Insights
We regularly produce articles that we hope will inform, inspire, and provide insights into school strategy and leadership.
Fixing School Strategy
School strategy cannot remain a polished document that gets admired, filed, and quietly forgotten. The schools best placed for the future will be those whose leaders build the imagination, courage, discipline and shared language to keep making strategic choices when the landscape shifts.
Open Book Management: Why Good Ideas Get Said No To
Schools don’t lack good ideas. They’re drowning in them. Open book management gives middle leaders the context to see trade-offs, understand constraints, and shape ideas that actually land, not just sound good.
The Gender Pay Gap in Schools Is Not a Pay Problem
The recent WGEA report shows education’s gender pay gap sits at 7.2%. Small compared to many industries, yet progress is slow. At the current pace, parity could still be a decade away. The real issue may not be pay scales, but the leadership pipelines shaping who rises to the top.
You Call It Transparency. Your Team Calls It Something Else.
Transparency isn’t about saying more. It’s about removing uncertainty so people can act. Overshare and you create noise. Say too little and you create doubt. The real skill? Knowing the difference when it matters most.
New Title. Old You. Now What?
Promotion changes expectations overnight, but identity evolves slower. You are not failing, you are forming. The leaders who thrive treat growth as a discipline, not a hope, and give themselves permission to become the person the role now requires.
Are Schools Ready to Face the Next 10 Years?
Australian schools face a future shaped by AI, workforce shortages, fee pressure and social change. Planning harder won’t be enough. Scenario-Informed Strategy helps leaders draw future uncertainty into today’s choices, assumptions and governance conversations.
Strategy Fatigue and Why Principals Burn Out Before Christmas
When strategy becomes a solo burden, leaders burn out before Christmas. A good strategy should guide, not grind. Fatigue isn’t failure—it’s a sign your plan is carrying weight it was never meant to bear.
Everyone Agreed. That Was the Problem.
Groupthink doesn’t wear a name badge—it hides behind smiles and smooth meetings. In schools, silent agreement can derail strategy before it starts. This post explores why teams nod along, and what it takes to disagree well.
How Resting Leaders Impact Their Schools
Leaders who rest don’t just recharge themselves — they transform their schools. By stepping back and modelling renewal, they build stronger teams, clearer strategy, and a culture where wellbeing drives collective success.
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