A presentation given to Headteachers at the Independent Schools Association (UK) Annual Conference at Eastbourne on Friday 17th May, 2013

1. How to be a Multiplier School
Leader
A presentation to Headteachers at the
ISA Annual Conference in Eastbourne;
Friday 17th May 2013
Samantha L Jaspal Headteacher
Haresfoot School and Berkhamsted Pre-Prep

2. Introduction

3. As a headteacher, are you trying to do more
each year with the same resources?

4. How can we do more, without employing
more people?

5. Are you getting the most out of your staff?

6. If staff can’t work longer,
how do you get them to work smarter?

7. Multiplier leadership is a management model
that helps you do more at no extra cost

8. When you were a teacher, did you learn and
give more when working for some leaders
than you did when working with others?
Why?

9. Why do some leaders
get the most of people?
and others drag them
down?

10. Schools need a distributive leadership model.

11. “Multiplier Leaders”
This is only possible if Leaders and managers have
the confidence to empower those “below” them in
the organisation:
• Distribute power
• Tap into people’s talents
• Give ownership (and credit) to others
We call these “multiplier leaders”

12. “Diminisher Leaders”
Schools are held back by leaders who:
• Hold onto the reins
• Control every decision
• Dominate meetings
• Don’t develop people – keep staff in their roles
• Insist on demonstrating that they are in charge
We call these “diminisher leaders”

13. Two Leadership Styles

14. How do you…
manage talent?
Use it? Develop it?

15. How do you . . .
approach mistakes?
Blame? Explore?

16. How do you …
make a decision?
Decide? Consult?

17. The Diminisher Leader

18. Diminishers
The Gatekeeper Hoards resources and underutilizes talent
The Tyrant
Creates a tense environment that
suppresses people’s thinking and
capability
The Know-It-All Gives directives that showcase how much
they know
The Decision Maker Makes centralised, abrupt decisions that
confuse the organisation
The Micro Manager Drives results through their personal
involvement

19. A Cycle of Decline
A Players

20. A Players
A- Players
Get boxed in
and limited
A Cycle of Decline

21. A Players
A- Players
Personal
Reputation
Declines
Get boxed in
and limited
Lose confidence
and recede
A Cycle of Decline

22. A Players
A- Players
Personal
Reputation
Declines
School’s
Reputation
as ‘Place to
Die’
Get boxed in
and limited
Lose confidence
and recede
“Quit and Stay”
A Cycle of Decline

23. A Players
A- Players
Personal
Reputation
Declines
School’s
Reputation
as ‘Place to
Die’
B Players
Get boxed in
and limited
Lose confidence
and recede
“Quit and Stay”
Averts A players and
attracts B players
A Cycle of Decline

24. The Multiplier Leader

25. “The critical skill of the 21st century is not what
you know, it’s about how fast you can access
what other people know.”
C.K.Prahalad

26. The Mind of a Multiplier
Multipliers reject the notion that a heroic leader, a lone
innovator, or a single brain at the head of a school can
solve our most complex problems.

27. Multiplier leaders have a plan for their staff to
learn and discover
• Leaders who inspire teachers to stretch themselves and surpass
expectations

28. Multiplier leaders inspire teachers to stretch
themselves and surpass expectations

29. Multipliers
The Talent Finder
Attracts talented people and uses them at
their highest point of contribution
The Liberator
Creates an intense environment that
requires people’s best thinking and work
The Challenger
Defines an opportunity that causes people
to stretch
The Community
Builder
Drive sound decisions by constructing
debate and decision-making forums
The Investor
Gives other people the ownership for
results and invests in their success

30. A Players
A+ Players
Personal
Reputation
Grows
School’s
Reputation
as ‘Place to
Grow’
A Cycle of Attraction
Get fully utilised
and grow
Get recognised
Offered
opportunities
Attract other
A players

31. The Diminisher – Multiplier Spectrum
Dreadful Diminisher Amazing Multiplier
Despite our best intentions to be perfect
leaders, most of us fall somewhere on the
continuum between:

32. The Diminisher – Multiplier Spectrum
Dreadful Diminisher Amazing Multiplier
Despite our best intentions to be perfect leaders, most
of us fall somewhere on the continuum between:
Accidental or not, the impact on your team is the
same. You may be harnessing only half of the
true brainpower of your team.

33. The Diminisher – Multiplier Spectrum
If we want to lead like a multiplier we need to
learn to think like one.

34. Multiplier Experiments:
Three Practical Exercises to try back at School

35. Multiplier Experiments
Poker Chips
Do you (or others) dominate meetings?
Do you get to hear good ideas from all of your
SLT?

36. Multiplier Experiments
Poker Chips
Play Fewer Chips
By being small, others get a chance to be big
By being big less often, your own ideas will be more
impactful

37. Multiplier Experiments
51% of the Vote
Do you really give others the room to manage?
Do you really delegate power to your team?

38. Multiplier Experiments
51% of the Vote
Give Responsibility
What would happen if you gave your senior or
middle managers 51% of the vote?

39. Multiplier Experiments
Supersize It
Do you allow people to grow to their full
potential?
Are you getting the most out of your staff?

40. Multiplier Experiments
Supersize It
Give harder work, not more work
Let people fill the vacuum not you

41. We can all be multipliers

42. Many of the ideas in the
presentation were inspired by
The Multiplier Effect, which is
published tomorrow in the UK.
Samantha L. Jaspal, B.A. (QTS)
Headteacher, Haresfoot School and Berkhamsted Pre-Prep
Email: preprephead@berkhamstedschool.org
Twitter: @preprephead
Blog: www.preprephead.blogspot.com