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In this episode, the topic of diversifying income streams to build resilience is my focus. This is not just about marketing tactics or investment allocation strategy. It is a culture shift. I have lots more to share!With inflation high it's not an easy time to be leading in any industry, including the school sector. What we need to be thinking about is organisation resilience. Listen as I talk through how to diversify your income streams, mitigate risk and make sure you don’t miss opportunities. References and ResourcesIDPE Benchmarking reportCatch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

In this episode, I discuss the power of Strategy Away Days, especially in these times of rapid change. I dismiss the idea that they are mostly, ‘all talk and no action’. I help you see how Away Days are worthwhile and can be instrumental in your school's development. Having clarity on the problem(s) you need to solve is my first tip for you. Listen in for ways to harness strategic discussion in Away Days and ways to ensure action is a natural and achievable next step in your process. My examples of various formats for Away Days will help School Leaders plan and facilitate strategic collaboration time that moves towards action.I hope you enjoy this episode. It’s a great one for appreciating the value of strategic discussion and collaboration, whilst learning how to harness the effort which is contributed by all those involved.References and ResourcesContact Juliet for a free 30 minute video call to explore facilitation of a Strategy Away Day: hello@consultjuliet.co.uk Episode 039: Strategy away days: 8 top tips

In this episode, I’m joined by Beth Williams, Schools Partnership Manager of ImpactEd. We speak about how you can measure the impact of partnership programmes between independent schools and state schools.Beth and her colleagues at ImpactEd frequently work with independent schools, most often supporting them to evaluate the impact their programmes are having on local partner school students, and supporting them to make any changes to their partnerships to further increase impact.Beth and I reflect on the trend of genuine partnerships; ones which allow schools to work and play together in improving outcomes for all students.Listen to this episode to hear Beth explain the theory of change approach and the four categories of data you should be collecting to best evaluate the impact of your partnerships. References and ResourcesImpactEd If you'd like to find out more about ImpactEd or how they could support your school, please complete the Expression of Interest form. You can also email Beth Williams at beth.williams@impacted.org.uk'Theory of change in ten steps' by James Noble, NPC Google Scholar EEF Spectrum Database RAND Education Assessment Finder

In this week’s episode you’ll hear how to create a confidential professional strategy for 2023 which will drive forward your personal development this year.I share the five steps that I use to help you set professional goals and craft a strategy to achieve them. Remember, the strategy you are setting in your work environment may or may not align with your personal professional strategy, so take some time for yourself and use this start to the new calendar year as your fresh beginning.If you missed Part 1 in Episode 117, during which we reviewed successes from 2022, here’s the link. References and Resources:Episode 013 'Four building blocks of strategy''Atomic Habits' by James ClearWork with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/servicesCatch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

In this episode, I offer you a holiday-style review of my three favourite books for School Leaders. If you’re as avid a reader or listener as I am, I hope you will find  some time for the pastime over this holiday period.The three books I discuss have strong messages. They suggest new approaches for School Leaders, which you’ll enjoy considering for the new year.The engaging titles for my three chosen books (see links below) are: Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders by L. David Marquet The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible by Jeffrey Shaw References and Resources 'Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders' by L. David Marquet  'The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters' by Priya Parker  'Lingo: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible' by Jeffrey Shaw  'The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World' by Dorie Clark  Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

This episode is all about you! It’s your chance to focus on your own professional strategy and put to good use the strategic thinking you’ve been using for your in-school development, on your own personal development.This will be the first of two episodes where I cover ways of reviewing your professional or career strategy. This is the time of year to take stock, pause to review and prepare for goal-setting in January.Enjoy this episode. You’ll hear me prompting you to reflect on your professional development and how it’s gone in 2022 before pausing to relish the season. Be prepared for Part 2 in a couple of weeks when I’ll be setting strategic professional goals for 2023 with you.References and Resources Take a listen to this previous episode about crafting your strategy for the new year:  Episode 062: Craft your 2022 Strategy

In this episode, I explain choices you have available to you when making strategic fundraising decisions to suit your individual school. This episode is for Senior Leaders and Governors looking to make those strategic fundraising choices, but Development Office staff are always welcome too!I discuss key questions: What are you fundraising for? Who are you fundraising from? How will you fundraise? Listen to advice on factors needing consideration when looking at these questions. Remember, the more tailored the fundraising strategy is for your school, the more targeted you can be with your potential donors.I hope you will find this episode useful. I also invite you to check back to previous episodes on fundraising and strategic thinking.References and resourcesEpisode 114: Community Fundraising with Ed Lang, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Buffalo Fundraising Consultants Schools’ Fundraising and Engagement Benchmarking Report 2018 from IDPEWork with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services

This week’s episode is all about making sure your social media posts are strategic, so that they work for you. To narrow the scope, I’m addressing your Development Office use of social media. You will find lots that will be applicable to other departments and teams within your school too.Social media is just one strand of how you are communicating with your key audiences. This episode talks you through three strategic choices. I’ll help you see how setting objectives for your social media activity and measuring impact can be worthwhile stages in your fundraising process.As a school, you may be looking to enhance your brand loyalty with alumni and this episode can help you understand how to use social media for this purpose too, with long-term success.References and Resources Episode 022: Social marketing for schools Demographic research: Hootsuite SproutSocial Avocado Social Posting frequency and timing: Hootsuite Bloggingwizard SproutSocial Schedulers: Hootsuite Buffer Later SmarterQueue MeetEdgar Daily hashtags: Hootsuite

In this episode, our topic of discussion is Community Fundraising. I talk with Ed Lang, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Buffalo Fundraising Consultants, who has worked in this sector since 2004.If you’re keen to map out your school’s fundraising programme in a way that is strategically right for your school, then listen in. This episode will help you work out your ‘Strategic Next Step’ for community fundraising.Listen as we first clarify what is meant by community fundraising and then outline different vehicles such as telephone campaigns, giving days, direct mail and events. Ed Lang offers us pros and cons for each of these fundraising methods. Engaging with all levels of a school community is what Community Fundraising is all about. This episode offers you an understanding of the nuanced steps you can take to tighten your community fundraising programme within your school.References and Resources Buffalo Fundraising Consultants: www.buffalofc.co.uk Connect with Ed Lang on LinkedIn  Email Ed at Buffalo Fundraising Consultants Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

In this episode I’m joined by Eilish McDowell (Managing Director) and David Rider (Associate) of Caithness Consulting as we converse about the war for finding fundraising talent in a world that now involves increased demand for remote, hybrid and flexible working environments.In the fundraising world of the independent school sector, we’re seeing some hesitancy. This is not something we’re used to and many feel a little uncomfortable with the idea of fundraisers not being in school throughout the day.Join us in the discussion and listen to suggestions about how we can learn from other sectors in the marketplace and enable our fundraising positions within our schools to be sought after and filled by new and informed talent again.References and resources'Hybrid Work Is Just Work. Are We Doing It Wrong?''Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work'Caithness Consulting

In this second episode about Service and Leadership, I’m happy to be talking you through three steps for serving your audience.The three steps lead towards shifting our mindset so that we’re really serving our audience and offering true value. Ultimately, this is what our potential parents and students seek, isn’t it? I also encourage continued conversations with those parents at the decision-making stage, since they can help you understand what service is most useful for them and help you to earn their trust.I’m interested to hear your feedback on this. It’s a topic I think has great potential and I’d love to hear from you, especially if you’re working on any of the mentioned areas or would like some help in developing systems and processes to enable your best service whilst leading your school.References and resources LinkedIn: 'The Sophisticated Marketer's Guide to Thought Leadership' Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/servicesCatch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

This episode reflects on the value of combining service with leadership. It is the first of two episodes in which I share thoughts on the value of embedding service into our leading roles in the educational sector.Since the mourning period in September following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, many school leaders have found it worthwhile to reflect on their interpretation of service and how it guides their leadership.Have you ever wondered how you can offer service to your team whilst still retaining your leadership authority? It’s worth thinking of service as a way of putting the needs of your whole school community first. Balancing the needs of everyone is not easy though, is it?Take a listen to this episode to hear more about concepts like ‘Servant Leadership’ alongside Transformational Leadership patterns and ‘Serving to Lead’.References and resources 'Leaders Eat Last' by Simon Sinek  'Do you serve to lead?' by Adam O'Donnell  'Traditional Leadership Vs. Servant Leadership' by Brian Tait in Forbes Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

In this episode I’m joined by Steve Spriggs, CEO of the William Clarence Education Group.Steve and I discuss how elements of the commercial market are influencing marketing, admissions and recruitment in the educational sector. He gives insightful observations on some of the big picture trends influencing the evolving dynamic between educational and commercial business within a school. Steve's experience through working with parents reminds us to think of those families who are: “probably engaging with your brand and your digital footprint before you even know their name!”.Learn about a digital-first approach to strengthening your school’s brand and your reach in an increasingly competitive staff and student market.References and resources William Clarence Education  School Management Plus  Kampus24  Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services Catch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

It’s often the way that the culture of an organisation is taken for granted and can become invisible to us, particularly after having worked within it for some time. Last week, I spoke of culture and strategy and how important an understanding of culture can be for the successful implementation of strategic plans. In this episode, I help you initiate the process of analysing your school's culture. I give you an overview of six useful elements of change from the Cultural Web analytical tool, developed by Johnson and Scholes in 1992.  I invite you to listen to my thoughts on how best to start the analysis of your organisation’s cultural web and the steps to take once you have this information. References and resources Whittington, Richard, et al. Exploring Strategy. United Kingdom, Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2010.Catch up with previous relevant episodes:  Episode 52: Mastering the SWOT analysis www.consultjuliet.co.uk/052 Episode 48: Scanning your environment www.consultjuliet.co.uk/048 Work with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/services

This is the fourth and final episode in my 'Rethinking strategy' mini-series. To use a controversial quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” this episode prompts a rethink of how important it is to align culture and strategy within a school environment.Taking a new look at the underlying culture and values, beliefs and behaviours that each department of your school has could help unravel difficulties you may be facing in implementing your strategy.I discuss how important it can be to align your culture and strategy, allowing them to nurture each other. I invite you to move your thinking away from focussing just on strategy development and implementation, and to widen your view to include your school's culture.Listen to hear how I can help you diagnose whether there is a mismatch between your culture and strategy as well as to suggest the stages you could take to evaluate your current strategic position.My key message is to appreciate words attributed to Peter Drucker, management consultant and academic author, who advocated that culture will always win out over strategy. Elements of your own strategy can be configured so that both existing culture and strategy collaborate with success in your organisation. References and resources Download my “Rethinking strategy in independent schools” research report: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/rethinking-strategyWork with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/servicesCatch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

In this third episode of my 'Rethinking strategy' mini-series, I encourage you to think of strategy as a learning, rather than a purely planning, process.I have talked in previous episodes of the continuum between planned and emergent strategy, the benefits of allowing ideas to emerge from all layers of an organisation and the impact of retaining a stable core, whilst encouraging a disruptive edge.Listen here as I speak about how strategy can be a learning lens through which schools can identify problems, create hypotheses, pilot projects, reflect and ultimately reach a full cycle of successful strategic development.This podcast episode will help you see how effective it can be to implement a cyclical process of strategic thinking into your organisation. References and resourcesDownload my “Rethinking strategy in independent schools” research report: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/rethinking-strategyWork with Juliet Corbett www.consultjuliet.co.uk/servicesCatch up with previous episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

In this episode of my Rethinking strategy mini-series, I introduce an intriguing concept for independent schools to consider: a disruptive edge, yet stable core. The Harvard Business Review published some fascinating research in 2018 exploring how seven winning and well-respected organisations such as NASA, New Zealand All Blacks, the Royal College of Music and Eton College have thrived for more than 100 years and counting. Based on this research, I present ways in which your stable core plus a disruptive edge could elevate your strategy to an enduring status. I also build on discussion from my previous episode about how significant it is to allow strategy to emerge spontaneously within and across various sections of a school environment. Here, you can listen to three tried and tested ways in which these seven participants from the research have strengthened their stable core, invited potentially disruptive innovation into their strategies and consequently achieved success in their educational endeavours for over 100 years. I hope to support you with your strategic trial and error, your striving for innovation at the disruptive edge, your nurturing of a culture of change for the benefit of all your school community.References and resources Hill, A., Mellon, L. & Goddard, J., 2018. How winning organizations last 100 years. Harvard Business Review, Available at:  How Winning Organizations Last 100 Years Download my "Rethinking strategy in independent schools" research report: www.consultjuliet.co.uk/rethinking-strategyWork with Juliet Corbett consultjuliet.co.uk/services Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

The first episode in my mini-series: Rethinking strategy We often associate strategy with top-down planning, but it doesn't need to be that way.  Some start-ups and tech firms have been very successful by embracing a bottom-up approach to strategy, with individual staff members being encouraged to innovate and successful ideas driving the future direction of the organisation. So are strategies in independent schools too planned? Could we benefit from a different approach?In this episode, I take a look at the alternative ways to approach your strategy and explore the evidence that suggests we should embrace a new way of thinking. References and Resources Download my "Rethinking strategy in independent schools" research reportFind out how to work with me Catch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

In this episode I look at cascading your strategy - starting at the top and then threading it through each department, so you are all working toward the same goals.This can be done by dividing it into an organisational-level strategy and several operational strategies that focus on the day-to-day delivery but consistently link back to the top line vision. If this episode inspires you, take a look at these ways to work with me and explore how we can apply this, and more, to your school strategy. References and ResourcesCatch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast

Getting internal buy-in for bursary programmes can be tricky - everyone is so busy that additional tasks for a new project can sink to the bottom of the priority list.In this episode, I share with you the top areas to think about as you navigate this:1. Educating  senior leadership2. Inspiring internal buy-in3. Strategic collaboration4. Seamless journeys for recipients and donorsReferences and ResourcesEpisode 102 - Bursary programmes: a whole school effortCatch up on previous podcast episodes at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/podcast