You hired the wrong person, killed a working programme, or ignored a massive risk whilst feeling completely rational the whole time. This episode unpacks five cognitive biases that sabotage school leadership decisions constantly: anchoring, availability bias, endowment effect, groupthink, and optimism bias. Shane shares real examples from his own leadership mistakes, including a disastrous hiring decision driven by a compelling opening story, and explains why these mental shortcuts that usually help us actually wreck leadership decisions.

You'll learn practical systems to catch yourself before these biases derail your next major decision. Shane walks through how to counter anchoring with "consider the opposite" thinking, why you need a decision journal to spot availability bias patterns, how to set up kill committees for initiatives you've personally championed, and why assigning a devil's advocate role fights groupthink. If you've ever wondered why smart leaders sometimes make terrible collective decisions, or why your optimistic timelines never match reality, this episode gives you the frameworks to make better choices and build trust with your team.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Change Starts Here by Shane Leaning

Episode Partners

International Curriculum Association

Teaching Walkthrus

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.

Chris Scorer and Shane Leaning got together to unpack some of the big themes from recent episodes, particularly that vulnerable solo episode Shane put out about self-doubt and imposter syndrome. The response to that one has been overwhelming, especially the private messages from leaders who haven't felt able to share their struggles publicly. Chris and Shane dug into why we've become so intolerant of failure in education, how accountability has overtaken development in our systems, and whether that's creating environments where leaders feel they have to hide their vulnerability rather than use it as a learning opportunity.

We also talked about Jet Wolper's brilliant episode on questioning the status quo and why we keep cutting the ends off ham. It challenged our developmental approach to change because sometimes, as Chris pointed out, you need to strip things back before you can build them up properly. Chris shared James Miller's gutsy move at Royal Grammar School Newcastle, where he simply got rid of anything that wasn't actually helping kids. We wrapped up talking about curiosity as an antidote to the winter blues and how being one step more curious this February might be exactly what we need.

Episodes mentioned:

• Tam Proctor on school character and culture: shaneleaning.com/podcast/140
• James Mannion on making change stick: shaneleaning.com/podcast/142
• Jet Wolper on the tab tax and cutting the ends off ham: shaneleaning.com/podcast/144
• Self-doubt and imposter syndrome (solo episode): shaneleaning.com/podcast/145

• Join us live: educationleaders.live

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.

Instructional coaching should be a powerful engine for teacher development, yet so many school initiatives stall or backfire. Why? In this frank conversation, Dr. Gene Tavernetti joins Shane to dissect exactly where and how coaching programmes commonly fail. With over thirty years in education (as coach, teacher, counselor, administrator, and consultant), Gene pulls no punches on the systemic pitfalls, from treating coaching as a remedial tool to the crippling myth of total confidentiality. As author of Teach FAST and Maximizing the Impact of Coaching Cycles (John Catt Education) and co-founder of Total Educational Systems Support (TESS), Gene has spent nearly two decades training teachers and those who support them in providing the best instruction possible.

You'll learn why a mandatory, school-wide approach is often better than a voluntary one and how to strategically select your first teachers to coach to build credibility. Gene explains the critical difference between professional and personal relationships in coaching and why a shared, evidence-based focus is non-negotiable. Guided by his core belief that given the right environment and proper support, everyone can improve and succeed, Gene shares the practical, scar-tissue wisdom you need to avoid common mistakes and build a sustainable culture of improvement.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Gene Tavernetti on LinkedIn

Jim Knight’s Instructional Coaching Group

Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion

Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

John Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model

International Curriculum Association

Teaching Walkthrus

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.

You know that feeling when you wake up with a weight on your chest, convinced you don't belong and everyone's about to find out? Shane gets vulnerable about a recent morning just like that: when a piece of work that wasn't his absolute best sent him spiralling into shame. This solo episode tackles the difference between "I did something imperfect" and "I am not good enough," and why that distinction matters so much for school leaders who hold themselves to impossibly high standards.

You'll learn the crucial difference between shame and guilt (and why one protects you whilst the other keeps you stuck), how to separate the stories you're making up from actual data, and why your character matters more than your competence in any single moment. Shane shares frameworks from Brené Brown, Adam Grant, and Stephen Covey, but also gets honest about why sometimes you can't think your way out, sometimes you just need to feel it. If you've ever felt like an imposter or struggled after work that wasn't perfect, this episode will remind you that you're not alone.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Adam Grant's "Think Again"

Stephen Covey's "The Speed of Trust"

Episode Partners

International Curriculum Association

Teaching Walkthrus

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.

Why do schools continue using systems they hate? Jett Wolper from Sisi challenges the assumption that broken school systems are inevitable. Most educational technology wasn't designed for teachers, it was built for the people who purchase it, creating a 20-year legacy of platforms that work on paper but fail in practice. From timetabling that consumes enormous amounts of leadership time to communication scattered across WhatsApp, email, and multiple other platforms, these inefficiencies aren't just frustrating, they're directly contributing to teacher burnout and even affecting school admissions and finances.

You'll learn why a story about ham perfectly explains most school systems, how duplicate data entry steals time from students, and why the best technology should be invisible. Jett shares practical steps for identifying which systems are draining your time, explains why centralising communication can transform a school overnight, and reveals Sisi’s vision for eliminating administrative tasks entirely. If you're exhausted by platforms that require three-month training courses or tired of juggling dozens of browser tabs just to get through your day, this conversation offers a genuinely different approach to how schools can operate.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Sisi School Management Platform

Sisi on LinkedIn

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.

What if being direct isn't the same as being clear? Shane challenges a core assumption in leadership advice: that directness equals clarity. Drawing on Edward Hall's work on high and low context cultures and a recent conversation with Eunice Okpotu about psychological safety, Shane introduces a quadrant framework that separates directness from clarity. He's seen UK heads who are incredibly direct yet leave staff confused, and Chinese leaders who never directly confront anyone yet maintain crystal-clear standards across their schools.

You'll learn the four quadrants of communication (direct and clear, direct and unclear, indirect and unclear, and indirect and clear), when to use each approach, and why indirect clarity is an overlooked leadership tool. Shane explains why indirect communication can preserve face whilst maintaining standards, when directness is essential (performance issues, safety concerns, legal requirements), and how the most effective leaders are fluent in both modes. If you've ever been frustrated by indirect communication or wondered why your direct feedback isn't landing, this framework will change how you think about leadership communication.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Edward Hall's work on high and low context cultures

International Curriculum Association

Teaching Walkthrus

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.

Dr James Mannion has noticed something telling when working with school leaders: ask them what proportion of change initiatives actually improved anything. Most estimate 10-20%, but when pressed about sustainable change with real evidence, that figure drops to nearly zero. Dr James Mannion, author of a comprehensive programme on implementation science, explains why this failure rate persists despite everyone knowing about it and more importantly, how schools can break the cycle. James reveals two deep-rooted issues: leaders aren't taught change management, and we default to top-down approaches that violate people's fundamental need for autonomy.

You'll learn why healthcare takes 17 years to achieve just 14% uptake of proven practices, how to build slice teams that bring genuine representation to decision-making, and the power of five-minute interviews for surfacing concerns without fear of repercussion. Shane and James discuss the difference between implementation science and improvement science, why sceptics make valuable team members, and how to create ground rules that prevent groupthink. If you're tired of watching initiatives fail despite good intentions, this conversation offers a practical roadmap for change that actually sticks.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Dr James Mannion's Making Change Stick programme
• Dr James Mannion's LinkedIn profile
• Dr James Mannion's podcast

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.

As 2025 comes to a close, Shane reflects on the year by counting down the five most listened to episodes of Education Leaders. The podcast has grown significantly, doubling in size just in the last six months and reaching around 150 episodes total. Whether you've been following along all year or you're brand new to the show, this episode gives you a curated guide to the conversations that resonated most with school leaders worldwide.

You'll hear about episodes covering everything from mastering your interview game to understanding why teachers resist great ideas, from curriculum change implementation to the unique challenges of teacher educators. Shane shares why each episode connected with listeners, what makes them valuable, and which specific insights from Katherine Birbalsingh, Dr Ciara O'Donnell, Christopher Youles, Ben Whitaker and Orla Dempsey stood out. If you're looking for the most impactful conversations from the year or want to catch up on episodes you might have missed, this countdown will guide you to exactly what busy school leaders found most useful.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Master Your Leadership Interview Game | A Conversation with Orla Dempsey
• How To Learn From Everyone | A Conversation with Ben Whitaker
• Why Teachers Resist your Great Ideas | A Conversation with Christopher Youles
• When Teachers Teach Teachers | A Conversation with Dr. Ciara O'Donnell
• Leading With Conviction | A Conversation with Katharine Birbalsingh
• Education Leaders Live bonus episodes with Chris Scorer

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.