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To really give least advantaged children a chance we must help them to be better than average.

Sustainable development has always been a feature of our work at Hempsall’s.  It was something engrained into my professional purpose from my very early days as a development worker.  I cannot remember who it was, but I was given really great advice in those days, about how the best development workers should strive to do themselves out of a job one day.  And it is true.  It doesn’t mean they will be out of a job, because there’s always need for great development work.  The processes are usually the same.  It is just the causes and challenges that change.

As an Alumni Ambassador DeMontfort University (DMU), I was asked last week to talk with a group of students about sustainable careers, or careers in sustainability – with reference to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/  On first thought it seemed like a stretch, or at least a learning experience for me.  I agreed to be on the Q&A panel and then I realised I had agreed to presentation as well.  When thinking about it I very soon came to realise all the things I do in my businesses that fall under the definition of sustainable development.  There are lessons worth sharing.

Hempsall’s work is focused on tackling disadvantage, supporting children’s learning and opportunities, growing families’ economic choices, and enabling equality and social mobility.  Harriman & Co around supply chains and use of home products.

For Hempsall’s work, governments and local authorities expect measurable impact, sustainable delivery and long-term legacies in such programmes, as well as considered purchasing, resources and processes. It’s our mission to support everyone to make a success out of the challenges of early years and childcare policy.  A tall order sometimes, and by no means a job completed.  Sustainability is built in from the outset, core to all actions and programmes are rightly held to account through contract measures.

We are committed to the best short- and long-term impact on children and families, and those delivering early years and childcare services.   We strive to achieve the best quality practice and outcomes for children, delivered by a professional, resourced and sustainable sector and workforce. Our website states:

In terms of our impact, we constantly monitor and review our use of resources. This includes our time, travel, and physical resources. We aim to make conscious, economical and environmentally focused choices for the benefit of our clients, service users and beneficiaries, and the local and global community. We use resources from sustainable and renewable sources and recycle whatever we can.

For www.harrimanandco.com a design and homeware store, there are many sustainability considerations such as: materials used, production processes, supply and delivery chain, terms and conditions of those working on production, and the impact on the environment when products are used or when they end their useful lifetime.

The supply chain must be as ethical as possible and we need assurances of those working on production enjoy appropriate terms and conditions.  The supply chain can be easy when it is part of our family, our own production, or a business around the corner from the store.  It gets more difficult when the product is sourced from the other side of the world.  Although if we get the opportunity, we do go and see for ourselves.  Important considerations for us here are: local, UK and international; family-businesses; independents; cooperatives; artisans; and Fairtrade.  For all, the choice of materials is critical, and we prioritise natural, re-used, re-cycling, long-term use, environmental impact, and safe disposal.  We are interested in these things, and many of our customers are too.  We get asked questions and if we aren’t asked we take opportunities to bring these matters to the forefront by starting conversations and by giving customers information about the products’ provenance to support informed purchasing choices.

Our social, economic and environmental priorities are established.  But it is a constant challenge.  Indeed a hugely beneficial aspect of my presentation was the Q&A afterwards and exposing our professional and personal behaviours to the keen scrutiny of those students attending.  I left knowing that the job is only just begun and we must continue to respond to demand, whether it be from government commissioners and contractors or customers walking through the shop door.  The future will demand we all commit further to sustainable development goals, communicate clearly the actions we are taking to meet them, and continue to innovate and challenge ourselves and those that use our services or products.  Thank you to DMU for the opportunity to reflect, share and be challenged.

Democratic leadership (DL) is also known as participative or shared leadership.  This leadership style is nothing new.  Indeed, US Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were said to be advocates of this approach.  Nowadays, it is something promoted by many of the main large fashionable and creative industries (naming no names) and characterised by members of a team taking a more participative role in the decision-making process.

In practical terms it sometimes extends to holding a ballot or vote, mostly informing the leader’s ultimate decision.  It is not an approach exclusive to politics or multi-nationals though, it is wholly applicable in any business.  And I know from experience it exists already in very many.  I wonder how remarkable it could be for more and more children, young people and team members to witness and learn from this type of democracy in action, first-hand.  What a great learning experience for everyone’s self-regulation, social and relationship skills, study and employability skills.

In DL, team members participate, share ideas, and discuss issues to inform decision-making, under the support of the team leader.  It is often the operating style teams reach when they are at fully functioning or ‘performing’ stage (Tuckman 1965).  But is does need conscious effort from all to make it as effective as possible.

Take this simple self-assessment test yourself, and ask your team what they think:

• Are all team members supported to share ideas, thoughts and opinions?
• Is there a sense of creativity in the leader and team, and is it welcomed and valued?
• Do team members feel involved and engaged with the decision-making process?
• How honest, fair and democratic is the leader considered to be?

Be warned though, one misconception of this approach, is the leader doesn’t make decisions.  They do.  After a well-facilitated discussion or consultation, the team could choose to take a vote.  A majority vote could be enough, or the leader could have a casting vote if needed (think the Strictly Come Dancing panel, where the head judge has the decision in the event of a tie).  Or the leader could acknowledge the majority view, but still side with the minority – justifying and explaining their position clearly to all.

A leader who may be struggling and unconfident, finding it difficult to make decisions, may use this approach too much and destabilise the team in the process.  This can be very unsettling and confusing for the team members and could weaken trust and respect.  It is not a technique to use when teams are newly formed either, as teams will be looking for strong directional leadership until the team develops further.  Nor is it for when there is tension and disagreement between small sub-groups, as the open sharing of views and ideas will either become stifled, or it will fuel disagreements and division.

Save it for when the group feels skilled and willing to participate.  DL benefits are many and can include: happier individuals and team members, improved idea or solution generation, the sharing of morals and values – which strengthens connections and relationships, and higher functionality and quality results.

This blog is based on an article by me first published in Teach Early Years.

I’ve been thinking a lot about social media over the years.  Mainly because some of what I have seen has not been good.  And this month we are all being reminded to #bekind and to think about what we say to people online from behind our keyboards or devices.  We have seen, again, the real and dramatic consequences of unthinking and unkind online content.

Some social media use in my work sector has been unprofessional, disrespectful and unhelpful.  It has not presented our profession in the way it should, it has not reflected our leadership, tolerance and commitment to equality.  On reading such material, I often wonder if it would pass the test against the British Values we are tasked with promoting.  Those standards of mutual respect and tolerance, democracy, rule of law, and individual liberty.

Yes, we all have individual liberty to express our own thoughts in a democracy, for freedom of speech, and to lobby and hold people to account.  But language choices, should always be respectful and tolerant of difference.   We all have a profound responsibility to be advocates of anti-bullying behaviours that support everyone’s self-esteem, wellbeing and personal safety.

I use social media, Twitter mainly, in a professional capacity to highlight best practice, share news and information, and to share information about what is happening in early years.  Across early years and childcare settings I am aware that Facebook has become a popular way of networking and debating between practitioners, and to communicate with parents.  Clearly, social media is something increasingly integrated into personal and professional lives.  The need for best behaviour and boundaries has never been bigger.

We usually refer to social media in our child protection and safeguarding training.  This is generally around supporting practitioners and leaders to consider the impact of team members using it.  The case of Vanessa George is discussed and how social media was used by her and others.  Accepting parents from the setting as friends or followers on platforms like Facebook or Instagram is usually a hot topic.  In small communities such friendships either pre-date or emerge during their time using the setting.  This is important to contemplate as it is all about the difference between personal and professional boundaries.  In many settings, the position is one of absolute intolerance to such boundary challenges.  In others, it’s considered okay as long as there is no discussion about work or the setting.  Our usual guidance is that staff should always think ‘would I want my manager or a parent to read this – and how would they respond?’

There is no specific reference to social media in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), probably as it is an emerging issue.  Instead, the focus is on limiting mobile telephones and cameras – both devices that are inextricably linked to social media, as they facilitate one’s access to, or the posting of material for social media.

What may start with a seemingly harmless social media posting may be the start of something more significant; the beginning of a ‘slippery slope’.  For young people, there is an emerging body of evidence about the harm thoughtless postings can cause, including mental health issues being increased by social media use, notably from the NSPCC (2016) who found increases in low self-esteem, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and depression.  The pace and range of how such public information can be shared is staggering.  Within seconds, your close or even closed contacts can be sharing your postings with their own open groups, and before you know it, your comments and images could be on the device of your employer, parents using your setting, children, work colleagues or even the local media.  It is something to be managed very carefully indeed.

A different version of this blog first appeared in Teach Early Years Magazine.

Today was one of those events.  20 years after unexpectedly setting up my own consultancy business, I found myself mentoring someone exactly 20 years younger than me in precisely the same boat. It came at a time when I have naturally been reflecting on the past two decades – as we all do when celebrating a birthday or anniversary.  In many ways it felt like I was supporting my younger self.  It was quite a moment.

My mentee had been spotted as a talent by an associate and invited to deliver a small consultancy project in their specialist area.  And rightly so.  I have every confidence they are the right person for the job.  So it all sounds simple enough doesn’t it?  But the issues presenting themselves were around getting the process right, confidence and communication, and value or worth.

For someone delivering their first piece of consultancy it can feel like a lonely place.  It is common to have feelings of uncertainty and to take on the entire responsibility for the project.  It can be quite daunting with lots of questions and doubts.  Sometimes I think the common perception of a consultant is it’s an easy life.  It may be once in a while, but not always.  Experience helps, and that is what I was sharing in this mentoring session.

First, we needed to check the consultancy question, mission or ‘ask’ was clear, so we could be confident in describing what success looked like.  That way, we knew what we were aiming for.  That can save many sleepless nights.  Consultants are often commissioned for their specialism, but more often for their time, objectivity and independence.  It is a big investment for any organisation.  One’s loneliness is supported by being boundaried.  It may seem counter-intuitive but believe me drawing clear limits about your role is incredibly enabling and freeing for the consultant and client alike.

The best piece of advice I received when I started out was setting my daily rate.  I had ideas of charging half of what I ended up billing for.  It was a client who told me what to charge and he told me in no uncertain terms I was worth it.  I thank him to this day for his advice and for his faith. And I am still getting advice from him now.  Nothing gave me greater pleasure than to pass that advice on today.

A lack of confidence can lead to all sorts of compensatory behaviours that pass on that lack of confidence to the client.  Before you know it, their trust in you will be damaged.  Advice here was about being confident and not allowing self-doubt to break boundaries or result in you saying ‘yes’ when you mean ‘no’, over-delivering on tasks, or making a hash of your client communications.  A risk here is you find it difficult to finish and sign-off a project as you never feel it is not good enough.

Be aware not to overload the client with tasks, they will start to wonder if it had been easier to do the job themselves.  Indeed, a plan for communications, and check-ins at the appropriate milestones means everyone knows what is happening and when.  And if it needs to change, talk about it.  Don’t avoid the issue, instead review and agree the plan.

Finally, we looked at progress against the project plan and timeline.  A common anxiety here is feeling you are behind or things won’t be ready in time.  Blocking off time (however long) to get some things moving quicker helps and creates a sense you are ahead of yourself.  Being able to estimate how long a task will take is a vital skill for consultants.  Of course it is, you are selling time.  Underestimate and it could cost your own time and resource, overestimate and you could be required to return some contract value, or under or overspends may balance each other out.  Importantly, getting time estimates wrong can be a block to progress, making you believe there isn’t time to get the simplest of things done.

It was great to be able to uncover the development needs of my mentee and unpick some of the elements of a considered piece of consultancy.  I enjoyed giving some of my learning back as well.  I will keep an eye on this one to ensure things go to plan!