The document discusses the competing roles of principals and the importance of balanced leadership. It notes that schools are complex with many stakeholders, and principals must provide focused, effective, and strategic leadership, not "accidental" leadership. Getting the balance right requires focusing efforts systematically while removing distractions. The document then examines characteristics of successful leaders, such as practicing personal mastery, thinking globally and learning from other fields, envisioning an inspiring future, leading systematic change, and driving performance passionately. Overall, it emphasizes the importance of listening, engaging others, envisioning better futures, delivering goals, and maintaining passion for student learning.

1. LEADING FOR CHANGE &
LEARNING
Balancing the Competing Roles of the
Principal
Stephen Murgatroyd, PhD FBPsS FRSA
Brisbane, June 2015

2. Before we Get to Leadership..
• Schools are complex places – many competing interests,
stakeholder challenges..
• Schools are adaptive and resilient not static and stable
• Schools are great places to be some days…other days…
• Schools need focused, effective and strategic
leadership – not “accidental leadership” or “I’m only
here for the beer leadership”
• Schools thrive when leaders enjoy the work of leading
and “followers” enjoy the work of following…

3. Getting the Balance Right Requires…
• Focus and systematic
approaches to the work of
the school
• Getting rid of “noise” and
“clutter” – less is more..
• Being strategic not just
reactive..
• Acting today in the
interests of tomorrow..

4. SO, THIS LEADERSHIP THING THEN…..

5. Do You Know These People??

9. BooksonLeadership

10. Guides to Leadership - Models

11. Learning from the Greats…

12. We Looked at Leaders in the News..

16. Starting to explore deep thoughts….

17. and…..

18. and finally…

19. So then, having reviewed 1,753 books and 2,627
research papers and undertaken 823
interviews…we asked…
• Can we make sense of all of
this…
• Can we get really clear…
• Can we keep it simple…
• Can we stay out of the way of
Atilla, Machiavelli and Genghis
Khan and Sepp Blatter?

20. Not here to promote my book…BUT
• Available at lulu.com as a
paperback
• Available from amazon as an e-
book

21. Characteristic 1: Practice Personal Mastery
• They are not being leaders to find out who they are..
• They realise that the work isn’t about them – its about the
students and their learning
• They realize that they are not the most important person in the
school – those who engage in teaching and learning are..
• They lead a balanced life-style…
• They look after themselves..

22. Characteristic 2: Apply a Glocal Mindset
• They realize that there is life beyond work and school..
• That others are doing wonderful things in education in other
schools around the world (and not just in Finland..)
• That Singapore has to think glocally to be successful locally
• That the future is about collaboration and engagement with others
globally..so that innovation can take place locally
• That adopting and then adpating is how 95% of all innovation takes
place…

23. Characteristic 3: Accelerate Cross Boundary
Learning
• They don’t reject learning from the great ideas of others in other
sectors – health, business, non profits..
• They actively seek out learning from other spheres – how can we
learn math through music or art, how can we learn about leading a
school by studying retail organizations..
• They understand that the engagement of teachers and the other
adults in the school in the work of leadership is as important as
they way they do as teachers, support staff, administrators,
janitors..

24. Characteristic 4: Think Back from the
Future
• They don’t guess where their school is going…they are deliberate
about it..
• They can communicate vision, strategy and direction…
• They don’t guess, they make evidence based decisions..based on a
chosen future…

25. Characteristic 5: Lead Systematic Change
• They know how to inspire, engage and focus the work of the
people in their organization
• They can connect current activities (where we are) to the future
(where we need to be) in ways that inspire action…
• They know that engagement is better than demanding..
• They inspire confidence in change because their colleagues know
that it comes from the heart as well as the mind..

26. Characteristic 6: Drive Performance with
Passion
• They can use evidence of progress (or failure) to inspire and
engage …
• They can use to the “what” to lead people through the “so what”
to the “now what”..
• They can lead across and deliver within..
• They can use a crisis to enable change..
• They take risks (within the rules) and live with paradox

27. Sound Like Anyone We Know?

28. This what I see Jean P Stiles do…
• Build and empower teacher teams..
• Build and empower supports for
learners and learning
• Enable the student voice to be heard
• Connect to others around the world..
• Focus, focus, focus on equity as an
ambition in terms of outcomes
• Never let a crisis go to waste..

29. But Can we Make this Even Simpler?

30. So….what are the three big takeaways

31. Listen and then engage..
Don’t be this guy… Be this guy..

32. Imagine a Different (Better) Future
A Possible GREAT future.. Think Ahead / Lead Across

33. Deliver Within and Be Passionate About It..
For learning… For great teaching..

34. Remember: This Work is Supposed to be Fun..
Not This.. But this…

35. Stephen Murgatroyd
murgatroydstephen@gmail.com / @murgatroydsteph /
www.stephenmurgatroyd.com