@shaneleaning.com
Author, podcaster & organisational coach. I help education leaders grow in confidence and clarity. Join my leadership intensive: educationleaders.co/intensive My book: https://amzn.eu/d/e4z6Y2T My podcast: https://podfollow.com/educationleaders
This is the worst leadership advice I've ever been given. And I reckon you have heard it too.
(and guess who my all time hero is...)
...from my talk at the 21st Century Learning HK conference
Students on the @StMarys_Belfast MEd, Leading the Wellbeing School module, had the privilege of listening to & quizzing, international leadership expert, Shane Leaning @leaningshane, who beamed his talk live from China.
Tech, wellbeing & learning can work well together.
Don't move to options until you've gone all three layers deep.
In my experience, what you find in layer three is almost always what you needed to be working on from the start.
I've watched something physically release in people when I ask this. Because it's often the first moment in the whole conversation where they feel genuinely seen.
And that's when it shifts. From "I'm stuck in this situation" to "I actually have choices here."
...
Layer 3: The self
This is what gets skipped. And it's where the real work lives.
- What's your part in this?
- What are you avoiding?
- What are you holding on to that's making this harder?
...
Layer 2: The impact
What's this doing to other people? To the work?
(That shift, from describing an experience to seeing its effect on others, changes the quality of everything that follows.)
...
Instead, I try to go three layers deep first:
Layer 1: The situation
Facts only. What's happening? Who's involved? How long?
...
The first thing someone tells you in a coaching conversation is rarely the real thing.
Not because they're being dishonest. They haven't found it yet either.
In the Reality stage of GROW coaching, most coaches hear the presenting issue and move on. There's ground to cover. Options to explore. 🧵...
Looking forward to keynoting at the upcoming FOBISIA CPD Leaders Conference on 20th March. I'll be chatting with Professional Development leaders across Asia on how to leverage community expertise.
Let me know if I'll see you there.
buff.ly/YglbCn6
"Get on board or get left behind" is not an argument for AI in schools. It's just pressure.
Teachers deserve time to understand what they're adopting. The research on school change is brutal - most of it fails.
Urgency isn't a reason to stop asking questions.
Ok. I'm excited! Today I released the 151st episode of Education Leaders.
To celebrate, I've created a special recording for you. So many listeners might be wondering what's behind the podcast and what I get up to when I'm not behind the mic. Here's your chance to find out.
buff.ly/rJYC5S1
"I can never have the same cultural understanding of China that a local leader can."
Simon said this matter-of-factly. No ego. Just clarity about why co-leadership isn't optional. It's necessary.
Worth a listen: buff.ly/BxAMGBN
Simon described students who have a Chinese and an English name, a Chinese and a Western identity. He suggested that might actually signal a school that hasn't done its job properly.
That reframe sat with me all week. buff.ly/BxAMGBN
#SchoolLeadership
International Women's Day Reflection from Emma
Happy International Women’s Day.
I am stronger because of you 🥰
Simon's shift from that to genuinely listening as a leader, especially across cultures, is the bit of this conversation I keep coming back to.
Listen here: buff.ly/BxAMGBN
If culture isn't monolithic, what use are the "culture maps" we rely on to understand the communities we lead in?
Simon spent 10 years in mainland China and says the generalisations only get you so far.
Listen here: buff.ly/BxAMGBN
#InternationalSchools
You know you should probably get some coaching yourself.
You've just been... busy.
I said the same thing. Then Jim Thompson - co-author of Video Coaching Done Well - coached me live, on camera, in front of an audience.
New Coaching Done Well → www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbP3...
Shane Leaning taking a selfie at the front of a large, light-filled hall at Wycombe Abbey Hangzhou. Behind him, around 80 teachers are seated at tables in small groups, mid-discussion during a professional development workshop.
Every teacher rehearsed each technique five times this week at Wycombe Abbey Hangzhou. Not watched it. Rehearsed it.
Techniques drawn from Teach Like a Champion and Teaching Walkthrus.
Already heard from one teacher who's tried it. Already noticing a difference.
I've called myself a global citizen for years. Simon made me question whether that's actually a useful identity to give our students or whether we're setting them up to belong nowhere.
New episode: buff.ly/BxAMGBN
The tappers thought 50% of listeners would guess the song.
Actual success rate: 2.5%.
You've got the music in your head. Your team has just got the taps.
buff.ly/HboUtSO #EducationalLeadership
The benefits of paraphrasing in a tricky conversation.
Prepared this episode thinking I was going to talk about communication.
Ended up sitting with how often I've walked away from a conversation certain we were aligned. We weren't.
buff.ly/HboUtSO
The thing that always makes the difference: actually practising the conversation, not just learning the model. First go, clunky. Second go, proper coaching. Super proud of this group 😅
Just wrapped two days running a coaching masterclass in Shanghai. Eight leaders, loads of snacks, two full coaching rehearsals with feedback in between. The shift from rehearsal one to rehearsal two was brilliant to watch.
Signal. Restate. Check.
That's it. Three steps. Paraphrasing done properly surfaces misunderstandings before they become two weeks of confusion.
Latest episode: buff.ly/HboUtSO
Day two of my Leading as a Coach Masterclass in Shanghai.
Today we rehearse!
Managers overestimate how clear their feedback is by over 40%.
Nearly half. And it's worse when the message is uncomfortable.
Worth thinking about.
Listen here: buff.ly/HboUtSO
#SchoolLeadership
