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There are mistakes I see time and time again when people create their vision. Here are the top 5 so you can avoid them: Mistake #1: Everyone should write your vision No. You get a vision which seems to please everyone but really says nothing. It reminds me of the phrase: A camel is a […]

Do you ever get frustrated that some people don’t seem to be on your bus?  They don’t seem to get that your actions are all driven towards doing the best for your children and students.Or, perhaps they say they get it, but their actions tell you otherwise.​Why is that?Well it’s because they don’t really get […]

As a headteacher you are the leader of your school and the leader of the next generation; you know too well that your school’s success ultimately rests on your shoulders. Leadership creates culture by design; a lack of leadership allows a culture to form by accident. Great leaders create great cultures. The behaviour of individuals, […]

We’ve not found a difficult conversation we haven’t been able to fix yet. In fact, I’m looking for it. Here are three scenarios that felt impossible to the people we were working with but were fixed in very few conversations (and without capability or court). How to get through when someone doesn’t think there is a […]

Let’s face it, this is a life skill (if you’ve got my book check out who I dedicated it too- http://amzn.to/2GHGty2).  There is a priority order in your school and it goes like this: Start with your Senior Leadership Team – it’s a must for them because they’ll have the most, they’ll have the hardest and […]

Here’s how reactions look like in an RI, Good and Outstanding school. You’ve got an idea to improve an aspect of school, maybe it’s reading, maybe it’s maths, maybe it’s playtime. You’re excited to share it. And you do, at a staff meeting. Depending on the culture of your school you will tend to get […]

I know recruitment is hard. Even without teacher shortages it’s hard, because it’s hard to find the right people. And yet the success of your school has a lot to do with the people you recruit. So how does a vision make it easier? Let me share a story of head who found it did. […]

It’s highly likely that we are someone else’s difficult conversation. I’m sure you work to get things right but sadly without realising it it’s likely that there’s something we do that isn’t working for someone or a group. Maybe that ‘thing’ is something we accept as necessary, maybe we’re not aware of it. What it means […]

As a leader it can be hard to get quality feedback from your team as people have a natural and understandable reticence about giving their boss feedback. But without it our own professional development is starved. Here are 3 ideas to help you encourage feedback from your team. Creating two-way feedback when you’re the boss Two-way […]