The WORKING SBM offers some pearls of wisdom to those school business managers who may be starting out on the exciting, but challenging, journey of school business leadership
Be honest
Say what you think. The most important word you will need to use in your role occasionally is ‘No’. Don’t skirt it with a ‘maybe’ or fudges, if you mean it, say it. The SBM voice comes from a different angle of school leadership – that is what makes it so important.
Present a solution
When things go wrong (and they will) confess quickly and present a solution. Everyone makes mistakes, and the SBM workload means things sometimes get overlooked. Don’t let errors get you down or erode your confidence; learn from what has happened and find a way to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
Professional personal presentation
Ensure a professional personal presentation at all times. You are the business manager of your organisation. I believe it’s my job to help set an example of professional demeanour to both staff and students and, in my view, I can’t do that in jeans or with over-familiarity. Of course, this can make the SBM role an isolated one, but you’ll be grateful for this distance if you ever have to discipline a member of your team.
Network
Do not be an island in the SBM world. There are local and regional support networks to join, and the Institute of School Business Leaders (ISBL), your professional organisation, to be part of. There are also a variety of social media groups to connect with and @SBLconnect on Twitter is a good place to start. At the very least, introduce yourself to SBMs (of all phases) in your immediate area and ask if you can get together over coffee. You will be grateful for the support, I promise, and so will they.
Work your contracted hours.
We all know I don’t mean SBM’s skip off early! Maybe you are term time only, or work four days a week. If you have identified that you can’t do your job in the contracted hours, talk to your headteacher. No-one should be expected to work in their own time on a consistent basis. Of course, there will be times when a few extra hours are needed, but that is where TOIL comes in. Oh, and take your holiday entitlement!
Being a part of the SLT
Be an active part of your school’s SLT. This doesn’t necessarily mean you go to every meeting, are always consulted on every decision, or stay late every night of the week. It just means your role is considered to be part of the leadership structure in your setting and you can work on building effective relationships with the other leaders. If not already in place, you will likely need to walk the walk before you can ask for it to be formalised. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen!
Being a school business manager is about being a positive and resilient force in the school, especially when the going gets tough for other staff. There is no ‘one size fits all’ and no one-way route to success. In my experience, there is no age at which you become a better SBM, or a time when you stop learning. It’s a tough job, no doubt, and you’re on your own sometimes – a VfM voice against a constant tide of improvement initiatives.
It is hugely satisfying and worthwhile, but it is most definitely NOT for the faint-hearted.
