Teams behaviour T2
Ask First
The quality of your questions shapes the quality of your decisions. Ask first, listen fully and find the root cause before you advise.
Jump to T2 resources ↓What this behaviour looks like
Stay curious a little longer
A leader practises Humble Inquiry, asking colleagues and pupils open questions they do not already know the answer to, in meetings, on corridor walks and in one-to-ones. They listen fully, test their assumptions and dig for the root cause before advising.
A practical example
A new feedback approach is not being used
Telling first“I've noticed you are not using the new feedback approach. It needs to be in every lesson from now on.”
Asking first“I did not see the new feedback approach in the lessons I visited. Talk me through how you chose to give feedback. What influenced your approach, and what have I missed? Let's agree the next step once we understand the picture.”
Not seeing the approach does not explain why.
Ask how the teacher chose to give feedback.
Understand the picture, then agree the next step together.
Before you talk, write down what you know, what you are assuming and one open question. Then pause, summarise what you hear and agree the next step together.
T2 · Resources for your setting
Put ‘Ask First’ into practice
Develop your own practice or lead the learning with your team. Use the chapter and workbook to explore the behaviour, then choose the resources that fit your next step.
Apply · Your leadership practice
Put it to work
Use the T2 Playbook to turn the behaviour into practical action on a real leadership challenge.
- Practical toolkit and coaching prompts
- A practice script to rehearse your approach
- A 90-day plan to guide your next steps
Members only · Explore membership →
Apply · Learning with your team
Lead a team session
Use the T2 INSET PowerPoint to help colleagues explore the behaviour and plan how to put it into practice.
- Editable slides to adapt to your setting
- Speaker notes to support facilitation
- Discussion, rehearsal and planning
Members only · Explore membership →
Completed Playbooks
See T2 applied in eight leadership contexts
Choose your role to explore the challenge, the leader’s response and the intended result. Members can read the complete example and download an editable Word copy.
In a primary school
In a secondary school
Across schools
Selected completed example
In a primary school · Headteacher
Why families missed the maths workshops
Marta · Headteacher · 628-pupil primary school
Worked example at a glance
Why families missed the maths workshops
The challengeOnly 14% of families attended the mathematics workshops, mostly those already engaged with school. No family who stayed away had been asked why, and non-attendance was starting to look like lack of interest.
What the leader doesThe headteacher listens to six contrasting families through routes they choose, asking what they thought the workshop was for before discussing timing, then publishes what was heard and designs a low-commitment pilot with families.
What success looks likeBy day 30 a representative account of value and barriers should be complete; by day 60 one co-designed access route should be tested; by day 90 the school should adopt an evidence-based family mathematics offer.
Zainab · Deputy Headteacher and SENCO · 421-pupil primary school
Worked example at a glance
Why independence varies between classes
The challengePupils with similar needs get strong adaptations in some classes and heavy adult prompting in others. Which adult a child sits beside is deciding how much they get to do alone.
What the leader doesThe SENCO works through one real task with the teacher and teaching assistant, asks what the pupil was meant to do alone, names where leadership monitoring may reward prompting, and agrees one safe prompt-fading test.
What success looks likeBy day 30 a precise account of the variation should be developed; by day 60 two supported trials should increase pupil agency; by day 90 independence-building adaptation should be reliable across classes.
Hugo · Science Lead and Year 6 teacher · 348-pupil junior school
Worked example at a glance
Why practical science becomes written work
The challengePractical enquiry is in every plan but keeps turning into written work in the last day or two before lessons. The science lead suspected weak confidence but had not tested preparation or resources.
What the leader doesThe science lead reconstructs the last changed lesson with the teacher, using the actual plan and equipment tray, listens without demonstrating, and agrees one small adaptation with a ten-minute follow-up.
What success looks likeBy day 30 the causes of late substitution should be evidenced; by day 60 one unit should be reliably taught as planned; by day 90 usable enquiry design should extend across the junior school.
Gordon · Headteacher · 1,215-pupil secondary school
Worked example at a glance
Why a behaviour routine is used unevenly
The challengeUse of the revised removal routine ranges from 52% to 91% across faculties. Several leaders call it resistance, but nobody has yet asked staff what happens when they use it.
What the leader doesThe headteacher hears a low-use and a high-use faculty separately about a recent episode, checks their accounts against response and re-entry records, and agrees one system repair and one teacher action for a ten-day trial.
What success looks likeBy day 30 the causes of variation should be distinguished; by day 60 the repaired routine should be reliable; by day 90 consistent practice and fair accountability should be secure.
Louis · Assistant Headteacher for curriculum planning · 1,340-pupil secondary school
Worked example at a glance
Why option returns keep arriving late
The challengeThree faculties that meet every other deadline missed the option-block deadline and have revised their returns repeatedly since. The explanation going round is weak organisation.
What the leader doesThe assistant head builds the timeline of one revised return with the faculty leader, asks what central guidance made harder, verifies the staffing sequence and holds both central and faculty responsibility together.
What success looks likeBy day 30 decision dependencies and shared causes should be evidenced; by day 60 a return marking entries as confirmed, provisional or needing escalation should be tested; by day 90 a reliable option-planning sequence should be embedded.
Safiya · Head of Year 10 · 1,520-pupil secondary school
Worked example at a glance
A pupil who avoids mentoring
The challengeA Year 10 pupil who is in school on mentoring days has missed three sessions running. Reminders and a new time, both set by adults, have not helped, and nobody knows why.
What the leader doesThe head of year offers a private conversation away from the mentoring room, with a choice of adult and way of answering, explains the limits of confidentiality and lets the pupil design one reversible arrangement.
What success looks likeBy day 30 the pupil's view and a safe first option should be established; by day 60 the chosen support should be tested and reviewed; by day 90 Year 10 mentoring access should be redesigned.
Bethan · Head of English · 1,290-pupil secondary school
Worked example at a glance
Understanding late assessment sets
The challengeOne English colleague's Key Stage 4 assessment sets have been late twice, although their planning is complete and they have recently taken on an examination class. Reminders brought one good cycle, then the pattern returned.
What the leader doesThe head of English maps the colleague's actual assessment workflow with them, states the accuracy and deadline standard after hearing their account, builds boundary moderation into the cycle and agrees an early escalation point.
What success looks likeBy day 30 the cause and a sustainable plan should be agreed; by day 60 the next assessment cycle should be accurate and timely; by day 90 reliable assessment should be sustained.
Danielle · Trust Director of Finance and Operations · eight-school trust
Worked example at a glance
Understanding late budget revisions
The challengeFour of eight schools keep revising budget plans after the internal date, mostly on staffing assumptions. The director had started to read the delay as weak prioritisation without testing why.
What the leader doesThe director walks through the process with a late-submitting headteacher and then an on-time one, pausing and summarising before probing, asks what the trust made harder, and agrees one jointly owned two-school pilot.
What success looks likeBy day 30 the actual causes of revision should be evidenced; by day 60 a two-school pilot should improve early accuracy and candour; by day 90 a proportionate trust process should be agreed.
The complete Playbook is for members
Turn this example into action
Read the full toolkit, coaching and practice scripts, and 90-day plan. Members can view the PDF here and download an editable Word copy.
Resources for this behaviour
Templates and checklists from the resource library that put T2 into practice.
Further reading
Recommended book
Coaching for Performance – John Whitmore (1992)
This text strengthens your practice by offering a clear structure for using questions to build ownership, confidence and clarity.
References from the Everyone Succeeds book
- Schein, E.H. (2013) Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. Buy on Amazon ↗
- Bungay Stanier, M. (2016) The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever. Toronto: Box of Crayons Press. Buy on Amazon ↗
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