This week we were working on our findings. It was quite fun to see all of our hard work and effort start to come together. My task was writing up the findings on the impact measurement of other organizations similar to our stakeholder, and the findings for our evaluation framework for the day visits, whereas my partners worked on the findings of the literature review and our framework for the stakeholder's alternative provision group (the evaluation feedback of which is split into teachers and parents). This morning, the group alongside our Graduate Impact Advisor got together online to discuss our progress, which led to us improving on one of the drafts for the alternative provision group, adapting it more for our stakeholder's purpose. We also had, earlier this week, a team bonding evening at Franco Manca (delicious!!) where I got the chance not only to speak to my cohort but with some from Laidlaw's first cohort! We compared the similarities and differences of our projects. It is lovely to see how the programme has grown and flourished in 2 short years, and I am sure it will continue to do so. He also spoke to me about his LIA, which he completed last year, It got me even more excited about mine next year. Looking at the reflection question from this week, I would say my core leadership values are integrity, respect, authenticity, courage, and humility. when I look at the different leaders I respect, they embody these values, or at least strive to, and I would like to do the same. In order to centre them, I think it requires a lot of self-reflection on my behalf to truly understand how to express my most authentic self while staying humble. I think pushing myself into new opportunities (such as this one) will increase my courage, and so I am excited to see how these values will develop for me as I move into the latter half of my research project and my LIA.
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Isabella, it is encouraging to hear that the different strands of the project are beginning to come together. Your online discussion with the team and your Graduate Impact Advisor demonstrates the value of treating early drafts as tools for collaborative thinking. Adapting the alternative provision framework more closely to the stakeholder’s purpose is important: an evaluation tool must reflect the organisation’s context and intended use, rather than simply reproduce approaches that have worked elsewhere.
Your review of impact measurement in comparable organisations should provide a valuable foundation. As you write this section, consider not only which measures other organisations use, but what assumptions they make about what 'impact' means. Which outcomes matter to your stakeholder, over what period could they reasonably become visible, and whose perspective determines whether a day visit or alternative provision has been successful?
Integrity, respect, authenticity, courage and humility form a strong set of leadership values. The next step is to translate each into observable practice. For example, integrity might require reporting an inconvenient finding; respect might involve adapting how you invite feedback; courage could mean questioning an established assumption; and humility might mean changing your view when participants or colleagues know the context better than you do.
There may also be moments when these values pull in different directions. Authenticity does not always mean expressing every thought exactly as it occurs, and humility does not require making yourself smaller. Leadership involves exercising judgement about how to remain true to your principles while responding responsibly to other people and the situation.
It is lovely that meeting a scholar from the first cohort helped you see your own place within the programme’s developing story — and increased your excitement about next year’s LiA. I look forward to seeing how both your research and these leadership values develop during the second half of the project. Excellent progress — and Franco Manca was clearly a sound contribution to team cohesion! 🍕