The beginning of yet another term and the first week has simply flown by...

I had the usual suspects in my diary... meetings with Leadership Team, Cllr Harker, Cllr Mulherin, Dirk Gilleard, Ros Vahey, David Smith from the DCSF Academies Team, and the Council's Corporate Leadership Team. I had lunch with the Artemis Team, made a quick visit to the David Young Community Academy to meet with headteachers from the Seacroft and Manston Family of Schools and attended the launch of 'Funky Feet', a new activity programme for primary schools.

I did squeeze in some school visits. I went to John Smeaton Community College to meet with John Daulby, to Royd's School to meet with Bernadette Young and to Primrose Lane Primary School to meet with Stefan Frontczak, his colleagues and his wonderful children,
It was also a brilliant week with the publication of the secondary performance tables which revealed the real progress we are making in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 and our success at the BETT Awards 2008 where Bluewave SWIFT won the award for leadership and management innovation.

It helps to have brilliant materials like Bluewave SWIFT but you don't need extraordinary products to be extraordinary; all you actually need is a group of special people. And before you ask me how you get them... we have them already! Here's how you get extraordinary performance from your colleagues:
1. delegate decision-making and stand well back!
2. push decision making down to the lowest level!
3. make change routine and regular;
4. be well read, keep in touch and embrace technology;
5. coach colleagues and agree goals; and
6. praise and thank colleagues wherever and whenever you can.

Go on surprise yourself... and help your colleagues become extraordinary!
Chris