Y2. Give yourself permission
Let go of unrealistic expectations. Sustainable leadership requires self compassion.
Resources to support growth in this behaviour
Whether this behaviour has been chosen through Step 1. Diagnose, highlighted through reflection or coaching, or identified as a school or trust priority, you can now follow the steps below to develop and embed it in your daily leadership practice.
Step 2. Learn: Read Everyone Succeeds: 54 Leadership Behaviours to Transform Your School to understand what great leadership looks like in practice. Each behaviour is grounded in research and real examples from schools and businesses.
Step 3. Reflect: Use the Everyone Succeeds Workbook to apply ideas to your own context.
Guided reflection, practical actions, and space for planning turn understanding into improvement.
Step 4. Apply: Work through the Leadership Toolkit for this behaviour. Use the Give Yourself Permission toolkit to challenge unhelpful beliefs, reduce unnecessary guilt, and lead with freedom and clarity.
Step 5. Coach and practice: Use the Give yourself permission Coach and Practise Frameworks to strengthen the behaviour through coaching questions about limits and expectations, rehearsing self-compassion so sustainability replaces burnout.
These can be used individually or with colleagues to embed key behaviours.
Step 6. Plan: Set measurable goals using the 90 Day Leadership Planner.
Turn improvement into action by tracking your focus and progress over time, with completed examples for different career stages.
Step 7. Lead: Apply your learning to real situations through the Scenario Finder.
Over fifty scenarios link directly to the behaviours that help you solve the challenges that matter most in your school.
One book suggestion
Essentialism – Greg McKeown (2014).
This text strengthens your practice by showing how saying no protects time, focus and well-being, helping you prioritise what matters most. Buy the book.
References from the Everyone Succeeds book
Berry, J. (2016) Making the Leap: Moving from Deputy to Head. London: Crown House Publishing.
Brown, B. (2012) Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. New York: Gotham Books.
Loehr, J. and Schwartz, T. (2001) ‘The making of a corporate athlete’, Harvard Business Review, 79(1), pp. 120-128.
Loehr, J. and Schwartz, T. (2003) The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. New York: Free Press.
Mohr, T. (2014) Playing Big: A Practical Guide for Brilliant Women Like You. London: Hutchinson.
Neff, K. (2011) Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. New York: William Morrow.