When Jo Robinson joins Shane, they focus on a simple, urgent problem: too much of what passes for professional development in schools is one-off, inspirational, and then forgotten. Jo — Chief Programmes Officer at the International Centre for Coaching in Education — gives school leaders practical steps to move from occasional workshops to coaching-led development that actually improves teaching and retention.

You’ll learn concrete moves you can make straight away: how to replace single observation feedback with short coaching conversations, how to set small monitored goals that staff will actually keep, and how to gather a fuller picture of practice by triangulating evidence rather than relying on one visit. Shane and Jo discuss examples from international schools, the role of accredited coaching programmes for leaders, and simple templates you can adopt this term to protect staff time while growing expertise. Press play if you want a practical plan for making leadership development stick.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

International Centre for Coaching in Education (ICCE)

Joanne Robinson on LinkedIn

EEF Guidance: Effective Professional Development (practical evidence for PD design)

International Centre for Coaching in Education (Use discount code SHANE5 for 5% off)

International Curriculum Association

Join Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensive

Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.

You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When someone says “have you got a moment?” your instinct might be to say yes — and then lose 20 minutes, your focus and whatever calm you had left. This solo episode shows you a practical, repeatable way to handle those knocks so you protect your attention and still serve your team. Shane introduces the five-second “doorway decision”, explains how essentialist thinking underpins the approach, and shows how to set a clear 15-minute container for short conversations so they’re focused and useful.

You’ll learn a three-step routine you can use the next time someone appears at your door: pause and assess (can you really give them what they need?), set the container (time, outcome, exit strategy) and stay curious rather than rushing to solve. Shane gives exact phrases (for example, “I’ve got 15 minutes now — let’s work out the next step; if we need more time we’ll book it”) and shows how to close with a clear summary, next action and follow-up — so impromptu chats become actionable. This episode uses real school examples (Rachel, a head of year) and short coaching tools you can practise this week.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Previous episode: “How To Lead Without Being Needed” (Brett Griffin conversation)

Greg McKeown — Essentialism (book / author referenced)

Michael Bungay Stanier — The Coaching Habit (book / author referenced)

International Centre for Coaching in Education (Use discount code SHANE5 for 5% off)

International Curriculum Association

Join Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensive

Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.

You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode introduces a practical, curriculum-centred approach to student leadership with Maureen Chapman and James Simons of Cor Creative Partners. They explain why leadership should be taught like any other skill (not left to “natural leaders”), share the memorable chocolate-milk classroom story that reveals how students hide emotions, and show how simple classroom routines and roles make leadership visible and teachable.

You’ll get clear, immediate methods to use in class: the Leader Profile (motivate, persevere, communicate, collaborate) and four group roles (motivator, project manager, facilitator, advocate); quick reflection + micro-goal routines you can scaffold; and a low-risk pilot strategy (small team doing a lot vs whole-school doing a little). Shane, Maureen and James also name a psychological finding about why reflection is hard for students (many prefer doing something to “just thinking”), and they give pragmatic fixes you can trial tomorrow.

Cor Creative Partners

Leaders of the Class

Maureen Chapman on LinkedIn

James Simons on LinkedIn

Wilson et al. (2014) “Just Think” — why people avoid sitting with their thoughts

Teacher Development Trust

International Curriculum Association

Join Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensive

Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.

You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.