About Arnna

I DON’T HAVE AN ATTENTION SPAN

I have been a school leader, a leadership coach, a curriculum writer and developer of teams for the past 25 years. I think quickly, speak quickly and am happiest when I have four different projects and activities on the go, all at the same time. I’m a nicer person and a nicer leader when I am busy. A watered-down version of me is exciting. A fully-focused version of me, makes me slightly intense, focused and driven. There are times we need each, rarely do we need both!

As a learner, I have always got to the point quickly. I am the person who needs to know the end first and then what we have to do to complete this. I love learning and love helping people learn, to lead!

Because I am not great at listening for really long lengths of time, I had to develop a way of listening. I would go to trainings, professional learning experiences and conferences, and I would be trapped! I wanted to listen and learn, but I got a wee bit distracted, quickly. (My family refuse to sit with me on longhaul flights - an hour in, I’m asking how much longer, and this doesn’t work well when I fly from our home in Italia to native New Zealand.)

And this is how my learning through pictures began. I started to draw and summarise what I was learning. It made me listen. It made me learn more. And I became a better leader. I wrote curriculum in Leadership for a special project over two years, with Vanderbilt University. The special nature of this project was our focus. We were developing leaders and supporting a school reform, in the Middle East, with 70% of non-English speakers. Sometimes meaning and concepts can be lost in words, powerpoints and lectures. So I developed a style of delivery and recording presentations through visuals. I made charts for every presentation we delivered. This summarised the learning and suddenly our leaders had a way of connecting with the concepts. Photographs of these became hot property! And this way of learning has become a key to my leadership and the way I teach students, teachers and leaders to learn. I can’t talk without a pen or marker in my hand, a flip chart or a notebook. My office has a wall of whiteboards, to draw on as we discuss ideas.

I previously led Professional Learning and Curriculum Development across a network of schools, personalising learning for 500+staff, hosting four leadership programmes: Aspiring Leadership, Team and Grade Level Leadership, Developing Leaders and Teaming as Senior Leaders. Since starting this, more than 250 participants have worked with me and moved through this course. More than 70% of participants have moved into higher leadership roles. As well as Leadership in Pictures, I believe in practicing what I preach. At present I work in a start up project as a school principal, building a new community of schools and bringing a new way of learning to them.

I do read articles, and books and watch pod casts. I enjoy learning, and taught myself to engage with learning deeply, through pictures. And now, we have a way of learning leadership strategies and skills in the same way. Listening, drawing and watching… for really short bursts of time.