Early wins

What this step is about

People need evidence that the effort is worth it. This step is about securing a visible improvement early on, and making sure the people who made it happen get the credit.

Early wins also protect the change: it’s much harder to argue against something that is visibly working.

What it looks like when it’s missing

• Six months into the new marking policy, nobody can point to anything that’s better, only that it takes longer.
• Homework completion has improved in one year group, but nobody outside the department knows.
• The new timetable has freed up time for joint planning, but it’s presented as a senior leadership success.
• Behaviour incidents have dropped on one corridor, and the staff there were never told they made a difference.

What to do

1. Plan one or two early wins deliberately: small, visible and achievable within a half-term.
2. Look for wins that are already happening, and gather the evidence.
3. Credit the people responsible by name, in public, and in their own words where possible.
4. Share wins where they’ll be seen: staff briefings, newsletters, department meetings.

Templates