Have you ever felt like you were unequipped for the responsibilities of leadership you found yourself in?
This is a common occurrence within the educational landscape and Rachel Johnson, CEO of PiXL, even has experiences of this too.
She knows all too well how easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day grind, but importantly, how much more there is to being a leader than just getting things done.
“I was excited about the chance to lead others and move things forward in my department but there was one problem, I didn’t know how. It wasn’t pedagogical knowledge that was the challenge, nor understanding assessment or the exam system, nor planning or writing the curriculum…. It was the human part of leadership, the unspoken things that I had not been trained on.”
Check out her recent article for some practical advice that she has sourced on her personal journey from educator to leader.
From mastering the art of having crucial conversations to the strategies for successful delegation, Rachel outlines the actionable insights that can transform your leadership style. She also delves into the complexities of navigating leadership’s inherent paradoxes – the delicate balance between responsibility and daring, autonomy and accountability, and trust and verification.
If you find this helpful and want more practical advice sourced from research and made applicable to education, take a look at Rachel’s Time to Think book series:
Time to think
This book is for those who need practical ways of tackling the tricky issues in leadership to move forward courageously. From people-pleasing to crucial conversations, this book examines the areas that can cause us to be ‘stuck’ and how we can get ourselves free.
Time to think 2
The things that stop our teams and what to do about them
This book is for people who want to be daring and responsible in their leadership, who want to embrace paradoxes, and understand how to create and maintain thriving teams. Use this book to help you work through the issues that are most relevant to you and your teams so that you, and they, can thrive.
If you are a PiXL member, you may be interested in our School of PiXL Leadership.
There is a comprehensive CPD programme for whatever stage of school leadership you’re in!
Courses available this year:
- New Middle Leader
- Established Middle Leader
- Making Change Leader
- Raising Standards Leader
- Exceptional Senior Leader
