At what point does being a leader really hit home?

In her first guest blog for us, our Associate Coach Maggie describes the moment it happened for her and shares her experience of growing into the leader that she is today.

“And this was it – the lightning bolt moment when I realised that I was the Headteacher and leader and should have all the answers.”

Self-awareness underpins leadership. A truly transformative leader must be on an ongoing journey of developing their self-awareness. It incorporates self-evaluation and reflection, a willingness to receive and act on feedback, mindfulness practices, and continuous learning. It also involves embracing vulnerability, recognising one’s strengths and areas for growth, and adapting to changing contexts.  

Self-awareness is a big buzzword in leadership - often touted as the cornerstone of personal growth, emotional intelligence, and effective leadership. But beyond buzzwords and self-help slogans, what does it actually mean to be self-aware? Because generally speaking, we don’t actually have a secure grasp of what this construct actually is. 

Education is a complicated entity; and for many reasons. Wicked problems have multiple root causes; they have multiple symptoms; they have multiple solutions and as such it makes them incredibly challenging to solve, if in fact, they ever can be solved in their entirety. What makes them ever more challenging is that they themselves are constantly evolving and changing as are the causes, symptoms and solutions.