{"id":8241,"date":"2011-04-21T02:13:00","date_gmt":"2011-04-21T02:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arliemediadesign.com\/?p=8241"},"modified":"2025-03-19T02:58:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T02:58:53","slug":"following-socrates-and-creating-empowerment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happy.co.uk\/blogs\/following-socrates-and-creating-empowerment\/","title":{"rendered":"Following Socrates and Creating Empowerment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019m Chair of Governors of my local comprehensive school in Hackney. The headteacher emailed me to say she\u2019d been reading a book on getting more students through GCSEs and found me quoted in the middle of it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI soon learnt that you can only create a second class copy of yourself if you manage yourself as a model. What you aim for is for people to feel they own their own job which means you set the principles and you agree the targets. You step back and let the people perform, any way they like, as long as its within the principles and hits the targets. You offer support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intriguingly the authors put it in the context of Socrates\u2019 views. Apparently he said \u201can essential part of empowerment in any post is a clear sense of what is expected of the post-holder.\u201d I\u2019ve not come across that before but I\u2019d certainly agree with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me the key is to create a clear framework and make sure there is lots of freedom within it for innovation. If you want the full explanation of the principles\/targets\/support approach do download the draft of my book, The Happy Manifesto<\/em>. And if you want to find out how to get more students through GCSE, check out this book: Climbing Towards Excellence<\/em>, John R Rowling and Wyll Willis, Trentham Books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find out more about the principles of Henry\u2019s book, the Happy Manifesto.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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