SHORTS | Why Values are More Important than Success with Cheryl Giovannoni

During your time at the Girls Day School Trust or maybe in other organisations, have you ever had the situation where you've had a brilliant performer, maybe an amazing teacher, someone who is technically a very good head teacher, but the way in which they go about their work isn't aligned with the purpose and values? And if so, have you managed that? Because I often think that's the true test of the culture and the leader. Right. Are you. Do we say. I. Yeah. I know they don't quite behave in the right way, but their results are amazing, so we'll just let them get on with it. But there can be quite. It's quite corrosive. Right.

I have a very real example that your right. Is very corrosive and it is a good test of what really matters. And I suppose my learning in this particular situation, which was an incredibly high performer, the school was full to bursting. I didn't really look very far beneath the surface because everything was going so well. Even though there were signs that perhaps it wasn't as well aligned to the mission and vision as it should have been, I kind of let it go to a point where it was untenable and had to be stopped. I suppose my learning of all of that, and, you know, it's a shame I can't give you more information about it because there are some real learnings in there. I left it too long. I didn't trust my instincts soon enough and I was blinded by the fact that it was successful anyway and therefore I should just let it ride and I should have called that person to account quicker than I did and I was probably forced to do it eventually. So it's a real learning for me about trusting your instincts and making sure that the values are absolutely the thing that drives the organization. Or whether they are successful or not isn't really the point, it's whether they are living the values. But that's, you know, that's a difficult balance to strike because at the end of the day, even though this is a very large educational charity, it is also a business and you are trying to manage those things and be respectful of the fact that there is real diversity in leadership too. Not everyone leads in the same way, but I do believe you have got to lead by the same values and you've got to be signed up and you cannot pay lip service to those things. So my. My learning out of all of that would be make the tough calls quickly if you have to, because you probably know you need to make them and you shouldn't let anything else get in the way of you making that decision. And also, I think there's something about, as a leader, and I think you grow in confidence in terms of trusting your instincts enough to do what you think is right. Regardless of the detractors who may tell you you're making a mistake, you have to sometimes make unpopular decisions, that you have to live with the consequences because it was the right decision to make and not everyone will have liked it or appreciated it or perhaps thought it was the decision you should have made.