This document discusses characteristics of effective school leaders. It identifies 6 key characteristics: 1) practicing personal mastery, 2) applying a global mindset, 3) accelerating cross-boundary learning, 4) thinking back from the future, 5) leading systematic change, and 6) driving performance with passion. It provides examples of how leaders can embody each characteristic, such as engaging teachers in leadership, focusing on equity, and connecting current work to an inspiring future vision. The overall message is that effective leaders listen, engage others, envision a better future, deliver high performance passionately, and make the work fun rather than intimidating.

1. LEADING FOR CHANGE &
LEARNING
In Our Future Schools
Stephen Murgatroyd, PhD FBPsS FRSA

2. Do You Know These People??

3. Let’s Congratulate Them!
By the Way ….Pasi Sahlberg Won This in 2013
Hargreaves & Fullan win
the Grawemeyer
Education Award
2015

7. BooksonLeadership

8. Guides to Leadership - Models

9. Learning from the Greats…

13. Starting to explore deep thoughts….

14. and…..

15. and finally…

16. 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?

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

18. 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..

19. 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…

20. 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..

21. 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…

22. 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..

23. 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

24. Sound Like Anyone We Know?

25. 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..

26. But Can we Make this Even Simpler?

27. So….what are the three big takeaways

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

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

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

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

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