Leadership driven by ego & selfishness may appear 'strong' & authoritative to some but in reality it's the opposite. Ego often becomes overinflated as a defence mechanism & comes from fear & insecurity. I pity this approach & instead applaud servant, ego-less leadership.

Legacy. What will people remember us for when we've moved on? What would we want people to remember about who we are? I'd like kindness, inclusivity, humility & compassion to define my time. Is there anything more important in life than caring for people & showing humanity?

We often talk about the importance of belonging, stability & supportive learning environments for our young people & communities but where is that space for us as leaders in education? How can we lead by example? Join us at Forum Strategy: forumstrategy.org/about/

As a long-standing, fully independent membership organisation for trust leaders, we offer a safe and supportive space to openly discuss and explore important issues for your role, your trust, your locality and the sector. Find out more link.forumstrategy.org/ao4

At Forum Strategy, we recognise that any development you dedicate time to, needs to add value and make a difference to you and your organisation. We offer the space to think strategically and to connect with peers on what matters most. Find out more link.forumstrategy.org/bax

Anyone else feeling like social media is becoming a black hole?! Perhaps my posts on here & X are boring & not worth interacting with but it's feeling increasingly quiet & boring with no conversation or discussion 😥 Time to perhaps abscond for a bit...LinkedIn only.

CPD Leaders' Forum input this AM focused on building contextual wisdom for thriving trusts. Putting this into practice with visits to Andy Moorcroft (The Challenge Academy Trust) & Annette Williams (The Weaver Trust) for thoughtful discussions #LearnersMindset #MeaningfulEngagement

Great to spend time with West Midlands trust leaders today. I was impressed with the sense of passion, determination & commitment to CYP & to the system as a whole. Some really valuable discussions around collaboration, relationship building, redefining growth & much more 🙏🏻

Okay so another string to the accountability bow it seems - why are these things being announced separately though? How will this, Ofsted, RISE teams etc fit together? More coherency & join up would be helpful!

I'm confused as to how you can be presented with a huge opportunity to make things better & then make things seemingly worse. Particularly when you've had reams of feedback & ideas from the sector itself. Trying to stay hopeful the consultation element will be meaningful at least 🙏

At Forum Strategy, we recognise that any development you dedicate time to, needs to add value and make a difference to you and your organisation. We offer the space to think strategically and to connect with peers on what matters most. Find out more link.forumstrategy.org/bax

Why we must stop the 'us & them' attitude a small minority promote & think as a whole system united in common purpose...👇 www.linkedin.com/posts/alice-...

Looking forward to a day of learning in London at the locality leadership conference. So much to pick up & learn from the great work already happening in this space. I'll be sharing this with our system leadership group in March as they explore locality leadership through trusts.

Our partners at Wesleyan have written this excellent article for network members which will be complemented by a breakfast briefing online tomorrow. Supporting financial wellbeing is an important but often overlooked element of taking care of our staff: forumstrategy.org/how-financia...

As a long-standing, fully independent membership organisation for trust leaders, we offer a safe and supportive space to openly discuss and explore important issues for your role, your trust, your locality and the sector. Find out more link.forumstrategy.org/ao4

I posted some thoughts on LinkedIn re discussions about the benefits/ills of hierarchies in organisations, as there was more room to explain my thought process...👇 I'm in favour of structure & hierarchy as long as it's used well - which is more the point. www.linkedin.com/posts/alice-...

I'm prepped and ready to co-lead with @alicegregson.bsky.social today's National Leaders Network meeting. Looking forward to catching up and engaging with Prof Mel Ainscow and @nicoleponsford.bsky.social on leading equality, diversity and inclusion across trusts: the Education Leaders role.

Negative action around remote work is missing the point. It's not about WHERE you work, but about performance, productivity, and engagement. You can be low-performing in the office or high-performing remotely & vice versa. Focus on WHAT, not where #Productivity #Outcomes #Engagement

In June, @forumstrategy.bsky.social hold our 4th national symposium focusing this time on one year under a new govt; what this has meant so far for the sector & what will come next. Vital time with peers, in an expertly facilitated environment. Find out more: forumstrategy.org/national-tru...

As a female leader, I've lost count of the times I've been assigned inaccurate emotions. Oversensitive when being perceptive or angry when being assertive are two favourites. A more nuanced understanding of emotions & traits is needed for truly inclusive leadership cultures.

First trust visit of 2025 was in the rural area of Hereford at the Heart of Mercia MAT. Such a warm welcome from Peter & the team & so much to discuss - including the distinctiveness of rural schools & post-16 provision, social mobility, & much more. Thank you for the invite 🙏

Forum Strategy is a national membership organisation for leaders in trusts. Our members have access to forward thinking and inspiring events, resources and development alongside the offer of personalised support from our team. Find out more link.forumstrategy.org/mnm

I love the transformation the icy conditions bring, it makes for stunning scenery & for me personally, a greater desire to be outdoors & appreciate the beauty of nature ❄️💙

Reflecting on the Children's Wellbeing & Schools Bill, I see some of the sentiment behind it, but there's a lack of clarity & overall vision from govt that should underpin it. Trust & school leaders will no doubt find their own way & opportunities despite this - as they always do...

Our national networks benefit from intelligence and inputs from leading cross sector thinkers and organisations, supporting members to form wider partnerships and to learn from practice that is both similar and different to education. Find out more link.forumstrategy.org/r4t

At Forum Strategy, we recognise that any development you dedicate time to, needs to add value and make a difference to you and your organisation. We offer the space to think strategically and to connect with peers on what matters most. Find out more link.forumstrategy.org/bax

As a long-standing, fully independent membership organisation for trust leaders, we offer a safe and supportive space to openly discuss and explore important issues for your role, your trust, your locality and the sector. Find out more link.forumstrategy.org/ao4

A few thoughts & questions for 2025 in a changed & changing landscape for trust leaders: forumstrategy.org/new-year-blog-… ✅️ Collaboration ❌️ Competition ⚖️ Balancing innovation & continuity 📈 Demonstrating the positive impact & potential of trusts 🌱 Growing leaders And more...

A few thoughts & questions for 2025 in a changed & changing landscape for trust leaders: forumstrategy.org/new-year-blog-… ✅️ Collaboration ❌️ Competition ⚖️ Balancing innovation & continuity 📈 Demonstrating the positive impact & potential of trusts 🌱 Growing leaders And more...

I'm not interested in those who shout loudest, those tagged in every post or those who attend the opening of an envelope. The people I admire most, work hard for others, often doing so without the recognition or thanks they deserve but they do it anyway, it's who they are. #ISeeYou #ThankYou

A great session this a.m alongside children's mental health charity Place2Be exploring how we can work more closely with parents & carers to support children's mental health. Some incredible support on offer & thank you to our trust leaders who shared their work & stories too 🙏

Exactly what we've been saying at Forum Strategy for several weeks - a coherent, ambitious vision is absolutely critical. See Michael Pain's blog from October here, which sums it up really well: forumstrategy.org/we-need-the-...

The power of a thank you can't be underestimated. Everyone appreciates being recognised & thanked for their time & to me it illustrates someones values & awareness in practice. I always thank those who give up their time to contribute - it's important to make time for gratitude.

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK “The most important thing is that parents and the community see you as part of them... Our schools are safe spaces for many families." Closing the disadvantage gap: A case study of the Prince Albert Community Trust | Forum Strategy forumstrategy.org/closing-the-...

If you are looking for a long-established, highly credible programme for current & aspiring CEOs with phenomenal feedback & an incredible range of opportunities & contributors...look no further 👇

Exactly this! And chimes entirely with what we've also been saying at @forumstrategy.bsky.social Where is the overall vision that brings all of these things together coherently? Only then can we fully understand the roles of all within the education system.

Last week we had an excellent session with Natalie Packer on SEND leadership across trusts - we have now made the video from the session available to Forum Strategy members to catch up on in their own time: forumstrategy.org/working-beyo...

I decided to get back on Blue Sky as a supposedly nicer place then greeted with this 🤢👇 My account is a professional one - I don't welcome this kind of messaging. Friendly messages within clear boundaries totally welcome though!

Applications are now open for the #BeingTheCEO programme 2025 The programme is for those in the role, or those close to taking it on. The feedback speaks for itself. Do you wish to join Sir Steve Lancashire, Michael pain and others in 2025? Apply here: forumstrategy.org/beingtheceo/

"Sometimes we get so caught up in measures & metrics, we don’t tell the 'story' of our organisations enough." @alicegregson.bsky.social for Forum Strategy UK: forumstrategy.org/forum-strate...

What a day! Proud to have shared a room with such a brilliant network, shared a stage with such incredible speakers, & shared the satisfaction of a great day with a wonderful team 🙏 Days like this make me realise how special this network & work really is #ProudCEO

Very proud to have contributed to this piece: schoolsweek.co.uk/a-system-wid...

Delighted to have contributed to this excellent report from @alicegregson.bsky.social At TEAL We wholeheartedly support a system-wide Retention Promise. We must change the lived experience of teachers if we want to solve the recruitment crisis schoolsweek.co.uk/a-system-wid...

Forum Strategy have produced a third system leadership paper - about the challenge of teacher retention which you can see here: forumstrategy.org/system-leade... There's also a Schools Week article that can be seen here: schoolsweek.co.uk/a-system-wid...

This will be my 5th academic year at Forum Strategy - how time flies! I can honestly say I've never questioned the decision to join this incredible team. An organisation with a commitment to integrity, quality, humanity & humility at its heart, evident in all it does 🙏

Just over 2 weeks until our 7th national CEO conference. With so much already happening in this new academic year, this is the place to step away to fully digest, reflect & connect as CEOs. I've had great calls with our contributors & this will be an incredible day! forumstrategy.org/national-tru...

I'm not sure about this. Titles don't create hierarchies, behaviours & leadership styles do. Titles are indicators of responsibility (people ultimately need to know where the buck stops). Inclusive, less hierarchical orgs are created through behaviour & conscious intention.

I think this will be welcome news to many & a step in the right direction re accountability reform. As ever though, this won't be enough on it's own so interesting to see how further reform is undertaken to develop a better accountability system. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

They say you can tell a lot about a person by their book shelf...Here's what's on my top shelf. I wonder what it says about me? 🤔 #LoveToRead

As we are about to embark upon a new academic year, #TrustLeaders may be thinking about CPD. Our three national networks offer connection, high-quality content & access to leading edu & cross-sector thinking. Our members had this to say 👇 forumstrategy.org/our-networks/