Making it my mission to watch a lot of foreign language films and television shows. Any recommendations?

We forgive as we forget, as the day is long. A post about lyrics and leadership. www.linkedin.com/posts/david-...

The awesome @tattooedheadteachr.bsky.social shared “Having access to people smarter than you is a blessing, not a threat" I could diagnose pupil progress issues, but struggled staff translating them into precise, measurable action. A senior trust leader helped. Insight matters. Impact matters more.

Absolutely, it's not a popularity contest. That's hard sometimes as no one likes to unliked. But that's why it is so important to have a life outside school. Too many people fall into the trap of their colleagues being their world. Have friends outside work that matter more.

There are times in school leadership when it feels like you’re pleasing no one at all. That doesn’t always mean you’re getting it wrong. Often it means you’re making choices in messy conditions. You won’t be liked in those moments. Your job is to stay steady, human and intact.

There are times in school leadership when it feels like you’re pleasing no one at all. That doesn’t always mean you’re getting it wrong. Often it means you’re making choices in messy conditions. You won’t be liked in those moments. Your job is to stay steady, human and intact.

Compliance chased is compliance resented. When we stop chasing and start designing systems that support human fallibility, we trade enforced obedience for shared ownership. Assume good intent. Leadership isn't about more reminders; it’s about shared clarity. #Leadership #Trust

1/3 🧵 Evenings like this: daughter in the kitchen, the clatter of pans, a long-distance chat with Dad. No drama, no big breakthroughs—just the steady, quiet music of domestic life. It’s remarkable how much it matters when everything finally feels in its right place.

February Fragments: Balancing Act. Full post on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/posts/david-...

Another reason every leader should be a reader - not for optics, not for book lists. Because reading trains you to sit with complexity, hold opposing ideas, and change your mind without losing your nerve.

Son just landed last minute #deftones tickets on me. Standing tickets. On a school night. Carnage will ensue next week.

Our most valuable resource at work is time. The best use of it is often talk, not agenda driven meetings but real human connection. When people have space to listen and think together, trust grows and the work usually moves more safely afterwards.

Output not outcomes

Some people assume Shakey Leadership will run out of steam. That assumption usually comes from the sidelines. January had a post every day. February will too. Before that came the 42 Laws of Primary Leadership. This was never about momentum or attention. 1/2

This week's Shakey Leadership wisdom thread 🧵 👇

Thread 🧵 1/3 Staff wellbeing surveys are designed to help leaders listen, which is necessary.  there’s a strange irony, however, in discovering via an anonymous database, that the thing most damaging staff wellbeing is leadership decisions.

Exploring my blind spots through the Johari Window has shown me this: clarity in my head doesn’t guarantee clarity in the room, and confidence in memory isn’t shared understanding. Leadership lives in what others actually see, hear, and carry forward.

Longer piece here if you have LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...

One of the best bits of leadership advice I ever got was to run a school the way I ran my classroom. Not treating adults like children, but remembering what helps people work well: clarity, trust, fewer priorities, thoughtful feedback, and leaders owning the conditions.

The amazing @pepsmccrea.bsky.social posted about Educational Entropy this week - giving a name to something I've long been skirting around capturing. I'm looking forward to the series. In the meantime, here are my initial thoughts on Linkedin. www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...

The amazing @pepsmccrea.bsky.social posted about Educational Entropy this week - giving a name to something I've long been skirting around capturing. I'm looking forward to the series. In the meantime, here are my initial thoughts on Linkedin. www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...

Good enough is when “works every day” matters more than “impresses once.” In schools, in systems, in leadership more broadly, work is rarely perfect - but it must be trustworthy. Sometimes the most serious leadership decision you can make is to stop refining and start serving.

Why Sundays don't drag me down anymore. In short: because I'm not borrowing anxiety from a future I’ve learned I can handle.

"Leadership isn’t about energising all the time - it's about regulating. Schools don’t need leaders who constantly turn the dial up."

We've invited the in-laws around for Sunday lunch. The roast lamb is resting and the house is permeated with its scent. We've really cut back on meat consumption so we can focus on more expensive but ethical sources. I don't know if the improvement is quality or psychology.

Real leaders don’t confuse availability with value. If everything depends on you being endlessly present, something more basic hasn’t been built properly.

I lost a full stone in weight in January through dietary changes alone. February will focus on fitness and mobility. The two year plan isn't just writing crap about leadership you know. You need to be healthy and need fewer calories when you're semi retired and money poorer.

Started a new series of posts today called February Fragments. They're basically exactly like the old posts, but with an alliterative title. The first is about school temperature - not the literal one. linkedin.com/posts/activity…

Why have I suddenly started writing stuff daily? Is it a fad? Am I jumping on a gravy train I know is dry? What's the motivation? linkedin.com/posts/activity…

School leaders should be readers. Not in the performative, bookshelf-for-Zoom sense, but genuinely. Because children can tell when reading is a prop rather than a practice. And so can staff. Full post: linkedin.com/posts/activity…

If you're on LinkedIn and have had any sort of dealings with me, even virtual ones, I'd appreciate a (positive 🤣) comment on this post. linkedin.com/posts/activity…

If you're on LinkedIn and have had any sort of dealings with me, even virtual ones, I'd appreciate a (positive 🤣) comment on this post. linkedin.com/posts/activity…

This week's words of wisdom would be 11 tweets long and I can't be bothered. If you're interested (and few are 🤣) you can see it on LinkedIn. I might make a blog. I've already got a book's worth. linkedin.com/posts/activity…

When you misread your staff...linkedin.com/posts/activity…

A new post tonight (I've been daily since New Year's Day) - this one's about vexatious parents. linkedin.com/posts/david-s-…

Data shows the shape of things. People explain why it matters. Data tells you what. People tell you why. Data is the map. People are the terrain. Data reveals patterns. People reveal consequences.

Still banging on about pop culture as an allegory for school leadership - this time it's back to Star Trek - posted on LinkedIn linkedin.com/posts/david-s-….

Also, data on it's own can be very triggering can't it. People need time to digest it and think about the context it relates to. Glad you didn't take offence at their initial react and gave them grace to respond again.

Some days, leadership is a tightrope in a high wind. No net. A thousand voices shouting with absolute certainty about what you should do next, or should have done already. Not one of them willing to place a single foot on the f-ing rope!

I shared data today. Just facts. No assumptions attached. It’s information that’s publicly available all the time. Still, a few people took offence and got defensive. That part is familiar. What mattered more was choosing not to meet defensiveness with more noise. 1/3 🧵

Leadership lessons from @stephenking.bsky.social www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...

Facing the week with a fresh outlook isn’t about a big reset or a new version of yourself. It’s quieter than that. It’s just waking up and deciding not to carry everything from last week forward by default. 1/3 🧵

Good leadership can be knowing what NOT to improve, atwast just now: linkedin.com/posts/david-s-…

Let your leadership be scrutinised without rushing to defend it. Reflection sharpens judgement far more than justification ever does. Separate who you are from the role you hold. Leaders who fuse identity to title lose the breathing space needed to listen and adapt. 1/5

This week's Shakey Leadership summary: linkedin.com/posts/activity…

Leadership is a role you inhabit, not a reflection of your worth. Listen without armour, take the work seriously but yourself lightly, and remember: if your work is the only thing defining your gravity, you’ll always be one difficult email away from a crash.

External scrutiny will sharpen thinking if you let it. Explaining decisions and justifying self-assessment strips away comfort, exposing what really matters. Once done, rest and compartmentalise. Reflection sharpens judgement, but rest is what allows it to settle.

Humility in leadership matters. Admitting you’re wrong builds trust *if* the culture is right. In weak cultures, openness gets mined for leverage. So don’t confuse humility with exposure. Strong leaders are honest and discerning.