S05 - E08 Janet Smith

In this episode Janet Smith, CEO and Principal of Nottingham College, joins Nick MacKenzie to discuss what it takes to rebuild a college after years of mergers, low morale, financial pressure and the fallout of Covid-19. 

Janet talks openly about the personal experience that shaped her approach to leadership, and why resilience and humour matter when the challenges don't let up. 

She explains how she arrived at a college with no shared identity, an Ofsted ‘Requires Improvement’ grade and a history of industrial action - and what she did about it. 

The conversation covers how to engage staff at scale in a college with seven campuses and 1,700 employees, from strategy built with people rather than imposed on them, to principal's lunches, roadshows and a five-word mission statement that stuck. 

Janet reflects on the moments when a turnaround starts to feel real, including the collective response to an Ofsted Good outcome and the impact of small acts of recognition. She also addresses workload as a strategic risk, including the decision to reduce teaching hours before the budget was ready for it.

For anyone interested in FE leadership, college improvement or building a staff culture that lasts, there's plenty here worth hearing.

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