Steve Munby's speech to the New Heads conference 08

Steve encourages all New Heads in the hall to think forward a few years to when they retire. "As a result of your work, children's lives are still being improved," says Steve You are still making a difference because you have touched the lives of many people, through your leadership. This is a scenario that, even now, you can be shaping.

Steve says he wants to share this morning some of the key aspects of successful leadership that he sees visiting schools around the country.

1. Believe in your pupils and your staff

If you believe in your staff and your children, they are more likely to believe in themselves. And if you don't believe in them, they'll suss you out very quickly. Steve tells the story of visits to schools in areas of high deprivation where the enthusiasm for learning was high ... because the pupils and staff in those schools were valued and believed in. Those leaders walk the school. Setting the tone. Intentionally connecting themselves to the people in their school. Investing in relationships carefully.

2. Be an outward facing leader

Not all the answers or opportunities can be found inside the school gates. School leaders cannot ignore the outward environment and must actively engage with it. With all the key agencies. With schools next door. 23,500 school doing their own thing is not in the best interests of our children, particularly vulnerable children. Collaboration, partnerships, chains of schools, sharing staff, school business management support. All of these will become even more important. We need to put children first rather than our needs or those of our governors.

There's much we can learn from the leadership of children's centres and pupil referral units, especially as multi-agency working is concerned. By reaching out, we bring back learning into our own organisation. 21st century school leadership is about having a spirit of openness and generosity.

3. Build effective teams

We cannot expect the pace of change to slow down. So, we have to challenge the idea of the head as the person who is accountable for everything. New Heads' relationship with their deputy is absolutely key. On their own they can do things. Together they can do great things. The most exciting schools I've visited this year, says Steve, have leaders everywhere in the school. They are bursting at the seams with leaders.

We have to let go of the idea of the charismatic leader who is also accountable for everything in their organisation. We have to let go and make some of the tough decisions we need to in order to distribute accountability and responsibility.

The best leaders look to create perfect and complete teams, with complimentary skills, rather than being perfect and complete themselves. So, one of the key skills for heads is recruiting and developing a team.

4. Be a learner and a sustainable leader

We stop being effective if we stop challenging ourselves and if others stop challenging us. Surround yourself with caring and honest critics. Be a learner and ask for help. Good learners are good at networking. You network because, your job is challenging. You need space and time in your first years of headship to reflect and develop themselves.

Steve mentions the need for leaders to look after themselves - their health and well-being. Leaders who do not do this set a bad example and their leadership is not sustainable.

5. Have a deep understanding of your context

What works in your first headship will not always work in your next. Things don't just transfer like that. You need to get in touch with your environment, with what makes it tick, with its rhythms. Tune in to your new context. Think yourself into your context.

6. Be courageous and confront the brutal facts

Beware of 'going native'. Notice what needs to improve. Don't become overfamiliar with your environment so that you fail to notice what needs to change. Don't accept second best. Be honest and realistic about your situation and keep asking yourself how you can become like successful similar schools. How can we learn from each other in the school to minimise within-school variation?

Good leaders not only show sensitivity. They also must be very clear about what is unacceptable. Hard issues do not go away if you ignore them. This issue is especially difficult for New Heads. Many New Heads regret not confronting challenging issues early enough.

7. Grow leaders

The best leaders coach and develop other leaders. A headteacher is about helping students AND teachers to learn. A core responsibility of leaders is to grow other leaders. The best leaders take great pride in growing new leaders, whether they stay in the school or move elsewhere. Schools where this happens tend to hold on to their staff and recruit better staff. The best organisations grow more leaders than they need.

Steve finishes by saying that we need legacy heads. Heads whose legacy is that they've built confidence in others to step up to leadership.

Moral purpose

The most successful leaders have moral purpose at the very core of their being. The power of a moral endeavour cannot be underestimated. NCSL is here to serve. To serve school leaders in the interests of children. Full stop. End of story. Make that your focus in everything you do. It's the fuel of success and the defeater of alibis.