Tag: Leadership and Culture
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Change, by Damon Centola
Why I read it I had a wonderful day at ResearchEd Surrey in October. I caught up with old colleagues from Farnham Heath End, Weydon, and beyond, met new colleagues from Twitter, and attended some enlightening talks. I even navigated Jade Pearce’s PowerPoint in her excellent session on evidence-informed teaching. Adam Robbins’ talk on behavioural…
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Team Genius, by Rich Karlgaard and Michael Malone
Why I read it I really enjoy leading teams and being part of teams. All of us have interacted within a group, be it at school, work, or in an activity such as a sports team. We’ve all been in some unhealthy, unproductive teams. And, hopefully, we’ve experienced the opposite, too. I’ve always been fascinated…
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The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, by Doug Lemov
Why I read it I’ve read Teach Like a Champion many times, although for whatever reason haven’t written a blog post about its brilliance! Doug Lemov is an astute thinker, has invested thousands of hours into what he researches and writes about, and brings precision and clarity to his work. I was delighted to attend…
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The Fearless Organisation, by Amy C. Edmondson
Why I read it Ever since I ran a staff wellbeing research project, I’ve been on a journey to find evidence-informed strategies to help staff be the best versions of themselves. Often I’ve found that books go on a merry quest to countless high-performing organisations, in the pursuit of nirvana culture. However, I’d heard that…
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The Coaching Habit, by Michael Bungay Stanier
Why I read it Every coaching course I’ve been on, and most coaching blogs that I’ve read, recommend The Coaching Habit as the go-to guide for coaching wins. It is renowned for its insightful advice and practical style. After hearing about it multiple times, I had to read it – now, after completing it twice,…
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The Advantage, by Patrick Lencioni
Why I read it: As you may know, I’m on a quest to understand how staff can thrive within organisations, and have reviewed many books that study this area of working life. The Advantage is written by Patrick Lencioni, an American author who is well known for his charisma, know-how and enthusiasm – having read…
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A School Built on Ethos, by James Handscombe
Why I read it When I was Head of Sixth Form, I took assembly most weeks, either for Year 12, Year 13, or both together. I viewed the assembly preparation and delivery as an art form – a chance to consider an important message, and then to work hard to encase it in authenticity, sincerity,…
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Alive At Work, by Daniel Cable
Why I read it: If you’ve read a few of my posts, you’ll know that I have a keen interest in how we thrive at work – how we find purpose, safety, enthusiasm and wellbeing in our jobs. I’ve particularly enjoyed books such as The Culture Code, Think Again, and The Human Workplace, which examine…
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No Rules Rules, by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer
Why I read it: Aside from my Netflix addiction (closing in on 10 years now, reader), I’ve been fascinated by the platform’s business model and inner workings. Directors and producers have often commented on the freedom they have to create high-quality content with Netflix, who aren’t chasing traditional ‘ratings’ but are looking to innovate and…
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Education Exposed, by Samuel Strickland
Why I read it – I’d seen a couple of talks by Sam Strickland, and follow him on Twitter, where he voices his views about school culture with clarity. I initially pegged him as ‘no nonsense’ – a Headteacher with high expectations of students’ behaviour, attitude and respect; given that I worked in a school with…
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Legacy, by James Kerr
Why I read it – six years ago, I was preparing to move on from a position I loved, Head of English, to the much-feared Head of Year role (there was nothing to worry about, it was a brilliant job!). I made it my mission to practise my public speaking, sharpen up my knowledge of the…
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The Thinking School, by Dr Kulvarn Atwal
Why I read it – during the staff wellbeing research project I ran last year, my colleague Rachel and I were interested in Self Determination Theory, and one of its three pillars in particular: autonomy. We wanted to explore how, in professions with high accountability measures, you could still enable staff to thrive by giving them…
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Putting Staff First, by John Tomsett and Jonny Uttley
Why I read it… Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of school staff succumb to the seemingly inevitable notion that workload is high and many tasks are arbitrary, but you just keep chipping away and hobble along. You get the holidays, and teaching is fun; so you’ll tolerate the other crap. But the tide has…
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Tribes, by Seth Godin
Why I read it… In 2010, my friend Dave gave me a copy of Seth Godin’s Tribes while we were working on some business and philanthropic projects. I read it, found it fascinating, made notes, and then it went onto the shelf, hopefully influencing some of my decisions forthwith; in fact, it’s that passive process…
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The Human Workplace, by Andy Swann
Why I read it… In autumn 2019, I launched a staff wellbeing research project with a colleague, and we were pointed in the direction of the Relationships Foundation. They were a source of inspiration and knowledge; one of their recommendations was The Human Workplace by Andy Swann, which is a worthy starting point if you’re…
