It’s said that people at work are doing two jobs. … the one they were hired to do, and another job hiding how they really feel. But this is exhausting, and very difficult to acknowledge fully let alone discuss with peers. And so it’s all too easy to feel trapped behind the mask and unable to bring oneself forward fully into your leadership role.
The irony is that everyone in school & MAT leadership will experiencing the same emotions and challenges and responding in the same way. Because they, like you, are human. And so the masquerade goes on!
We know this at Drum and have been creating and holding reflective spaces for leaders to meet and discuss their experience of work for 24 years. Our facilitators use approaches that inspire openness, collaboration and support for leaders, and which free them up to do the best job they can.
What is a Drum?
Six peers with similar levels of seniority and no reporting lines meet together once a month for six months, for three hours at a time, in an online space facilitated by a Drum Master Coach. There’s no prep, no KPIs and no homework, nor any requirement to do anything other than come to the meetings and be open to discuss your experience of work. This is a space to think together about the real live issues that participants bring. 85% of the Drums created continue to stay connected long after the six facilitated sessions have ended.
How does it work?
Drums have always been online; it removes a barrier to participation and open the space up to a wider variety of participants. In fact, you will learn about skilful online meeting craft. After expressing an interest, you’ll attend a free no-strings group meeting to get a taste of how Drums work and to meet the other 5 leaders who would be in your group of 6. If you decide the Drum’s for you, you then commit. And we begin …
Why join a Drum?
By participating in a Drum, you’ll not only benefit from working with a Master Coach. You’ll build close trust-based relationships with a group of peers who will share your experience of leaning in, opening up, learning and moving forward. But it shouldn’t be left there …
Our invitation to you is to take what you learn in your Drum back into your workplace; to incorporate the practices into your leadership, and to share what you found most useful about the process with your colleagues. Because if you can enable everyone to feel they can be as open and supportive with one another as your peers were in your Drum - to drop their masks and connect, to really listen and learn from one another, to be curious and and engaged - then you will have created a truly effective organisation.
-
Ginny Baillie
One of the first Master Certified Coaches in Europe, Ginny has undertaken thousands of coaching and group work hours over the last 24 years. She has designed and delivered projects from large government mandates, to multinational teams and smaller projects. Industries range from big pharma, to logistics to media. She has broad experience of partnering with multiple stakeholders to co-design and launch initiatives focussing on connection, collaboration and results.
-
Ben Gibbs
Ben Gibbs has worked with schools and school leaders for 22 years, including as a teacher, a governor and now as a coach and consultant. His clients have included the DfE, think tanks, edtechs, MATs, schools and individual leaders. He is a coach on UCL’s NPQEL and EHCO programmes. His mission is to bring ideas and approaches from outside the sector in, widening school leaders’ perspectives and bridging the gap between NPQ programmes and reality.