An account of Dr Briony Scott’s (Principal, Wenona) presentation on leadership at the 2018 Educate Plus International Conference. In today’s digital age, you can no longer lead from behind the closed doors of your office. A strong social media presence is vital. As Dr Briony Scott, principal of Wenona School in New South Wales, told delegates at the conference in Auckland, social media is a game changer. Dr Scott says social media has transformed the way school leaders connect and engage with key audiences. “Social media has significantly redefined our relationships with our people and communities. It’s so important for school leaders to embrace this transformation, and leverage the enormous opportunities it offers.” Dr Scott, who received the Education Plus Institutional Leadership Award at the conference, acknowledged that it can be daunting for leaders to take that first step into the digital ocean. Particularly when the perception might be that it exposes them to greater reputational risk. “It’s very easy for school leaders to stay in the past, but the world has changed. Even if you aren’t communicating via social media, your parents, students and competitors are. And it’s likely that they are talking about you and your school, so you need to be part of the conversation!” Dr Scott advised leaders who are fearful of making a mistake or losing their credibility online, to engage slowly. “Take it at your own pace,” she said. “But be bold and embrace it.” Just like any form of communication, leaders need to be thoughtful and careful before posting anything online. But the rewards of building an engaged following far outweigh the risk. “Parents drop their children off at the school gates in the morning and have no real insight into what they are doing on a day-to-day basis. Social media is a great way for parents to build greater rapport with the school and to support their child’s learning at home.” While Wenona has a small team that monitors, engages with, and posts content on its social media accounts, Dr Scott started her own Instagram account in 2015. She wanted to create a more personal connection with parents in real time. It has allowed her sense of humour to shine through, and demonstrates her willingness to listen, learn and engage with her school community. “I wanted to challenge parents’ perceptions of the School,” she said. “Typically, their impressions are formed by what they see in glossy brochures. Social media enables you to show a more human side of school life. And as a school principal, it helps to make you more approachable.” While Dr Scott’s Instagram account was initially aimed at parents, the School’s alumnae and students were quick to connect with her online. And one of the most enriching consequences of her digital engagement, has been the opportunity to help her students navigate the online social networking world. “As a school leader, if you don’t understand social media, it puts you in a difficult position when you’re trying to guide young people in this space,” she said. “You need to know this environment in order to mitigate any negative impacts on their mental health and wellbeing.” She acknowledges that in today’s always-connected world, schools must be diligent in chasing down and responding to negative comments or spreading stories. When a Wenona student was attacked in her home by an intruder in 2011, with a great deal of media coverage, the School wrote a letter to all parents explaining what was happening and emailed it to them. “This was pre-social media, so we had time to prepare, and it was seen as a timely reaction,” she said. But when in 2015, Dr Scott emailed the school community to tell them she had cancer, by the time she got out of a movie two hours later, the news had gone to family, friends and contacts around the world. “Silence is not an option when things go wrong,” she said. “In a social media world, people expect immediate responses. You need to move quickly to maintain control over how things are shared or interpreted, which is why you must have a clearly defined social media crisis management plan in place.” CHRIS PETERS WRITER CHRISTOPHER T PETERS LTD WWW.CHRISPETERS.CO.NZ Why School Leaders should get Social DECEMBER 2018 5 5