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Section 3 of 6
Pathway 2: Providing clarity

Providing clarity

The 4 capabilities shown as 4 sections in a circle. Capability 2 which is providing clarity, is highlighted.

Providing clarity as a middle manager

As a middle manager, providing clarity means ensuring that expectations, processes, and goals are clear, well-understood, and confidently communicated to your team. 

Examples of how you can provide clarity  

Vision, expectations, and goals 

Providing clear guidance on effective practice and collaboration helps you hold yourself and your team accountable to shared goals and expectations. Caring personally while challenging directly enables you to have honest conversations, aligning team efforts with organisational priorities and translating them into clear vision and goals. 

Leading the workforce 

Inspiring staff to work directly with families unites them around the goal of improving life experiences and holding high ambitions for children’s futures. Keeping children at the centre of every conversation inspires your team to achieve ambitious outcomes through clear communication and a shared focus on positive change. 

Anti-oppressive practice 

Establishing a safe and inclusive environment empowers you to inspire teams to take ownership in: 

  • dismantling racism and discrimination 
  • promoting clear anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory actions 

Creating space for ongoing dialogue about differences helps you build inclusive practices and raise awareness the effect of racism. This enables anti-oppressive approaches within your team. 

Strategy and implementation 

Dedicating time to long-term priorities helps you develop a clear vision and strategic plan that aligns with organisational goals and sustains shared objectives. Careful financial planning and partnership engagement helps you collaborate to achieve strategic goals.  

These behaviours help middle managers build a supportive environment where clear communication of expectations, processes, and feedback enables their team to perform effectively. 

Over to you

Take 5 minutes to reflect on the behaviours above and respond to one of the following questions: 

  • How do I ensure that my team understands and aligns with our child-centred vision, goals, and expectations?  
  • What steps have I taken to build an inclusive environment where staff actively manage bias and discrimination? 

You can use the ‘Providing clarity as a middle manager’ section in your 4C leadership capability framework action plan for this activity. 

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The resources have been developed by Frontline in collaboration with DfE.
Published: 30 January 2025
Last updated: 30 January 2025