Show Notes
Over the last few years, staff wellbeing has become one of the most commonly used phrases in education leadership. Yoga after school. Mindfulness apps. Staff breakfasts. Wellbeing days. And yet — teachers and support staff are still leaving. In this episode of The Leadership Lens, I talk honestly about why so many wellbeing initiatives fail to retain staff, and what actually makes the difference when it comes to keeping good people in schools. This episode was sparked by a comment I received this year: “Your school is outstanding — you must be difficult to work for.” That assumption stopped me in my tracks. Because in my experience, high standards and high staff retention are not opposites. In fact, they depend on one another. Across this extended episode, I explore what ten years of leadership in a complex, inner-city context has taught me about retention — not as a wellbeing problem, but as a work design and leadership behaviour issue. We talk about: - Why teachers don’t leave because they’re not calm enough — they leave because they feel trapped, ineffective, or morally compromised - How workload becomes unsustainable not through one big thing, but through hundreds of small, poorly designed demands - Why moral injury — not lack of resilience — sits underneath so much attrition - How predictable rhythms, clarity of communication, and fairness reduce anxiety more than any initiative - What actually happens when leaders remove work, protect time, and say “stop” - Why staff stay where they feel trusted, effective, and safe enough to be honest - How believing in people before they believe in themselves builds leadership capacity and long-term stability - Why micromanagement quietly drives good people out — and what to do instead - How calling out unhelpful cultural behaviours early protects staff dignity and trust - Why wellbeing isn’t something you give staff — it’s something you stop taking away This episode is not about being “nice”. It’s about being serious about professional time, dignity, and sustainability. If you’re a headteacher, executive leader, or trust leader who is asking: “How do I stop losing good people?” …this episode is for you. Inside the Premium Members Hub, I’ve shared a Staff Retention Audit Toolkit designed to help leaders move beyond wellbeing initiatives and take an honest look at: - Where work design is draining staff - Where predictability and fairness are breaking down - Where agency, competence, or psychological safety need strengthening - What can realistically change in the next 2 weeks, half term, and term It’s practical, leadership-facing, and designed to support real decision-making — not add another task to your list. Premium members can access the toolkit now in the hub here: https://the-leadership-lens.mykajabi.com/premium-membership
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I Thought We Had Our Personal Development Offer Sorted… Then I Properly Looked at It
In last week’s episode, I explored why so many school development plans don’t quite do what we hope they will. We looked at the idea that we often focus too heavily on goals, rather than the day-to-day systems and habits that actually drive change in schools. We also reframed the starting point for planning away from “what do we want to achieve?” and towards “what are our persistent problems?” This week builds directly on that thinking. Because once you’ve identified your persistent problems, the next step is deciding what to do about them. That’s the moment where most plans either become genuinely powerful… or quietly fall apart. In this episode, I introduce the concept of premortems, a simple but incredibly powerful way of strengthening your school improvement plans before you implement them. Rather than waiting to evaluate something after it hasn’t worked, a premortem asks you to imagine that your plan has already failed, and then work backwards to understand why. It sounds uncomfortable, and it is, but that discomfort is exactly where the insight sits. In this episode, I explore: Why we tend to move too quickly from identifying problems to implementing solutions What a premortem is and where it comes from How premortems create space for honest, risk-aware thinking within leadership teams A step-by-step walkthrough of how to run a premortem effectively in your school A detailed school-based example focused on improving reading fluency in lower KS2 Three non-examples of premortems that look right on the surface but fail in practice — and what goes wrong in each case How to use premortems to strengthen your school development plan before it reaches the classroom 🧠 Key takeaway Identifying the right problem is only half the work. Designing the right response, and properly stress-testing that response before you implement it, is where school improvement either succeeds or quietly falls apart. Premortems help you do exactly that. 💡 Premium Membership If you want to take this straight into your own setting, this week’s premium resource is designed to do exactly that. As a premium member, you’ll receive: A full slide deck that walks you step-by-step through the premortem framework Clear guidance on how to structure and facilitate the session with your team A resource you can use immediately in SLT meetings or wider leadership discussions Premium membership also gives you access to the full back catalogue of 36 episodes, each with accompanying resources including: Training scripts Slide decks School development frameworks Practical tools you can use straight away Topics covered include safeguarding, behaviour, personal development, curriculum design, retrieval practice, alternative provision, and much more. 👉 You can join here: https://the-leadership-lens.mykajabi.com/premium-membership It’s £11 per month, and each week you’ll receive a resource linked directly to the episode, designed to support your work as a school leader in a practical, usable way.