NEW CEO APPOINTED TO AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL OF APPLIED MANAGEMENT

The Australian School of Applied Management (ASAM), which sits alongside the National Excellence in School Leadership Institute (NESLI), has announced the appointment of Karen Taylor as Chief Executive Officer.Ms Taylor is a highly skilled CEO with extensive experience in strategic planning, change management and business growth and development in the education sector. As former CEO of Government Skills Australia, Executive Director of GOTAFE, Executive Advisor to Bendigo Kangan Institute and Deputy CEO of the Australian Institute of Management, she brings to the role a deep understanding of the education and training landscape in Australia. Ms Taylor is a graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course and has successfully led large teams in complex business environments, been accountable for strategic planning, financial strategy and sustainability, and consulted to CEOs and Boards across AustraliaImportantly, as a successful woman leader, Ms Taylor is acutely aware of the obstacles and challenges facing women leaders and is passionate about advancing gender equity.The appointment also sees Ms Taylor take up the CEO role for Women & Leadership Australia (WLA) and Women & Leadership New Zealand (WLNZ), which sit alongside ASAM.“I am delighted and honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead and work with the outstanding team at ASAM. ASAM is an exciting business that represents unique and diverse opportunities for learning and professional development in Australia.“ASAM as an organisation believes that visionary leadership, which is inclusive and embraces the power of diversity, is key to solving the complex challenges we face as a global community. I look forward to joining the organisation and continuing to drive leadership development for all Australians.”The Australian School of Applied Management (ASAM) is one of the country’s most highly regarded providers of leadership education. Working with approximately 8,000 learners each year, they provide innovative development solutions for individual leaders and leadership teams across all sectors and industries.About ASAMThe Australian School of Applied Management (ASAM) is one of the country’s most highly regarded providers of leadership education. Working with approximately 8,000 learners each year, we provide innovative development solutions for individual leaders and leadership teams across all sectors and industries.Focused on improving the way people work together, our world class learning solutions support organisations of all sizes to accelerate their leadership capability and achieve their unique goals. We also provide specialised leadership development and networking opportunities through Women & Leadership Australia (WLA), Women & Leadership New Zealand (WLNZ) and the National Excellence in School Leadership Initiative (NESLI).Part of Navitas, a leading global education provider, our vision is to be Australia’s best leadership education provider by supporting organisations and individuals in the continuous pursuit and application of leadership excellence. WE NEED MORE LEADERS LIKE YOUYou’re here because you know that great leadership enables better teaching and learning. We’re here to help you be a great leader within your school community. For more leadership news, plus event updates and expert tips, subscribe to our mailing list. SUBSCRIBE NOW

Books

How to replenish your surge capacity

The coronavirus pandemic – and the response that has been required by the education system, is truly one of the most pressing challenges schools have ever faced. Many school leaders are experiencing serious ‘carers’ load’ and ‘vicarious trauma’ as a result of their staff and students’ challenges.This series of ‘recharge’ blogs explores themes and models that school leaders, teachers and staff can come to in times of stress, or to replenish their leadership capacity. In this blog, we look at the phenomenon of ‘surge capacity’ and how the application of constant ‘surge’ conditions has impacted school leaders during the COVID pandemic, and caused an increase in vicarious trauma and carers load for leaders.What is surge capacity?Have you ever scaled up your efforts – whether increasing your work hours, donating more to charity, or squeezing more tasks into your day - in times of crisis? If you have, then you have used your surge capacity. Surge capacity is a collection of adaptive leadership qualities that leaders draw on in times of crisis, change or trauma to survive – whether figuratively, or literally. While these qualities can be used over a short period of time, they lead to burnout if we operate at that heightened level for too long.The most tangible example is the extra resources that people pour into natural disasters – firefighters work around the clock to put out fires, SES volunteers go days without a break to rescue people from flood waters, and governments, private organisations and individuals donate large amounts of funds and goods to support the survival of the people affected. All these things have one common theme – they are unsustainable over time.As a leader, you activate your surge capacity to protect your school community in times of crisis or rapid, unpredictable change. The usual timeline of these situations would see you have an immediate surge response, and then soon after turn to rest, reset and rebuild, using more normal energy and resource levels.Why has my surge capacity disappeared?The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significantly drawn out timeline of a ‘disaster’ meaning that leaders’ surge capacity has been on heightened alert for the better part of two years. Without the usual timeline that allows for rest soon after the disaster, you are left feeling burnt out, depleted and wholly uninspired or motivated to lead your school community. This contributes to poor wellbeing for you, your teachers and the broader school community.How to support yourself:Luckily, there are some things you can do to support yourself in times of crisis, to better cope with your heightened leadership responsibilities. These include:Going easy on yourself. Giving yourself some extra time and space to get things done, leaving things that aren’t urgent and having more rest time aren’t selfish, they’re important for your health and wellbeing.Acknowledging that things are different. There is a lot of commentary at the moment about things going ‘back to normal’, but the reality is that things really are different now. While it’s okay to miss things that are different now, there are a lot of positives to think about, too.Recognising that you may be experiencing grief-like symptoms. As mentioned above, you will miss some ‘pre-covid’ things, and that is okay. Taking the time to grieve for those things is an important step to letting go and moving forward.  Focussing on maintaining and strengthening important relationships. COVID was a big ‘reset’ for a lot of personal and professional relationships. Take the time to identify the relationships that might need to be reset or renewed, and focus energy into these.Finding new activities and hobbies that offer some relaxation and reprieve. Now that things are opening up, there are new opportunities to try new things, or to continue hobbies that we picked up during lockdowns. It is important to take time away from the ‘crisis’ and do something that is enjoyable and good for you.   Dealing with elongated periods of distress and change is challenging for everyone. Understanding what surge capacity is, and taking steps to replenish your surge capacity, will help you lead productively and positively for your school community.    WE NEED MORE LEADERS LIKE YOUYou’re here because you know that great leadership enables better teaching and learning. We’re here to help you be a great leader within your school community. For more leadership news, plus event updates and expert tips, subscribe to our mailing list. SUBSCRIBE NOW

Books

How to overcome complex decision fatigue

The coronavirus pandemic – and the response that has been required by the education system – is truly one of the most pressing challenges schools have faced in our time. Many school leaders are experiencing serious ‘carers’ load’ and ‘vicarious trauma’ as a result of their staff and students’ challenges.

Books

How to be a trauma informed leader

The coronavirus pandemic – and the response that has been required by the education system, is truly one of the most pressing challenges schools have ever faced. Many school leaders are experiencing serious ‘carers’ load’ and ‘vicarious trauma’ as a result of their staff and students’ challenges.

Books

Leading through disruption and into the future

The coronavirus pandemic – and the response that has been required by the education system, is truly one of the most pressing challenges schools have ever faced. Many school leaders are experiencing serious ‘carers’ load’ and ‘vicarious trauma’ as a result of their staff and students’ challenges.

...
...

EQ VS IQ: CLASH OF THE TITANS​​

Are EQ and IQ destined to be at war? Paul Drewitt investigates.

On an average Google search we can find literally hundreds of articles and quotes highlighting the importance of EQ over IQ and leadership versus management.

The substance of such articles is always about whether EQ or IQ is more important. A series of well set out arguments are then highlighted in order to persuade the reader of the importance of EQ over IQ. 

I have always read such articles with much interest. Most highlight the point that EQ is more important than IQ and that your intelligence quotient is merely an indication of your brain’s overall fitness and efficiency.

We often become intrigued by the process of eliminating contributing factors and concentrate on prioritising processes to distinguish the ‘one area’ that is most important. We then focus on that one area at the expense of other skills that are part of the larger picture but equally important.

Let’s examine various examples that argue the point of complementation; that no single virtue or skill will necessarily lead to having more, being better at something or attaining more success, and that in most cases, we need to concentrate on skills integration to acquire excellence.

IQ + EQ

EQ is the ability to handle conflict, manage stress, develop self-awareness and work with people more effectively. You can see why this skill is highly sought after in the workplace and in our personal lives. Most people get this; if you demonstrate high EQ you can get along better with your colleagues, negotiate that million dollar deal or be promoted into a leadership position. However, the two Qs (IQ and EQ) are always linked, just as they are always held in comparison. They are linked for one main reason – they complement each other. 

When dealing with conflict in the workplace we need both Qs; if you are mediating a dispute you not only need a soft tone and disposition and the ability to read body language, but also a sharp mind to focus and demonstrate conceptual thinking. To feel the emotion of the situation and empathise also requires split decision thinking of when to respond and how to articulate in the correct way. To increase self-awareness and regulate our emotions to bounce back from failure requires high EQ, but also goal setting which got us started in the first place requires IQ through high levels of concentration and analytical thinking to refine our long term goals to medium term targets, and then to short term actions.

Like tall and short, EQ and IQ complement each other.

Leadership and Management

I often hear that leadership and management are not the same thing. Whilst I am in agreeance I also believe they complement each other and the focus should not be that one skillset is more important than the other. I have organised numerous school camps over the years and its true, the ability to inspire and motivate others, instilling meaning and purpose is the key to human motivation. This will then rub off on the children who feel the energy of the staff which in turn creates an atmosphere of fulfilment and enjoyment; there are certain jobs to be delegated and staff need to be intrinsically motivated to fulfil their obligations, as the leader cannot always be watching. 

However, there is also the administration side; permission forms, transport requirements and adhering to government policies and insurance matters. This must be of equal focus for accountability reasons but requires sound management skills. One skill set is no more important than the other and the leader must know how to do both. We all want to be the leader as it’s more glamorous, however a good leader must also be prepared to be a good manager.

Like day and night, leadership and management complement each other.

Terms and Conditions  |  Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 National Excellence in School Leadership Institute Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands throughout Australia on which we live, work and learn. We recognise and respect the continuing living cultures of First Nations peoples and pay our respects to Elders past and present. Find out more.