We’re often asked how we measure progress and celebrate achievement in schools and academies working their way through the Sycol programme of BUILD, EMBED and SUSTAIN.

 

Sycol Leads within an organisation are a role model for positive change and build solutions that deliver the highest standards, shifting culture and challenging mindset in order to drive continuous improvement.

 

The progress of Sycol Leads is measured using Sycol’s coloured belt system whereby progress is made by graduating from Green, through Blue to Black. As Leads are trained and deliver greater capacity to the organisation they become trainers in their own right of those Leads that follow their example.

 

 

GREEN BELTS

 

The Green belt indicates that a member of staff is now a Sycol Lead. Early work includes cultivating a mindset around, Lean, Systemic and Solution Oriented thinking that is excuse free. A Green belt is awarded to a Lead as they take on this mindset and responsibilities of executing the BUILD phase of the programme within their school.  Leads have responsibility for some, or all, of the different duties within BUILD and have been trained in all of them so as to support their fellow Leads.

 

Duties for Green Leads are:

 

  1. Review/ re-write the Core Framework (CF)
  2. Write and take responsibility for a list of activities to embed the CF
  3. Write/ review Colleague Pledges
  4. Establish feedback systems
  5. Write and distribute a Strategy Summary identifying Innovations for the year ahead
  6. Timetable and implement the Innovation Cycle
  7. Implement Standards Walks and 5MiMs

 

The Leads will record their team progress on the online tracker at Sycol.com and when all tasks have been completed, then they are ready to progress to Blue and train and mentor the next set of Green Leads.

 

 

BLUE BELTS

 

Mindset deepens and strengthens as a Sycol Lead graduates from Green to Blue belt. Discipline, ownership and honour is noticed in their work and the belts are awarded to Leads as they take on the responsibilities for the duties within the EMBED phase.  Leads have responsibility for some, or all, of the different duties within EMBED and have been trained in all of them so as to support their fellow Leads.

 

Duties for Blue Leads are:

 

  1. Create a schedule of regular Brief Coaching (BC) in which all colleagues are trained
  2. Implement BC programme across the organisation
  3. Establish a feedback system
  4. Implement 3S and GEMBA systems to raise awareness of environmental standards and re-enforce expectations about individual responsibility
  5. Identify key partners and links to support Community Engagement (CE) opportunities
  6. Implement CE projects

 

The Leads will record their team progress on the online tracker at Sycol.com and when all tasks have been completed, then they are ready to progress to Black Belt and train and mentor the next set of Blue Leads.

 

 

BLACK BELTS

 

As Leads move from Blue to Black belt they are recognised as sophisticated and powerful agents of change within the organisation. Their calm approach is underpinned by humility and total discipline toward the practice and mindset of high performance. Black belts are awarded to Leads as they take on responsibility for the duties within the SUSTAIN phase.  Leads have responsibility for some, or all, of the different duties within SUSTAIN and have been trained in all of them so as to support their fellow Leads.

 

Duties for Black Leads are:

 

  1. Measure culture development by completing a balanced Scorecard
  2. Test organisational and cultural alignment by implementing alignment mechanisms
  3. Create recruitment and induction processes that ensure employee cultural fit
  4. Establish feedback systems

 

The Leads will record their team progress on the online tracker at Sycol.com and when all tasks have been completed, then they are ready to train and mentor the next set of Black Leads.