Dr Chris Baker FIoL.
MAT CPD Leader, Dr of Education, passionate about coaching, leadership and T&L
What do you do now?
I am currently the professional development lead for a large federation of schools in the South West of England. I am responsible for the design, delivery and evaluation of professional development for our 1800 staff and am currently developing a responsive coaching framework.
Where did your career start?
My career started as Physical Education teacher in a secondary school and has progressively evolved because of a wealth of opportunities and belief from others.
Has there been a stage in your life where you first appreciated what great leadership looked like?
My first conscious reflection on effective leadership came a few years into my career after I was asked about how I kept so engaged and driven across my different roles. I responded by talking about the levels of respect, trust and recognition I felt and then realised that this was not an accident but a purposeful action by the leaders above me. It was then that I appreciated how great leaders create the conditions for success.
Do you have any examples of what you have done to develop yourself as a leader?
I have engaged in a range of formal leadership qualifications as I have move through my career in education and more recently completed the ILM7 in Executive Coaching and Mentoring and a Doctorate in leadership development. Probably more impactful than that though has been an ongoing commitment to study, reflection and deliberate practice. It is this that has allowed me to make ongoing incremental improvements to the effectiveness of my leadership.
How do you think Leadership has benefitted you?
Leadership continues to be an absolute privilege that has given me so much for so long. The chance to drive innovation, lead meaningful change and be a lever in the development of others is something that I wouldn’t change for the world. The journey to and through different levels of leadership has enabled me to grow intellectually, professional and more importantly as a person and I hope to continue doing it for as long as I can.
Further information about Cabot Learning Federation can be found here.