When Adam took on the headship of a failing school he was aware of the huge gap between the school’s current offering and his aspirations for the future. And even though he had been aware of the school’s Ofsted rating ahead of taking on the role, it seemed that the more he learned the more he realised just how much needed to be done if the school was to avoid closure.

Adam was aware of the temptation in a headship role to focus on the school’s most immediate challenges. Feedback from staff suggested that this may have been the approach of his predecessor and he knew this approach had been unsuccessful. He was also aware that the number of challenges which needed urgent attention had become overwhelming – and that many important issues had been left unattended until they, too, had become urgent.

Adam decided to take a different approach. Initially, he focused his attention on finding out as much as he could about the school and on clarifying his goals for the school. This gave him a clear way to prioritise, enabling him to identify and take next steps. Even at times of extreme challenge, Adam was able to ask himself “what shall I do next?” His vision and goals provided motivation and commitment whilst his focus on immediate next steps saved him from becoming overwhelmed.

Here are some questions to help you to identify the extent to which you are able to identify and take next steps with clear aims in mind:

• Where would you put yourself on a scale of nought to ten, where nought equals “mostly I do nothing because I don’t know what to do” and ten equals “even when my agenda is overwhelming I know where I’m heading and I’m able to identify next steps”?
• When the amount you have to do to reach your goals seems highly challenging, to what extent are you able to focus your attention in ways that energise you and move you forward?
• How often do you celebrate the steps you have taken (rather than “beating yourself up” when you think about the steps you have yet to take)?
• What key step do you want to take next in order to build, strengthen or maintain your “match fitness”?

What additional questions would you offer in relation to identifying and taking next steps?