This page offers one key book or article for each leadership behaviour. These are not the only sources, but they represent the most direct and accessible next step if you wish to explore a particular idea in greater depth. Each title has been chosen for its clarity, practical value, and close alignment with the behaviour it supports. The references are grouped under the five leadership domains of Strategy, Culture, Leadership, Teams and Yourself, so you can move quickly to the area you wish to explore.

Strategy (S1-S15)

S1. Explain the Why

• Start With Why – Simon Sinek (2009).
  Explains the Golden Circle (Why → How → What), showing why purpose inspires action. Explains the rationale for starting with “why.” Buy the book.
  

S2. Tell the Story

• What Is Public Narrative? – Marshall Ganz (2016).
  Outlines the Public Narrative model (Story of Self, Us, Now), which underpins your storytelling behaviour. Open the article.
  

S3. Seek the Brutal Facts

• Good to Great – Jim Collins (2001).
  Introduces “confront the brutal facts” and the Stockdale Paradox, grounding your call to face reality with optimism. Buy the book.
  

S4. Uphold Values

• The Advantage – Patrick Lencioni (2012).
  Frames values as a decision-making filter and a culture anchor. Reinforces your stance on leaders protecting the school’s moral compass. Buy the book.
  

S5. Establish Collective Goals

• Measure What Matters – John Doerr (2018).
  Introduces OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), echoing your WIGs framework for alignment and focus. Buy the book.
  

S6. Focus on the Main Thing

• Good to Great – Jim Collins (2001).
  Expands on the Hedgehog Concept: intersection of passion, capability, and impact – the core of your “main thing” behaviour. Buy the book.
  

S7. Communicate Often

• The Advantage – Patrick Lencioni (2012).
  Highlights the discipline of repeated, consistent communication, reinforcing your idea of rhythm and drumbeat. Buy the book.
  

S8. Find the Lead Measures

• The 4 Disciplines of Execution – Chris McChesney et al. (2012).
  Clarifies the distinction between lag and lead measures. Practical tools for focusing on predictive actions. Buy the book.
  

S9. Leverage Marginal Gains

• Dave Brailsford case studies on British Cycling.
  Shows how 1% improvements compound into transformation. Reinforces your call for disciplined small wins.
  

S10. Sustain Change

• Leading Change – John Kotter (1996).
  Explains the eight-step change model you use to anchor this behaviour. Buy the book.
  

S11. Break Through Limits

• Great by Choice – Jim Collins & Morten Hansen (2011).
  Discusses 10X leadership, bullets then cannonballs, and moonshot thinking – exactly your call to think bigger. Buy the book.
  

S12. Lead for Lasting Excellence

• Good to Great – Jim Collins (2001).
  Describes the Flywheel Effect – momentum from consistent, reinforcing actions. Buy the book.
  

S13. Aspire to Greatness

• Built to Last – Jim Collins & Jerry Porras (1994).
  Introduces BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), which your chapter uses to inspire bold ambition. Buy the book.
  

S14. Anticipate Unintended Consequences

• Thinking in Systems – Donella Meadows (2008).
  Explains systems thinking and ripple effects, supporting your second- and third-order consequences model. Buy the book.
  

S15. Plan with a Premortem

• Sources of Power– Gary Klein (1998).
  Shows how experts make high-quality decisions in real situations by learning from experience and improving judgment under pressure. Buy the book.
  

Culture (C1-C8)

C1. Hold High Standards

• Leverage Leadership 2.0 by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo (2016).
  Provides a leadership model built on clear expectations, follow-up, and precision. Buy the book.

C2. Set High Floor, No Ceiling

• The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle (2009).
  Explains how potential is developed through stretch, high expectations, and deliberate practice. Buy the book.
  

C3. Establish Routines

• Teach Like a Champion 3.0 – Doug Lemov (2021).
  Shows how codified routines reduce variation and free up capacity. Buy the book.
  

C4. Maintain Consistency

• Great by Choice – Jim Collins & Morten Hansen (2011).
  The “20 Mile March” concept: consistent discipline outperforms bursts of intensity. Buy the book.
  

C5. Celebrate Successes

• The Power of Moments – Chip & Dan Heath (2017).
  Explains how recognition and designed moments build culture and motivation. Buy the book.
  

C6. Seek Inspiration

• Leading in a Culture of Change – Michael Fullan (2001).
  Shows that meaningful improvement comes from learning with and from others, explaining how leaders draw inspiration from successful practice elsewhere and adapt it thoughtfully to their own context. Buy the book.
  

C7. Engage Parents

• The Four Pillars of Parental Engagement: Empowering schools to connect better with parents and pupils – Karen Dempster & Justin Robbins.
  Highlights parental engagement as a lever for student outcomes, resonating with your partnership framing. Buy the book.
  

C8. Create Moments

• The Power of Moments – Chip & Dan Heath (2017).
  Expands your call to design experiences that elevate, create pride, and forge memories. Buy the book.
  

Leadership (L1-L12)

L1. Lead by Example

• Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek (2014).
  Shows how modelling behaviours sets culture. Aligns with your insistence that leaders go first. Buy the book.
  

L2. Be Positive

• The Progress Principle – Teresa Amabile & Steven Kramer (2011).
  Demonstrates how recognising small wins fuels motivation and culture. Buy the book.
  

L3. Get the Steps In

• In Search Of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies – Tom Peters and Robert Waterman Jr (1982).
  Classic leadership practice of presence and visibility, echoing your “steps in” approach. Buy the book.
  

L4. Make it Happen

• Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done – Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan (2002).
  Explains why clarity, ownership, and accountability drive outcomes. Buy the book.
  

L5. Stack the Chairs

• Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek (2014).
  Frames servant leadership, doing small, visible acts that serve others. Buy the book.
  

L6. Leaders Eat Last

• Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek (2014).
  The central text itself: trust and reciprocity come when leaders put staff first. Buy the book.
  

L7. Co-Create What Matters

• The Wisdom of Crowds – James Surowiecki (2004).
  Explores how collective intelligence outperforms individuals, aligning with your co-creation theme. Buy the book.
  

L8. Don’t Drop the Ball

• The Speed of Trust – Stephen M.R. Covey (2006).
  Explains how reliability builds or erodes credibility. Buy the book.
  

L9. Use the Checklist

• The Checklist Manifesto – Atul Gawande (2009).
  Classic case for checklists in complex environments. Supports your call for dependable execution. Buy the book.
  

L10. Pass the Baton

• Turn the Ship Around! – L. David Marquet (2012).
  Shows how clarity, constraints, and shared authority enable effective delegation. Buy the book.
  

L11. Learn to Bend

• Adaptive Leadership – Ronald Heifetz (2009).
  Provides frameworks for flexing approaches while holding firm to core goals. Buy the book.
  

L12. Control the Controllables

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey (1989).
  Circle of Influence vs. Circle of Concern directly underpins your behaviour. Buy the book.
  

Teams (T1-T10)

T1. Know Your Team

• First, Break All the Rules – Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman (1999).
  Demonstrates how knowing individual strengths improves deployment and performance. Buy the book.
  

T2. Ask First

• Coaching for Performance – John Whitmore (1992).
  Introduces the GROW model – the structure behind your “ask before tell” behaviour. Buy the book.
  

T3. Get the Right People on the Bus

• Good to Great – Jim Collins (2001).
  Right people, right seats: the metaphor you use in the chapter. Buy the book.
  

T4. Create a Team

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni (2002).
  Explains trust, norms, and shared purpose as foundations for high-functioning teams. Buy the book.
  

T5. Mastering Conflict

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni (2002).
  Details productive conflict rooted in trust. Buy the book.
  

T6. Be Wonderful to Work With

• Radical Candor – Kim Scott (2017).
  Balances care and challenge, showing how to be effective and respected in relationships. Buy the book.
  

T7. Hold Meetings for Impact

• Death by Meeting – Patrick Lencioni (2004).
  Shows how different types of meetings (tactical, strategic) drive impact rather than waste. Buy the book.
  

T8. Create Actions

• Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done – Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan (2002).
  Reinforces your focus on turning discussion into clear, owned actions. Buy the book.
  

T9. Go Back and Check

• The Speed of Trust – Stephen M.R. Covey (2006).
  Trust builds when leaders close the loop and check back – central to your chapter. Buy the book.
  

T10. Embrace Accountability

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni (2002).
  Explains peer accountability as the highest form of collective responsibility. Buy the book.
  

Yourself (Y1-Y9)

Y1. Protect Your Sleep

• Why We Sleep – Matthew Walker (2017).
  Explores the science of sleep and its impact on cognition, mood, and leadership. Buy the book.
  

Y2. Give Yourself Permission

• Essentialism – Greg McKeown (2014).
  A manifesto for saying no in order to say yes to what matters most. Buy the book.
  

Y3. Manage Emotions

• Emotional Agility – Susan David (2016).
  Practical strategies for recognising, naming, and navigating emotions. Buy the book.
  

Y4. Humility

• Good to Great – Jim Collins (2001).
  Level 5 Leadership: personal humility plus fierce resolve, the model you cite. Buy the book.
  

Y5. Organise for Clarity

• Getting Things Done – David Allen (2001).
  A system for organising work and priorities to achieve clarity and reduce stress. Buy the book.
  

Y6. Prioritise What Matters

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey (1989).
  Introduces the Eisenhower Matrix and Quadrant 2 focus. Buy the book.
  

Y7. Think Long, Act Daily

• The 12 Week Year – Brian Moran & Michael Lennington (2013).
  Shows how long-term goals are translated into short execution cycles. Buy the book.
  

Y8. Sharpen Your Tools

• Mindset – Carol Dweck (2006).
  Explains growth mindset, supporting your focus on continuous self-improvement. Buy the book.
  

Y9. Build Habits That Last

• Atomic Habits – James Clear (2018).
  The definitive modern guide on habit stacking, cues, and compounding improvement. Buy the book.
• Immunity to Change – Robert Kegan & Lisa Lahey (2009).
  Explains why leaders resist change, adding depth to your chapter’s focus on hidden commitments. Buy the book.

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