Leading your team

"Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for providing high-quality, inclusive care and education to all. This is realised through strong shared values, policies and practice." (Early Years Inspection Handbook, 2023)

Leadership 

Leadership is all about providing direction and being a positive influence on your team. A good leader is able to inspire others, think creatively and have a clear vision. Leaders adapt and use a problem solving approach when faced with difficulties.  

As a leader in early years it is essential to be committed to partnership working.  A strong leader can lead others, lead learning and lead innovation thinking practically and creatively to achieve the best possible outcomes.   

Leading Others 

By leading others, it enables us to give them a sense of direction and ownership enabling them to grow and develop. When the potential of each individual is unlocked and acknowledged, that is when a setting can truly grow whether that be a small setting or a larger one. A successful leader can be demanding but have clear objectives, as well as being creative. It is about being confident but also being self critical, supporting others but stretching them and encouraging growth. Leading a team involves creating a "can do" culture encouraging the team to learn from mistakes and build on this. 

Leading Learning 

In early years settings, management is an important part of the leader's role but this is not wholly what the leader does. Leaders need to be able to inspire others in order to influence them positively ensuring that the team as a whole have a deeper understanding of the values and ethos of the setting. Research has proven that children's life chances are massively influenced during their earliest years that is why in early years we need to consider how leadership of learning is managed.  

Leading Innovation 

Being creative is about seeing and doing things differently, using your imagination and thinking outside the box.  A creative leader can see the potential in others providing conditions in which others have the opportunity to be creative too ultimately achieving the goals for the setting. 

Think about how you, as an Early Years Leader, can demonstrate creative leadership to respond to the many challenges we face as a sector.