When we returned to Nepal in July 2014 after our year in the
UK it was for me (Dan) to take on a new role in a restructured leadership of
KISC. It was decided to divide the top of the leadership tree into 3 and have 3 Directors
running KISC. Each is equal in authority, reports to the governing board and
has responsibility for different aspects.
As School Director I am responsible for the K-13 school and
all academics. Khim Kandel is EQUIP Director and he is responsible for EQUIP,
our teacher training branch, as well as government relations and legal status.
Thirdly, Angus Douglas is Development Director, responsible for the Development
of KISC and all non-academic stuff such as the site and support staff. All 3 of
us have been at KISC for a few years before we took on these roles, and this
fairly unique leadership structure.
Directors Selfie |
We meet weekly to deal with day-to-day issues of running KISC
and we each have our own teams that we lead. I lead the Academic Leadership
Team, including directly managing the Principals of the Primary and Secondary
Schools. As well as running the day-to-day we are also responsible for vision
and leadership of KISC. But, as I’m sure most of you reading this will realise,
the day-to-day often overtakes the bigger discussions we would like to have.
Therefore, early on in our time working together as leaders
we decided to instigate a ‘Directors Walk’. We try to do this four times a year
and block out the whole morning in our calendars. We usually go for breakfast
at a local café and then drive out into the surrounding hills and walk. This
being the Himalayas, there is plenty of choice of good walks with great scenery.
Often on these walks we stop to pray together, and always end up in a Tea-shop where
we finish off with either Nepali style Masala tea or a cold coke, depending on
the season, before heading back to KISC for an afternoon in the office.
Walking through the hills |
As we walk we discuss the bigger ideas; the purpose and
direction of KISC as an organisation, the more complex issues we want to
tackle, or the new plans for something that in a regular meeting there often
isn’t time to get into. Last week we headed out to the new site for the school
and walked around the site discussing plans and then headed off into the valley
adjacent to the school excited by the soon to be surroundings of KISC: hills,
footpaths and streams rather than main roads and overcrowded developments.
These walks have been one of my favourite things about the
role the past 2 and a half years, and have often been the source of some of our
best ideas, or most creative solutions to problems. I would highly recommend
them to others who work in teams responsible for leading, or developing vision
and creative ideas. Try it and you might find it’s a good idea, although I
doubt you’ll beat our scenery.
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