Imperfect Leadership and Leading on the Edge
with Steve Munby

Too often we hear talks or read books about perfect leaders; super-hero leaders who are hugely successful and are exceptionally good at what they do.  It is supposed to inspire us, but it actually has the reverse effect.   Building on the ideas in his 2019 book:  Imperfect Leadership  -  a book for leaders who know they don’t know it all, Steve will argue that the concept that we need to be good at all aspects of leadership is not only unrealistic, it is bad for the mental and physical well-being of leaders.   The more we seek to become the perfect leader, the more likely we are to make ourselves ill and to disempower those around us.  The more we think we know it all, the less likely we are to manage the range of education paradoxes that need to be addressed and to take our staff with us.  In contrast, imperfect leaders have a deep self-awareness, they know their strengths and weaknesses.  They value their teams, they distribute leadership responsibility and they build trust amongst their colleagues.  They ask for help, they manage their ego and they lead with love as well as with power.  They lead on the edge.   If we want our leadership to be effective and sustainable then we should celebrate the fact that we are imperfect leaders.

Each session will include some questions for self-reflection and a choice of activities to try out to improve your own leadership.

We know that most teachers learn to improve their practice by teaching and most leaders learn to improve their practice by leading. But we also know that experienced teachers and leaders can often struggle to change their established ways of doing things. What can we do as leaders in schools to ensure a culture of development and improvement for teachers and leaders – including those who are not like us?  Building on some of the principles of imperfect leadership, this session will consider what we know about the differences between novices and experts in teaching and in leadership and what we can do, at school level, to ensure that everyone is able to improve their practice, including, of course, ourselves.

In an increasingly divided world, how can leaders manage the complexity of different and seemingly opposing aspects of education?  How can leaders go about tackling conflicting views within their school/organisation?

In particular, how can school and educational leaders manage the apparent paradox of academic excellence and equity?  How do we stay optimistic in our leadership but also demonstrate down-to-earth pragmatism.

Building on the principle that imperfect leaders know they don’t know it all, this session will consider how school leaders can hold the discomfort of paradox and lead on the edge.