feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.
In this week’s episode, Juliet shares how NASA solves these problems and draws out lessons that other leaders can use to make life easier, even if most of us aren’t planning space missions.
Episode links'Inside NASA’s bid to make spacecraft as small as possible', MIT Technology Review Nov/Dec edition
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at http://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
Coaching, innovation, empowerment, strategy... this episode with guest Claire Robinson, Head of Holme Grange School, dives into many of the topics which school leaders ask me questions about.
As a highly experienced head, Claire shares with us her extensive insights into:1. How to balance involving staff in strategy development, with the fact that sometimes strategic choices need to be confidential.
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How senior leaders can empower their teams and utilise the benefits of networking outside their schools to build resilience in times of change.
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Why strong professional development programmes, an openness to innovation and a coaching culture benefit everyone.
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Why the development of people and the development of strategy go hand in hand.
Episode linksHolme Grange School
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
Strategy is not a game played alone. So if you are seeking a strategic way forward for a project or challenge, it is important to balance individual contemplation and conversation with 'thinking partners'.
In this episode I share my belief that everyone has the ability to think and act strategically, and that combining this with deeper self-knowledge can lead to remarkable results. I emphasise the significance of seeking out individuals who can help broaden our way of thinking, both in the professional realm and beyond.
Key Lessons from the Episode:1. Carving out the time for individual strategic and creative thinking is critical. Often this means taking yourself away from distractions, like taking a walk or sitting on your own in a coffee shop without your phone. But different things work for different people.
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This solo thinking time can then be complimented by conversation with others; sharing perspectives and talking through ideas with other people can help us gain fresh insights and stimulate a growth mindset. You can think of these people as 'thinking partners'.
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It's often valuable to have more than one thinking partner, to give you multiple perspectives. These people could be mentors, peers, friends, colleagues or an executive coach.
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The role an executive coach plays is different from the advice that other thinking partners might give, especially if the coach has knowledge and experience of the independent school sector. The coach's role is to facilitate fresh insights for the leader which clarify a path forward, by helping the leader to see things from a perspective they might not have seen previously.
“We need a diverse group of people with whom we can be truly honest and share confidential thoughts to develop an ever deeper knowledge of ourselves. In order to deliver remarkable results, we need to gift ourselves the space to breathe, the time to learn, and the courage to adapt.”
Juliet CorbettEpisode linksEpisode 162: Why Coaching Works: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/162
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
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Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
It’s one thing knowing about strategy frameworks and approaches - but knowing how to use these effectively to develop and implement a strategy in a school is a completely different skill.
So this week on The Independent School Podcast I’m delighted to be joined by Paul Morgan, from St. Julian’s School in Lisbon, Portugal, a highly experienced head, who talks us through how he’s approached strategy in his two headships.
Questions Paul and I address in the episode include:
- How can a new head lead a strategic development process when they are still fresh in post? How can they balance continuity and change?
- How can a head structure the leadership team in a way that enables effective delegation of strategic priorities?
- How can you identify which new initiatives might distract from the core purpose of the school, and which will help deliver a key strategic objective?
- How can a busy school leader find time for high quality strategic thinking?
Throughout the episode we stay rooted in the real world, as Paul shares examples from his current headship at St Julian’s School in Lisbon, Portugal, and his previous role as Principal of The British School of Amsterdam.
Episode linksSt Julian’s School, Lisbon
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
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Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
Exciting news for The Independent School Podcast!
In our latest episode, I reveal the top five most popular episodes of 2023. With over 16,000 listens, I am thrilled to know that our podcast has been helping education leaders become more strategic and focused on their priorities.
Episode notes:Top 5 episodes of 2023:
- 136: Partnerships and Service with Alastair Chirnside, Warden, St Edward's Oxford
- 129: Your inbox is not your job
- 128: Regular giving with Kristina McClendon, Deputy Director of Development, Magdalen College School, Oxford
- 134: Four Building Blocks of Strategy
- 135: Five Elements of Strategic Thinking
Top 5 episodes of all time:
- 001: Bursary Fundraising Then and Now, with John Claughton
- 101: Creative Thinking and Change with Richard Jones, Head, Bryanston
- 136: Partnerships and Service with Alastair Chirnside, Warden, St Edward's Oxford
- 060: Social Mobility with David Goodhew, Head, Latymer Upper School
- 030: Looking Back on Strategy with John Claughton, former Chief Master of King Edwards' School, Birmingham
Last week’s episode: 168: The Big Picture and Being Human with Jim Knight, The Rt Hon Lord Knight of Weymouth, Chair of COBIS
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
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Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
For this week's episode I'm joined by Jim Knight, The Rt Hon Lord Knight of Weymouth and Chair of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS).
We dive deep into the big picture of education, looking at the changing ways that schools prepare young people for their future, the importance of addressing the climate emergency, the increasing role of AI in schools, as well as exploring ways that independent and state schools can learn from each other.
About Jim Knight
Jim Knight works in education, digital technology and as a legislator.
He is a director of Suklaa Ltd, providing advice to clients in education.
Jim is the Chair of trust board of E-Act Multi Academy Trust, and chair of the Council of British International Schools. He is a board member of Century-Tech, MACAT International and Educate Ventures Research Ltd, he sits on advisory bodies for Nord Anglia Education, Pearson and BETT.
As a government minister and MP, Jim’s portfolios included rural affairs, schools, digital and employment. He was a member of Gordon Brown’s Cabinet, before joining the Lords in 2010. He regularly speaks in the Lords on education and technology policy.
Key takeaways from this episode:1. We are striving to create an education system that prepares young people to thrive in an unpredictable future, but this is constrained by its importance in the university admissions system.
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Schools can play a significant role in helping communities to reduce their carbon footprint, as well as preparing young people to take climate action.
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The task of AI regulation is not simple, but we must act fast as the technology is changing quickly and young people are already taking advantage of the benefits it brings.
Episode linksSuklaa Ltd
Ashden: Sustainable Schools
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
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Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
Tune into this week’s podcast for a comprehensive insight into school leadership recruitment trends and the crucial conversation around equality, diversity and inclusion.
I am joined by Hayley Mintern, Partner at Anderson Quigley and in our thought-provoking conversation, we delve into the world of leadership recruitment in education. Hayley brings her expertise to the table, offering insights on employer branding and developing a pool of talent for future school vacancies. It's a fascinating discussion that underscores the shifting role of school leadership and uncovers the importance of diversifying the talent pipeline in the independent sector.
Some Key Takeaways from this episode:1. Leveraging employer branding, including on LinkedIn, can help schools prepare for future vacancies.
2. Leadership roles in schools are evolving to include strategic and commercial aspects.
3. Diverse senior teams and multiple layers of expertise are crucial for effectively running a school.
4. Schools can benefit from thinking more strategically about their reputation and business model, particularly within the independent sector.
Episode links:Anderson Quigley
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
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Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
Do you have a clear idea of how much you can achieve in a week? It’s very easy to be overly optimistic about what it is possible to get done. And then when you don’t achieve your goals for the week, it’s easy to slip into a habit of working extra hours to tick all those things off your to do list.
This kind of overload is inevitable occasionally, but if you are consistently over-estimating what’s possible it can lead to building feelings of overwhelm and then potentially burnout.
Key Lessons from this episode:1) Overwhelm and overload can feel the same, but they are caused by different things and so the solutions are different.
2) Being overly optimistic about how much can be accomplished in a given timeframe can lead to overload.
3) Tracking time to understand how long tasks actually take can provide clarity on workload and prevent overload.
4) Avoiding the pressure to constantly work harder and instead focusing on sustainable productivity is essential.
Episode linksEpisode 165: ‘My Solution to Overwhelm’
Cal Newport podcast episode: ‘Decoding Overload’
Cal Newport podcast episode: ‘Start with Discipline'
Discover what it's like to have Juliet as your coach: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/executive-coaching
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
When overwhelm strikes me it feels like lots of bees buzzing around my head, each reminding me to do something, and a building sense of worry that I’m not going to get it all done.
While many of us don't talk about it openly, it's normal to feel occasionally overwhelmed. But if you're having this feeling frequently then that's not a fun way to live.
The key for me lies in doing one thing at a time. Research has shown that multitasking is not as effective as we often believe. So one way you could overcome overwhelm is to focus on tackling tasks sequentially, giving each one your undivided attention. Listen in for some more ideas to help you explore what works for you.
Key lessons from this episode:1) Each person's experience of overwhelm and their solution to it will be unique.
2) Not everyone may use the term "overwhelm", but it is a common feeling among leaders.
3) I invite you to try out the three steps that work for me: 1: Get out of my head; 2: Prioritise; 3: Do one thing at a time.
Episode links
Episode 130: Take control of your Time
Episode 129: Your Inbox is not your Job
Caffeine for the Soul Podcast with Michael Neill: '101 Things to Do'
Discover what it would be like to have Juliet as your coach: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/executive-coaching
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
This is the second in my two-part series about Fundraising Campaigns, and in this episode it’s all about breaking the rules!
Having discussed the five essential phases of a campaign last week, this time I’m taking you a step further to explore how these phases can be adjusted. Warning! Some caution is needed in breaking these rules, so listen in to hear more.
Key Lessons from the episode:1) The best practice structure for fundraising campaigns includes distinct phases: planning, feasibility, quiet, public and stewardship.
2) If you're going to innovate with this structure then you need to understand the strategic role played by each phase.
3) For example: The planning phase helps you clarify your fundraising priorities; the feasibly phase ensures that you listen to the views of prospective donors; and the quiet phase encourages you to focus first on those capable of giving leadership gifts.
Episode linksEpisode 163: ‘Fundraising Campaigns: Structure Best-Practice’
IDPE Schools' Fundraising and Engagement Benchmarking Report 2022
Jim Langley's LinkedIn post
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
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Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
This is the first in my two-part series about Fundraising Campaigns. In this episode, I speak about how to structure a campaign over multiple phases to maximise the opportunity for success.
Whether you're new to school fundraising or looking for advanced strategies, this two-part series has got you covered. Next week, we will take a deeper dive into some more advanced topics, including when you can 'break the rules'.
Some Key Takeaways:1. To maximise the opportunity for success in a campaign, experienced fundraisers use distinct phases: Planning, feasibility, quiet, public and stewardship phases.
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Cultivating relationships with major donors is crucial for successful fundraising campaigns. So the phases are structured to focus on major gift conversations first.
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Generating excitement in the whole community is a great way to finish off a campaign, but if you go public too early you risk the success of the campaign.
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Sometimes you can 'break the rules' of the standard campaign phases, but only if you understand the underlying principles of the best practice approach first.
Episode linksEpisode 024: ‘Master the flexible feasibility study’
‘Capital Campaigns: Strategies that Work’ by Andrea Kihlstedt (2010)
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
Coaching has become increasingly recognised for its positive impact on educational leaders, helping them find strategic focus, empower their teams and regain control over their time. In this episode, host Juliet Corbett shares her personal experience of working with coaches and highlights the five reasons why coaching works.
Key lessons from this episode:
- Coaching helps leaders step out of their own thoughts and gain new perspectives.
- Our thoughts don't always align with reality, and coaching can help unravel this.
- Using a coaching session to share lots of ideas and thoughts (aka a brain dump!) enables a coach to see patterns, structure questions and generate insights.
- Coaching helps leaders develop a unique perspective and leadership style.
Episode Links
Discover more about having Juliet as your coach: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/executive-coaching
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
In this episode, my focus is on you! I’m keen to show you that unlocking your next career step is a process that requires dedication, self-reflection and strategic planning. A few areas I touch on are networking, career plans and the importance of flexibility.
Remember, your career journey is unique to you. It's okay to have a general direction instead of a rigid plan. Take a listen to this episode and allow yourself to explore, grow and adapt. With these insights and your determination, you'll unlock the next stage of your career and achieve your goals.
"In order to unlock your next career step, it's important to ask yourself what you truly want out of your life and work. Don't just follow expectations, but road test your dreams and explore different possibilities. Visualise your ideal role and consider the skills and experience that recruiters would be looking for. Craft a results-based roadmap that aligns with your career goals and set yourself up for success." - Juliet Corbett
Episode linksFind out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
In this episode, I talk about the shift from being solely goal-oriented to embracing problem-based strategy, inspired by the insights shared by strategy guru Richard Rumelt.
Rather than solely focusing on goals and visions, it is essential to diagnose and address the sticking points or challenges that are holding you back. By identifying the key problems, you can develop effective solutions that align with your overall vision.
Don't fall into the trap of relying solely on positive thinking or vague aspirations. Instead, emphasise action and focus on actionable steps to solve the identified problems. By shifting the conversation from goals to problem-solving, you empower your team to take meaningful action towards achieving your shared vision.
Remember, true strategy lies not just in setting goals, but in addressing the problems that hinder your progress.
Key Lessons from the Episode:1. Strategy doesn't have to be complicated and full of jargon.
2. Vision and goals are important, but we shouldn't focus on them too much.
3. Precision and detailed visioning may not always be necessary.
4. Focusing solely on goals and aspirations without taking action is not enough.
5. Positive thinking alone won't guarantee goal achievement.
6. Action and problem-solving are crucial for strategy execution.
Episode linksFind out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
In today's episode, we're diving into the topic of delegation once again. But this time, we'll be exploring a trap that many leaders, including myself, have fallen into - the 'Done For You' Delegation Trap. I discuss the idea of three service levels, a concept well established in the wider service sector, how this relates to delegation and how it can help you identify and avoid this common trap.
Key lessons from this episode:1. In the wider service sector there is a well-established concept of three service levels: 'do it yourself', 'done with you' and 'done for you'.
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These three ideas also map onto delegation. But if you go down the route of 'done for you' then you end up caught in a trap that's hard to pull you and your team out of.
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To avoid this trap, always consider how you are coaching those you lead to take on more responsibility over time, eventually enabling them to work at the 'do it yourself' level.
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This not only enables the leader to focus on their own strategic priorities, but also enables the team to deliver results faster and allows team members to grow in their roles.
Episode linksEpisode 155: Are You Delegating Enough?
Report: Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools
The Strategic Independent School Leader Ebook
Preparing for an economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
In this episode, I delve into the strategic importance of encouraging governors, trustees, and senior leaders in our schools to contribute themselves to fundraising projects.
With insights from the IDPE Benchmarking report offering valuable guidance to navigate this compelling topic, I uncover the importance of leadership giving, the role of governors and senior leaders in setting an example and practical ideas for fundraisers to encourage their support.
Tune in and discover how to empower and engage key stakeholders in supporting your school's fundraising endeavours.
Key lessons from this episode:
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It is not about the size of the gift, but rather the participation rate of governors and senior leaders in giving to fundraising projects.
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The focus should be on demonstrating commitment to and belief in the project, rather than the amount given.
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It is important to create a culture of giving within the school, starting with governors and senior leaders leading by example.
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Highlighting the participation of governors and senior leaders in fundraising projects can motivate other donors to follow suit.
"And don't forget that if you want to be thinking strategically, all of us need to create the space to breathe, the time to learn, and the courage to adapt." — Juliet Corbett
Episode linksIDPE and Gifted Philanthropy's Schools' Fundraising and Engagement Benchmarking Report 2022
Gifted Philanthropy: www.giftedphilanthropy.com
Discover Juliet's Fundraising Focus Programme
Episode 116: Three Strategic Fundraising Choices: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/116
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
In this episode, I delve into the concept of strategy as a coherent collection of decisions. I explore the definition of strategy and its relevance in the context of schools.
While many view strategy as being solely focused on occasional big decisions made by leadership, I discuss how everyday decisions made by all members of the school community are equally strategic and contribute to the realisation of the school's vision.
There’s also emphasis on the importance of the coherence of these decisions and how they align with the overall strategy.
Key Lessons from the Episode
- Strategy is not just about occasional big decisions; everyday decisions made by staff contribute to the realisation of the school's vision.
- Maintaining a focus on the long-term direction of the school is crucial for strategy implementation.
- A strategic plan is valuable as a communication tool, but it's the actual decisions and actions on the ground that truly matter.
- Coherence ensures that all decisions align with the overall strategy and work towards the same goals.
Episode linksFind out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
In this episode, we're tackling a topic that resonates with many of us: liberating our time. Time management is a constant challenge for school leaders, who often struggle to focus on what truly matters amidst a sea of urgent tasks and responsibilities.
In previous episodes, I've explored ways to reduce the impact of activities like email and the importance of delegation.
Today, I take a step further and examine a time sink that extends beyond the workplace: our media consumption. From social media to streaming services, these media companies are vying for our attention and profiting from it.
But what does this mean for our productivity and wellbeing? Join me as I discuss the attention economy, the addictive nature of media, and the impact on our cognitive abilities and mental state.
Key Lessons from the Episode:
- It's easy to default to long periods of time consuming media because the platforms are build to profit from our attention.
- Setting boundaries around media consumption promotes a healthier work-life balance.
- Mindful media consumption allows for intentional learning and skill development.
- Being proactive in managing media consumption leads to increased productivity and focus.
Episode links'The Social Dilemma', 2020 documentary
‘Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World’ by Cal Newport, 2016
Episode 129: Your inbox is not your job
Episode 155: Are you delegating enough?Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
In this episode I dive into the important topic of delegation in schools. As a coach for educational leaders, I’ve witnessed the power of effective delegation in empowering teams and delivering strategic goals. Delegation not only distributes the workload, but also allows leaders to focus on tasks that align with their strengths and to maximise their positive impact.
However, many school leaders struggle to delegate effectively. In this episode, I set out how to determine if you are delegating enough and discuss the mindset barriers that often hinder delegation.
Join me as I uncover strategies to overcome these challenges and unlock the full potential of strategic leadership.
Key Lessons from the Episode:
- Delegation allows leaders to empower their team members and involve everyone in the strategic process.
- Before diving into delegation tactics, it's important to overcome mindset barriers that hinder delegation.
- Leaders can check whether they are delegating to the right level by considering feedback from others.
- Honest conversations with colleagues and trusted individuals can provide valuable insights on your own delegation style.
“Overcoming the mindset of 'it's easier to do it myself' is crucial in order to empower those around you to deliver more." Juliet Corbett
Episode linksFind out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
Thank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!
In today's episode, "Building Fundraising Confidence," I’m diving into the world of fundraising and exploring how it can help schools achieve their goals to make a positive impact on their communities. Fundraising is not just about asking people for money, but rather offering an opportunity to contribute to something meaningful and make a difference. I'll be discussing four mindsets that might be holding you back from feeling confident in your fundraising efforts and how to shift them.
Key Lessons from the episode
- Building fundraising confidence is important for school leaders.
- Fundraising is not simply asking people for money; it's offering them an opportunity to make a difference.
- Finding your personal connection to the project makes fundraising easier.
- Understanding the impact of philanthropic donations is key to building fundraising confidence.
- Fundraising success is achievable by embracing a growth mindset and continuous learning.
"Nobody is a natural fundraiser. It's something we learn and develop through practice and finding our personal connection to the project." Juliet Corbett
Episode links
Discover Juliet's Fundraising Focus ProgrammeFind out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
In this episode I present an exploratory framework to help you discuss AI and take action in your school. No-one can give you all the answers at the moment, so I offer questions you can ask within your school community to guide a strategic approach to AI. This episode will help you embrace this new technology and its impact.
Key lessons from this episode
- Pupils in schools will grow up "AI native". The rest of us will need to actively keep up with advancements.
- Opinions on the impact of AI in education are varied, but even amid this uncertainty we need to take action.
- Developing the necessary skill-set within leaders and staff will allow your school to address AI's challenges and opportunities.
- It's critical that we guide students in understanding the ethical use of AI and emerging technologies.
- AI technology will improve rapidly - I predict that in five years' time the AI we have today will look incredibly simplistic.
QuotablesHarnessing the Power of AI in Education:
"Teachers will be harnessing the power of AI, but filtering it through their uniquely human understanding of educational pedagogy. And this is based on instinct. It's based on emotional intelligence. It's based on things which AI will not be able to replicate, at least not within my lifetime."— Juliet Corbett
AI's Impact on the Operational Efficiency of Schools:
"Every organisation on the planet will need to adapt its processes in order to harness the efficiencies which AI offers."— Juliet Corbett
The Future of Education:
"It's going to impact the already growing distance learning models that we've seen emerging and accelerating during the pandemic."— Juliet Corbett
Episode notesEpisode 132: ChatGPT for Schools: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/132
Episode 133: ChatGPT Masterclass: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/133
Episode 142: Using data to make your life easier with Adriana Williams, Director of Development, Marymount International School: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/142
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
In this episode, I share with you my new mission. We know from academic evidence that organisations with a clear strategy outperform organisations without a strategy.
I extend this to explore the connection between organisational strategy and leader wellbeing. This supports my mission to promote agile strategies within schools. Or, to translate this into a phrase I prefer, to consider strategy as a learning process.
Listen for further discussion of focus and simplicity with regards to your school strategy.
Episode links
Episode 143: Strategy as Learning: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/143
Episode 135: Five Elements of Strategic Thinking: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/135
Episode 151: Simplicity in Strategy (Rest and Reset series #3): www.consultjuliet.co.uk/151
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
In this week’s podcast episode, ‘Simplicity in Strategy’, I explain why a simple strategy is often better than a complex one and how this connects to the idea of strategy as a learning process, or agile strategy as it’s often called.
I encourage you to swim against the tide of complexity, embrace simplicity and agility in your strategy!
Episode linksEpisode 149: The Importance of Rest (Rest and Reset series #1): www.consultjuliet.co.uk/149
Episode 150: Intuition and Strategy (Rest and Reset series #2): www.consultjuliet.co.uk/150
Episode 143: Strategy as Learning: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/143
Episode 134: Four Building Blocks of Strategy: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/134
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
This second episode in my Rest and Reset series draws your attention to Intuition and Strategy.
Intellect and analysis are important for strategic thinking but don’t dismiss how significant your intuition can be in making the right decisions.
Listen to my latest podcast episode in which I pose reflective questions and discuss the soft skills of emotional intelligence, empathy and intuition.
Episode notes
Episode 149: The Importance of Rest (Rest and Reset series #1): www.consultjuliet.co.uk/149
Episode 054: Wise strategy: Using Intuition: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/054
Episode 134: Four Building Blocks of Strategy: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/134
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
This episode is an important one for you. It’s all about rest and recuperation and how we can reset our approach to work to make our future strategies efficient and enjoyable. You’ll hear my personal story, as well as scientific research, to convince you how important rest is for you too.
There’s a great deal of scientific evidence about the importance of rest, especially in connection with strategic, creative thinking.
Take a listen to hear more.
Episode links:'Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less' by Alex Soojong-Kim Pang
Talks at Google with Alex Soojong-Kim Pang
'The Ezra Klein Show: Sabbath and the Art of Rest'
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to receive an email each Thursday morning about the week’s new podcast episode.
In this episode, I present my simple framework which helps school staff members to understand their role in strategy implementation: Strategic Thinking in Three Dimensions.
The first dimension, 'looking up', involves aligning the problem or decision a staff member has to make upwards to meet the school's strategy. This encourages individuals to consider how their actions connect to the overall strategy.
The second dimension, 'looking around', involves encouraging individuals to think about collaboration and how they can connect what they are doing to other activities across the organisation.
The third dimension, 'looking ahead', helps staff members consider the future impact of decisions they are making, and how they might build in flexibility to deal with change.
By combining these three dimensions, staff can ensure their actions and decisions deliver the broader strategic direction of your school.
References and Resources:
To see the image of the Strategic Thinking in Three Dimensions framework visit www.consultjuliet.co.uk/148
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
SWOT is a critical strategy analysis tool. It encourages high-quality strategic thinking which results in decisions being made and action taken.
But SWOT is often misunderstood. Having sailed through the internal Strengths and Weaknesses, people often continue to consider the Opportunities and Threats through an internal lens. However, it's critical that you consider these from an external point of view: looking for external trends that act as opportunities and threats.
Take a listen to this essential replay episode for my top tips. They’ll guide you in completing your SWOT analysis with specificity.
Let me help you structure your strategic thinking and inform your decision making. Get ahead of the game. It’ll be worth it!
References and Resources:Episode 048: Scanning your environment (www.consultjuliet.co.uk/048)
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Use this week’s episode to check how robust your school’s strategy is.
Listen and use my guidance to seek the 5 signs that your strategy is ready to roll.
- Your strategy takes a long-term view
- Your strategy makes tough choices about how to focus scarce resources
- Your strategy addresses the main challenges you face
- Your strategy is disputable
- Your strategy involves thorough development but a clear action-focused outcome
Strategy is a collection of coherent decisions which determine and deliver the long-term direction and goals of an organisation. Aligning your strategic thinking with the 5 indicators discussed in this episode will ensure robustness and readiness for all scenarios.
References and Resources:Episode 092: What timeframe should our strategy cover? (www.consultjuliet.co.uk/092)
Episode 132: ChatGPT for Schools (www.consultjuliet.co.uk/132)
Episode 133: ChatGPT Masterclass (www.consultjuliet.co.uk/133)
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Here on The Independent School Podcast we're passionate about the positive impact of education. In this episode I speak with Clementine Brown and Eliana Sleiman from CodeBrave about partnerships between schools in the UK and Lebanon.
Over the last three years, the percentage of the Lebanese population living under the poverty line has risen from 28% to 82%, and they are now experiencing 50% youth unemployment. CodeBrave is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to power Lebanon’s next generation with tech skills, helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to lift themselves out of poverty.
CodeBrave does this through providing classes and boot camps in coding, robotics, AI and web development, both in-person and online. They are leading thinking on integrating STEM education with trauma psychology and their approach to the teaching of essential soft skills alongside digital coding skills is inspiring.
Take a listen and hear how CodeBrave’s partnerships with UK independent schools are successfully combining Global Citizenship Education and making a positive impact.
References and Resources:
Connect with Clementine and Eliana on LinkedIn:
Clementine Brown:www.linkedin.com/in/clementine-brown
Eliana Sleiman:www.linkedin.com/in/elianasleiman
Websites:
CodeBrave Lebanon
CodeBrave Tutors
Find out more about working with Juliet: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Contact Juliet: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
This week’s episode is all about maximising the benefits of your strategic plan. I’ll help you understand the limitations of a rigid plan, the role of a flexible strategic plan in schools and how to use your strategic plan to propel your school forward.
Episode Links
Want to explore working with Juliet in a strategy session? Contact us at hello@consultjuliet.co.uk to set up a time to talk with Juliet.
Agile strategic thinking is so important right now. Therefore, we are returning to focus our attention on strategy as a learning, rather than a planning, process.
Let us establish a learning lens through which we can identify problems, create hypotheses, pilot projects, reflect and ultimately create a full cycle of successful strategic development.
This episode reminds us how successful independent school strategy can be with a learning mindset. The third in my four part mini-series on Rethinking Strategy from 2022, I invite you to have another listen!
Episode notesEpisode 105: How planned is your strategy? (Rethinking strategy - Part 1)
Episode 106: Disruptive edge, stable core (Rethinking strategy - part 2)
Episode 108: Culture eats strategy for breakfast (Rethinking strategy - part 4)
Download my “Rethinking strategy in independent schools” Research Report
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
In this episode I’m joined by Adriana Williams, Director of Development at Marymount International School London. We focus our discussion on data and why it is so important within a school Development Office context.
Listen in to hear how to utilise your database to its best capability, improve and record processes and how to showcase key data to your community.
Adriana Williams loves to ensure data sparks joy for developmental professionals and you’ll find her points in this episode do just that!
Episode links
Marymount International School London
Episode 063: Mastering Key Performance Indicators
Episode 124: Resilient systems, processes and succession planning
Episode 137: What is your Fundraising Data Not Telling You?
This episode explores anticipating scenarios and navigating inevitable change in our schools. ‘Managing uncertainty’ is part of the lexicon now in leadership, so having a prepared approach for dealing with potential scenarios is a great way to strategise.
Scenarios won’t predict the future, but they will help us to explore future possibilities.
Listen to this episode to hear my shared team approach for developing scenarios and testing your strategic choices:
What range of viable options might you have in that future scenario?
What could you do now to prepare?
How will you know if that scenario is unfolding?
Episode links‘Scenario Thinking: Preparing Your Organization for the Future in an Unpredictable World’ by George Cairns and George Wright (2nd edition, 2017)
Working with Juliet: Contact us to set up a chat with Juliet about your next Strategy Day hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
This episode is one for you and your own professional development. My guest Phillip Rothwell, Director of Development, Warwick Independent Schools Foundation encourages you to advocate for your own career development.
Listen for some great personal anecdotes and reasons why investing in your own professional growth is so important.
Searching out opportunities, working out ways to fund personal professional development and knowing how to gain recognition for your contribution to the industry are all suggested approaches worth hearing about.
Episode Links
Certified Fund Raising Executive
Warwick Independent Schools Foundation
In this episode, the topic is Legacy Fundraising and how to establish a programme that enables you to ask others to leave a gift for your school in their Will.
We often feel awkward talking about death. Listen to hear how we might burst the myth that it’s always a difficult conversation to have with potential donors. Legacy fundraising is based around building trust with those donors and communicating the positive impact that their legacy contribution could have.
Have you considered setting up a Legacy Society? Simple, but effective, this can be a tremendous way of connecting your alumni and donors. Building a sense of belonging for members under a stewardship model and anticipating the long term benefits of a legacy gift is a good way to go for schools, in my experience.
But a Legacy Society on its own isn't enough to grow your legacy programme - listen in for the other key elements you need to put in place.
References and Resources:
Episode 099: Strategic Stewardship with Laura Firth, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Bolton School
In this episode David Woodgate, an industry expert and CEO of ISBA (Independent Schools’ Bursars Association), joins me to give unique perspectives on how the independent school sector is faring.
External factors such as inflation, VAT threats, staff recruitment, AI and climate change are among the trends that school leaders are focusing on at the moment.
David offers advice on becoming more effective at responding to these external trends, including early identification of trends and the importance of taking action.
Adopting an agile strategy is essential now we are mid-way through 2023 and looking forward to what could be an uncertain couple of years.
Thanks for listening.
Episode linksIndependent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA): http://www.theisba.org.uk
This episode demystifies the topic of fundraising data. Collecting, analysing and making decisions based on data is a critical component of strategic thinking. I delve into how important it is to really understand what your data is not telling you, as well as what it is.
Let me help you see what data you need to be collecting and the mindset you need in order to analyse it with strategic verve.
In this episode you’ll hear of the necessary tracking of input and output data in relation to your donations. Looking to measure the effectiveness of each fundraising activity will be of great help once you have an accurate picture of a number of components.
I’ll explain in depth the following:
The input going into each activity:
- budget
- staff time
- volunteer/prospect/donor goodwill
The output from each activity:
- knowledge objective: awareness of fundraising project
- belief objective: buy-in for transformation the project will deliver
- behaviour objective: donations
Listen in for the breakdown and further advice on the reflection stage in the process.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the data element of all this! It’s a mindset too.
References and Resources
Episode 116: Three Strategic Fundraising Choices
Episode 027: Boost your Major Gifts with ‘Moves Management’
Episode 131: Efficiency Tools for Schools
Episode 130: Take Control of Your Time
Finding ways to connect your school with its local community continues to be a top priority for many schools in 2023.
It’s a topic we’ve discussed before on this podcast and in this episode my guest speaker Alastair Chirnside, Warden at St Edward's School in Oxford, talks about how successful service and partnership arrangements can be when they are interwoven into the life of the school.
Alastair tells us about Beyond Teddies, which is the school’s umbrella project for all its partnerships work, community service and fundraising. He explains the value of creating connections and communities, to both build a strong culture of service to others and to enhance the intellectual life of a school.
Episode links:St Edward's School, Oxford: www.stedwardsoxford.org
This episode offers you structure to the idea of strategic thinking and builds on my previous episode about the Four Building Blocks of Strategy.
You’ll hear me expand on the main elements of strategic thinking, which are:
- Creative thinking
- Systems thinking
- Directional thinking
- Divergent thinking and
- Convergent thinking
If you can carve out the time to think in these ways, you’ll be doing better than most other leaders! Having time to think is a secret weapon at your fingertips. Harness it with the help of this episode and you’ll notice the difference.
References and Resources:
Episode 134: Four Building Blocks of Strategy
Episode 130: Take control of your time
Episode 098: How can our meetings be more strategic?
This episode presents to you the Four Building Blocks of Strategy. Keen to ignore the jargon, avoid complications and use a simple, structured mindset? Then this episode is worth a listen. You’ll hear how to strip strategy back to its four core components:
- Vision
- Sticking points and accelerators
- Defining your general approach
- Action plan
Strategy really can be surprisingly simple and this episode covers how to make it work for you. Strategic thinking can be for everyone.
If you’re developing a strategy, use these steps to guide you.
If you’re looking to test the robustness of your strategy, ask yourself questions about each of these building blocks to gauge whether they have all been considered.
There are many past episodes covering this topic. Take a listen.
References and Resources:
Vision
029: What's your vision?
055: Vision: Why it matters which mountain you climb
085: Should our vision be ambitious or realistic?
Accelerators and sticking points
031: What's working in your favour?
033: What's holding you back?
048: Scanning your environment
052: Mastering the SWOT analysis
Action plan
063: Mastering Key Performance Indicators
In order to make ChatGPT work effectively for us, we need to become skilled at 'prompt engineering'. In this episode I walk you through some best-practice tips to improve your prompt engineering, enabling you to get the most from OpenAI's large language model, ChatGPT.
We cover tactics such as chained prompting, setting the tone of voice, exploring the 'temperature' of responses, specifying the format of the output and documenting your learning. I cover as much as I can in this episode, so do take a listen.
There are many more resources and links in the list below.
Not feeling comfortable with ChatGPT yet? Take a listen to last week's episode, ChatGPT for Schools, to get started.
Episode links:Do complete my AI in Schools survey and help direct future episodes on this subject.
Catch-up on last week's episode: ChatGPT for SchoolsChatGPT & AI in EducationISTE: Artificial Intelligence in EducationArtificial Intelligence in EducationThe International School Podcast: ‘Greg, Warren and Wolfgang with Dan and John look at #ChatGPT3 in Education’ 13 January 2023The Ezra Klein Show: Best of: Who Wins - and Who Loses - in the .I. Revolution? (December 2022)
The Ezra Klein Show: A Skeptical Take on the A.I. Revolution (January 2023)
The Ezra Klein Show: Freaked Out? We really can prepare for AI (March 2023)
Could ChatGPT be our partner in creativity as well as an enhancer of our productivity? One of the things we'll remember 2023 for is the explosion of interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and generative AI tools such as ChatGPT in particular.
This episode draws your attention to the pros and cons of generative AI, some of the ethical questions that arise and the limitations of the technology as it currently stands.
My initial focus here is on ChatGPT use with non-teaching roles, giving us a chance to evaluate current AI with some structure.
If you’re looking for an introduction, overview of trends as they’re developing, opportunities for enhancing your productivity and creativity, then stay tuned and listen to my next few episodes addressing the impacts AI and the Large Language Model ChatGPT could have within schools.
Episode links:
Do complete my AI in Schools survey and help direct future episodes on this subject
ChatGPT & AI in Education ISTE: Artificial Intelligence in Education Artificial Intelligence in Education The International School Podcast: ‘Greg, Warren and Wolfgang with Dan and John look at #ChatGPT3 in Education’ 13 January 2023 The Ezra Klein Show: Best of: Who Wins - and Who Loses - in the .I. Revolution? (December 2022)
The Ezra Klein Show: A Skeptical Take on the A.I. Revolution (January 2023)
The Ezra Klein Show: Freaked Out? We really can prepare for AI (March 2023)
This is the third and final Part in my Personal Effectiveness mini-series and this episode is full of suggestions for efficiency tools you might want to try. I also suggest five work categories where online tools can really build efficiency and effectiveness.
Listen to hear this update of a popular episode from two years ago.
If you missed Part 1: Your Inbox is not your Job and Part 2: Take Control of your Time, you’ll find the links below along with other useful episodes on similar topics.
References and ResourcesEpisode 129: Your inbox is not your job: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/129
Episode 130: Take control of your time: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/130
Episode 124: Resilient systems, processes and succession planning: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/124
Episode 115: Strategic social media: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/115
Online tools mentioned:
Calendly: https://calendly.com/
Clara AI diary management: https://claralabs.com/
Canva: https://www.canva.com/
SmarterQueue: https://smarterqueue.com/queue
Loom: https://www.loom.com/
Trello: https://trello.com/
Asana: https://asana.com/
ClickUp: https://clickup.com/
Here is Part 2 in my Personal Effectiveness mini-series and in this episode I’ll be addressing how to Take Control of your Time. This is a subjective topic since different methods work for different people but one thing holds true: You are in control!
Listen as I offer some diary-blocking basics, as well as some techniques to try for better managing your time.
I connect back with the overarching themes of this mini-series, which are: reactive vs. proactive and multi-tasking vs. focused work patterns. Check out this episode for a range of possible tactics to improve your personal effectiveness and productivity in your work.
References and ResourcesEpisode 129: Your inbox is not your jobCalm appPomodoro technique link
Welcome to Part 1 in my three-episode mini-series on Personal Effectiveness.
In this first episode, I address how important it is to realise that your inbox is not your job. I share the management mind-set needed for efficient organisation of your time and how to form positive habits. Don’t ignore your inbox, but prioritise and realise that ‘no-one gets promoted because their inbox is dealt with each day.’
Listen to hear email habits you’ll want to cultivate as well as thoughts on how to increase your productivity and not feel chained to your inbox and others’ requests.
Next week’s episode Part 2 covers Taking control of your Time.
References and Resources‘How Multitasking Affects Productivity and Brain Health’
‘How To Make Your Actual Work As Addictive As Email’‘Here Are Five Tips to Mindfully Managing Your Emails'
In this episode Kristina McClendon, Deputy Director of Development, Magdalen College School, Oxford joins me to discuss their regular giving programme.
Kristina shares views on differences she has seen between US and UK regular giving fundraising. There’s a great deal we can learn from best practice in the US, from building a culture of philanthropy, being unafraid to ask, and creating a donor journey from regular giving into larger gifts.
Regular giving lets people raise their hands and say ‘Yes, I want to support the school. I want to support what you’re doing’, which is why this work is critical in creating a sustainable fundraising function.
References and Resources066: Endowment bursary fundraising with Susie Baker, Director, Waynflete Office, Magdalen College School099: Strategic stewardship with Laura Firth, Director of Development, Bolton School114: Community Fundraising with Ed Lang, Buffalo Fundraising ConsultantsContact me at juliet@consultjuliet.co.uk for one-to-one consultation appointments. I’d be happy to problem-solve and plan strategy with you.
Alternatively, sign up for my weekly email for further tips and reminders about how to work with your strategy in a positive way. www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
In this episode, the power of divergent thinking is explored. You’ll hear how it can improve strategy and decision-making in your leadership role. We delve into the importance of encouraging contrary views and not shying away from criticism, even if it is difficult to hear.
Listen to some reflective approaches and personal experiences from which I advocate taking a moment to pause, reflect on impact vs. intention, before responding with intention.
This episode talks you through how to seek out and hear the criticism, understand the motivation with reflection and ultimately respond in the best way for your school.
Using emotion to engage your team in your school strategy really works and this episode gives you anecdotes and reasons why harnessing emotion can be a successful leadership approach.
Having a clear strategy does make you feel amazing. I share stories and experience from my own career journey to assure you that using emotion to sell strategic initiatives to your team is empowering for all involved.
Listen to this week’s episode to hear how you too can achieve that sense of accomplishment through enjoyable efforts.
References and ResourcesContact me at juliet@consultjuliet.co.uk for one-to-one consultation appointments. I’d be happy to problem-solve and plan with you.
Alternatively, sign up for my weekly email for further tips and reminders about how to successfully work with your strategy in a positive way. www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
You may also be interested in listening to last week’s episode Episode 125: Strategy development case study with Louise Simpson, Head, Exeter School
In this episode, I’m delighted to be joined again by a friend of the podcast, returning guest Louise Simpson, Head of Exeter School. You may remember in Episode 40, we heard of the strategic direction in which Louise Simpson was embarking, having taken over headship during the pandemic.
We return to discuss Exeter School, catching up on how things have progressed and how their strategy development process is running. I hope you enjoy hearing the successes in this case study update as much as I have.
Topics you’ll be interested to hear Louise and I discuss are:
- The involvement of stakeholders
- The timeframe for strategy development
- The documents that make up Exeter School’s strategy
- How Exeter School stays agile in their strategy implementation
References and Resources
Episode 40: An international perspective with Louise Simpson, Head, Exeter School
Let’s build organisational resilience in our schools. I encourage you to construct a shared understanding within your team of what your unique school system is before moving on to document the processes. You’ll hear how important it can be to work on a comprehensive team manual for your school system and its processes.
The environment in which schools are operating is increasingly challenging and this could be your answer to future organisational resilience, especially with regards to staff turnover.
I am certain this episode will drive you towards efficiency and efficacy. You may need to play around with the terminology to help it sit well with your team but listen to this week’s episode to understand some best practice and useful approaches to prepare for or anticipate succession planning.
References and ResourcesEpisode 122: Diversifying income streams to build resilienceScribe website
Rachel Hadley-Leonard from RHL Consulting joins me for this wide-ranging episode where we dive into brave marketing, fundraising for prep schools, and our take on how a sabbatical could shape your career.
Why should you be promoting your school when student numbers are high and your school is at its peak?
Why must you be brave in your marketing?
Can any school really fundraise?
Listen in to find out!
Finally, you’ll hear of the value Rachel Hedley-Leonard gained from her recent two month sabbatical during which she completed the 630 miles of the South West Coast Path in the UK.
References and ResourcesRHL Consulting
Episode 70: Your school's unique selling point
In this episode, the topic of diversifying income streams to build resilience is my focus. This is not just about marketing tactics or investment allocation strategy. It is a culture shift. I have lots more to share!
With inflation high it's not an easy time to be leading in any industry, including the school sector. What we need to be thinking about is organisation resilience.
Listen as I talk through how to diversify your income streams, mitigate risk and make sure you don’t miss opportunities.
References and ResourcesIDPE Benchmarking reportCatch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I discuss the power of Strategy Away Days, especially in these times of rapid change. I dismiss the idea that they are mostly, ‘all talk and no action’. I help you see how Away Days are worthwhile and can be instrumental in your school's development.
Having clarity on the problem(s) you need to solve is my first tip for you.
Listen in for ways to harness strategic discussion in Away Days and ways to ensure action is a natural and achievable next step in your process. My examples of various formats for Away Days will help School Leaders plan and facilitate strategic collaboration time that moves towards action.
I hope you enjoy this episode. It’s a great one for appreciating the value of strategic discussion and collaboration, whilst learning how to harness the effort which is contributed by all those involved.
References and ResourcesContact Juliet for a free 30 minute video call to explore facilitation of a Strategy Away Day: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk
Episode 039: Strategy away days: 8 top tips
In this episode, I’m joined by Beth Williams, Schools Partnership Manager of ImpactEd. We speak about how you can measure the impact of partnership programmes between independent schools and state schools.
Beth and her colleagues at ImpactEd frequently work with independent schools, most often supporting them to evaluate the impact their programmes are having on local partner school students, and supporting them to make any changes to their partnerships to further increase impact.
Beth and I reflect on the trend of genuine partnerships; ones which allow schools to work and play together in improving outcomes for all students.
Listen to this episode to hear Beth explain the theory of change approach and the four categories of data you should be collecting to best evaluate the impact of your partnerships.
References and ResourcesImpactEd
If you'd like to find out more about ImpactEd or how they could support your school, please complete the Expression of Interest form.
You can also email Beth Williams at beth.williams@impacted.org.uk
'Theory of change in ten steps' by James Noble, NPC
Google Scholar
EEF Spectrum Database
RAND Education Assessment Finder
In this week’s episode you’ll hear how to create a confidential professional strategy for 2023 which will drive forward your personal development this year.
I share the five steps that I use to help you set professional goals and craft a strategy to achieve them.
Remember, the strategy you are setting in your work environment may or may not align with your personal professional strategy, so take some time for yourself and use this start to the new calendar year as your fresh beginning.
If you missed Part 1 in Episode 117, during which we reviewed successes from 2022, here’s the link.
References and Resources:Episode 013 'Four building blocks of strategy'
'Atomic Habits' by James Clear
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I offer you a holiday-style review of my three favourite books for School Leaders. If you’re as avid a reader or listener as I am, I hope you will find some time for the pastime over this holiday period.
The three books I discuss have strong messages. They suggest new approaches for School Leaders, which you’ll enjoy considering for the new year.
The engaging titles for my three chosen books (see links below) are:
- Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders by L. David Marquet
- The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
- Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible by Jeffrey Shaw
References and Resources
'Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders'by L. David Marquet
'The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters'by Priya Parker
'Lingo: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible'by Jeffrey Shaw
'The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World'by Dorie Clark
Work with Juliet Corbettwww.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up with previous episodes atwww.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
This episode is all about you! It’s your chance to focus on your own professional strategy and put to good use the strategic thinking you’ve been using for your in-school development, on your own personal development.
This will be the first of two episodes where I cover ways of reviewing your professional or career strategy. This is the time of year to take stock, pause to review and prepare for goal-setting in January.
Enjoy this episode. You’ll hear me prompting you to reflect on your professional development and how it’s gone in 2022 before pausing to relish the season. Be prepared for Part 2 in a couple of weeks when I’ll be setting strategic professional goals for 2023 with you.
References and Resources
Take a listen to this previous episode about crafting your strategy for the new year: Episode 062: Craft your 2022 Strategy
In this episode, I explain choices you have available to you when making strategic fundraising decisions to suit your individual school. This episode is for Senior Leaders and Governors looking to make those strategic fundraising choices, but Development Office staff are always welcome too!
I discuss key questions:
- What are you fundraising for?
- Who are you fundraising from?
- How will you fundraise?
Listen to advice on factors needing consideration when looking at these questions. Remember, the more tailored the fundraising strategy is for your school, the more targeted you can be with your potential donors.
I hope you will find this episode useful. I also invite you to check back to previous episodes on fundraising and strategic thinking.
References and resourcesEpisode 114:Community Fundraising with Ed Lang, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Buffalo Fundraising Consultants
Schools’ Fundraising and Engagement Benchmarking Report 2018 from IDPE
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
This week’s episode is all about making sure your social media posts are strategic, so that they work for you. To narrow the scope, I’m addressing your Development Office use of social media. You will find lots that will be applicable to other departments and teams within your school too.
Social media is just one strand of how you are communicating with your key audiences. This episode talks you through three strategic choices. I’ll help you see how setting objectives for your social media activity and measuring impact can be worthwhile stages in your fundraising process.
As a school, you may be looking to enhance your brand loyalty with alumni and this episode can help you understand how to use social media for this purpose too, with long-term success.
References and Resources
Episode 022: Social marketing for schools
Demographic research:Hootsuite
SproutSocial
Avocado Social
Posting frequency and timing:Hootsuite
Bloggingwizard
SproutSocial
Schedulers:Hootsuite
Buffer
Later
SmarterQueue
MeetEdgar
Daily hashtags:Hootsuite
In this episode, our topic of discussion is Community Fundraising. I talk with Ed Lang, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Buffalo Fundraising Consultants, who has worked in this sector since 2004.
If you’re keen to map out your school’s fundraising programme in a way that is strategically right for your school, then listen in. This episode will help you work out your ‘Strategic Next Step’ for community fundraising.
Listen as we first clarify what is meant by community fundraising and then outline different vehicles such as telephone campaigns, giving days, direct mail and events. Ed Lang offers us pros and cons for each of these fundraising methods.
Engaging with all levels of a school community is what Community Fundraising is all about. This episode offers you an understanding of the nuanced steps you can take to tighten your community fundraising programme within your school.
References and Resources
Buffalo Fundraising Consultants: www.buffalofc.co.uk
Connect with Ed Lang on LinkedIn
Email Ed at Buffalo Fundraising Consultants
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I’m joined by Eilish McDowell (Managing Director) and David Rider (Associate) of Caithness Consulting as we converse about the war for finding fundraising talent in a world that now involves increased demand for remote, hybrid and flexible working environments.
In the fundraising world of the independent school sector, we’re seeing some hesitancy. This is not something we’re used to and many feel a little uncomfortable with the idea of fundraisers not being in school throughout the day.
Join us in the discussion and listen to suggestions about how we can learn from other sectors in the marketplace and enable our fundraising positions within our schools to be sought after and filled by new and informed talent again.
References and resources
'Hybrid Work Is Just Work. Are We Doing It Wrong?'
'Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work'
Caithness Consulting
In this second episode about Service and Leadership, I’m happy to be talking you through three steps for serving your audience.
The three steps lead towards shifting our mindset so that we’re really serving our audience and offering true value. Ultimately, this is what our potential parents and students seek, isn’t it? I also encourage continued conversations with those parents at the decision-making stage, since they can help you understand what service is most useful for them and help you to earn their trust.
I’m interested to hear your feedback on this. It’s a topic I think has great potential and I’d love to hear from you, especially if you’re working on any of the mentioned areas or would like some help in developing systems and processes to enable your best service whilst leading your school.
References and resources
LinkedIn: 'The Sophisticated Marketer's Guide to Thought Leadership'
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
This episode reflects on the value of combining service with leadership. It is the first of two episodes in which I share thoughts on the value of embedding service into our leading roles in the educational sector.
Since the mourning period in September following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, many school leaders have found it worthwhile to reflect on their interpretation of service and how it guides their leadership.
Have you ever wondered how you can offer service to your team whilst still retaining your leadership authority? It’s worth thinking of service as a way of putting the needs of your whole school community first. Balancing the needs of everyone is not easy though, is it?
Take a listen to this episode to hear more about concepts like ‘Servant Leadership’ alongside Transformational Leadership patterns and ‘Serving to Lead’.
References and resources
'Leaders Eat Last' by Simon Sinek
'Do you serve to lead?' by Adam O'Donnell
'Traditional Leadership Vs. Servant Leadership' by Brian Tait in Forbes
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I’m joined by Steve Spriggs, CEO of the William Clarence Education Group.
Steve and I discuss how elements of the commercial market are influencing marketing, admissions and recruitment in the educational sector. He gives insightful observations on some of the big picture trends influencing the evolving dynamic between educational and commercial business within a school.
Steve's experience through working with parents reminds us to think of those families who are: “probably engaging with your brand and your digital footprint before you even know their name!”.
Learn about a digital-first approach to strengthening your school’s brand and your reach in an increasingly competitive staff and student market.
References and resources
William Clarence Education
School Management Plus
Kampus24
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
It’s often the way that the culture of an organisation is taken for granted and can become invisible to us, particularly after having worked within it for some time.
Last week, I spoke of culture and strategy and how important an understanding of culture can be for the successful implementation of strategic plans.
In this episode, I help you initiate the process of analysing your school's culture. I give you an overview of six useful elements of change from the Cultural Web analytical tool, developed by Johnson and Scholes in 1992.
I invite you to listen to my thoughts on how best to start the analysis of your organisation’s cultural web and the steps to take once you have this information.
References and resources
Whittington, Richard, et al. Exploring Strategy. United Kingdom, Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2010.
Catch up with previous relevant episodes:
Episode 52: Mastering the SWOT analysis www.consultjuliet.co.uk/052
Episode 48: Scanning your environment www.consultjuliet.co.uk/048
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
This is the fourth and final episode in my 'Rethinking strategy' mini-series. To use a controversial quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” this episode prompts a rethink of how important it is to align culture and strategy within a school environment.
Taking a new look at the underlying culture and values, beliefs and behaviours that each department of your school has could help unravel difficulties you may be facing in implementing your strategy.
I discuss how important it can be to align your culture and strategy, allowing them to nurture each other. I invite you to move your thinking away from focussing just on strategy development and implementation, and to widen your view to include your school's culture.
Listen to hear how I can help you diagnose whether there is a mismatch between your culture and strategy as well as to suggest the stages you could take to evaluate your current strategic position.
My key message is to appreciate words attributed to Peter Drucker, management consultant and academic author, who advocated that culture will always win out over strategy. Elements of your own strategy can be configured so that both existing culture and strategy collaborate with success in your organisation.
References and resources
Download my “Rethinking strategy in independent schools” research report: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/rethinking-strategy
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this third episode of my 'Rethinking strategy' mini-series, I encourage you to think of strategy as a learning, rather than a purely planning, process.
I have talked in previous episodes of the continuum between planned and emergent strategy, the benefits of allowing ideas to emerge from all layers of an organisation and the impact of retaining a stable core, whilst encouraging a disruptive edge.
Listen here as I speak about how strategy can be a learning lens through which schools can identify problems, create hypotheses, pilot projects, reflect and ultimately reach a full cycle of successful strategic development.
This podcast episode will help you see how effective it can be to implement a cyclical process of strategic thinking into your organisation.
References and resourcesDownload my “Rethinking strategy in independent schools” research report: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/rethinking-strategy
Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode of my Rethinking strategy mini-series, I introduce an intriguing concept for independent schools to consider: a disruptive edge, yet stable core.
The Harvard Business Review published some fascinating research in 2018 exploring how seven winning and well-respected organisations such as NASA, New Zealand All Blacks, the Royal College of Music and Eton College have thrived for more than 100 years and counting.
Based on this research, I present ways in which your stable core plus a disruptive edge could elevate your strategy to an enduring status. I also build on discussion from my previous episode about how significant it is to allow strategy to emerge spontaneously within and across various sections of a school environment.
Here, you can listen to three tried and tested ways in which these seven participants from the research have strengthened their stable core, invited potentially disruptive innovation into their strategies and consequently achieved success in their educational endeavours for over 100 years.
I hope to support you with your strategic trial and error, your striving for innovation at the disruptive edge, your nurturing of a culture of change for the benefit of all your school community.
References and resources
Hill, A., Mellon, L. & Goddard, J., 2018. How winning organizations last 100 years. Harvard Business Review, Available at: How Winning Organizations Last 100 Years
Download my "Rethinking strategy in independent schools" research report: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/rethinking-strategy
Work with Juliet Corbett consultjuliet.co.uk/services
Catch up on previous podcast episodes atwww.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
The first episode in my mini-series: Rethinking strategy
We often associate strategy with top-down planning, but it doesn't need to be that way.
Some start-ups and tech firms have been very successful by embracing a bottom-up approach to strategy, with individual staff members being encouraged to innovate and successful ideas driving the future direction of the organisation.
So are strategies in independent schools too planned? Could we benefit from a different approach?
In this episode, I take a look at the alternative ways to approach your strategy and explore the evidence that suggests we should embrace a new way of thinking.
References and Resources
Download my "Rethinking strategy in independent schools" research report
Find out how to work with me
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I look at cascading your strategy - starting at the top and then threading it through each department, so you are all working toward the same goals.
This can be done by dividing it into an organisational-level strategy and several operational strategies that focus on the day-to-day delivery but consistently link back to the top line vision.
If this episode inspires you, take a look at these ways to work with me and explore how we can apply this, and more, to your school strategy.
References and Resources
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Getting internal buy-in for bursary programmes can be tricky - everyone is so busy that additional tasks for a new project can sink to the bottom of the priority list.
In this episode, I share with you the top areas to think about as you navigate this:
1. Educating senior leadership
2. Inspiring internal buy-in
3. Strategic collaboration
4. Seamless journeys for recipients and donors
References and Resources
Episode 102 - Bursary programmes: a whole school effort
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
More and more independent schools are committing to bursary programmes but to run one well requires a team effort with input from many departments across the school.
I often see one team - development - being drawn into doing too much of this, at the expense of fundraising.
In this episode, I cover the three key elements of a bursary programme, who should be doing what in the school, splitting remits and securing resources. All essential for a mature, impactful bursary programme.
References and Resources
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
"Resilience, adaptability, inquisitiveness, imagination and an ability to think for one’s self are all qualities that will not only be front of mind for tomorrow’s employers but will also be fundamental for personal happiness and wellbeing."
In this episode I'm joined by the brilliant Richard Jones, Head of Bryanston School, who shares his thoughts on the above and insights into how education is evolving to include less traditional areas of focus, all with the aim of preparing students for their journey in the real world.
References and Resources
Bryanston School
Bryanston Education Summit 2022
Times Education Commission Report
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
What does saying 'no' have to do with strategy?
Schools are busy places and people are full of good ideas, but you can't do everything. If you do, the best outcome to hope for is you'll do everything just ok and the worst outcome is burnout and frequent mistakes.
So mastering the art of saying 'no' is critical in order to have the capacity to say 'yes' to the right things.
In this episode I share three steps which will help you say 'no' with confidence.
References and Resources
Episode 71: Your strategy blueprint
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Inclusivity and changing lives with education is something I am passionate about and so I'm excited to share this interview with the brilliant Laura Firth, Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Bolton School.
Laura shares with us her belief in the importance of stewardship - the way schools look after their donors. She explains how she's put stewardship at the centre of Bolton's fundraising strategy, with great effect.
References and Resources
Episode 083: Strategic school leadership with Philip Britton MBE, Head of Foundation, Bolton School
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Strategy can not be done alone, so it will inevitably include meetings.
However, meetings often require a lot of time and sometimes unnecessarily so.
In this episode, I explore one of my frequently asked questions - how can our meetings be more strategic?
I share with you three things that you can do to make your meetings more efficient and effective, allowing you to use the rest of your time to deliver and enjoy the strategy you've developed.
References and Resources
Episode 015: Supercharge your strategic thinking
Episode 041: Governors and strategy
Episode 067: Divergent thinking
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I'm joined by Margaret Giblin, Head of Marymount International School London.
Margaret has over 23 years of experience in education both in the UK and Ireland. Prior to her commencement at Marymount in 2021, she was the Deputy Head People at Woldingham Catholic School for Girls, where she has been working since 2012 in various roles.
Margaret champions all-girls education, the value of the IB curriculum and the benefits boarding offers in terms of supporting the international environment she leads.
For a strategy to be effective in your school, you have to include others in the creation of it. In this episode, we explore how to get people involved in strategy - utilising the wealth of experience Margaret has with doing so.
References and Resources
Marymount International School, London
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I'm joined by the insightful Julie Robinson, CEO of the Independent Schools Council (ISC).
Julie and I have a conversation to share with you regarding trends in the independent school sector and how these interact with government priorities, policy-making and the media.
Julie's role as CEO regularly involves navigating relationships with these external groups, bringing a fresh perspective to our podcast conversations.
References and ResourcesIndependent Schools Council
Schools Together
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
I often talk with school leaders who are concerned that the strategy they have is not as effective as it needs to be.
To know whether your strategy is fit for purpose, you have to start at the beginning and create a shared understanding of what a strategy is and how it's going to help.
In this episode, I reflect on what defines a strategy and how to build a good one.
If you're asking yourself 'Do I have a strategy?!' consider each area that I share with you in the episode and you'll be able to answer that question.
If people around you are still asking for a strategy when you have one, it is highly likely to be a communications or involvement issue, which I cover in this episode too.
References and Resources
Episode 71: Your strategy blueprint
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I'm joined by the brilliant Paul Dwyer, Head of Redmaids' High School.
Paul has worked in all-girls education for much of his career and is currently Head at Redmaids' High School, the oldest girls' school in the UK. He is a passionate advocate for the use of research to inform best practice in schools, having been a Founding Trustee and President of the Council for the Chartered College of Teaching. He is currently a Foundation Director for the Cardinal Newman Catholic Education Trust in Bristol.
We explore the post-covid trends that are present in the independent school sector and Paul shares his insight and experiences.
References and Resources
Redmaid's High School
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
I recently attended the IDPE annual conference, both in-person in Nottingham UK and virtually, where there were many brilliant sessions covering the latest topics development professionals are talking about in the independent school sector.
Here are the four key takeaways for me - three are trends that I was already aware of, but one was a big surprise!
Listen to find out more...
References and Resources
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Whether you're creating a new strategy or developing an existing one, it can be difficult to decide exactly what timeframe you should be thinking about. Set your strategy too far into the future and it may become irrelevant as your environment changes over the years, but set it too short and it's not really a strategy.
In this episode, I explore the recommended timeframe for your strategy and what to cover in that time.
References and Resources
For support with the Ukraine crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
What is a culture of care?
In this episode, I'm joined by the brilliant Margaret White of Sandpiper Consulting - a consultancy that helps schools to develop a strong culture of care for their staff so both they and the young people they educate can flourish.
Margaret shares her experience of working in the independent school sector and how she empowers leaders to embed various systems to look after their teams, which in turn supports student wellbeing, ensuring everyone can flourish.
References and Resources
Sandpiper Consulting: www.sandpiperconsulting.org
Episode 026: Leading change with Professor Julie Hodges, Durham University Business School
For support with the Ukraine crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Many Directors of Development ask me this: Can we fundraise without a clear school strategy?
Without a clear, shared school strategy:
- often fundraising projects keep changing
- this means the fundraising messaging keeps changing
- and we can get drawn off into non-fundraising tasks
It can be hard to lead fundraising in these circumstances.
In this episode I unpack:
- why it's important for fundraisers to have a clear school strategy
- the essential elements you need in a school strategy
- three options for how to move forward
References and Resources
For support with the Ukraine crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
As highlighted in my round-up of the 2022 Bursaries and Partnerships Conference, hosted by HMC, AGBIS and IDPE, I'm so pleased to see that school partnerships are stepping into the spotlight in the educational sector.
In this episode, I'm joined by the fantastic Graeme Lawrie MBE, Partnerships Director at ACS International Schools, who has a wealth of experience in this area. We discuss how to make an impact with state school partnerships and the practicalities he's faced in his role in doing so.
References and Resources
ACS International Schools
For support with the Ukraine crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
This is a question I'm frequently asked, so I have dedicated an episode to delve into the answers...
The common concern I hear is that schools are massively busy and having a comprehensive strategic plan will give staff even more to do.
In this episode, I demonstrate how it can actually be the opposite - developing a strategic plan which flows down into everyday activities is the best way to prioritise projects and ensure people have time to do the important things well.
Strategy is how you're going to approach your day to day work to make it more effective, overcome the challenges you face and reach your long-term goals.
References and Resources
For support with the Ukraine crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I'm joined by the inspirational Ali Henderson, CEO, Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation.
We explore the current impact and future plans of the RNCSF and dive into the valuable experience that Ali has gained through her career, with her vision and mission to broaden access to education.
References and ResourcesRoyal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation
Impact data from the RNCSF
For support with the Ukraine crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I'm joined by the brilliant Kate Jillings, Co-Founder of community management software ToucanTech, which was created for school development teams.
We explore future-proofing your school community (whether this be alumni, parents, donors or former staff) and the increasing importance of creating a permanent online ‘home’ in a post-Covid era.
References and ResourcesToucan TechFor support with the Ukraine Crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Are you shooting for the stars or only focusing on goals that you can confidently say you've achieved after a 5-year strategic plan?
'Vision' is often seen as a buzzword that can be interpreted in many ways... some people are inspired by big aims whilst others can feel overwhelmed by sky-high thinking.
In this episode, I take a look at two ways in which you can create the mindset needed to create an effective vision, mission and purpose for your school that will inspire and drive you forward, whilst ensuring everyone feels included.
References and ResourcesEpisode 063: Mastering Key Performance Indicators
'The Infinite Game' by Simon SinekFor support with the Ukraine Crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
We're all watching Putin's invasion of Ukraine with horror and compassion for those directly impacted.
In my role as a school strategist, I support leaders to both secure their school’s future and help build a more equal and just world. Because of these values, I will be sharing a mini-series of special podcast episodes to help you navigate the wider impact this crisis will have on your school and provide relevant resources to support you as you lead your school community to help those affected.
In this episode, I explore the elements of fundraising affected by a crisis and what can schools do now to ensure that they are able to rise to the challenges ahead.
References and resources
IDPE Due diligence article
Download this free resource to help you navigate the impact of the Ukraine crisis: Preparing for the economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Take a listen to the rest of the episodes in this mini-series here.
In this episode of The Independent School Podcast, I'm joined by Philip Britton MBE, Head of Foundation, Bolton School.
We discuss the importance of adopting a strategic approach to school leadership, which starts with connecting all of your school’s activities to its vision – an articulation of the positive difference the school seeks to make for the world.
We also talk about what strategic leadership means for school fundraising. Philip has extensive experience of this through both his work at Bolton School and with IDPE, and he shares some superb tips for heads and school leaders unfamiliar with fundraising.
References and resources
IDPE
Bolton School
For support with the Ukraine crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Strategy is all about deciding what to do and what not to do.
I often come across schools who pride themselves in doing things really well BUT they haven't been asking themselves about WHAT to do in the absence of an embedded strategy, which sometimes means they're doing the wrong things, albeit really well.
In this episode, I explore why that's a problem and how to fix it.
References and ResourcesEpisode 71: Your strategy blueprintFor support with the Ukraine Crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
We're seeing a welcome rise in partnerships between independent and state schools, and there are a wealth of opportunities for schools to continue to explore.
In this episode, I'm joined by John Smith, Director of Partnerships at Royal Grammar School Newcastle and we discuss the work they've been doing with partnerships, his vision for the future and the benefits of independent schools getting involved in partnership work within communities.
References and Resources
Royal Grammar School Newcastle: www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk
ISC news story about Royal Grammar School Newcastle's Partnerships Teachers project
For support with the Ukraine crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
We're all watching Putin's invasion of Ukraine with horror and compassion for those directly impacted.
In my role as a school strategist, I support leaders to both secure their school’s future and help build a more equal and just world. Because of these values, I will be sharing a mini-series of special podcast episodes to help you navigate the wider impact this crisis will have on your school and provide relevant resources to support you as you lead your school community to help those affected.
A key role of governors of a school is to identify, assess and mitigate against risks.
Given the invasion of Ukraine, this is a key moment to be reassessing the risks your school faces. In this episode, I explore this further.
References and resourcesMcKinsey podcast: Inside the Strategy Room episode 113Download this free resource to help you navigate the impact of the Ukraine crisis: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Take a listen to the rest of the episodes in this mini-series here.
In this episode I'm joined by the brilliant Guy Ayling - Head Master of Mount Kelly in Tavistock.
We take an in-depth look at how Mount Kelly has responded to the crisis in Ukraine so far, in the hope of generating conversations around the role independent schools can play in supporting their community both locally and internationally.
We explore how leaders can inspire their network to respond with compassion, ensuring people always come first when dealing with a range of hurdles and change.
References and resources
Download this free resource to help you navigate the impact of the Ukraine crisis: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Mount Kelly website: www.mountkelly.com
We're all watching Putin's invasion of Ukraine with horror and compassion for those directly impacted.
In my role as a school strategist, I support leaders to both secure their school’s future and help build a more equal and just world. Because of these values, I will be sharing a mini-series of special podcast episodes to help you navigate the wider impact this crisis will have on your school and provide relevant resources to support you as you lead your school community to help those affected.
In this episode, I take a look at the effect of the Ukraine crisis on inflation and the supply chain, and how you can involve your school community in cost control.
References and resourcesDownload this free resource to help you navigate the impact of the Ukraine crisis: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Take a listen to the rest of the episodes in this mini-series here.
We've all thought: I wish I'd known that about myself earlier! Maybe it's something to do with our values, the way we work best or the types of people we like to spend time with.
Do you think we can help the young people in our schools arrive at a place of
self-knowledge faster, or do you think we all have to go on that journey ourselves?
Join me for this brilliant interview with Emily McGuirk, founder of Small Steps, Big Vision - an organisation that champions personal development for young people - as we discuss resilience, impact and discoveries.
References and Resourceswww.smallstepsbigvision.com
emily@smallstepsbigvision.com
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
For support with the Ukraine Crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
We're all watching Putin's invasion of Ukraine with horror and compassion for those directly impacted.
In my role as a school strategist, I support leaders to both secure their school’s future and help build a more equal and just world. Because of these values, I will be sharing a mini-series of special podcast episodes to help you navigate the wider impact this crisis will have on your school and provide relevant resources to support you as you lead your school community to help those affected.
In this episode, I take a look at the effect the crisis can have on the student marketplace and three key areas that need to be considered with pupil recruitment.
References and resources
Download this free resource to help you navigate the impact of the Ukraine crisis: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Radio 4 and BBC Sounds:
The Bottom Line with Evan Davis
Business Matters
Business Daily
The Economist:
The Economist Podcasts
Join me in this episode for a round-up of the Bursaries and Partnerships Conference on 8th March 2022, hosted by HMC, AGBIS and IDPE.
I walk you through some of the themes that emerged from the conference and leave you with my main takeaway: We all have to start this journey somewhere. Don't give up - keep learning, keep sharing and together we'll make an impact.
References and Resources019 Craft your bursary strategy
020 Bursaries and strategy in practice with Bart Wielenga, Head, Blundell's School
060 Social mobility with David Goodhew, Head, Latymer Upper School
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
For support with the Ukraine Crisis and the wider impact it can have on your school, take a look at my new resource: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
We're all watching Putin's invasion of Ukraine with horror and compassion for those directly impacted.
In my role as a school strategist, I support leaders to both secure their school’s future and help build a more equal and just world. Because of these values, I will be sharing a mini-series of special podcast episodes to help you navigate the wider impact this crisis will have on your school and provide relevant resources to support you as you lead your school community to help those affected.
In this episode I'm joined by Emma Insley, an international consultant and trainer who helps charities and social enterprises to achieve a sustained impact. We discuss how your school can help the people of Ukraine.
References and resources
Download this free resource to help you navigate the impact of the Ukraine crisis: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Emma's article:Giving Responsibly - Insley Consulting
Explore other episodes related to the Ukraine crisis
We're all watching Putin's invasion of Ukraine with horror and compassion for those directly impacted.
In my role as a school strategist, I support leaders to both secure their school’s future and help build a more equal and just world. Because of these values, I will be sharing a mini-series of special podcast episodes to help you navigate the wider impact this crisis will have on your school and provide relevant resources to support you as you lead your school community to help those affected.
In this episode, drawing on my experience and economics degree, I quickly run through the main economic issues we are facing as we experience the largest-ever use of sanctions and enter into unknown economic territory.
References and resources
Download this free resource to help you navigate the impact of the Ukraine crisis: Preparing for economic downturn: A checklist for private schools
Radio 4 and BBC Sounds:
The Bottom Line with Evan Davis
Business Matters
Business Daily
The Economist:
The Economist Podcasts
As we had the Bursaries and Partnerships Conference run by HMC, AGBIS and IDPE in London earlier this week, I thought it would be apt to re-share one of my most popular episodes around the topic.
In this episode, I talk to Emily Clarke, Director of Development at Highgate School, about fundraising for community partnerships.
Expanding on previous episodes about the building blocks of bursary strategy and my exploration of the real situation schools face getting bursaries established in my conversation with Bart Wielenga, the Head of Blundell's School, I move on to considering community partnerships.
This is an area that is potentially rich for fundraising opportunities, and the work Emily Clarke has been doing is an excellent illustration of this.
I also ask Emily about the fundraising journey Highgate has been on during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they have adjusted their fundraising to serve the increased need for support in their local community.
References and resources
Highgate School
Chrysalis and Chrysalis East
London Academy of Excellence Tottenham
Episode 019: Craft your bursary strategy
Episode 020: Bursaries and strategy in practice with Bart Wielenga, Head, Blundell's School
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
No one can tell you what your strategy should be, but there are critical components all strategies must have to be robust.
In this episode, I walk you through the four critical components that make a good strategy.
I also signpost you to lots of other episodes if you want to explore each area further.
References and Resources029: What's your vision?
055: Vision: Why it matters which mountain you climb
031: What's working in your favour?
033: What's holding you back?
048: Scanning your environment
052: Mastering the SWOT analysis
063: Mastering Key Performance Indicators
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I discuss USPs (Unique Selling Points) which are features of your school that makes it stand out from the crowd. In such a competitive marketplace, identifying your school's USP is highly beneficial.
I start by detailing the key components of a good USP and the pain points that many schools encounter when trying to define theirs.
I then discuss the value of USPs and why they are worth pursuing and defining.
Finally, I conclude by sharing how you can find your school's USP and how you can utilise your school community to identify the emotion-driven aspects of your school that really make you stand out.
References and Resources
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I strip away the jargon surrounding strategy and discuss what it actually is at its core. I share five statements that I believe summarise a good strategy and share key questions that all effective strategies will answer.
Discussions around strategy can often be confusing or overwhelming, the questions below should help you cut through the jargon and make your discussions more strategic.
There are five essential elements that I believe should be considered when developing a successful strategy.
1. It should take a long-term view, beyond the day to day tasks.
2. It should make tough choices about allocating scarce resources.
3. The main challenges you face need to be addressed.
4. It needs to be thoroughly developed and have a clear outcome.
5. It should be implemented in everyday school life.
These five essential elements and the key questions below should help to demystify and bring focus to your strategic plan. You can use these prompts to guide conversations surrounding strategy to ensure that all of the questions are able to be answered.
References and Resources
Key questions
- How do these decisions position us for the longer term?
- Is this the right place for us to focus our scarce time and money, and also are there better alternatives that we could be using this time and money for?
- What is the problem we are trying to solve? What is the problem where this idea is the right solution?
- Have we spent an appropriate amount of time considering the evidence on this issue? How can we communicate this decision or strategy clearly to people?
- How can we encourage people to take the right decisions themselves?
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I discuss how you can interrogate your school's strategy to ensure it is disputable. Most people may think that a strategy should be accepted by all and so aim to please everyone with it. However, I often see ones that try to do too much and end up not making the tough decisions.
One way you can ensure your strategy is addressing the tough issues, is to ask if anyone would disagree with it? I discuss the idea of having a disputable strategy and how this can stop you from avoiding those tough decisions.
This means that it should be open to question and debate.
You want your strategy to have some people disagreeing. You want it to be disputable as evidence of the difficult decisions that you have taken during that strategy development.
References and Resources
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I dive into divergent thinking.
Divergent thinking is a stage in the strategic thinking process where you are intentionally creating lots of ideas without judgement. Many schools want to harness innovation and encourage creativity and this is a great tool to utilise for this.
I start by discussing how you can create an environment for divergent thinking to thrive and have narrowed it down into three areas:
1. Ensure there is diversity within your discussions
2. Separate divergent and convergent thinking
3. Make people feel safe to contribute
Once you have created the right environment for divergent thinking, you need to know how to generate the right conversations. I explore the three questions you can ask yourself to help guide divergent thinking.
If you are trying to increase the amount of innovation or just encourage change within your school, having a focus on this divergent thinking stage can really be helpful to supercharge your strategic thinking around certain issues.
References and Resources
Episode 15: Supercharge your strategic thinking (strategy toolkit 4)
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I am joined by Susie Baker, Director of Waynflete Office, Magdalen College School, Oxford. We discuss a whole range of fundraising issues around bursaries and particularly focus on the shift from fundraising for immediate bursaries to endowment fundraising.
Susie has raised £3 million to build a sixth form centre and is now working towards an impressive goal of £15 million, specifically for endowment to secure the future provision of bursaries.
We discuss how to build effective partnerships with donors to make them feel that they are truly playing a role in the school's success.
The key to this is being transparent in letting them know where their donation is going and the difference it is making within the school community.
We also talk about the power of storytelling in a fundraising campaign and how it can compel people to get behind your cause and become donors. This emotional narrative can be used to tell stories from different parts of your community and how the fundraising is impacting them.
References and Resources
For more on giving circles check out: Episode 44: Building up regular giving with Fran Malarée, Fellow and Development Director, Churchill College
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode I discuss the implications of not having a strategy.
Having a strategy will tell you where to place your focus, what you're going to do and what you're not going to do.
A strategic void often occurs when either there is a lack of strategy altogether or when there is a strategy but lacks focus and direction.
More and more schools now realise that strategic plans are essential for their schools to succeed and progress. They need to be written and created in a way that involves lots of people to ensure that it is put into action.
I then explore the three most common things that happen in a strategy void.
- Good people get frustrated with the lack of direction and vision
- Good people create their own direction, often through guess-work
- Everyone else sticks to the status quo, repeating what's happened before without questioning it
This can be really harmful to your school, not least because you risk losing good people due to frustration.
References and Resources
Episode 55: Why it matters which mountain you climb
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode I discuss how you can create a case for support, which is the narrative surrounding your fundraising project. It tells people what you are hoping to achieve with your fundraising and why they should care.
Your case for support is an internal working document where you put all of the relevant information about your fundraising project - anything from testimonials, to raw facts and figures and any targets/ timescales you want to achieve.
I share three ways to create an impactful case for support for any fundraising project:
-
Why is this project strategically important for your school? Brainstorm all connections to your strategic plan
-
What do people care about? Think of the stakeholders: What's important to them? What questions will they ask?
-
Balance rational data and the emotional narrative
Your case for support should detail the importance of your fundraising goals for your school's strategy and to the stakeholders involved. Storytelling can be really effective in getting this message across, particularly if it has an emotional pull to grab attention.
Take a listen for inspiration!
References and Resources
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I discuss KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that are used to measure the success of various activities which are undertaken across schools. But they're also often detached from the strategy or measuring things for the sake of it, rather than being aligned with strategy.
Firstly, I explore why KPIs matter and why they can be beneficial for schools. KPIs influence behaviour and allow you to measure progress on projects. They are a great way to guide where focus should be placed and see how effective the strategy as it's being implemented.
It is important that your KPIs are aligned with your strategy, otherwise, they will not be indicating success in the right way. I share the three areas you need to think about when constructing KPIs.
- They need to measure outcomes that you actually care about
- They should measure outcomes across the stakeholder groups that you work with
- They need to cover all parts of the strategy from the big goals to the smaller ground-level aspects
When you are thinking about KPIs, you are looking for simplicity, focus on the things that are actually really important this year for your school and to make sure that what gets measured, gets done.
References and Resources
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I discuss how you can develop an effective strategy that is easy to implement, to set yourself up for success in 2022.
Each year I create a strategy for myself and I want to share the four steps that I use to help you craft a strategy for yourself/ your work and how you balance the two.
The first step is to visualise where you want to be at the end of 2022. It's good to get a balance, you don't want to be overly ambitious and want to change everything all at once but also don't be afraid to dream big.
The second step is to evaluate your accelerators and sticking points. Start by looking at what already exists that will help drive you forward to achieve your goals. Then think about what is holding you back and preventing you from making changes.
The third step is to really focus on your accelerators, think about how you can use them to overcome your sticking points. Aim for an achievable list of 3-5 general goals.
The fourth and final step is your action plan, break your goals down into achievable steps and allocate them to each month/quarter to stop you from feeling overwhelmed. Make sure these link back to your 3-5 main goals.
These steps are part of my Four Building Blocks of Strategy which I use in my work with clients and on whole-school strategies.
References and ResourcesCatch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I reflect on 2021 and share my gratitude for those who listen to this podcast, my fantastic guests and the many wonderful clients that I have had the pleasure of working with.
I also discuss the role that gratitude has in both leadership and fundraising - it is a critically important element of both.
Within leadership, a good leader will be authentic and involved with the community they are leading. Part of this is showing gratitude to those who have played a role in your success. This can be beneficial as it fosters teamwork and co-operation but above all, it shows you care.
Within fundraising, it is always good practice to thank those who have donated. Thanking them authentically and publically makes your donors feel seen and as a valued part of your community.
It all comes down to being mindful about the way we interact with those around us and taking the time to appreciate the people and things you are grateful for.
References and Resources'Research Reveals 3 Reasons Why Gratitude Is An Important Leadership Quality', Forbes
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode I am joined by David Goodhew, Head of Latymer Upper School, to talk about what they have been doing to advance social mobility.
David is committed to advancing social mobility and has been doing so through his school's impressive bursary programme.
David talks about the Inspiring Minds campaign, launched in 2017, which aims to raise £40 million by 2024. The campaign will offer means-tested bursaries to 1 in 4 pupils, and they are almost at their target with three years still to go. Their mission is to open up access to the school as much as possible, to pupils from all socio-economic backgrounds.
We then talk about education, not just in the sense of formal learning but the social side of it. A school enables young people to interact with their peers and learn life lessons in the company of others. David and I discuss how hugely beneficial it is to do this within a diverse group of peers.
Latymer Upper School is a great example of a school that has developed its bursary programme as part of a real partnership with the local community. They not only offer bursary places at the school but are also proactively partnering with other schools and community groups to offer catch-up tutoring and activity days for local children.
A real sense of partnership and authenticity emerge from my conversation with David Goodhew, along with inspiration for any school just starting out on their bursary and partnerships journey.
References and ResourcesLatymer Upper School 'Inspiring Minds' video
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I discuss turning strategy into action. Taking action is the essential ingredient of any good strategy. The best strategy in the world will make no difference if no action or inconsistent action is taken.
I start by talking about the three things that often go wrong in strategy implementation.
The first thing that often goes wrong is that strategy conversations are focused around the wrong thing. I talk about the importance of ensuring that the focus is on the things that actually matter to the school community.
The second thing I discuss is the lack of agreement on which action to take or lack of agreement to take any action at all. This can result in strategy discussions going round in circles without resulting in any agreement.
The third thing that often goes wrong is that strategy conversations end too soon, never resulting in any action. One thing that you can do to combat this is to end a strategy conversation with agreed next steps with allocated people, resources and timeframes.
It is so important to follow strategy all the way through with action points to ensure that it is properly implemented so that it can have the greatest impact.
References and Resources
Find out more about the Lucidity Accelerator Programme
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I discuss how many of us wait to make strategic moves as we believe that they are conditional on other tasks being completed first. This conditional thinking often constrains actions and prevents us from moving forward, completely unnecessarily.
I talk about examples I have come across where individuals and schools as a whole are waiting to take action because they don’t believe they are in the ideal position.
One example I discuss is a school saying that they will think about innovation once they have more financial resources. But what happens if they never believe they have enough financial resources... they will never innovate and perhaps innovation is a key step to creating more financial resources.
These pre-conditions can prevent us from ever taking action. In this episode, I share how you can spot these false conditions, act strategically and avoid procrastination.
To not wait to take strategic action you should-
- Spot its happening
- Question whether the second thing actually needs to wait
- Ask yourself ‘is there something else holding me back?’
Unless it is absolutely necessary, don’t wait to take action. Step outside of your comfort zone and make changes that will benefit you.
References and Resources
Episode 57: Pushing beyond your comfort zone
Find out more about the Lucidity Accelerator Programme
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I discuss the idea of stepping out of your comfort zone and how you can push beyond the things that you already do well. Stepping out of your comfort zone is not exclusive to individuals, it can also play out at the organisational level when implementing strategic changes.
I start by using examples of times when I have come across individuals and even whole schools who are stuck in their comfort zone. Innovation and change can be scary but they are so important to driving growth within the school environment.
I then share three actions that I believe will help you to step outside your comfort zone.
- Notice it's happening
- Get curious and figure out what is holding you back
- Take small, regular actions, gather feedback and reflect
It is normal to be fearful about changes you could be making that are beyond your comfort zone. In this episode, I hope to unpack the importance of stepping beyond what you already do well and challenge yourself to embrace innovation and change.
References and ResourcesFind out more about theLucidity Accelerator Programme
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I am joined by Elizabeth Clarke of EJC Educational Consultancy, who has an impressive twenty years of experience in leading, managing, creating and implementing business strategies for schools in the independent sector, both in the UK and globally.
Firstly, we talk about governance - a really important issue for independent schools to master. Having the right governors, with a diverse range of experience, is a great start but we discuss how it is possible to fully involve governors in strategic direction, whilst not involving them too much in operational issues.
We then discuss international business development and how schools can franchise and create global partnership networks with other independent schools.
Both of these are essential points for schools to consider as they intertwine. For a school to break into the international market, governors need to have a strong mission-driven strategy for this to be a success.
References and Resources
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I use an analogy to explore the importance of cohesion and consistency when developing a strategy for your school.
Many of the strategies you are presented with will have merit and potential but as the school leader, you must ensure that whatever strategy you choose to pursue has a clear vision, set of values and direction.
I also discuss how a confused and inconsistent approach to strategy can leave prospective parents feeling unsure of what your school's values and priorities are, meaning they are less likely to choose your school.
The key message I share is the importance of togetherness, engaging your whole school community to decide which strategy to employ and how you want to implement it.
This episode uses a storytelling technique to help cut through the jargon and help you visualise the purpose of a strategy.
References and Resources
Find out more about theLucidity Accelerator Programme
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I talk about the importance of incorporating intuition into your decision-making. I explore the idea of bringing your gut instincts and emotional intuition to the table as well as your rational, conscious thinking when forming a strategic approach.
Firstly, I discuss the value of building intuition into strategy: you know your school community and environment better than most, and it's this knowledge that will help guide your decision-making.
Secondly, I talk about intuition as a 'gut' or emotive feeling, and how it is rooted in our experiences and knowledge that we have amassed over time. It is often this subconscious knowledge that is most effective within complex or time-sensitive scenarios.
I then explore the disadvantages of solely relying on intuition, as you risk missing the opportunity to use data and patterns that perhaps your intuition hasn't acknowledged. Additionally, some of your assumptions may be biased or out-of-date.
Finally, I discuss some fascinating academic research on intuition and how it can be added into the decision mix. I explore ideas from Ap Dijksterhuis, who suggests that we can use unconscious thinking to develop our intuition.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but if you can, create the space for intuitiveness to emerge within your decision-making culture.
Episode highlights
- What do we mean by intuition? (05:15)
- Disadvantages of relying on intuition (08:29)
- Academic research (09:33)
References and Resources
Lucidity Accelerator Programme
'The beautiful powers of unconscious thought' By Ap Dijksterhuis
'M&As get another assist: when CEOs add intuition to the decision mix' by Hannu Kuusela, Siiri Koivumäki, and Mika Yrjölä, Journal of Business Strategy (2019)
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode, I focus on how you can be more strategic in your career and share the programme I use to help people with this. So many individuals are focused on implementing strategy in their workplace, that they neglect to be strategic in their career.
Firstly, I discuss the difficulty of balancing career goals alongside day-to-day work, and how you can use the same process for developing strategy at schools as you can in your career.
I then share my Four Building Blocks of Strategy framework that you can use to be more strategic in your career. These include:
- Clarify your career vision- understanding what you want from your career and what makes you happy
- Accelerators and sticking points- determining what could propel you forward and what is holding you back
- General approach- figuring out a general way you can overcome your sticking points
- Action plan- form an action plan, focusing on one area to work on
This approach forms the roadmap I guide people through in the Lucidity Accelerator Programme I facilitate. It's all about focusing on where you are investing your time, money and energy so that you can be more strategic about your career.
References and ResourcesEpisode 013: Strategy: Four essential building blocks (Strategy Toolkit 2)
Find out more about theLucidity Accelerator Programme
Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode I discuss the SWOT analysis, which I believe is one of the most valuable tools in your strategy toolbox. Done well, a SWOT analysis is a great way to structure your strategic thinking and inform decision-making.
Firstly, I explain what a SWOT analysis is and how to complete one. Your strengths and weaknesses are internal to your school and should cover things that happen inside your school community. The opportunities and threats emerge from trends beyond the school gates that you can't directly influence.
I then share my top five tips for mastering the SWOT analysis:
- Get specific
- Prioritise
- Test assumptions
- Think about interactions
- Consider what you can control
A SWOT analysis is useful for any project or challenge that you want to structure your thinking around.
Episode highlights
- What is a SWOT analysis (02:26)
- SWOT checklist (07:25)
- My five top tips (08:37)
References and ResourcesEpisode 048: Scanning your environmentCatch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
In this episode I am joined by Jaideep Barot, Headmaster at Bristol Grammar School. We discuss a whole spectrum of ideas, from strategy development processes to the importance of focus and having succinct aims. We also talk about leadership and how the role of leadership has shifted recently.
We discuss how Jaideep sought to include staff, pupils and parents when refreshing Bristol Grammar School's strategy. Jaideep describes the importance of taking the time to consult everyone involved with the school, from governors and alumni to catering staff and parents in order to form a well-rounded strategy.
We then talk about the importance of bursaries and the part that they play in social mobility. We also discuss the role that independent schools can play in fighting for social justice, through their bursary and accessibility programmes.
We finish with Jaideep reflecting on his leadership style and how it has changed due to Covid. He talks about adapting his leadership style to a quicker and more pragmatic, problem-solving approach and how this has impacted the school community.
Jaideep offers valuable insight into how he has developed a strategy for his school, centred on the views of those within the school community, something worth considering when developing your own strategy.
Episode highlights
- Developing a strategy (13:10)
- Plans for bursaries (22:28)
- Leadership style (33:25)
References and resources
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I take you behind the curtain to reflect on the lessons I have learnt from three years in business and 50 podcast episodes. Over the three years, I have had the pleasure of working with 20 schools on strategy and have worked with numerous fundraisers on implementing strategy into their day-to-day work.
I thought I would take this opportunity to share the top five lessons I have learnt from building my business, which I now use to help my clients.
Here's a sneak peek of the lessons I discuss in this episode:
1. Share your passion
2. It's also a numbers game
3. You can't do it alone
4. Use technology
5. A daily practice of focussing on priorities
I also dive into how you as school leaders can learn from these lessons too, and apply them to many aspects of your strategy.
Take a listen to the landmark 50th episode for these reflections and more...
Episode Highlights
- Lesson 1: Share your passion (02:40)
- Lesson 2: It's a numbers game (05:33)
- Lesson 3: You can't do it alone (08:17)
- Lesson 4: Using technology (11:25)
- Lesson 5: Focus on priorities (13:25)
References and ResourcesEpisode 28: Efficiency tools and Series 2 wrap-up
Episode 47: Carving out time for what's important
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I talk with Stefan Horsman, Head of Albyn School, about the power of education and how to uncover your school's mission. Through our conversation, we unpack Stefan's background in education, how education can drive change in society and the importance of a strong mission and values in your school's strategy.
Firstly, we discuss Stefan's background and his route to becoming Head of Albyn School. This includes his university education, teaching in Malawi and his previous senior leadership positions.
We also talk about the power of education and how it can spark big change in society. Stefan shares his views and insights from his vast experience.
We then explore values and mission and how it is essential to consider the history and current ethos of your school. We discuss the importance of having a mission that is aligned with social justice and trends in society if you are looking to fundraise or make changes to your bursary programme.
Stefan's views on creating a narrative around your mission statement by using storytelling techniques are fascinating and definitely worth considering in your own approach.
Episode highlights
- Power of education (06:07)
- Bursary programmes (32:27)
- Storytelling (35:43)
- Independent school myths (44:25)
References and resourcesDownload your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode we will be talking about the importance of looking beyond the school gates when considering the strategic changes you may need to make. This means being aware of what is happening in the world which you need to be prepared for, often referred to as scanning your environment.
Forming robust strategies and making decisions with the future in mind will help you to position your school successfully over the coming years. PESTEL analysis is a powerful tool for generating insights about the external factors which may impact your school and influence your strategy.
We will start by looking at the local Political environment; this can influence anything from taxation to charitable status. Then we think about the national and international Economy; this may affect fee affordability and demand, as well as investment and loan decisions.
The 'S' in PESTEL refers to Societal trends such as an increased focus on well-being and equality. Technological has and will change the way we both deliver education and communicate with our communities.
Environmental issues such as climate change mean we need to be thinking about how our business models may be challenged by environmental changes such as energy prices. Finally, the 'L' stands for Legal; most schools are very aware of their legal obligations but it is always wise to think ahead about potential future changes.
We will also discuss some big current trends, such as Covid and globalisation, which you want to be thinking through so that you can scan your environment successfully.
Episode highlights
- PESTEL analysis (03:26)
- Covid and other big trends affecting schools (12:29)
- My four top tips (16:36)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I discuss techniques you can use to make time for the activities that are critically important. As a leader, you need to be spending a good proportion of your time on the strategically important activities on your to-do list. With this in mind, this week I present one deceptively simple time management tip and I then suggest ways to help you turn it into a habit and to stick to it.
Firstly, I talk about my time management tip: diary blocking. This is the process of blocking sections of an hour to ninety minutes in your diary and assigning the critically important activities to those sections. This seems obvious, but it's surprisingly hard to stick to!
Secondly, I suggest strategies that will help you stick to diary blocking as a way of carving out time for strategically important activities. These include tips on setting the system up, such as finding a time of day most suited for you to focus on one task, making it the same time each week and blocking out time to align with the rest of your team.
Finally, I look at the importance of making diary blocking a habit and to have the discipline of sticking to the dates and times you have blocked out.
Episode highlights
- The importance of time (01:09)
- Diary blocking (04:19)
- Sticking to the system (05:01)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I talk with Karen Yankovich, host of the 'Good Girls Get Rich' podcast and an expert in relationship marketing focusing on the use of LinkedIn. Through our conversation, we primarily discuss the use of LinkedIn by school fundraisers who are seeking to develop personal relationships with potential major donors. However, all of Karen's tips are equally helpful for others across a range of school activities.
Firstly, we discuss how you can create a magnetic profile to build credibility and trust. Karen identifies the importance of the role of the personal profile in elevating the school's profile and outlines her top tips for avoiding common mistakes.
Secondly, we talk about techniques for searching LinkedIn for alumni and how LinkedIn Sales Navigator can give you more search functionality allowing you to access more information about profiles on the platform. We look at how, once you have found the individuals, you can make that connection with them and how engagement on LinkedIn can be built into a routine.
We look at how the use of LinkedIn can be beneficial in the build up to alumni events, how connecting with attendees in advance can build a relationship and create a bond between you and alumni before the event takes place. Finally, Karen suggests ways of identifying the point where you move from a conversation on LinkedIn to a phone or video call.
Episode highlights
- Introducing Karen Yankovich (04:24)
- Creating a magnetic profile (08:08)
- Searching for alumni (19:03)
- Creating relationships through LinkedIn (21:17)
- Making a routine for using LinkedIn (24:54)
- Using LinkedIn for events (27:48)
- Taking the conversation off LinkedIn (34:17)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Connect with Karen Yankovich and Juliet Corbett on LinkedIn
Listen to Karen Yankovich's 'Good Girls Get Rich' podcast
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I talk about the art of saying 'no'. I explore the idea that saying 'no' is a critical skill that helps you focus on activities that make a difference in driving your school strategy.
I begin by outlining how you prioritise activities that support your strategy and how you form a criteria for assessing what you say 'yes' and what you say 'no' to. To this end, I outline a three-step process in identifying the narrative that can be used to turn down activities that don't help drive the strategy you have in place.
Step one is the process of recommunicating to people what the details of the strategy you have in place is and what the intended focus of the strategy should be. The aim of this step is both to remind people of the strategy, but also to reinforce the importance of it.
Step two is the process of praising the proposed activity or idea that has been presented, but then communicating how the new activity or idea doesn't fit the strategy. This is extremely important - without this explanation people will remain in the dark about your decion-making criteria.
The final step in creating a narrative is to continue to praise the fact that new ideas are being presented, but to clearly and kindly say no this this idea. Then remind people that you are looking for innovation in areas which do fit the strategy.
The objective of following these steps is to allow you to say no to ideas whilst keeping your team on board and encouraging them to continue to form ideas that might fit with the strategy you have in place.
Episode highlights
- Introducing the art of saying 'no' (02:44)
- Prioritising activities (04:20)
- Forming a narrative that allows you to say 'no' (04:45)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
013: Strategy: Four essential building blocks
029: What's your vision? Strategic question #1
031: What's working in your favour? Strategic question #2
033: What's holding you back? Strategic question #3
035: What are your options? Strategic question #4
037: What are your tactics? Strategic question #5
038: How will you communicate your strategy? Strategic question #6
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I talk to Fran Malarée, Fellow and Development Director, Churchill College, and Chair of the Cambridge Development Directors’ Committee, University of Cambridge. With over twenty years’ experience in alumni relations and fundraising in higher education, Fran is the ideal person to talk to about regular giving and giving circles.
We discuss first how the development and alumni offices work within the University of Cambridge, how the colleges work alongside the University and specifically the launch of Churchill College's 'Think Forward' campaign and the challenges the COVID posed to that launch.
We then talk about how Churchill College instigated an annual telephone campaign, direct mail and email campaigns to increase the number of regular donors. We discuss the importance of a telephone conversation to forge a personal connection with a prospective donor and of having a consistent message across all communications channels.
Finally, we look at how Churchill College uses giving circles to incentivise major donations and Fran's thoughts on the role educational fundraising should play in enhancing social justice and social mobility.
Episode highlights
- Introducing Fran Malarée (03:33)
- Overview of how development works within the University of Cambridge (03:50)
- How Churchill College has increased the number of regular donors (08:19)
- The importance of consistent messaging (19:34)
- Using giving circles to incentivise major donations (26:30)
- The role fundraising plays in enhancing social justice and social mobility (39:35)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Think Forward Campaign website: www.thinkforward.chu.cam.ac.uk
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode I focus on strategic fundraising and outline five essential steps to help you make sure your day-to-day work in a fundraising office has a strategic foundation, is guided by an effective plan and is leading towards a positive outcome.
Firstly, you need to identify the transformation you are seeking to make through your fundraising. A successful fundraising strategy will generate agreement between your senior team, your head and your governors about which fundraising projects you're planning to focus on and the transformation you are seeking to achieve.
Secondly, I explore the importance of identifying where your fundraising opportunities are, understanding your own school and communities to focus on the best possibilities for fundraising.
Thirdly, I look at the best ways for you to cultivate your prospects, and the day-to-day activities you can undertake to turn the fundraising opportunities into a reality.
Fourthly, I suggest ways you can identify what might get in the way of delivering your fundraising strategy, and finally I look at strategies to help you overcome these blocks. These final two steps are often overlooked but are essential for success.
Episode Highlights
- Step 1: What transformation are you seeking to make? (03:50)
- Step 2: Where are your fundraising opportunities? (06:43)
- Step 3: How are you going to cultivate these prospects? (09:55)
- Step 4: What might stop you? (12:27)
- Step 5. What are your tactics to overcome the blocks? (14:21)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Resilience is “a set of characteristics, abilities and resources that enable the achievement of positive outcomes despite exposure to significant threat or adversity”, as defined by the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The COVID-19 pandemic has created just such an environment of extreme uncertainty and challenge that highlights why building personal resilience for school leaders and fundraisers is so vital.
In this episode, I speak to Jo Beckett, former CEO of the Institute of Development Professionals in Education (IDPE), the leading membership organisation for schools fundraising here in the UK. Over half an hour, we talk about the critical importance of resilience in the independent schools' sector.
Jo and I discuss practical ways school leaders and fundraisers can build their personal resilience. Through the course of the episode, we make the connection between personal resilience and strategic thinking. In particular we discuss how building resilience is more than just gaining confidence, but can also help to shape and refine performance. We explore the benefits of executive coaching, the importance of emotional intelligence and how to avoid thinking traps. Finally, Jo shares her practical top tips for building resilience through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Episode Highlights
- What is ‘resilience’? (05:27)
- The benefits of executive coaching (09:06)
- Trends in resilience in the independent school sector (11:13)
- The importance of emotional intelligence (18:50)
- Avoiding thinking traps (21:42)
- Strategic thinking and resilience (24:10)
- Resilience tip 1: Self before others (29:46)
- Resilience tip 2: Ask “why not?” (30:56)
- Resilience tip 3: Reflection (31:46)
- Making time to build your resilience (33:14)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
To contact Jo confidentially about executive coaching email her jo@jobeckettdevelopment.com or give her a call on +44 (0)7775 861564
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I explore the relationship between governors and strategy. Specifically, I look at how governors can be guided to find a balance between being strategically focused and being operationally focused. With this in mind, I present my top tips on how to encourage governors to understand their role in strategy and how to constructively challenge decisions by senior school leaders.
Firstly, I suggest ways to encourage governors to focus on the high-level strategic decisions rather than the small-scale operational detail of your school by ensuring your senior leadership team and governors have a shared understanding of what strategy actually is.
Secondly, I outline the four essential building blocks of strategy: your vision for where you are heading as a school, the accelerators and sticking points of your organisation, identifying your plan to overcome the sticking points and, finally, defining your action plan and developing coherent tactics to achieve your vision.
I then explore ways governors can challenge school leaders by asking tough questions, testing plans and making sure that those plans and strategies are robust going forward.
Episode Highlights
- Encouraging governors to focus on the high-level strategic decisions (02:51)
- The four essential building blocks of strategy (04:11)
- Encouraging governors to challenge decisions (09:48)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
013: Strategy: Four essential building blocks
015: Supercharge your strategic thinking
039: Strategy away days: 8 top tips
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I speak to Louise Simpson, the Head of Exeter School. Louise joined Exeter School, a co-educational, independent day school, in 2020 after spending time as Head at St Paul’s School in São Paulo, Brazil. Through our discussion, Louise and I cover a number of topics, including her perspective on moving back to the UK independent school sector following her time abroad.
Firstly, we discuss why Louise got into education and what it was about education that sparked her interest. Louise then reflects on the transition of moving back to the UK following her time in Brazil and what she learned from working abroad and how that international perspective can benefit those working in schools in the UK.
We then talk about the role of character education in the independent schools sector, the importance of developing young people for a world beyond school and giving them skills that will help them to become good citizens.
We discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion, how bursaries and state school partnerships can help independent schools become more accessible, and specifically what approach Exeter School is taking in this area.
Finally, we talk about the importance of collaborative leadership and how the COVID pandemic has changed the way school leaders have operated and reinforced the qualities and benefits of collaboration.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing Louise Simpson (03:46)
- How to be more intentionally international (07:20)
- The role of character education (17:36)
- The importance of diversity inclusion (23:16)
- The importance of collaborative leadership (29:18)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I look at strategy away days, unpacking a series of top tips for you to employ to make your away days more effective, and to help you avoid hitting the many negative stereotypes that exist about the subject.
I begin by discussing why away days can be an important tool in your strategy toolbox and how they can bring people together to focus on decision-making without distraction.
Throughout my top tips, I explore the benefits of using a facilitator for the away day. I look at the importance of setting the agenda with the end goal in mind, and of allowing enough time for broad discussion.
I discuss the importance of inviting school governors and senior leaders to your away day and enabling all participants to be fully involved by circulating draft papers for the day in advance.
I look at how allowing informal time for team building can help foster coherence between the participants, and how breakout discussions can allow for debate and ensure that everyone has input. Finally, I note how outlining clear next steps following the away day is essential for ensuring the away day discussions influence strategic decision-making in your school.
Episode Highlights
- Why strategy away days are important (03:18)
- Top Tip number 1 - using a facilitator (06:30)
- Top Tip number 2 - agreeing an agenda for the session (07:53)
- Top Tip number 3 - allowing enough time (09:24)
- Top Tip number 4 - inviting governors and senior leaders (10:11)
- Top Tip number 5 - preparing papers in advance (11:24)
- Top Tip number 6 - allowing informal time for team building (13:02)
- Top Tip number 7 - using breakout discussions (16:45)
- Top Tip number 8 - outlining clear next steps (17:42)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, the last in a series where I identify the six essential questions that leaders of private schools should consider when trying to define their strategic approach, I ask: 'how do you communicate your strategy?' Through this episode, I explore how visual thinking can help your decision-making within the school and how it can help align the actions and decisions of staff in various areas of your school.
I reinforce the importance of involving your staff in that process and I discuss how you can help your staff understand what your strategic plan means for them and how their day-to-day decision-making might be affected by it.
I look at how you communicate your strategy to others such as pupils, parents, alumni, state school partners and potential lettings partners, how you can present your strategy online, and how a well-presented strategy can be a vital and powerful marketing tool for prospective parents.
I explore what the content of your external strategic plan should be and how to form an impactful external strategy that is based around themes. Finally, I discuss how, when done well, strategic plans can tackle the challenges your school faces head-on.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing the sixth question (02:56)
- Aligning decision making across your school (03:23)
- Communicating your strategy to your staff (05:52)
- Communicating your strategy to others (08:18)
- Forming your external strategic plan (10:00)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
029: What's your vision? Strategic question #1
031: What's working in your favour? Strategic question #2
033: What's holding you back? Strategic question #3
035: What are your options? Strategic question #4
037: What are your tactics? Strategic question #5
014: How to involve people in strategy
016: Strategic thinking in three dimensions
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, the fifth in a series where I identify the six essential questions that leaders of private schools should consider when trying to define and shape their strategic approach, I ask: 'what are your tactics?' With this in mind, I explore how you can best form your operational plans to shape the strategic options that will deliver your vision for your school.
I discuss how school leaders rather than governors should step forward as the process moves from one of strategy to an operational basis. I then briefly explore the importance of creating an action plan and then reviewing and refining these actions on a continually rolling basis, and how being agile will help you be more effective in the way you form and deliver your actions.
Finally, I consider the ideal timeline for your action plans and how this will help you evolve your processes to make them more effective, targeted and fruitful.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing the fifth strategic question (03:06)
- Reviewing action plans on a rolling basis (04:40)
- The ideal timeline for action plans (05:30)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
029: What's your vision? Strategic question #1
031: What's working in your favour? Strategic question #2
033: What's holding you back? Strategic question #3
035: What are your options? Strategic question #4
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I talk to Andrew Gordon-Brown, Head of Kingswood School, about strategic thinking in schools. Andrew switched from a career in banking and finance to one in teaching in 2003, becoming a teacher in Economics at Radley College. He moved to his current position in 2020 and has been most recently working on a strategy for Kingswood School.
We discuss Andrew's regard for strategic thinking and how important it is to embed strategic thinking in the culture of the school. We then consider the importance of distributed leadership rather than a more hierarchical leadership structure and how a move away from a single, charismatic leader can benefit the school strategy.
We examine the importance of being strategic when setting up partnerships, how to develop partnership ideas that can bring additional resources into your school and how you can use strategy stacking to address multiple challenges that might be solved by partnerships.
We explore how to gain and retain focus when allocating limited resources, how to prioritise where to put your efforts and developing a strategic plan that pinpoints the two or three key areas where you wish to drive change. Finally, we discuss the challenges that have arisen in forming a strategy during the COVID pandemic, and what Andrew sees as the challenges and opportunities for the sector going forward.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing Andrew Gordon-Brown (01:43)
- The importance of strategic thinking (03:55)
- The importance of distributed leadership (07:09)
- The importance of being strategic when setting up partnerships (13:34)
- Keeping focus when allocating limited resources (19:42)
- Adapting to the COVID pandemic (26:07)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Download the ‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ report which Andrew mentioned.
016: Strategic thinking in three dimensions
013: Strategy: Four essential building blocks
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, the fourth in my series looking at six essential questions that you need to be able to answer in order to clarify your school's strategy, I ask: what are your strategic options?
I begin by explaining what I mean by strategic options: the strategic level choices that you can make as a school leadership team or as school governing body that will shape the future of your school.
I then discuss the importance of coherence and of focusing on either one or a small number of strategic choices, and I explore the concept of 'strategy stacking', the act of making strategic choices that are coherent, so each choice reinforces and supports the other.
I look at examples of strategy stacking and at some of the biggest strategic level choices you can make, I underline why selectively tackling them is important and I also examine more granular choices many schools may make to strengthen their offering.
Finally, I look at how you might approach making your strategic choices, how you can brainstorm to gather and define all of the different options that you have open to your school, how evidence can be collected and analysed and how sticking points can be overcome.
Episode Highlights
- Defining strategic options (03:30)
- The importance of coherence and 'strategy stacking' (05:22)
- Examples of strategy stacking (06:40)
- How to approach the strategic choices (12:01)
029: What's your vision? Strategic question #1
031: What's working in your favour? Strategic question #2
033: What's holding you back? Strategic question #3
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I speak to Sam Davies, Head of Philanthropy at the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), the UK’s leading family of independent girls’ schools. During her career Sam has been responsible for annual giving activities at the University of Warwick, established a sustainable fundraising and alumni engagement operation from scratch at the University of Brighton and was awarded the CASE Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence in 2015.
I draw on Sam's experience as an educational fundraiser to explore the subject of harnessing the power of testimonials: why testimonials work from a fundraising point of view and for other school activities.
Firstly, I ask Sam about how she uses testimonials from recipients in her fundraising at the GDST, how she overcomes the potential stigma of making an example of the situation of a current bursary recipient and about the key messages she aims to get across in testimonials. We discuss the power of storytelling and questions about the anonymity of those giving the testimonial.
I then ask Sam whether she uses testimonials from donors, how testimonials can help overcome objections from donors and what her insights are in the process of gathering testimonials from the rest of the school community.
Finally, we discuss Sam's top tips for school fundraisers looking to up their testimonial game.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing Sam Davies (01:48)
- How Sam uses testimonials at the GDST (05:00)
- The importance of storytelling in testimonials (08:05)
- Sam's system for testimonials (19:19)
- Using testimonials from donors (25:30)
- Top tips for school fundraisers looking to up their testimonial game (32:43)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
This is the third episode looking at the six essential questions that you, as a leader in an independent school, need to be able to answer in order to clearly define your school's strategy. This time I discuss what is holding your school back, what are the sticking points you need to identify and overcome to deliver your school's vision.
I talk about how the identification of sticking points needs to happen in the context of a team. These sticking points can come from internal weaknesses such as an unwillingness to change within a school culture and external threats such as from the political, economic, social, technological, environmental or legal threats you may face. I discuss how it is only by conducting uncomfortable conversations about the negative aspects of your school that you will be able to tackle them.
I explore how it is possible to stimulate creative problem solving by having conversations that take you out of your comfort zone and unlock novel and creative thinking about how you're going to overcome these problems.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing the third question (02:58)
- Identifying the internal weaknesses (07:00)
- Identifying the external threats (08:00)
029: What's your vision? Strategic question #1
031: What's working in your favour? Strategic question #2
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
This week, I've been joined by Andrew Cook: chief development and commercial officer at Repton, a co-educational independent boarding school for pupils aged 3 to 18 whose history stretches back more than 450 years. I previously spoke to Andrew in the summer of 2020 about generating commercial income for schools. In this episode Andrew and I explore the subject of broadening the fundraising mix.
We begin by discussing Andrew's inspirations for making the move into the independent school sector and how his experience of attending an independent school on a bursary has driven him to utilise his professional experience to create opportunities for others. We then explore what led Andrew to diversify the income streams and broaden the fundraising mix at Repton beyond the traditional fundraising we see in independent schools.
We discuss two different sources of fundraising:
Firstly, I ask Andrew about his experience with events fundraising, including the time and budget events take, how they tap into the competitive nature of independent schools, the benefits of these events beyond just fundraising income and the effects of COVID on events.
Secondly, we discuss how institutional or corporate fundraising is under-utilised in the independent schools sector. We explore how overcoming objections from institutions about donating to the independent school sector and developing an inspirational and comprehensive case for support is key.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing Andrew Cook (03:51)
- What inspired Andrew to make the move into the independent school sector (04:36)
- What led Andrew to diversify income streams (07:00)
- Events fundraising (08:37)
- Institutional or corporate fundraising (20:40)
004: The outlook for commercial income with Andrew Cook, Repton School
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I tackle the second essential question you need to be able to answer to help shape you school strategy. Last time I discussed how to identify and shape your vision for your school, but this time I'm focusing on what is working in your favour: the internal strengths and external opportunities that you can identify. These qualities I refer to as 'accelerators': positive things which are already working in your favour, propelling your school towards delivering its vision.
The first action I suggest taking is a consideration of your internal strengths, by which I mean the strengths of everybody from your staff and pupils to parents and alumni, all of whom are an integral part of your school community. Also, what's going well in your academic provision, your extra-curricular activities and your pastoral support?
The second action I suggest is a consideration of your external opportunities: the national and international societies in which we sit, but also the wider local community and local forces that might present opportunities to us. I discuss the benefit of using a PESTEL (political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal) analysis to help identify the external opportunities in each of these spheres.
Episode Highlights
- What are 'accelerators'? (03:22)
- Considering your internal strengths (04:56)
- Considering your external opportunities (07:36)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
In this episode, I welcome back John Claughton, former Chief Master of King Edward's School, Birmingham. John was a Classics master at Eton College from 1984 to 2001, where he was also in charge of cricket. He was Headmaster of Solihull School from 2001-2005, and then Chief Master of King Edward's School, Birmingham, his old school, from 2006 to 2016. More recently, he is author of the book Transforming young lives: Fundraising for bursaries, which was published by the Independent Schools’ Council in 2020, in partnership with IDPE, Graham-Pelton and ISBA.
During our conversation, John and I look back at some of the decisions about school strategy that he made as a Head. Through this conversation, we will reflect on how, whilst at the time John may not have felt that the decisions he was taking were strategic, he was actually using some of the hallmarks of robust strategy.
Firstly, I ask John about his experiences of making decisions and whether he recognised them as strategic when he was making them. We discuss long term decision making, how the trends around you can help you identify long term solutions and the role of governors in forming these strategies.
Finally, we explore John's decision making process at King Edward's School and how he adopted a set of core questions for forming a strategy, primarily: how to restore the academic spark of the school, the answers to which lead to switching from A Levels to the International Baccalaureate, focussing on bursaries and outreach.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing John Claughton (01:35)
- John's experience of decision making through his career (04:55)
- Finding the simplest solution to overcome the challenge (10:25)
- The long term nature of strategy and the role of governors (13:45)
- Making key decisions to focus your resources (16:05)
Download your copy of the free eBook ‘The Strategic Independent School Leader’ at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ebook
Catch up on previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
This first episode of the third season is the start of a series of episodes exploring six essential questions that you need to answer to help you to clarify your strategy and secure your school's future. These questions are intended to help senior leaders structure their thoughts when it comes to planning their school strategy.
In this episode, I look at the first of these strategic questions: what is your vision? I explore how, whilst the question of your vision might be superficially simple, answering this involves digging down a little. To this end, I unpack three approaches to the question of vision.
The first approach is considering the big picture effect that you aim to have as a school: the long term impact that your school seeks to have both on the individual pupils that are going to come out as alumni but also the big picture impact that you're looking to have on society.
The second approach involves treating decisions as part of a business model intended to diversify your income streams across a range of areas. This is not just about what's worked for you historically, but what's going to work for your school going forward to secure it financially.
The third and final approach to understanding your vision gets into the detail of what your school is doing within each of the areas of your school, from your academic vision, your vision for the best possible outcome for your pupils academically, to the pastoral care or well-being provisions you have in place and the extra-curricular activities that you offer.
Over the course of the episodes in this series, I'll continue to reveal and explore further questions that you may need to consider to help shape your school strategy.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing the first strategic question (03:13)
- The big picture impact that you seek to have as a school (02:17)
- The business model for diversifying income streams (06:07)
- The areas of the school operation you need to consider (09:00)
References and resourcesSign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to find out about upcoming School Fundraising Q&A sessions
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In this episode, the final of series 2, I explore how technology tools can boost your efficiency. I identify five invaluable tools that have helped me be more productive over the past year.
The first tool I have discovered is Calendly, a diary management website that helps me to set up meetings with other people seamlessly, ideal for schools. Calendly allows me to set up various types of meeting online that I then send to people via a link that lets them book a meeting directly into my diary.
The second tool, Canva, a simple to use graphic design platform, allows me to create engaging social media images, PowerPoint presentations and short brochures.
The third tool, SmarterQueue, is a social media scheduler that helps me schedule content on LinkedIn and Twitter, and is particularly good for evergreen content such as promotion for alumni magazine articles that don't date.
The fourth tool, Trello, is a project management tool that is incredibly useful for defining workflow.
Finally the fifth tool, Bonjoro, is a platform that allows me to send video messages. This is an effective way of relaying information to people without text-heavy emails, ideal for keeping in touch with with major gift prospects between meetings.
I close the episode by briefly covering tools that help with the creation of this podcast including Zencastr, Descript and Buzzsprout.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing the need for efficiency tools (01:57)
- Efficiency tool 1: Calendly (03:35)
- Efficiency tool 2: Canva (05:40)
- Efficiency tool 3: SmarterQueue (06:46)
- Efficiency tool 4: Trello (08:37)
- Efficiency tool 5: Bonjoro (10:05)
References and resourcesTool 1: Calendly: www.calendly.com
Tool 2: Canva: www.canva.com
Tool 3: SmarterQueue: www.smarterqueue.com
Tool 4: Trello: www.trello.com
Tool 5: Bonjoro: www.bonjoro.com Bonus podcast tools:Zencastr: www.zencastr.com
Descript: www.descript.com
Buzzsprout: www.buzzsprout.com
With thanks to Simon Brett and Matt Barber for their invaluable in help bringing Series 2 of The Independent School Podcast to you.
Explore the rest of Series 2: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to find out about upcoming School Fundraising Q&A sessions
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
The 'moves management' system is a great way for you to boost your success in the area of major gift fundraising. Moves management is a way of efficiently but effectively managing the major donors, or prospects, you have in your school community, so in this episode I want to explore what the system is, why you should use it and to outline a five step process to get you started.
Firstly, I consider the 'major gifts pipeline', the way that fundraisers manage people who have the potential to give a major gift to their organisation. I examine the stages of the major gifts pipeline from identification, qualification, cultivation and solicitation to stewardship.
Then, I go on to consider moves management, to explore how the system works and why you should use it in your school. I outline the advantages that can come from systematising the process of moving people along the pipeline, to make it feel personal to prospective donors, but without sacrificing the quantity of prospects you can look after. I look at the benefits it can bring, not only to the school, but to the prospective donors as well.
Finally, I outline a five step process to help your school get started with the process of moves management, starting, not with a database or IT system, but with a brainstorming session. Then I suggest moving through a reflection stage, then organising your ideas and preparing the system itself and, finally, personalising the process for each prospect.
Episode Highlights
- What is the major gifts pipeline? (02:33)
- What is moves management? (06:30)
- Why should you use it? (07:55)
- How much is it used? (11:55)
- The five step process to get started (13:04)
References and resourcesEpisode 11: Major gifts fundraising: Overcome these four barriers to boost your income
Episode 25: Fundraising mindset: Three shifts you may need to make
IDPE and Graham-Pelton's ‘Schools' Fundraising and Engagement Benchmarking Report 2018'
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to find out about upcoming School Fundraising Q&A sessions
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In this episode, I talk to Professor Julie Hodges of Durham University Business School about how school leaders can lead and sustain successful organisational change within their institutions. Professor Hodges is a worldwide expert on change in organisations, particularly in the role and impact that people play during transformations.
I start by asking Professor Hodges for her definition of organisational change and about the different types of change, planned and emergent.
We talk about how the global pandemic has driven emergent change within organisations and how some institutions have coped with change better than others. We discuss how the culture of an organisation has an impact on how quickly change can be accepted.
I then ask Professor Hodges about challenges with engaging stakeholders, both staff members and individuals in the community, in change. We discuss her tips for encouraging people to become involved in the decision making process. These include giving people the space to voice their opinions, involving people at all levels of an organisation in discussions on change, giving stakeholders ownership of the changes and being transparent about the practicalities of the change.
Finally, we discuss creating trust within an organisation when implementing sustainable change, and Professor Hodges outlines the five principles of engagement: inclusivity, connectivity, transparency, equity and empathy.
Spark! episodes of The Independent School Podcast are designed spark fresh insights and innovation, by introducing you to ideas from other sectors.Episode highlights
- Introducing Professor Julie Hodges (01:15)
- A definition of organisational change (06:04)
- Emergent change and why we’re seeing more of it at the moment (08:00)
- Tips for engaging stakeholders (10:15)
- Creating trust through the five principles of engagement (20:30)
References and resourcesEpisode 18: Spark! Innovation with Lucy Gower, Founder, Lucidity
Episode 21: Embed a culture of strategic thinking
Books by Professor Julie Hodges: explore them all
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In this episode, I explore five shifts you may need to make in your fundraising mindset in order to improve your results. I discuss how you can identify five limiting and unhelpful beliefs that you might hold about fundraising and I share with you, through my own experience as a fundraiser, how you can overcome them.
The first of these limiting beliefs is that asking for money is the equivalent of begging. I discuss how this can be overcome by reframing your thinking. By shifting the way you think of the act of asking to see it as an opportunity for people to do something transformational.
The second limiting belief I unpack is the self-perception that an individual is not a natural fundraiser. I demonstrate how this might countered by finding a personal connection to a vision.
The third is the belief that people won't donate money, which I suggest might be mitigated by creating a compelling reason for people to give to your project and by outlining a case for support.
The fourth limiting belief is the flipside of the third: that being the perception that anyone will donate money if you send them a letter. I explore how this belief can prevent big donors contributing money, so is countered by using face-to-face meetings and cultivating prospective donors.
The final limiting belief is the tendency to focus on one person at a time and to put all your energy into one potential donor. Instead, I discuss how you might build relationships with a number of people, to gain practice and to reduce the impact when individual potential donors say no.
Episode Highlights
- Defining fundraising mindset (04:45)
- First limiting belief: 'Asking for money feels like begging' (02:28)
- Second limiting belief: 'I am not a natural fundraiser' (03:48)
- Third limiting belief: 'People won't give us money' (09:36)
- Fourth limiting belief: 'Anyone will give us money if we just write a letter' (12:33)
- Fifth limiting belief: 'I'll focus on one person at a time' (14:33)
References and resourcesEpisode 9: Reimagining your fundraising case for support
Episode 11: Major gifts fundraising: Overcome these four barriers to boost your incomeSign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to find out about upcoming School Fundraising Q&A sessions
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In this episode, I examine how the flexible feasibility study can be critical to the success of a fundraising campaign. I explore the challenges you may face in justifying the budget for a feasibility study, the advantages of using a consultant, but how, by adopting the 'flexible' feasibility study, development offices often have the capability to do some of this work themselves.
Firstly, I unpack the two key components of a feasibility study: the assessment of the internal readiness of the organisation and, secondly, the external readiness of its community. I explore how consultants will focus (amongst other things) on your campaign planning, gift pyramid, previous donation patterns, volunteer leadership, and your processes and policies. Consultants will compare these aspects of your organisation with benchmarking and best practice across the sector.
Then I cover how consultants consider your external readiness, how they test general perceptions of your school with potential donors and key stakeholders, in order to judge whether you have the support in your community to reach your targets.
I then go on to suggest when you might consider making these assessments and conducting the feasibility study yourself. I also talk about when you should consider involving an external consultant either to conduct the whole study or to advise, or coach, you on some aspects of it.
Finally, I outline the advantages of using an external consultant, including more honest and valuable feedback on campaign plans, and what qualities you should look for when appointing a consultant.
Episode highlights
- The key components of a feasibility study (03:22)
- Assessing the internal readiness of the organisation (03:55)
- Assessing the external readiness of the organisation (10:17)
- How to make a feasibility study flexible (13:27)
References and resources
If you’re interested in working with me on a flexible feasibility study or getting some school fundraising advice then email me at juliet@consultjuliet.co.uk
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to find out about upcoming School Fundraising Q&A sessions
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In this episode I talk to Emily Clarke, Director of Development at Highgate School, about fundraising for community partnerships. Expanding on previous episodes about the building blocks of bursary strategy and my exploration of the real situation schools face getting bursaries established in my conversation with Bart Wielenga, the Head of Blundell's School, I move on to considering community partnerships. This is an area that is potentially rich for fundraising opportunities, and the work Emily Clarke has been doing is an excellent illustration of this.
Emily Clarke has worked in the Development Office at Highgate since 2014 and she has lead the school's fundraising campaign since 2018. Firstly, I ask Emily about Highgate's commitment to partnerships and bursaries, and how it stems from the school's history as a charitable foundation. We then explore what Highgate's specific community partnerships, the Chrysalis Partnership Programme and the London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham, involve in terms of inspiring children and making change around improving social mobility and social injustice.
I ask Emily about the fundraising journey Highgate has been on during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they have adjusted their fundraising to serve the increased need for support in their local community. We discuss the types of fundraising Highgate has employed, both major gifts relationships and mass fundraising including challenge events. We talk about the challenges of breaking a perfectionist approach by taking risks and boldly speculating.
Finally, I ask Emily what advice she would give to other school leaders as they fundraise for bursary programmes and community partnerships.
Episode Highlights
- Introducing Emily Clarke (03:01)
- Highgate School's historical commitment to partnerships (04:53)
- What Highgate School's community partnerships involve (09:28)
- How the fundraising journey has changed during the pandemic (15:30)
- Types of fundraising employed by Highgate (23:21)
- Breaking a perfectionist approach (30:30)
- Moving beyond crisis response (33:22)
- Advice for other school leaders (37:02)
References and resources
Highgate School
Chrysalis and Chrysalis East
London Academy of Excellence Tottenham
Episode 019: Craft you bursary strategy
Episode 020: Bursaries and strategy in practice with Bart Wielenga, Head, Blundell's School
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In this episode, I explore how social marketing, the application of commercial marketing techniques to influence behaviours in ways which benefit communities of people, can give us a different perspective on our work in independent schools. Specifically, I outline how this might be applied to the area of alumni relations and fundraising within education.
Based on the quantitative and qualitative research I undertook for my MBA, this episode explores fresh ideas that schools and universities can use to encourage alumni to become more involved.
Firstly, I unpack the ‘transtheoretical model of behaviour change’, taking three elements of this model to explore how they might shine new light on alumni relations activities. These three elements are the benefits (or pros) of the activity, the downsides (or cons) of being involved in the activity and, finally, the self-efficacy issues (for example, the confidence of the individual) of getting involved.
To illustrate this, I explore the case study of the University of Exeter’s 'Making the Exceptional Happen’ campaign, where the volunteer programme reached 155% of their target number of volunteer hours.
By considering this approach, I suggest that social marketing may have a significant impact in how you undertake your work in designing alumni relations and fundraising programmes and in how you might increase the number of pupils who volunteer.
Spark! episodes of The Independent School Podcast are designed to spark fresh insights and innovation, by introducing you to ideas from other sectors.
Episode highlights
- What is social marketing? (01:03)
- The transtheoretical model of behaviour change (05:54)
- The pros of getting involved with alumni relations activities (06:40)
- The cons of getting involved (09:32)
- The self-efficacy issues of getting involved (12:44)
- The University of Exeter ‘Making the Exceptional Happen’ campaign (14:55)
- Recommendations (18:40)
References and resources
‘Can a social marketing framework provide insights which enhance alumni relations programmes in the UK?’, MBA dissertation, Juliet Corbett
‘Social Marketing: Influencing Behaviors for Good’ by Nancy R Lee and Philip Kotler
University of Exeter: Making the Exceptional Happen Campaign, Volunteer Programme
018 Spark! Innovation with Lucy Gower, Founder, Lucidity
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Following my exploration (in episodes 12 to 16) of strategy and strategic thinking in the context of the fast pace of change and the high levels of uncertainty in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, in this episode I look at ways that you can embed a culture of strategic thinking in your school.
I outline the importance of strategic thinking by drawing on the research report I created in 2018 called 'Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools'. In this report, I summarised how an awareness of strategic thinking among staff members in schools was lagging behind a similar awareness in staff in corporate organisations where the strategic thinking skills were improved through professional development courses and coaching. With the COVID-19 pandemic this report is as relevant now as it was in 2018.
I outline how leaders can role model the desired new behaviours in strategic thinking to help change the culture of their school. Then I explore how Edgar Schein’s six primary culture-embedding mechanisms can help change leadership behaviour and encourage a change in organisational culture. Examples range from reviewing and discussing the external changes that will affect the school in 5 to 10 years’ time, to reflecting on reactions to crises and unexpected events such as the pandemic.
Episode highlightsRole modelling desired behaviours by leaders (04:40)
- The first mechanism: what is focused on and measured? (06:50)
- The second mechanism: the basis for resource allocation (08:40)
- The third mechanism: the basis for hiring and promotion (10:39)
- The fourth mechanism: what is modelled and coached? (11:36)
- The fifth mechanism: the basis for rewards and status (13:42)
- The sixth mechanism: reactions to crises and events (15:00)
References and resources
Episode 012: Strategic response to COVID-19 (Strategy Toolkit 1): http://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/012
Episode 015: Supercharge your strategic thinking (Strategy Toolkit 4): http://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/015
Episode 016: Strategic thinking in three dimensions (Strategy Toolkit 5): http://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/016
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report: https://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/rethinking-strategy
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In last week's episode, I used the four building blocks of strategy to identify the key choices that governors and heads need to confront and make when they are crafting a robust bursary strategy. In this episode, I welcome Bart Wielenga, Head of Blundell’s School in Tiverton in Devon, UK to talk about how this model can be practically used and how we have worked together to develop a robust strategy for his school.
In our conversation, we discuss both bursaries and strategy. I begin by asking Bart about his reflections on crafting his bursary vision, and forming his school’s bursary ‘why’. We discuss how Blundell’s found a balance between transformational and smaller bursaries and between endowment and ‘spend now’, and how the school communicates how it is committing financial resources to the bursary programme.
We then cover the accelerators and sticking points faced at Blundell’s when it comes to bursaries and how they overcame the sticking points, specifically finding the right applicants and finding enough money to fund bursaries.
Finally, I ask Bart how the four building blocks of strategy has been successfully employed at Blundell’s, and how the model has helped clarify the thinking of the senior leadership team at the school.
Episode highlights
- Introducing Bart Wielenga (02:06)
- Crafting the bursary vision at Blundell's (04:00)
- Accelerators and sticking points at Blundell's (22:15)
- How did the model help at Blundell's? (30:17)
References and resources
Blundell's School
Episode 019: Craft your bursary strategy
Episode 013: Strategy: Four essential building blocks (Strategy Toolkit 2)
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In this episode, I explore how two of my passions can be combined: strategy and the importance of focusing your resources on the things that will make a difference, and bursary provision within independent schools and the way that it can impact on social mobility. I consider the questions that you need to ask and the options you have going forward as you craft your bursary strategy.
I begin by defining what I mean by bursaries and bursary strategies. I outline the differences between a bursary and a scholarship, and note the increasing shift towards means-tested bursaries in the UK and a subsequent shift towards fundraising campaigns and away from capital campaigns.
After defining bursaries, I look at the how the 'four building blocks of strategy' can help structure your thinking around strategy. I look at the strategic choices you need to make as you define your big picture, long term vision for bursaries in your school. I outline possible accelerators and sticking points: internal strengths and weakness and external opportunities and threats. I look at how you can identify the general approach to overcoming the sticking points and, finally, I reinforce the importance of an action plan.
Episode highlights
- Defining Bursaries (01:40)
- Four building blocks of strategy (04:42)
- Your vision and strategic choices (05:18)
- Accelerators and sticking points (17:14)
- Identifying the general approach (22:23)
- The importance of an action plan (23:26)
References and resourcesEpisode 004: The outlook for commercial income with Andrew Cook, Repton School at: http://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/004
Episode 009: Reimagining your fundraising case for support at: http://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/009
Episode 013: Strategy: Four essential building blocks (Strategy Toolkit 2) at: http://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/013
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report at: https://www.consultjuliet.co.uk/rethinking-strategy
Discover all the Series 1 episodes at: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In this episode, the first of season 2, I talk to Lucy Gower, the director and founder at Lucidity and founder of The Lucidity Network. Through her work as a coach, trainer and facilitator Lucy has given thousands of professionals worldwide the confidence and tools to think creatively, develop ideas and make their innovations happen.
We discuss how independent schools can be innovative about their approach to the delivery of their education, their alumni relations and their fundraising. Firstly, we explore how to describe innovation in an organisation that isn't familiar with the term, and discuss the difference between incremental and radical innovation.
We then talk about how innovation fits in to your school strategy and activities the school leader might employ to encourage themselves and their team to innovate more. We discuss how schools can overcome a perfectionist culture and become more comfortable with failure and risk and how schools can innovate on a tight budget. Finally Lucy gives us her tips for creating a culture of innovation in your organisation by focusing on leaders as role models, connecting people and getting everyone involved.
Spark! episodes of The Independent School Podcast are designed to spark fresh insights and innovation, by introducing you to ideas from other sectors.Episode Highlights
- Introducing Lucy Gower (01:33)
- Describing innovation in schools (04:30)
- Getting the ball rolling with innovation (11:33)
- Overcoming a perfectionist culture (19:17)
- Working on a budget (26:07)
- Creating a culture of innovation (30:58)
References and resourcesDiscover The Lucidity Network - get the environment, training, and support to craft the working life you want.
'The Innovation Workout' by Lucy Gower
‘Where good ideas come from: The seven patterns of innovation’ by Steven Johnson
Explore all the Series 1 episodes at: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at: www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Series 2 of The Independent School Podcast will be starting on Thursday 7 January 2021 with an episode exploring innovation. With a focus on strategic income generation for independent schools, we'll be covering a whole range of topics during the series - listen to the trailer to find out more!
Over the first 16 episodes of this podcast, I've explored a wide range of tactics, strategies and best practice to help independent schools strengthen their income streams. I've interviewed a number of experts in their field, sharing their advice and practical approaches to their roles. And in the last five episodes, I built a Strategy Toolkit to help schools become more strategic both during and after the COVID-19 crisis.
In this episode I wrap-up this first series on an up-beat note - looking at reasons to be optimistic about income streams for independent schools in the future.
I highlight how important I believe virtual open days will become in the future, I look at early signs of buoyancy in the UK pupil recruitment market, and I reiterate how schools can have an advantage over other industries in the field of commercial activities.
I look back at the advice my guests have given on fundraising techniques for independent schools, and how the crisis has presented an opportunity for schools to get closer to the communities from which they raise funds.
Finally I explore two skill-sets that schools need during the pandemic to secure their income streams, specifically, resilience and strategic thinking. And I explain why these skills are more inter-linked than you might think.
Whilst the COVID-19 crisis has created a very challenging environment to operate in, by diversifying your income streams and by being both resilient and aware of the strategies available to you, there are reasons to be optimistic about the future.
Episode highlights
- Recruitment marketing (02:25)
- Commercial activities (04:10)
- Fundraising (06:05)
- Importance of resilience (08:20)
- Importance of strategy and strategic thinking (10:05)
References and resources
Discover all the Series 1 episodes at: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
This podcast episode looks at ways to involve every staff member in strategic thinking, so they can see how their day-to-day decisions help deliver the strategy that has been developed. To this end, I developed the Strategic Thinking in Three Dimensions framework, a system that is focused on strategy implementation.
The framework is divided into three 'dimensions':
The first dimension, 'looking up', involves aligning the problem or decision a staff member has to make upwards to the school's strategy. This encourages individuals to consider how their actions connect to the overall strategy.
The second dimension, 'looking around', involves encouraging individuals to think about collaboration and how they can connect what they are doing to other activities across the organisation.
The third dimension, 'looking ahead', helps staff members consider the future impact of the decisions they are making, and how they might build in flexibility to deal with change.
By combining these three dimensions, staff can ensure their actions and decisions deliver the broader strategic direction of your school.
This summer, I've been building a Strategy Toolkit to help you develop your strategy both during and after the COVID-19 crisis. In the previous four episodes, I've explored how to involve people in strategy development, how you can supercharge your strategic thinking, and I've outlined the four building blocks of strategy.
Episode highlights
- What is Strategic Thinking in Three Dimensions? (02:35)
- First dimension: Looking up (03:15)
- Second dimension: Looking around (04:40)
- Third dimension: Looking ahead (05:30)
- In conclusion (05:55)
References and resources
Visual diagram of Strategic Thinking in Three Dimensions.
Strategic Response Discussion: There are details about this service on my homepage. Do email me if you’re interested in me facilitating a discussion for your organisation.
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report
Strategy briefing videos covering a variety of topics including the importance of ambidextrous strategy and PESTEL analysis
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Strategic thinking is essential for navigating the fast-changing world we live in. In this episode, I look at ways you can supercharge your strategic thinking skills, and make yourself invaluable to your organisation.
It is possible to define five key ways of thinking about a problem. Combine these, and you have a more strategic approach.
The first area I explore is systems thinking: visualising cause-and-effect across an interconnected network of people, teams and processes.
The second area I identify is directional thinking: focusing on the problem you are trying to solve and thinking about the implications of potential solutions over a period of time.
The third area is creative thinking: searching for new solutions and fresh perspectives on the problem you’re solving. In short, thinking outside the box.
The fourth and fifth areas are related: divergent thinking involves impartially creating as many solutions to the problem as possible, whilst convergent thinking involves pulling promising solutions together, analysing the alternatives and making a decision.
By practising combining these five approaches to problem-solving you’ll supercharge your strategic thinking skills.
This is the fourth podcast episode in my Strategy Toolkit series. In the previous three episodes I explored the importance of developing a strategic response to COVID-19, the four essential building blocks of strategy and how to involve people in strategy development.
Episode highlights
- Definitions of strategic thinking (01:15)
- Systems thinking (02:25)
- Directional thinking (05:20)
- Creative thinking (06:10)
- Divergent thinking (07:30)
- Convergent thinking(08:20)
References and resources
Strategic Response Discussion: There are details about this service on my homepage. Do email me if you’re interested in me facilitating a discussion for your organisation.
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report
Strategy briefing videos covering a variety of topics including strategic trial and error and how to change behaviour to control costs
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
In this episode, I continue to build a Strategy Toolkit by examining how best to involve staff, pupils, alumni and parents in strategy development. I look at how this can be a balance between involving people enough for them to feel committed, but not so much that the strategy becomes diluted.
To this end, I outline two things you may need to consider to ensure that you get the balance right for your school:
Firstly, I look at how there should be a gradient of involvement, with each group of people involved to a different extent. I suggest ways to facilitate discussion with staff and to involve pupils, parents and alumni in the process.
Secondly, I explore how asking for volunteers amongst staff can ensure a diverse input of views and opinions. Finally, I discuss the importance of setting parameters for this involvement and being clear about who makes the ultimate decision.
This is the third podcast episode in my Strategy Toolkit series. In the previous two episodes I outlined the importance of reviewing your strategy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the four essential building blocks of a robust strategy.
Episode highlights
- The balance of involvement (01:20)
- The gradient of involvement (01:30)
- Asking for volunteers (05:10)
- Setting parameters for involvement and being clear about who makes the decision (06:30)
References and resources
Strategic Response Discussion: There are details about this service on my homepage. Do email me if you’re interested in me facilitating a discussion for your organisation.
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report
Strategy briefing videos covering a variety of topics including including the benefits of an ambidextrous strategy during recession
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, it has never been more important to develop strategies that are agile enough to weather the crisis.
In this episode, the second in my 'Strategy Toolkit' series, I explore the four essential building blocks of strategy. These can either be used as a step-by-step process when you are creating a strategy for your school or team, or as a way of reviewing an existing strategy.
The first building block concerns your vision for where you are heading as a school: what is important and what are you trying to achieve?
The second encourages you to consider the accelerators and sticking points you face: your internal strengths and external opportunities on the one side and your internal weaknesses and external threats on the other.
The third building block involves identifying the general approach you plan to take to overcome the sticking points.
Finally, the fourth building block is when you define your action plan and develop coherent tactics to help you overcome your sticking points and achieve your vision.
I use this strategy planning tool extensively in my work with independent school heads, senior leadership teams and Development Offices. I’ve also used it for my own consultancy and with a number of other businesses and not-for-profits, so I know first-hand how powerful it can be.
Episode highlights
- First building block: Vision (01:40)
- Second building block: Accelerators and sticking points (03:30)
- Third building block: General approach to overcome the sticking points (06:15)
- Fourth building block: Action plan (08:10)
- Summary (09:30)
References and resources
‘Analysing the external environment with PESTLE’ video
SWOT analysis
Strategic Response Discussion: There are details about this service on my homepage. Do email me if you’re interested in me facilitating a discussion for your organisation.
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for all organisations to review their strategy. Everything that had been assumed or planned before the pandemic, and decisions taken in the early stages of the crisis, should now be reconsidered and potentially reshaped.
In this, the first of five episodes looking at a strategic response to COVID-19, I talk about three themes that I've identified through many conversations with independent school heads, fundraisers and businesses about their response to the crisis.
The first of these themes explores the importance of tackling the opportunities and challenges head-on: how you might review your business model to take advantage of the opportunities and to find ways to best meet the challenges.
The second theme considers the coherence of the decisions that were taken during the crisis: this period is an opportunity to review those decisions and seek new leverage from them.
The third theme involves thinking critically about how flexible or agile your school is and how an adaptable skill-set might allow your school to respond quickly to change in a strategic way.
In upcoming episodes, I will continue to explore aspects that will help you adapt and rework your strategy as the crisis evolves.
Episode highlights
- First theme: Addressing opportunities and meeting challenges head-on (02:10)
- Second theme: The coherence of decision-making during the crisis (04:10)
- Third theme: The flexibility and agility of your school (06:10)
References and resources
Strategic Response Discussion: There are details about this service on my homepage. Do email me if you’re interested in me facilitating a discussion for your organisation.
‘Rethinking Strategy in Independent Schools’ research report
Strategy briefing videos covering a variety of topics including strategic trial and error and ambidextrous strategy during recessions
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Major gifts activity should be a central component of any independent school's fundraising strategy. One of the key findings from the 2018 benchmarking report by The Institute of Development Professionals in Education (IDPE) and Graham-Pelton stated that: "for offices spending the majority of their time on major gift fundraising, average income is nearly 60% higher than what the average school raises".
Therefore, when conducted alongside engagement activities, legacy fundraising and regular giving, major gifts fundraising is a critical source of philanthropic income.
In this episode, I explore why major gifts fundraising is so important and identify four potential barriers that you might face when undertaking it. I outline the importance of not making assumptions and of building an understanding from your senior leadership team. I look at the systems you can put into place to ensure that the process of fundraising is both efficient and effective. Finally, I suggest some techniques and tips that will help you make time in your working day for major gifts fundraising.
My hope is that by implementing these techniques and by addressing these barriers, private schools can enhance their major gifts fundraising activity and increase their income.
Episode highlights
- Why is focusing on major gifts fundraising so important? (03:25)
- Four barriers to overcome:
-
- Not making assumptions (06:05)
-
- Building an understanding from your senior leadership team (09:15)
-
- Getting the right systems in place (10:40)
-
- Making time for major gifts fundraising on a day-to-day basis (14:50)
- Recap (18:00)
References and resources
IDPE and Graham-Pelton's ‘Schools' Fundraising and Engagement Benchmarking Report 2018'
‘Reimagining your case for support’, The Independent School Podcast, episode 009
For tips on using market research techniques listen to ‘Navigating fundraising uncertainty’, The Independent School Podcast, episode 005
For help getting your head on board check out ‘Simple steps to solve three big fundraising challenges’, The Independent School Podcast, episode 007
Want to help your head or bursar understand the investment needed to build sustainable fundraising? Ask them to list to ‘Protecting your school’s fundraising income’, The Independent School Podcast, episode 003
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Resilience is “a set of characteristics, abilities and resources that enable the achievement of positive outcomes despite exposure to significant threat or adversity”, as defined by the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The COVID-19 pandemic has created just such an environment of extreme uncertainty and challenge that highlights why building personal resilience for school leaders and fundraisers is so vital.
In this episode, I speak to Jo Beckett, Joint CEO of the Institute of Development Professionals in Education (IDPE), the leading membership organisation for schools fundraising here in the UK. Over half an hour, we talk about the critical importance of resilience in the independent schools' sector.
Jo and I discuss practical ways school leaders and fundraisers can build their personal resilience. Through the course of the episode, we make the connection between personal resilience and strategic thinking. In particular we discuss how building resilience is more than just gaining confidence, but can also help to shape and refine performance. We explore the benefits of executive coaching, the importance of emotional intelligence and how to avoid thinking traps. Finally, Jo shares her practical top tips for building resilience through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Episode highlights
- What is ‘resilience’? (02:45)
- The benefits of executive coaching (05:47)
- Trends in resilience in the independent school sector (07:55)
- The importance of emotional intelligence (14:51)
- Avoiding thinking traps (17:40)
- Strategic thinking and resilience (20:10)
- Resilience tip 1: Self before others (25:46)
- Resilience tip 2: Ask “why not?” (26:56)
- Resilience tip 3: Reflection (27:46)
- Making time to build your resilience (29:14)
References and resources
IDPE (Institute for Development Professionals in Education)
To contact Jo confidentially about executive coaching email her at confidential@idpe.org.uk
Articles on resilience by Jo Beckett:
‘The power of positivity, information and creativity’
‘The future depends on what you do today’
‘Doing less to achieve more! How to work sustainably in challenging times’
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
The types of projects independent schools fundraise for and the messages they use when communicating with donors have shifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With an accelerated move away from buildings and facilities fundraising and the growth of bursaries fundraising, it’s important to understand how to reimagine your school’s case for support.
This episode explores why schools should connect their fundraising case for support to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and how to do this for hardship, bursary and capital (building) fundraising. It also revisits one of the foundations of an inspirational case for support: the importance of storytelling.
Episode highlights
- Why you should link your fundraising case for support to the COVID-19 crisis (2:35)
- Linking hardship funds to COVID-19 (5:40)
- Linking bursary fundraising to COVID-19 (8:30)
- Fundraising opportunities for partnership projects with state schools (12:00)
- Linking capital (building) projects to COVID-19 (13:02)
- The move away from capital campaigns towards bursary fundraising (17:15)
- The importance of storytelling for inspirational fundraising (18:55)
References and resources
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Sutton Trust
IDPE/Graham Pelton Benchmarking Report 2018
All independent schools have accelerated their use of technology in delivering education since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This presents private school marketers with opportunities to showcase creative uses of technology. However, it also presents challenges for schools seeking to differentiate themselves from competitors.
Sherborne Girls had started fully integrating technology into their educational philosophy and practice before the pandemic hit. They continue to innovate in delivering personalised, interactive technology-enabled education. Katherine Massey, their Director of Marketing and Development, joins us in this episode to explain how this influenced their marketing before and after lockdown.
Katherine and I also explore the future of virtual open days and the role of ‘hygiene factors’ in marketing independent education. Plus, we discuss the benefits during a recession of combining cost control with strategic investment; what’s known as ‘ambidextrous strategy’.
Episode highlights
- Fully integrating technology into learning at Sherborne Girls before COVID-19 (2:25)
- Adjusting their approach during the COVID-19 lockdown (9:37)
- Marketing innovative technology as a differentiator before COVID (12:30)
- Looking ahead to teaching and marketing after lockdown (15:35)
- Integrating virtual open days into the buyers’ journey (18:05)
- Virtual events for new pupils and staff (20:47)
- New marketing tactics but with unchanged best practice fundamentals (22:25)
- New ‘hygiene factors’ in marketing independent education (23:25)
- The importance of schools authentically valuing diversity and environmental sustainability (25:00)
- The benefits of ‘ambidextrous strategy’ during and after recessions (26:25)
- The continued importance of outreach and bursaries (28:37)
References and resources
Fundraising Focus Programme: Expert fundraising advice to fit your school's budget
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Sherborne Girls
Sherborne Girls’ digital strategy video
Research findings on ‘ambidextrous strategy’: ‘Business Strategies and Performance during Difficult Economic Conditions’ for the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), John Kitching, Robert Blackburn, David Smallbone (all Small Business Research Centre, Kingston University) and Sarah Dixon (School of Management, Bath University), 2009
School fundraisers are facing three big challenges at the moment: How can we get the school’s Head on board with our plans? Should we be fundraising at the moment? How can we strategically innovate in virtual engagement and fundraising?
This week’s episode explores these three challenges, which emerged as key themes from last week’s IDPE Live virtual conference. Listen in for three simple steps you can take to address each of these challenges.
Episode highlights
- IDPE Live virtual conference (0:55)
- Theme 1: Getting your Head on board (5:05)
- Step 1. Adopt a leadership mindset: communicate with clarity and authority (8:20)
- Step 2. Treat your head like a major gift donor (10:15)
- Step 3. Present your fundraising or engagement plan (11:40)
- Theme 2: To fundraise or not to fundraise (15:30)
- Step 1. Review your engagement activity from an external and internal angle (17:30)
- Step 2. Review your fundraising foundations (20:00)
- Step 3. Refocus your case for support (22:20)
- Theme 3: Innovations in virtual engagement and fundraising (23:35)
- Perspective 1. Refresh your view of best practice (27:25)
- Perspective 2. Fill skill gaps (29:25)
- Perspective 3. Become more efficient through technology (30:40)
References and resources
Fundraising Focus Programme
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter
IDPE webinar with Juliet Corbett: “How robust is your fundraising strategy to coronavirus?” recorded 7 April 2020 (This webinar is hosted on the IDPE website. You will need to enter to email address to get access to the recording)
Episode 005: Navigating fundraising uncertainty – find out more about using informal market research to inform your refreshed case for support
Efficiency apps I mention in this episode:
•Hootsuite (social media scheduler)
•Later (social media scheduler)
•Buffer (social media scheduler)
•SmarterQueue (social media scheduler) I use SmarterQueue and love it! This one is an affiliate link, so if you use it you’ll get 30 days free - double the normal free trial - and I get a little bonus too.
•Trello (task management app)
•Canva (graphic design)
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Fundraising for schools and universities can be quite a different experience, with contrasting scale, affinity and fundraising projects. Simon Lerwill, Foundation Director at Marlborough College, joins me this week to discuss the lessons schools can learn from university fundraising.
Simon and I also discuss the impact of furloughing development staff, what this may signal about school leaders’ understanding of fundraising and the message this may send to prospective donors. We also hear about Marlborough’s engagement and fundraising activities; what’s working and what they are planning next.
This is a must-listen episode for school and university fundraisers alike!
Episode highlights
- The differences between school and university fundraising (2:10)
- Different scale (3:40)
- Different levels of affinity (7:15)
- Different fundraising opportunities (14:00)
- Different career paths (16:20)
- The impact of furloughing fundraising staff (17:35)
- Marlborough’s engagement activities (21:55)
- Having confidence in your case for support (26:05)
- Marlborough’s bursary campaign (29:00)
- The outlook for school fundraising (32:05)
References and resources
Fundraising Focus Programme: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ffprog
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Marlborough College: www.marlboroughcollege.org
School fundraisers will be making a lot of critical decisions over the next six months. These might include deciding which fundraising projects to prioritise, adjusting the case for support or determining the right time to re-activate each fundraising stream. Given the high levels of uncertainty we’re experiencing, these decisions become easier with a flow of real-time information from your independent school community.
This episode explores three steps schools fundraisers can take to generate this flow of information using market research techniques. It also explains how the Fundraising Focus Programme can further help school fundraisers navigate the coming months of uncertainty.
Episode highlights
- The types of uncertainty school fundraisers face (1:25)
- Why the next six months is critical for getting your fundraising back on track (3:00)
- Using market research techniques to navigate fundraising uncertainty (5:30)
- Market research step 1: What do you need to know? (8:05)
- Market research step 2: Which market research techniques will you use? Focus groups and interviews (10:25)
- Market research step 3: How will you analyse the information? (17:50)
- The benefits of structuring your information flow (19:20)
- The Fundraising Focus Programme: Affordable access to expert advice (22:10)
References and resources
Fundraising Focus Programme: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/ffprog
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Despite these challenging times there is cause for optimism around the commercial income independent schools can generate by hiring out their facilities as we come through the COVID-19 crisis. In particular, schools may find that a strong brand and more flexible booking terms give them an advantage over other venues.
For this episode I’m delighted to be joined by Andrew Cook, Chief Development and Commercial Officer at Repton School, UK. Andrew oversees Repton Enterprises, which generates income for the school by hiring out facilities for conferences, weddings, residential courses and sports activities, as well as through retail activities.
A theme running through The Independent School Podcast is how schools balance being both a centre of educational excellence and a strong business. In this episode Andrew and I discuss the critical importance of business acumen and having commercially minded people in the senior team during these turbulent times.
Episode highlights
- Combining all income generation except fees within one department (4:25)
- The importance of building internal stakeholder engagement (6:15)
- Repton Enterprise’s four core principles (7:10)
- Auditing the school’s assets, assessing profitability and creating marketing plans (9:50)
- Reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on school income (13:40)
- Maintaining relationships with suppliers and customers (15.20)
- Looking ahead to when events can start again (17:50)
- Advantages schools will have over other venues in the upturn (21:30)
- The outlook for commercial income and the importance of commercial skill sets (24:35)
- Internal communication of the role of commercial income (27:00)
References and resources
Sign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Repton School: www.repton.org.uk
Repton Enterprise: www.repton.org.uk/repton-enterprises
Podcast episode 003, where Juliet talks about the importance of relationships in fundraising: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/003
How much might school fundraising income fall over the coming months and years? And what can private schools do to minimise this?
These are two questions I’ve been asked frequently in recent months. In this episode I review philanthropic data from the US, UK and Australia for the 2008 recession and consider why falls in giving weren’t as significant as some predicted.
The episode also explores two steps all schools should take to protect their future fundraising income, as well as three things to do if your staffing and resources allow.
Episode highlights
- How philanthropic income responded to the 2008 global financial crisis (1:45)
- Why giving fell less than some predicted (4:20)
- How much giving may fall during the COVID-19 crisis (7:00)
- What this means for school fundraisers (7:55)
- Why building relationships with donors is still vital (9:30)
- Two steps all schools should take to protect their fundraising income (16:05)
- Step 1: Personal conversations with top prospects (16:45)
- Step 2: Thank all your regular donors (20:00)
- Three more steps to take if you have enough resources (21:25)
- Step 1: Look for giving signals (21:30)
- Step 2: Positive, two way social media communication (22:45)
- Step 3: Run virtual alumni events (24.40)
- Considering fundraising as an investment (25:55)
References and resources
Sign up to Juliet’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Giving USA: annual reports on US philanthropic giving
‘The impact of the recession on charitable giving in the UK’, 2009, Charities Aid Foundation and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations
‘Philanthropy in a Recession: An analysis of UK media representations and implications for charitable giving’, 2009, Beth Breeze and Gareth G Morgan
‘Why Rich People Give’, 2004, Theresa Lloyd
‘Where to from here? The outlook for philanthropy during COVID-19’, April 2020, John McLeod, JBWere
‘Schools' Fundraising and Engagement Report 2018’, IDPE and Graham-Pelton
Independent schools have been increasingly diversifying their income streams, with more schools embarking on fundraising, hiring out facilities and setting up international franchises to supplement fee income.
With all of these income streams now affected by the COVID-19 pandemic it’s important to have a structure for auditing each activity and assessing whether you have the right balance of diversified income.
In this episode I’ll give you three simple steps to audit each of your income generating activities.
Episode highlights
- What is income diversification? (1:25)
- What does this mean in an independent school? (2:40)
- What’s changed in the COVID era? (4:20)
- The questions your school should be asking (5:10)
- Auditing your income streams in three steps (6:50)
- Step 1: What’s changed externally? (7:30)
- Step 2: Analysing your internal operations (10:20)
- Step 3: Making changes (12:55)
Three steps for auditing your income generating activities
Step 1: What’s changed externally?
- Use PESTEL analysis to identify which trends will affect each of your income generating activities (PESTEL = Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal trends)
- Which trends are temporary and which are permanent?
- Which present challenges and which offer opportunities?
- What is the potential of each income stream for our school in the short, medium and long term?
Step 2: Analysing your internal operations
- This will look very different for each income generating activity
- However, staffing decisions will be key to all activities
- Keep reviewing furloughing decisions, based on their impact on future income generation potential
- For example, any reduction in development office staffing now will make it harder to maintain relationships with potential donors, which will reduce philanthropic income in future.
Step 3: Decide on any changes in income streams
- Play to your strengths as a school
- If you’re moving into new areas bring in partners or advisers to work alongside you
Resources and linksSign up to Juliet’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools and discover a host of free resources for schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk
Bursary fundraising is becoming a central plank of independent school fundraising in the UK, with many schools moving from capital campaigns to seeking support for transformational bursaries. However, just as more independent schools seek to widen access to excellent education, the COVID-19 crisis threatens to reduce philanthropic income for bursaries.
In this episode I share thoughts on the past and future of bursary fundraising with John Claughton, former Chief Master of King Edward's School, Birmingham, UK and author of 'Transforming young lives: Fundraising for bursaries'.
Episode highlights
- The importance of having the school’s Head on board (4:35)
- The biggest hurdles in setting up and growing a bursary programme (7:15)
- Bursaries are a generational commitment, beyond the timescale of this pandemic (10:05)
- How bursaries address a number of the challenges faced by independent schools (11:15)
- Why it can be beneficial to focus just on fundraising for bursaries (15:15)
- The importance of authenticity (16:40)
- How to determine whether bursary fundraising will work at your school (19:20)
- State school partnerships as an alternative to bursaries (23:15)
- If not now, when? (24:20)
Resources and links
- Digital version of 'Transforming young lives: Fundraising for bursaries' by John Claughton, published by the Independent Schools’ Council in partnership with IDPE, Graham-Pelton and ISBA.
- To order a hard copy of the book email info@idpe.org.uk (£4.95 p&p per book)
- Sign up to Juliet’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup
- Find out more about Juliet Corbett’s work with independent schools at www.consultjuliet.co.uk