Product reviews for Imperfect Leadership

Imperfect Leadership is an inspiring, globally resonant leadership tour de force that outlines the experiences and challenges that Steve Munby has faced as a leader over more than three decades.

It is a self-reflective study of the qualities needed to be a successful leader in the education sector, and is a revealing and fascinating look behind the scenes of the contexts and structures where Steve has been a leader - tracing the humanity and humility that he has brought to every organisation he has led.

The structure of the book enables us to remind ourselves of the passionate and thoughtful speeches Steve has made throughout his career. Each provides a different building block to help him construct a leadership framework that we can all follow and can become part of his legacy for system-wide improvement. The opening chapter shows us that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness - and the chapter on power and love is drawn from a speech I remember well, having been in the audience on the day he presented it. In this Steve speaks about the morality of leadership: describing the need to go beyond having good intentions and wanting the best for children, to having the single-minded determination to make a real difference. As an MAT CEO at the time, I needed to hear that message, and I drew on it on multiple occasions to reassure myself that the changes I was leading were changes that would have long-term benefits for the children I was accountable for.

We live in an era where the understanding of leadership is expanding quicker than at any time I can remember. If there is one book that describes how we lead in complex times, that reveals the development of an education system over 30 years, and that reminds us about the heart and soul of leadership, then this is it. Imperfect Leadership is the story of our lives as school leaders.

Steve Munby is a man of his word who set out to make a difference. He delivered!