54 leadership behaviours

S1Explain the Why

People comply with instructions but commit to reasons. Explain why a decision matters before asking people to act, and turn compliance into ownership.

S2Tell the Story

A vision only moves people through a story. Share why you care, what your community has achieved together and why action matters now.

S3Seek the Brutal Facts

Keep faith in where your school is heading while facing honestly where it is now, so real problems get solved, not hidden.

S4Uphold Values

Values on a wall change nothing. Make them the test for every decision, the behaviour you model and what you celebrate or challenge.

S5Establish Collective Goals

Unite everyone, from the headteacher to the lunchtime supervisor, around one or two measurable goals, so every role sees how it helps pupils.

S6Focus on the Main Thing

Busy is not the same as progress. Choose the one priority that will make the biggest difference and protect it from the daily whirlwind.

S7Communicate Often

One announcement is soon forgotten. Keep what matters alive through a predictable rhythm, shaped for each audience and checked for understanding.

S8Find the Lead Measures

You cannot change a result once it arrives. Track the earlier actions your team can influence now, and check they are moving the outcome.

S9Leverage Marginal Gains

Stop waiting for one big fix. Small 1% improvements, tested and repeated, compound into a real difference for pupils and staff.

S10Sustain Change

Launching change is the easy part. Test it small, address people's sense of loss and anchor it in daily routines so it lasts.

S11Break Through Limits

The hardest limits are often the ones we set ourselves. Question what seems fixed, reimagine what is possible and take a credible first step.

S12Lead for Lasting Excellence

Success can breed complacency. Renew what works while you are still on top, before small signs of drift become decline.

S13Aspire to Greatness

Aim for the moon, not a couple of percentage points. Set a bold goal for your pupils and make it believable with clear milestones.

S14Anticipate Unintended Consequences

Well-meant decisions can backfire. Before you act, think two steps ahead: how will people respond, and what could this change make worse?

S15Plan with a Premortem

Imagine your plan has already failed, then ask why. Honest answers now mean small corrections early, not a scramble when it is too late.

C1Hold High Standards

Make expectations unmistakably clear, reinforce them consistently and create a culture in which strong performance becomes the norm.

C2Set High Floor, No Ceiling

The floor is where excellence starts, not where it ends. Secure a baseline everyone meets, then open stretch to every pupil and colleague.

C3Establish Routines

Routines do not establish themselves. Show them, name them and practise them again and again until calm, focused habits run without reminders.

C4Maintain Consistency

Consistency is the multiplier that turns routines into culture. Keep expectations the same in every room, so pupils feel secure and teachers can teach.

C5Celebrate Success

Leaders often believe they give more praise than people feel they receive. Specific, sincere, timely recognition shows pupils and colleagues their effort was noticed.

C6Seek Inspiration

You do not have to reinvent the wheel. Look beyond your school with a clear question, learn from others and adapt rather than copy.

C7Engage Parents

Engagement goes beyond parents' evening. Partner with families to support learning at home, listen as well as inform and call with good news too.

C8Create Moments

People remember the peaks, not the ordinary days. Plan small, personal moments at transitions, milestones and difficult times so everyone feels seen and valued.

L1Lead by Example

Staff and pupils adopt what they see you do far more than what you say. Live your standards daily and trust follows.

L2Be Positive

You set the emotional tone. Positivity grounded in honesty and real strengths helps staff and pupils tackle challenges constructively, not with frustration.

L3Get the Steps In

You cannot lead a school from behind a desk. Scheduled, purposeful presence shows you what really happens and tells people their day matters.

L4Make It Happen

If you do not follow up, people assume it does not matter. Relentless, sustainable follow-through turns your key priorities into lasting change.

L5Stack the Chairs

No task is beneath leadership. Stepping in at the right moment keeps learning on track and builds a culture where everyone contributes.

L6Leaders Eat Last

When staff feel safe and supported, pupils get the care they need. Put others' needs first to build a Circle of Safety.

L7Co-create What Matters

People commit to what they help to build. Involve colleagues and pupils in shaping decisions early, and ownership, energy and quality follow.

L8Don't Drop the Ball

Most people accept mistakes, but not poor planning. Anticipate problems, keep your promises and, when something slips, own it and put it right fast.

L9Use the Checklist

Under pressure, memory fails and critical steps slip. A short, well-designed checklist frees your mind for judgement and makes high-stakes work reliable.

L10Pass the Baton

Delegation is not offloading. Match responsibility to each person's readiness, set clear expectations and you gain capacity while growing tomorrow's leaders.

L11Learn to Bend

Resilience is not rigidity. Stand firm on principles, but when evidence shows a plan is not working, change course calmly and explain why.

L12Control the Controllables

Shift the question from 'why is this happening?' to 'what can we do?' and put your team's energy where it helps pupils.

T1Know Your Team

Stop deploying people by habit. Learn each colleague's strengths, motivations and ways of working, then delegate, develop and support them so they thrive.

T2Ask First

The quality of your questions shapes the quality of your decisions. Ask first, listen fully and find the root cause before you advise.

T3Get the Right People on the Bus

Even the best strategy fails with the wrong team. Recruit, place and develop people who share your values, judging evidence rather than first impressions.

T4Create a Team

Golf teams add up individual scores; basketball teams play together. Build a team that relies on one another, shares responsibility and owns results.

T5Mastering Conflict

Artificial harmony hides real issues and weakens decisions. Make it safe to disagree about ideas, not people, then decide clearly and commit together.

T6Be Wonderful to Work With

Would you want to work with you? Make colleagues feel noticed, valued and supported through small, daily acts of kindness and respect.

T7Hold Meetings for Impact

Why are you having this meeting? Give every meeting a clear purpose and outcome, and protect one-to-ones as the engine room of culture.

T8Create Actions

Without clear actions, even inspiring plans stay words on a page. End every meeting with what will be done, by whom and by when.

T9Go Back and Check

Assigning a task does not mean it is done. Agree predictable check-ins from the start, so follow-up feels like support and plans become results.

T10Embracing Accountability

Data is easier to discuss than behaviour. Hold clear, fair, private conversations about actions and conduct, so accountability means support and growth, not blame.

Y1Protect Your Sleep

Tired leaders are more reactive, less patient and quicker to misjudge. Treat sleep as a leadership resource, not a luxury, and protect it.

Y2Give Yourself Permission

The to-do list never ends. Decide what is good enough, stop without guilt and show colleagues that high standards and rest belong together.

Y3Manage Emotions

Your emotional temperature sets the tone for the whole school. Notice the warning signs, pause and respond from your values, not your feelings.

Y4Humility

Leadership is not about being the expert in the room. Lead without ego: listen, admit mistakes, share credit and own the outcome.

Y5Organise for Clarity

Your brain is for having ideas, not holding them. Build one trusted system that captures every commitment and frees your attention for people.

Y6Prioritise What Matters

Fill your week with emails and quick wins and the big rocks never fit. Book the work only you can lead first.

Y7Think Long, Act Daily

Lasting improvement takes years, not a term. Resist the quick fix, keep repeating the daily work and hold your nerve before results show.

Y8Sharpen Your Tools

A blunt saw does not cut well. Choose focused learning for a real challenge and test it in practice.

Y9Build Habits That Last

Consistency beats intensity. Anchor one small habit to something that already happens, track it simply and restart without guilt when you miss.