Education Leadership: Your First 100 Days in a New Role
Taking up a new senior or executive leadership role in education is both a privilege and a responsibility. The first 100 days are often described as the period in which leaders lay the cultural and strategic foundations that shape their tenure. For school and trust leaders, this window is not about quick wins or surface-level change, but about establishing a climate of trust, safety, and purpose where adults and young people can flourish into the long-term.
We argue that values-based leadership should be at the heart of this endeavour. When leaders are aware and true to their values and those of the organisation, they not only signal consistency and integrity, but they also create the conditions in which psychological safety and wise compassion can become the norm.
Step One: Begin with Values
James Kouzes and Barry Posner’s classic work The Leadership Challenge reminds us that leaders who “model the way” by living their values are those who build credibility fastest. In your first 100 days, clarity of values matters more than a perfectly crafted strategy.
Key questions to consider:
Do you know what your personal values are and what has shaped those values?
How do you share your personal values and connect with your team?
How are your values embodied within your leadership approach?
Do your team know their own values and the value add they bring with this?
Step Two: Build Psychological Safety (this one takes time)
Amy Edmondson’s research on psychological safety has become a touchstone for leaders across industry sectors. When staff feel safe to speak up, admit mistakes, and share ideas without fear of blame or judgement, teams innovate and thrive. For new leaders, the early days set the tone: people are watching not just what you say, but how you react to what others do or do not say.
Top tips:
Listen. Listen more than you talk in the first 100 days; create deliberate spaces for honest dialogue. This is key to identifying the deeper patterns that already exist and uncover the strengths of each layer of the system.
Model appropriate vulnerability: share what you are learning, admit when you don’t know, and thank those who challenge you.
Establish team routines that normalise reflection and learning, rather than compliance and defensiveness.
Step Three: Practise Wise Compassion
Wise Compassion is recognising suffering and responding with care in ways that are both humane and effective (Dutton & Worline, 2017) it has also been described as the balance of courage and care (Hougaard & Carter, 2021) – leading with empathy while making brave decisions. In schools and trusts, this balance is vital: leaders must face into complex challenges while honouring the humanity of staff, pupils, and communities.
Top tips:
Establish or re-establish clear boundaries through the co-creation of principles.
Approach difficult conversations with curiosity and respect, not avoidance (remembering there is a person on the other side of the conversation with their own lens on the reality- can you make sense of what is really being said?).
Balance accountability with support; set clear expectations, invest in development and provide appropriate support.
Use rituals of recognition to affirm effort and growth along the process, not just outcomes.
Step Four: Model the Climate You Want to Feel
Ed Schein’s work on organisational culture reminds us that “the only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture.” In your first 100 days, people will be taking their cues from you: how you greet staff, how you handle stress, how you react under pressure, how you manage conflict and how you treat those without positional power. These micro-moments accumulate into culture.
Top tips:
Be visible and relational build connection with staff at every level and model this approach
Pay attention to language – does it reinforce respect, inclusion, and optimism?
When mistakes occur, respond with curiosity and problem-solving, not blame.
Build systems to reinforce and develop the practice you seek. Culture does not come about through communications and posters, embed the processes.
Final Thought: The Long Game Begins Now
The first 100 days are not about proving yourself, but about planting the seeds of trust and hope. If values are lived, psychological safety nurtured, and wise compassion practised, then the climate for excellence and equity will follow.
Education leadership is, at its heart, about enabling adults to be their best selves for the students and communities they serve. In the end, leadership is less about who you are, how you lead, and the climate you cultivate.
At The Glass House Leadership Lab we work with school and trust leaders to put these ideas into practice. Through values profiling, leadership coaching, and team development programmes, we help individuals and teams lead with clarity, confidence, and compassion. Whether you are stepping into a new role or seeking to strengthen your existing leadership culture, our coaching-led approach supports you to align values with action, build psychological safety, and unlock the collective potential of your team.
References:
Edmondson, A.C., 2019. The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Kouzes, J.M. and Posner, B.Z., 2017. The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations. 6th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Hougaard, R. and Carter, J., 2021. Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Schein, E.H. and Schein, P.A., 2017. Organizational Culture and Leadership. 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Worline, M.C. and Dutton, J.E., 2017. Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power that Elevates People and Organizations. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Book a free introductory call or contact us at info@glasshouselab.com to explore how we can work with you.