JDMcDsblog

i saw this post on Tom Peters’ blog on the Five books that every CEO should read. Among the five were two in particular that caught my attention.

1. “Execution” by Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, and Charles Burck -this book focuses on how to put ideas into action. In summary the authors state that identifying and developing leadership talent lies at the core with the goal not to evaluate people for what they are doing today, but for the positions they will hold tomorrow. Leaders then lay out clear goals everyone in the organization can understand, follow-through to clear internal obstacles, and reward the doers who are producing results. Finally, organizations that understand execution inject a healthy dose of realism into their culture through open, informal dialogue to eliminate false consensus and by making needed changes today rather than waiting for tomorrow for things to get better.

2. “In Search of Excellence” by Tom Peters and Bob Waterman: The authors found that the most effective organizations were those that recognized the irrationality of the humans that inhabited them. Those companies were clear about their beliefs and created a strong value system that acted as a compass for organizational decision-making. Inside (these) companies small, passionate teams accomplishing big, game-changing feats and meetings taking place in hallways as executives exercised management by walking around.

I was also interested to read Sir Cyril Taylor’s 2005 address to the Headmasters Conference (of which my school is a member) on what makes a great school In a very forward looking, progressive and wide ranging speech, Sir Cyril identied 10 key points:

1. A good leadership team of the headteacher, heads of department and governing body;
2. Their ability to attract and retain good teachers;
3. A focus on the basics such as literacy and numeracy;
4. The setting of targets for each student and use of data to monitor progress;
5. Discipline and order;
6. Curriculum innovation, which may include vocational awards and/or the International Baccalaureate;
7. Extensive use of Information Communications Technology including wireless linked laptops and whiteboards;
8. A longer school day and non-traditional term dates;
9. A focus on individual learning to create an ethos of achievement for all;
10. Seeking the support of parents and using older students as mentors.

plus the observation that, “Great independent schools also teach their students, many of whom come from privileged backgrounds, to care for others who are less advantaged.”

The talk was based on the book Excellence in Education, the Making of Great Schools” and can be read in whole here.