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Product reviews for Understanding Leadership
Marcelo Staricoff, Head Teacher, Balfour Primary School
Understanding Leadership could not have been written at a better time! School leaders across all sectors and in all areas of school life are going through a time of substantial change and uncertainty. Indeed many leaders at the moment are wondering how and if they will be able to adapt at all.
Understanding Leadership is the perfect antidote to all this uncertainty and an excellent resource for leaders at all levels and across all sectors. In fact, one of the main points that the book makes is that -˜virtually all the ideas and principles discussed in this book apply to everyone who works in the school community', as the authors are very clear that leadership -˜should be regarded as a collective capacity rather than the status of the few'.
The book sets out very clearly the reasons why leaders in education play such a vital role in society. In each chapter the authors do an excellent job of enthusing and inspiring practitioners at all levels with the potential for good that exists within the various remits of leadership.
It would be difficult to find another book that sets out the principles, philosophies, challenges and theories of leadership with such clarity, with so many excellent sources to illustrate various trains of thought and with so many opportunities for self-reflection and for re-energising one's own practice.
The way that Libby Nicholas and John West-Burnham have written this book gives the reader a very clear picture of the principles that underpin each of the ideas and ways of being. They also provide the reader with a very clear understanding of how these ideas may look in practice and the benefits that one would see having established them within one's own organisation. The book makes aiming for certain goals, certain cultures and certain ways of being a really plausible proposition: time and time again I found myself reflecting on how much sense the concepts make. It is fascinating how the authors are so skilled in placing leadership within the context of society and of real-life scenarios by emphasising the link between leadership and moral purpose throughout the book.
The book is structured in such a way that it would make the perfect accompaniment to school improvement - three year school strategic plans could easily be based on the principles outlined. INSET days, away days, CPD could all be very easily aligned around the structure of each of the chapters. I cannot wait to look at my own short, medium and long term strategic plans, together with our whole school professional development and philosophy of education now, and begin to adapt these to match the sequence of the chapters in this book. Indeed the authors place great emphasis on the symbiotic relationship between leadership and learning and, very interestingly, note that -˜leadership in education exists to enable learning'.
The book is also excellent at linking the various theories and ideas with not only current pressures but also with exciting opportunities that the current climate is bringing to educationalists. The sections on learning, partnerships and evidence-based practice could not be better set out and the words of wisdom within these chapters stand out as an absolute must for all leaders of today.
The book is very informative and it is written in a way that enables the reader to reflect, think, question, hypothesise, wonder and, at the same time, be inspired and feel skilled and equipped to design and put next steps into practice. The way the book focuses on the personal qualities of successful leaders is hugely impressive and, I feel, will be quite transformational. The authors make an excellent and quite unique link between love and leadership, to remind the reader that -˜the current emphasis on performativity and competition has to be reconciled with the centrality of effective human relationships'.
It is a book that school leaders will have both as a quick reference point whenever they need inspiration and ideas and as an essential tool that enables them to think strategically to drive their own visions and create learning climates where all children are able to maximise their potential.
Understanding Leadership is the perfect antidote to all this uncertainty and an excellent resource for leaders at all levels and across all sectors. In fact, one of the main points that the book makes is that -˜virtually all the ideas and principles discussed in this book apply to everyone who works in the school community', as the authors are very clear that leadership -˜should be regarded as a collective capacity rather than the status of the few'.
The book sets out very clearly the reasons why leaders in education play such a vital role in society. In each chapter the authors do an excellent job of enthusing and inspiring practitioners at all levels with the potential for good that exists within the various remits of leadership.
It would be difficult to find another book that sets out the principles, philosophies, challenges and theories of leadership with such clarity, with so many excellent sources to illustrate various trains of thought and with so many opportunities for self-reflection and for re-energising one's own practice.
The way that Libby Nicholas and John West-Burnham have written this book gives the reader a very clear picture of the principles that underpin each of the ideas and ways of being. They also provide the reader with a very clear understanding of how these ideas may look in practice and the benefits that one would see having established them within one's own organisation. The book makes aiming for certain goals, certain cultures and certain ways of being a really plausible proposition: time and time again I found myself reflecting on how much sense the concepts make. It is fascinating how the authors are so skilled in placing leadership within the context of society and of real-life scenarios by emphasising the link between leadership and moral purpose throughout the book.
The book is structured in such a way that it would make the perfect accompaniment to school improvement - three year school strategic plans could easily be based on the principles outlined. INSET days, away days, CPD could all be very easily aligned around the structure of each of the chapters. I cannot wait to look at my own short, medium and long term strategic plans, together with our whole school professional development and philosophy of education now, and begin to adapt these to match the sequence of the chapters in this book. Indeed the authors place great emphasis on the symbiotic relationship between leadership and learning and, very interestingly, note that -˜leadership in education exists to enable learning'.
The book is also excellent at linking the various theories and ideas with not only current pressures but also with exciting opportunities that the current climate is bringing to educationalists. The sections on learning, partnerships and evidence-based practice could not be better set out and the words of wisdom within these chapters stand out as an absolute must for all leaders of today.
The book is very informative and it is written in a way that enables the reader to reflect, think, question, hypothesise, wonder and, at the same time, be inspired and feel skilled and equipped to design and put next steps into practice. The way the book focuses on the personal qualities of successful leaders is hugely impressive and, I feel, will be quite transformational. The authors make an excellent and quite unique link between love and leadership, to remind the reader that -˜the current emphasis on performativity and competition has to be reconciled with the centrality of effective human relationships'.
It is a book that school leaders will have both as a quick reference point whenever they need inspiration and ideas and as an essential tool that enables them to think strategically to drive their own visions and create learning climates where all children are able to maximise their potential.
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06/05/2016 01:00
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