L4. Make it happen toolkit
Toolkit
Relentless follow-up is what signals that something truly matters. When leaders persist with clarity, consistency, and energy, they show their staff and students that priorities are non-negotiable. This planner blends Angela Duckworth’s concept of grit with sustainable leadership practices. It helps leaders commit to long-term goals while pacing themselves and their teams to avoid burnout.
| Clarity of Goal |
| What is the single most important priority I need to follow through on? Be specific and write the exact goal and why it matters now. Avoid vague aspirations and make the purpose explicit. |
| Perseverance in Action |
| How am I showing persistence in reinforcing this priority daily and weekly? Record examples of follow-up such as revisiting routines, addressing drift, or coaching staff. Look for consistency rather than occasional bursts of action. |
| Adaptability |
| Am I holding firm on the goal but flexible in the strategy? Check whether you are stuck on one method. If progress is stalling, identify adjustments to make while maintaining the desired outcome. |
| Support and Accountability |
| Who is encouraging, challenging, and holding me accountable? List colleagues, mentors, or governors who can provide honest feedback. Relentlessness is sustained when supported by a network rather than carried alone. |
| Ensuring Personal Well-being |
| How am I ensuring this pursuit does not lead to burnout? Consider pacing, delegation, and recovery. Identify routines such as exercise, reflection, or time away from work that help you sustain effort without exhaustion. |
| Celebrating Progress |
| What small wins have we secured, and how am I sharing them? Notice and celebrate incremental improvements. Recognising effort fuels motivation and demonstrates that persistence pays off. |
| Sustaining Relentlessness |
| What systems or habits will keep this goal alive in six months’ time? Think about embedding routines, checkpoints, and accountability structures. Sustained change requires systems that survive beyond one leader’s energy. |
| Reflection Prompts |
| Am I relentlessly following through on the things that truly matter, or spreading myself too thin across lesser priorities? Am I balancing passion with sustainability, ensuring persistence inspires rather than exhausts? Do I adapt methods when needed while staying firm on outcomes? Who in my network is keeping me honest, and how often do I seek their challenge? What practical routines help me sustain effort without tipping into burnout? |
L4. Make it happen: example toolkit
Role: Headteacher
| Clarity of Goal |
| The single most important priority this term is embedding our new behaviour system so that calm, consistent routines become the norm in every classroom. This matters because it underpins everything else, from learning quality to staff morale. The goal is that by the end of term, both staff and students can articulate and demonstrate the same expectations without hesitation. |
| Perseverance in Action |
| I have followed up on this priority every week in briefing, in line management meetings, and through visible presence in corridors and classrooms. When I spot drift, such as delayed starts or inconsistent follow-up on low-level disruption, I address it immediately and revisit it the following week. I have also modelled this consistency myself by visiting the same classrooms regularly and using the same calm, direct language we ask teachers to use. |
| Adaptability |
| Early on, I realised that the behaviour tracking forms were too time-consuming and were creating frustration. I simplified the process to focus on the quality of conversations rather than the number of entries. This small adaptation kept the goal alive without compromising on standards. I have learned to stay firm on purpose but flexible on method. |
| Support and Accountability |
| My deputy head and two heads of year act as my accountability partners. Each Friday, we meet briefly to review consistency data, discuss emerging patterns, and hold one another to account. They also tell me honestly when my messaging risks becoming repetitive or when I need to celebrate more. This team challenge keeps me grounded and focused. |
| Ensuring Personal Well-being |
| To sustain energy, I block out two short recovery periods in my week: an earlier finish on Wednesdays as there are no late meetings and a morning walk on Sundays. I have delegated several operational tasks to my business manager to free up bandwidth for visibility and follow-up. This helps me maintain balance while staying relentless about the things that truly matter. |
| Celebrating Progress |
| We now share weekly “consistency shout-outs” in briefing, quick examples of staff who have demonstrated exceptional persistence in maintaining routines. I also make a point of recognising improvements in year group behaviour data. Celebrating these small wins has helped turn persistence into a shared team value rather than a solo pursuit. |
| Sustaining Relentlessness |
| The next step is to embed a half-termly “consistency audit” led by middle leaders so that ownership spreads across the school. This system will keep the goal alive long after the initial launch energy fades. Sustained change requires structure, not personality, and these routines will make our culture self-sustaining. |
| Reflection Prompts |
| This focus has reminded me that persistence must be intentional, not exhausting. My challenge is to keep standards visible without becoming overly controlling. The balance of follow-up, adaptation, and celebration is what makes consistency feel empowering rather than oppressive, and that is the culture I want to model. |