Just when I think I’ve got this leadership thing figured out, another lightbulb goes on. Same light, shining from a different perspective.
My conundrum… is school culture built on practice, or people? That’s when a clever school leader introduced me to the term glowments.
Culture is a collective noun for behaviour. It is shaped by what we do, day in and day out.
Some moments we’d rush to forget; others we’d love to scale.
Wanna amplify culture? Shine a light on the moments we want to see more of and make ‘em GLOW!
So back to my conundrum…is school culture built on practice, or people?
Is it the routines, the agreed responses, the shared language? Or is it the humans, with their relationships, their goodwill and their willingness to turn up for each other when things get hard?
My answer is yes. And I don’t mean that as a dodge.
Yes, we need to care for our people, AND we need to notice and reinforce the practices that help us work together.
Yes, we must shine a light on our great people, AND we must do so by spotlighting the great things they’re doing.
And yes, identity matters, AND people on their own aren’t enough…glowments are about people, practicing together, on purpose.
Marianne Williamson captures this eloquently in (1992) ‘Return to Love’:
‘It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same’.
What are the glowments happening around you that reflect the culture you want to build?
How can you shine a light on those movements, so the practices become part of how you work together?
How might you be a guiding light?
